Wednesday letter October 21st 2026

HALLOWEEN DRESS-UP 

Halloween is creeping up on us, and we’re getting ready for a spook-tacular day of Halloween fun in Hollypark! Our annual Halloween dress-up day is on Friday, October 23rd, and we can’t wait to see the boys’ fang-tastic costumes! Whether they’re dressing up as witches, wizards, superheroes, monsters, or something a little more boo-tiful, we’re sure it will be a frightfully good day!

Before the boys get carried away with their costume creations, please take a little moment to remind yourself of the following guidelines to help keep our day safe and enjoyable for everyone:

• Keep their hands free! No props or accessories that need to be held, dropped or picked up by curious little monsters.
• No tripping up the ghosts and ghouls! Long capes, dangling material, and anything that might cause a tumble should be left in the coffin!
• Comfort is key! Costumes should be practical for a full day in the classroom. Inflatable costumes might be a scream, but they’re not suitable for the school day!
• Keep it spooky, not scary! Please make sure costumes are suitable for our younger boys. If it might give a Junior Infant a fright, it may be time to tone down the terror!

Remember, when it comes to Halloween costumes, less is often more — you don’t need all the bells and witches’ whistles to make a great impression!

With your help, we’re sure the boys will have a boo-last of a day. Thank you for helping us keep Halloween fun, safe, and frightfully fabulous for everyone. Have a fa-boo-lous Halloween! 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Please note that the school will be closed on NOVEMBER 5th, 2026, to facilitate staff training in STEM. Please inform after-school facilities, child minders, grandparents, etc. 

Professional Learning Days: School Closure Dates
*2 new dates added

Below are the full-day school closure dates assigned to our school by Oide for the academic year.

The full-day school closures assigned to your school for 2026/27 are shown below:

Sports Blitz 2026

Thank you to all the parents and coaches who generously volunteered their time at our Sports Blitz on Friday 9^th October. It was an incredible, action-packed day! Thanks to your support, we were able to create a wonderful day for the boys, which also allowed them to discover and enjoy new sports.  We also extend our thanks to all the teachers, SNAs, and staff in Hollypark for their invaluable help in ensuring the day ran efficiently and on schedule.

We extend our thanks to the following people: 

Active Academy, Anna from High5Sports, David Day of JabbaJabbaJembe Drumming, Hannah May Hip Hop, Yoga with Alicia Harmon and Jessica Barron, Basketball Coach Bobo from Clutch Academy,Hollypark parent Jana Langford, Stephen O’Shea of Monkstown Lawn Tennis Club, Garry Zambra and Lar Mahony of St. Joseph’s Football Club, Ewelina and Miriam of Volleyball Ireland, Jim Stewart of Cricket Leinster, the Sports Coaches at UCD, Avoca Hockey Coach Chris, Killian O’Sullivan Blackrock RFC, Rob Wolfe, Hollypark parents Stephen Sullivan, Ronan Maher, Neil Kennedy, Andrew Goodman, Rebecca Coghlan, Conor Twomey, Paul O’Grady, Eamonn Barry, Rob Wolfe, Thomas O’Connor, Michelle Tuohy, Grainne Morgan and Linda Heuston.

Thank you also to the parent volunteers who assisted with walking the 4^th and 5^th class boys to and from both Stradbrook and Bluepool, and to the many PA parents who helped out within the school on the day. A final Thank You to the wonderful TY boys, past pupils of Hollypark, who were most helpful throughout the day.

We have raised over €18,000 so far and would like to thank all the boys and their families for their incredible generosity.  For those who have yet to return their sponsorship cards, the teachers are collecting them in class every day this week.

Many thanks,

Sarah Walsh
Hollypark BNS Parents’ Association

THANK YOU, SARAH & HER TEAM

A huge thank you to Sarah Walsh for the commitment, experience and leadership she brought to the Parents’ Association over the past 11 years. Sarah served as Chairperson for the 5 years and what a wonderful job she did! 

Hollypark has benefited enormously from the time and energy Sarah invested in our school community, and we are genuinely grateful for everything she contributed.

Last night marked the end of Sarah’s journey on our Parent Association, one which we didn’t want to see end- So much so, in fact, we employed her as our secretary! Indeed, Sarah was so good and efficient at running the PA, it has taken 3 people to replace her! Kate, Rohan, Roisin, thank you so much for offering to step up into the Chair position. We are deeply grateful to you all and we look forward to working with you. 

The PA team is a wonderful group of people who share a common ambition: to make Hollypark a better place for the children who attend our school and for the staff who work here. That commitment is evident in everything they do, and the positive difference they make should never be underestimated.

One of the things we particularly appreciate about the PA is the sense of fun and excitement they bring to school life. The Sports Blitz, Santa’s visits, magicians, cake sale days, ice cream days and so many other events create moments of joy that the boys will remember long after they leave Hollypark. These experiences help make school about much more than what happens inside the classroom. We thank you all so much for making Hollypark a wonderful place to work and lead. 

SCHOOL SURVEY

Thank you to all the families who took the time to provide further feedback to the Boards of Management of both Hollypark BNS and Hollypark GNS following the recent Primary School Survey.

47% of our schools’ community took part in the original survey, and we are very grateful for the engagement and for the thoughtful comments and views shared.

Both Boards of Management of Hollypark BNS and Hollypark GNS will seek further information from the DEY on the possibility and practical implications of co-education, including planning, accommodation, enrolment and financial considerations.  At this stage, both Boards are simply seeking to understand the options available and what they might mean for our schools.

We are not, at this point, seeking to alter the ethos of the schools.

We will keep parents informed as this first phase of information gathering progresses and provide further opportunities for engagement as appropriate.

Thank you again for your time, feedback, and continued support of St. Patrick’s BNS and St. Patrick's GNS, Hollypark. Both schools will continue to meet and mix classes through various events throughout the year.