Wednesday Letter January 14th 2026
STRIPE YOUNG SCIENTIST

Congratulations to Eoghan – Outstanding Achievement at the Young Scientist Exhibition
The entire school community at Hollypark BNS was delighted to hear of the wonderful success of past pupil Eoghan, who recently won an individual award from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) at the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.
Eoghan, now a 5th Year student in CBC, began his educational journey here in Hollypark, attending our school from Junior Infants right through to 6th Class. His achievement is a fantastic testament to his hard work, curiosity, and commitment to learning over many years.
Winning a CSO award at such a prestigious national event is a significant accomplishment and reflects Eoghan’s strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and passion for inquiry — qualities that were evident during his time in Hollypark and have clearly continued to flourish.
We are incredibly proud of Eoghan and his achievements, and we hope his success will inspire our current pupils to pursue their interests with confidence, creativity, and determination.
Well done, Eoghan — we wish you every continued success in the years ahead!
PARENT-TEACHER MEETINGS
Parent-teacher meetings will begin soon. Teachers will release time and date slots through our Aladdin system this week. When the time slots are available, you can follow the infographic below for tips on how to book your time slot. Please ensure you are signed up to the ALADDIN CONNECT app.
January 28th & 29th, school will close @ 2.15 pm to facilitate parent-teacher meetings. Collection time for 1st-6th class is 2.15 pm.
We are really looking forward to welcoming you to the school at the Parent-Teacher Meetings. We respectfully request that you refrain from bringing children to the school during your meeting. Meetings will last 10 minutes. We hope you enjoy your visit to your child's classroom and the school.

Valentine’s Cake Sale – Raffle Prize Donations
The Parents’ Association is getting ready for our Valentine’s Cake Sale and raffle, and we’d love your help! If you or your company could help us out with child-friendly raffle prizes (such as vouchers, treats, or experiences), we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Please contact us at hollyparkboyspa@gmail.com. Thanks, as always, for your continued generosity and support!
Engineers' Week
Last year, Engineers' Week was a huge success. One of the highlights of the week each year is the visitors who come in to speak with the boys about life as engineers.
To avoid a clash with Seachtain na Gaeilge in March, we will celebrate Engineers' Week in February (16-18 Feb). If you would like to speak to the boys about life as an engineer, we would love to hear from you. Please email Ms. Hynes at stemathollypark@gmail.com, outlining the age group you would like to speak to and a brief description of the topic you would like to discuss. We look forward to welcoming you to enlighten our budding engineers!
If you spoke to the boys last year and would be interested in returning or speaking to another class group, please feel free to email the above email address.

STARS OF THE FUTURE
Granada U10 Boys – Fantastic Runners-Up in Newbridge Blitz
Huge congratulations to the Granada Under 10 boys, who put in a superb performance at the Newbridge Blitz on Saturday, finishing as runners-up after a thrilling final.
The boys demonstrated great skill, determination, and teamwork throughout the tournament, battling their way to the final, where the match ended in a 1–1 draw at full time. Extra time followed, and despite a brave and committed effort right to the final whistle, the opposition scored in the second half of extra time to claim the win.
While the result was narrow, the performance was outstanding. The boys represented Granada & Hollypark with pride, sportsmanship, and resilience, qualities we value greatly in our school.
Well done to Aidan, Archie, Dylan, Freddie, and Seamus, who were wonderful ambassadors for Hollypark. You should all be very proud of your achievement.
School Uniform Reminder
We would like to remind parents and guardians of our school uniform arrangements at Hollypark BNS and thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Hollypark BNS has two school uniforms:
- PE / Sports Uniform
This uniform may be worn on:- Days when your son has PE
- Days when he is representing the school in sports, including Cumann na mBunscol football or hurling, or after-school sports with Mr. Moloney
- Formal School Uniform
On all other school days, pupils are expected to wear the formal uniform, which consists of:- Green school jumper
- Grey shirt and school tie
- Grey trousers
- Black shoes or black runners
We appreciate your cooperation in supporting this.

