Wednesday Letter 2nd September 2026

WELCOME BACK TO HOLLYPARK BNS

A very warm welcome back to all our boys, families and staff for the new school year!

We are only in the first week of term, but it already feels like we never left! A huge well done to all our classes for settling back into school life with such positivity and purpose. Teachers are delighted to report exceptional focus, a strong work ethic, and fantastic teamwork across the board.

At Hollypark, manners and respect are the foundation of everything we do — and it is heartening to see our boys living these values every day. We are incredibly proud of the way our students carry themselves, both in the classroom and around the school.

A Special Welcome to Junior Infants

A very special mention goes to our wonderful Junior Infants, who have made an excellent start to their Hollypark journey.

Their smiles, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn have already made them a much-loved part of our school community. We are delighted to see them settling in so confidently and becoming part of the Hollypark family.

We are also looking forward to seeing our Junior Infants meet their 5th Class buddies in the coming days.

Our buddy system is one of Hollypark’s most cherished traditions. Senior boys from 5th and 6th Class pair up with our Junior and Senior Infant boys for shared activities such as games, storytelling and lots of fun. It is a beautiful way to foster friendship, kindness and mentorship — and our older boys always rise to the occasion as outstanding role models.

We know our 5th and 6th Class boys will take great pride in looking after their younger buddies!

A Few Important Safety Reminders

As we begin the new school year, we would like to remind everyone of a few important procedures that help us keep our boys safe and ensure the smooth running of the school.

Trees and outdoor areas
For safety reasons, boys must not climb the trees before or after school.

Please also ensure that Junior and Senior Infant boys do not enter the grass areas before or after school. These areas are not supervised at these times, and we ask parents and guardians to ensure that children remain in the designated areas. This includes the hill at the end of the car park. 

Smart watches
Smart watches should be powered off and placed safely in the child's school bag during the school day.

Mobile phones
Mobile phones are not permitted in Hollypark BNS. If a boy in the Senior end has a genuine requirement to have a phone, an application must be made to Mr O'Donovan, and permission must be granted in advance.

One-Way System

A reminder too of our one-way system at drop-off and collection times. We ask all families to follow the designated system carefully and to be mindful of other children and families using the school grounds.

These arrangements are in place to help everyone move safely and efficiently at what can be very busy times of the day. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Please Label Belongings

With so many boys returning to school, we ask parents to ensure that all belongings are clearly labelled with your child's name.

Please label jumpers, coats, school bags, cycling helmets, lunch boxes, water bottles and all other personal belongings.

This makes it much easier to return lost property to its owner and prevents items from being accidentally taken home by another child.

Keeping Up to Date

Finally, we encourage all parents and guardians to stay up to date with our school policies and procedures. A shared understanding of our routines and expectations makes a huge difference and helps to ensure the safe, smooth and positive running of our school. Make sure you are signed up to Aladdin to receive all school communication. Please verify your phone numbers so you are receiving school text messages. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and cooperation.

It has been fantastic to see the boys back, full of energy, enthusiasm and positivity. There is a wonderful atmosphere around Hollypark already, and we are looking forward to another year filled with learning, friendship, achievement and fun.

Keep up the brilliant work, boys! We’re so proud of you all.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead! 

Welcome to Sarah – Our New School Secretary

We are delighted to welcome Sarah to her new role as our School Secretary.

Sarah will be a familiar face to many in our school community, having been a dedicated member of the Parents’ Association for many years and having also served as Chairperson for the past 5 years. We are absolutely delighted that Sarah is now sharing her considerable talents, experience and enthusiasm with us in a professional capacity!

We know that Sarah will be a wonderful addition to our staff and a very welcome presence in the school office. Her knowledge of our school community, along with her commitment to Hollypark BNS, will be a fantastic asset in her new role.

If you are contacting the school office for any reason, please email: info@hollyparkbns.ie

We would like to wish Sarah every success and happiness in her new role. We know she will be a fantastic addition to the Hollypark BNS team and we look forward to working with her.

We would also like to wish Eilish well in her new role as she moves to the back office. We are delighted that Eilish will continue to be an important part of the school team in her new position.

CONTACT TEACHER/MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

To contact your son's teacher/ make an appointment, please use the website www.hollyparkbns.ie. In the top right hand corner, you will see CONTACT in yellow tab. Click CONTACT, a drop down menu of all the class teachers will appear. Click on your son's teacher and send a message. 

SPORTING SUCCESS FOR HOLLYPARK STAFF

Mayo Were Not the Only Winners This Summer!

While it may have felt like all roads led to Mayo this summer, they certainly weren’t the only winners! We are incredibly proud to congratulate Jeff Jones and Garvan McEvoy, who both represented Ireland on the international stage during the summer.

Garvan, representing Ireland in Dodgeball, won a fantastic bronze medal at the European Games – an incredible achievement. This is particularly impressive given that Mr. McEvoy was instrumental in setting up the Dodgeball Association of Ireland, and the Irish team is still a very young programme operating with limited resources and funding. To compete at European level and come home with a medal is a tremendous accomplishment.

Jeff, meanwhile, represented Ireland in International Hockey, putting in a superb performance throughout the tournament in goals. His achievement is all the more remarkable considering that Jeff only took up hockey less than three years ago! To progress from picking up a hockey stick for the first time to representing your country is an outstanding achievement, and one of which we are extremely proud.

Congratulations to both Jeff and Mr. McEvoy – two fantastic ambassadors for Hollypark and wonderful examples of where dedication, hard work and a willingness to try something new can take you!