Wednesday Letter December 3rd 2025

Posted on Tue, 02/12/2025 - 09:31

INFANT CHRISTMAS SHOWS

Junior & Senior Infants Christmas Performances – December 11th

We are nearly there! After all the preparation, line learning, song singing, costume making and multiple rehearsals, we are very much looking forward to welcoming the parents and guardians of our Junior and Senior Infant classes into the school on Thursday, 11th December.

Junior Infants: 9.30 a.m.
Senior Infants: 11.30 a.m.

Please note that there are only two spaces per family. Siblings in the Boys' School will already have enjoyed the performance, and sisters from the Girls' School are not permitted to attend on the day.

We are delighted that Ciarán Maher, parent and cameraman, will record both shows. A download link will be made available on our website. We kindly ask parents not to use mobile phones to record during the performance.

All shows will take place in the school’s PE Hall. We thank you sincerely for your co-operation and look forward to a wonderful morning of festive cheer.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Junior & Senior Infant Christmas Show Ms. Dunne's Class	Thursday, December 11th Friday, December 12th	Jun 9.30am & Snr Infants 11.30 am 9.30 am
6th Class Christmas Show	Tuesday, December 9th @ 7 pm	6th class
Santa Visit (Christmas Jumpers!)	Tuesday, December 16th	Whole School

LAST DAY OF TERM

The final day of this school term is Friday, 19th December. We will operate a staggered finish on that day. Please inform minders, grandparents and after-school facilities.

Junior & Senior Infants	11:50 am
5th & 6th Class	11:55 am
1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th	12 noon

School will re-open on Monday, 5th January 2026

PARENT-TEACHER MEETINGS

Parent-teacher meetings will take place the week beginning Monday, January 26th.

January 28th & 29th, school will close @ 2.15 pm to facilitate parent-teacher meetings. Collection time for 1st-6th class is 2.15 pm.

STAFF IN-SERVICE: FULL-DAY SCHOOL CLOSURE

Hollypark BNS staff will have a whole-staff training day on Wednesday, February 11th & Wednesday, May 13th. The theme of the training is the New Primary Curriculum Framework.
Please inform minders, grandparents, and after-school facilities.

6TH CLASS CHRISTMAS CAROL SHOW REMINDER

December 9th @ 7 pm

We are delighted to remind 6th class families that our Christmas Carol Show will take place in the school’s PE Hall. Please note that spaces are limited and each child is allocated two adult seats only. The performance will run for approximately 60 minutes.

Our wonderful Parents’ Association will once again be on hand, warmly welcoming families with mulled wine and mince pies.

We look forward to sharing a beautiful, festive evening with you all.

PEACE PROMS 3RD CLASS

3rd class are busy practising for the Peace Proms Choir Workshop in the National Indoor Arena in Blanchardstown on Tuesday, 9/12/25. The boys will leave via bus from Foxrock Church at 8.30 am. It promises to be a wonderful day out for the boys and their teachers. It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase their entire repertoire of songs and musical talents with a host of schools from around Dublin in anticipation of the Peace Proms 2026 in February at the RDS. Thank you to Ms. Ryan and the 3rd class team, Ms. Larkin, Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Harlin, Ms. Cabases for their organisation and preparation for this wonderful event.

STAR OF THE FUTURE

Congratulations to Gray from Ms Ó Dubhagáin, 1st Class, who captained the U8 St Joseph’s Boys team to a cup win in the Cliftonville FC tournament on Sunday. The black and white look great on you, Gray. Hopefully you will play for my beloved Newcastle Utd someday!

MATHS QUIZ

Well done to the fabulous four, Roman, Vito, Sean and Caelan, who represented Hollypark BNS in a Maths Quiz at St. Attracta's NS last week. The boys finished in 4th position with a brilliant score. They really did us proud. Thank you to St. Attracta's NS for hosting us.

SANTA

Santa and his elves will once again visit Hollypark this year. We look forward to welcoming him on Tuesday, December 16th. It is always one of our favourite days of the year! Boys are encouraged to wear their Christmas jumpers for Santa's visit!

CAPUCHIN CENTRE & THE PUPIL VOICE COMMITTEE

Combating child poverty is the Pupil Voice Committee’s focus at this time of year. The Pupil Voice Committee is making a Christmas collection in aid of homeless children and families. The Pupil Voice Committee is collecting vouchers for The Capuchin Day Centre for the homeless. The centre provides hundreds of hot meals every day as well as food parcels for those in need. You can help by buying a voucher for SuperValu, Tesco, Dunne’s Stores, Aldi or Lidl.  The boys can bring these vouchers to school, where their teachers and the Pupil Voice Committee will gather them. We will drop these vouchers at the Capuchin Day Centre before Christmas so they can be used to buy supplies for children and families in need. In addition, all funds from the Christmas Cards sold by the PA will go directly to the Capuchin Day Centre. We understand that families may have their own charities at this time of year, so there is no pressure to donate.

ADVENT WREATHS

Thank you, once again, to Ms. Perera and her team of volunteers for their work with our boys making Advent wreaths. The boys love making the wreaths, and they are looking forward to displaying them at home.
Advent is a period of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas, marking the four Sundays before December 25th. Each week of Advent emphasises themes such as hope, peace, joy, and love, helping us prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Christmas.

This week is a special week for these great boys: Aidan Mc Donagh, Enzo Mallon, Maverick Elegado, Séan Byrne, Cormac Slowey, Harry Fay, Noah Clarke, Hugo Cunneen, Richie Walsh, Brody De Rís, Liam Mc Donagh, Rian Heraghty & Bobby Ryan.

Have a wonderful celebration boys!

Beir bua agus beannacht,