This is a very special week for these great boys,
Renzo Marino, Axel Mallon, David Finnegan, Luke Champion, Charlie Ashley, Cokito Orellana Lyne, Cillín Cleary, Andrew Lynam, Oscar Friel, James Hyland, Adam Dunne, Hugo Collins and Zachary Lynch.
Have a great celebration, boys!
Beir bua agus beannacht

Principal
14.01.2026
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2026
Hurling Season | Hurling & Soccer | Soccer | Testing Month | Reports | |||||||||||||
January | February | March | April | May | June | ||||||||||||
1 | Th | 1 | Su | 1 | Su | 1 | We | Easter Holidays | 1 | Fr | 1 | Mo | School Closed | ||||
2 | Fr | 2 | Mo | School closed St. Brigid’s Day | 2 | Mo | 2 | Th | Easter Holidays | 2 | Sa | 2 | Tu | School Closed | |||
3 | Sa | 3 | Tu | 3 | Tu | 3 | Fr | Easter Holidays | 3 | Su | 3 | We | |||||
4 | Su | 4 | We | 4 | We | 4 | Sa | Easter Holidays | 4 | Mo | Mid Term | 4 | Th | New Infant Story Day | |||
5 | Mo | Return to school | 5 | Th | 5 | Th | 5 | Su | Easter Sunday | 5 | Tu | Mid Term | 5 | Fr | |||
6 | Tu | 6 | Fr | 6 | Fr | 6 | Mo | Easter Holidays | 6 | We | Mid Term | 6 | Sa | ||||
7 | We | 7 | Sa | Peace Proms 3rd | 7 | Sa | 7 | Tu | Easter Holidays | 7 | Th | 7 | Su | ||||
8 | Th | 8 | Su | 8 | Su | 8 | We | Easter Holidays | 8 | Fr | 8 | Mo | |||||
9 | Fr | 9 | Mo | 9 | Mo | 9 | Th | Easter Holidays | 9 | Sa | 9 | Tu | |||||
10 | Sa | 10 | Tu | 10 | Tu | 10 | Fr | Easter Holidays | 10 | Su | 10 | We | Sports Day | ||||
11 | Su | 11 | We | Staff Inservice School Closed | 11 | We | 11 | Sa | 11 | Mo | 11 | Th | Reserve Sports Day | ||||
12 | Mo | 12 | Th | 12 | Th | Paráid | 12 | Su | 12 | Tu | 12 | Fr | |||||
13 | Tu | 13 | Fr | Cake Sale | 13 | Fr | 13 | Mo | School Re-opens | 13 | We | Staff Inservice School Closed | 12 | Fr | |||
14 | We | 14 | Sa | 14 | Sa | 14 | Tu | 14 | Th | 14 | Su | ||||||
15 | Th | 16 | Mo | Engineers’ Week | 15 | Su | 15 | We | 15 | Fr | 15 | Mo | |||||
16 | Fr | 16 | Mo | 16 | Mo | School Closed | 16 | Th | 16 | Sa | 16 | Tu | ISM | ||||
17 | Sa | 17 | Tu | Engineers’ Week | 17 | Tu | School Closed | 17 | Fr | 17 | Su | First Communion 11:30 | 17 | We | |||
18 | Su | 18 | We | Engineers’ Week | 18 | We | 18 | Sa | 18 | Mo | Ceremony of Light 18:30 | 18 | Th | PA BBQ | |||
19 | Mo | Catholic Schools Week | 19 | Th | Mid Term | 19 | Th | 19 | Su | 19 | Tu | 19 | Fr | ||||
20 | Tu | 20 | Fr | Mid Term | 20 | Fr | 20 | Mo | 20 | We | 20 | Sa | |||||
21 | We | 21 | Sa | 21 | Sa | 21 | Tu | 21 | Th | 21 | Su | ||||||
22 | Th | 22 | Su | 22 | Su | 22 | We | 22 | Fr | 22 | Mo | ||||||
23 | Fr | 23 | Mo | 23 | Mo | 23 | Th | 23 | Sa | 23 | Tu | 6th Class Graduation | |||||
24 | Sa | 24 | Tu | 24 | Tu | 24 | Fr | 24 | Su | 24 | We | ||||||
25 | Su | 25 | We | 25 | We | 25 | Sa | 25 | Mo | 25 | Th | ||||||
26 | Mo | 26 | Th | First Penance 19:15 | 26 | Th | 26 | Su | 26 | Tu | Confirmation | Fr | Last day 11.50-12 | ||||
27 | Tu | 27 | Fr | 27 | Fr | Easter Holidays | 27 | Mo | 27 | We | 27 | Sa | |||||
28 | We | Parent Teacher Meet | 28 | Sa | 28 | Sa | 28 | Tu | ISM | 28 | Th | 28 | Su | ||||
29 | Th | Parent Teacher Meet | 29 | Su | 29 | We | 29 | Fr | 29 | Mo | |||||||
30 | Fr | 30 | Mo | Easter Holidays | 30 | Th | 30 | Sa | 30 | Tu | |||||||
31 | Sa | 31 | Tu | Easter Holidays | 31 | Su | |||||||||||