covid-19
Thank you to all parents, guardians, staff and boys for adhering to HSE Covid-19 guidelines. We really want our doors to remain open. In order for this to happen, our school community must remain vigilant at all times and obey all public health measures. Please do not send your child to school if they are feeling unwell. Please do not give your child Calpol (Ibuprofen, or other) and send him to school.
Staff Inservice: Friday 22nd October
The DES has sanctioned a half-day school closure in Term One 2021/22 to facilitate staff in-service on the Primary Language Curriculum. Hollypark BNS & GNS have agreed that this half day will be taken on Friday 22nd October which is the final day of this half term. We will operate a staggered finish on Friday 22nd October to facilitate social distancing.
|
11.30am |
Junior Infants |
|
11.35am |
Senior Infants |
|
*11.45am |
5th and 6th Class |
|
11.50am |
4th Class |
|
11.55am |
3rd Class |
|
12pm |
2nd Class |
|
*11.45am |
1st Class. *Collect from rear of the school. |
Confirmation
We look forward to welcoming our past 6th class pupils back to Hollypark once more. The sacrament of Confirmation will take place for Ms. Maloney’s students on Wednesday 22nd and on Sunday 26th for Mr. Mc. Evoy and Mrs. Smyth’s former students. I look forward to attending all ceremonies and meeting our amazing boys once more.
communion
On Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th October, it will be the turn of our present 3rd class boys to make their First Holy Communion. Each boy will wear the Hollypark blazer and full uniform. A letter from the Parents’ Association has been sent to all 3rd class parents re. blazer fittings. If you have not received this letter, please let us know via info@hollyparkbns.ie. Once again, we will mark the special occasion with Reuben the Magician and Teddy’s ice-cream. Thank you to the PA for their help in organising this event.
Communion Photographs
County Photos will be onsite to take photos of Communion boys. 4th class boys will have their photo taken on October 6th and 3rd class on October 12th. Boys should wear their full uniform with white shirt and tie to school on those days. 3rd class boys can bring their blazer for the photo.
Contact with teacher
We have two methods of contacting your son’s teacher. Method one, send an email via info@hollyparkbns.ie with FAO: the teacher’s name or method two, via the contact section of the school website. In the contact section, a drop-down menu will appear with the names of all the teachers.
After School Activities Programme 2021/2022
We await updated DES guidelines regarding the resumption of our After School Activities Programme. While the priority of the Board of Management will remain the safe return of our boys and the avoidance of any class closures which might arise due to the mixing of pods and bubbles, we are very hopeful that we will be able to resume outdoor activities very soon.
ENROLMENT DAY
Enrolment for Junior Infants 2022-2023 will take place on October 4th from 8am.
|
The school will commence accepting applications for admission on |
4th October 2021
|
|
The school shall cease accepting applications for admission on |
5th November 2021 @ 3:00pm
|
|
The date by which applicants will be notified of the decision on their application is |
26th November 2021
|
|
The period within which applicants must confirm acceptance of an offer of admission is* |
10th December 2021 |
MONTHLY FOCUS
For the month of September, we will focus on manners, courtesy and respect. This focus is not only for when boys are present in the school building but also as they represent us in the community. We are immensely proud of our boys, both past and present, and we take great pride in hearing how well they are looked upon in our community. We continue to focus on kind words and kind actions and the great saying ‘If it is not nice, don’t say it. If it is not nice, don’t do it.’ Boys can take this mantra with them everywhere they go.
spellings for me
This year our 5th class students are trialling a new spelling programme called Spellings for Me.
Spellings for Me is an online and an offline programme. The online aspect is the child's profile, where they log in and take a series of tests. The offline aspect is the differentiated workbook. This is a valuable resource to accompany the online program. It provides a clear framework of activities for both teachers and students. Within this framework, are differentiated activities that support the child's learning of the errors they made online. Despite being a “spelling workbook”, it is still completely differentiated, as children print out their spellings from their individual online profile and paste them into the workbook.
The child works according to their ability, not their class or age. Pictured below are Ms. Maloney’s fabulous boys working on their differentiated programme.
social media reminders
Primary school children should not have access to smart phones. (Phones with internet capability) Every year we see the dangers of internet enabled phones and many smartphone apps including Tik-Tok, Snapchat, WhatsApp. Our primary school children are not ready for these phones and social media apps.
Advice for Parents and Teens
Under the new E.U General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Ireland has now set the Digital Age of Consent to 16 years old.
This means young people under the age of 16 in Ireland are not allowed to access to many social media platforms. webwise.ie/parents/talking-points-posting-sharing-online/
school warden
When crossing the road, please cross with the school wardens provided. We have seen an increase in traffic around our school and we appeal to all boys to cross with extreme caution and follow the rules of the Safe Cross Code. Stop, look, listen. Last week, I met with members of Dlr road safety unit and the local residence association to discuss our deep concern about the volume and speed of cars in and around our school and the lack of safe crossing zones for our pupils. Dlr are taking the matter very seriously and drawing up plans for a safer school zone.
stars of the future
Congratulations to Patrick Tjis, who stole the show in Leopardstown Tennis Club during the summer. Patrick won the u10s singles with some stunning play. A Wimbledon star in the making!
Another star on the rise is our new teacher Ms. Walsh who has been chosen to represent Ireland in upcoming golf internationals. Ms. Walsh plays off +3. Below she is pictured with her role model Leona Maguire. Best of luck Ms. Walsh, we are all very proud of you.
lost and found
Car keys have been found and handed into the school office.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!
This week is a special week for these boys.
Jamie Fitzpatrick, Luke Mandal, Matthew Mc Grath, Andrew Stonys, Shaurya Verma, Isaac Byrne, Shane Mc Donagh, James Martin and Finn Mc Donald.
We wish you a happy birthday boys!
dlr libraries
It is great to see our local libraries re-open once again. The junior library in dlr Lexicon is ready and waiting for families, little ones and older ones. With comfortable seating and 1000’s of books to choose from it is perfect for reading stories together.
Or check out the Halloween Spooktacular Storytime and Crafts in Blackrock Library.
this week’s advertisements
If you would like to advertise in the Wednesday Newsletter please get in touch by email – hollyparkboyspa@gmail.com
Ads are €25 each for a half page and support the PA activities throughout the year.
This week’s fact corner by Ms. Crowe’s 6th Class
The White’s Way.
The Great White Shark is mainly found in warm waters worldwide. They can grow to lengths of at least 8 metres and can weigh over 2 tonnes. They are one of the most notorious man- eaters on the planet. They are the largest ocean predator that we know of.
The Shark’s Tux.
Great White Sharks have very distinctive appearances with large torpedo-shaped bodies. They have 300 jagged teeth which can all grow up to a whopping 6 centimetres. They have powerful, crescent-shaped tails that propel them through the water. They have extremely tough skin that is covered in tiny teeth called denticles and furthermore, it helps them to camouflage into the seabed. They have a ferocious bite while pouncing on their prey.
Where’s White?
These creatures are commonly found in temperate and tropical waters. In fact, they can be found everywhere! They are sighted mostly in South Africa, Australia, California and off the North East coast of the United States. Great White Sharks can be found swimming just below the surface or above the ocean floor, depending on their feeding habits.
What’s in the Jaws?
Great White Sharks are thought to eat about 11 tonnes of food a year. Their main diet consists of sealions, seals, dolphins and smaller whales. They are terrifying carnivores, that primarily hunt large marine mammals. They are able to feel vibrations caused by animals to detect their prey. This is beneficial as they have poor eyesight. However, their sense of smell is impeccable. It is believed that they can smell blood in the water from up to half a kilometre away. Great White Sharks fiercely attack with great speed and force. They really are a formidable force of nature!
Fangtastic Facts!
- In order to intimate their fellow sea creatures, Great White Sharks often swim around bearing their teeth.
- These sharks are endangered due to hunting and habitat loss.
- Great White Sharks are essentially massive force field detectors!
- They are one of the biggest fish known to man.
Fin Finish
To conclude, Great White Sharks are one of the deadliest animals you could encounter in the water, if you had not figured that out already! Swimmers beware, always stay between the red and yellow flags!
Beir bua agus beannacht,
B. O’Donovan
22.09.’21