PJP School News

As the new school year is now well underway, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our pupils, families and staff back to PJP. It has been a busy, productive and exciting start to the year, with pupils settling into their new classes, connecting with friends and embracing the many opportunities that school life has to offer.

A very special welcome is extended to all of our new pupils and families who have joined the PJP community this year. We are delighted to have you with us and hope that you are already beginning to feel at home in our school. We look forward to getting to know you and to working together over the years ahead.

September has been filled with learning, laughter and activity throughout the school. Our pupils have shown great enthusiasm as they have settled into new routines, engaged with their learning and participated in a wide variety of curricular and extracurricular activities. It has been wonderful to see our classrooms and corridors buzzing with energy, enthusiasm and curiosity once again.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated staff for the care, energy and commitment they bring to their work each day, and our parents and guardians for their continued support and partnership. Most importantly, I want to acknowledge our pupils, whose enthusiasm, kindness and sense of fun make PJP such a vibrant and special place to learn and grow.

As you read through this first newsletter of the school year, I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the many wonderful learning experiences, activities and achievements that have already taken place. We have much to look forward to in the months ahead, and I am excited to see all that this school year will bring for our pupils and wider school community.

Gayle Byrne

Acting Principal

Our recent Bí Cineálta (Anti-Bullying) Week was a wonderful celebration of kindness, respect, inclusion and positive friendships across our school community.

Throughout the week, pupils participated in a range of engaging activities, discussions and collaborative projects that encouraged them to reflect on the importance of treating others with empathy and respect. From recognising acts of kindness and expressing gratitude to celebrating individuality and belonging, every class embraced the key messages of Bí Cineálta.

The week concluded with a colourful non-uniform day, reminding us that our differences make our school community stronger. We are extremely proud of the enthusiasm and positivity shown by our pupils and look forward to continuing to promote these important values throughout the year.

Class meetings for parents/guardians have now commenced across the school and will continue over the coming weeks.

These meetings provide an opportunity for parents/guardians to visit their child's classroom, meet the class teacher, and receive an overview of the curriculum content, classroom routines, and homework expectations for the year ahead.

Dates and times for each meeting have been communicated to parents by Ashleen in the school office.

We understand that not all parents/guardians will be able to attend and, to ensure everyone has access to the information shared, a copy of the presentation slides from each teacher's meeting will be shared by the class teacher with all parents/guardians in the class following the meeting.

Individual Parent-Teacher Meetings will take place later in November and will provide an opportunity for personalised discussion and feedback on each child's progress.

This year, our 6th Class pupils are delighted to be participating in the Say Yes to Languages programme, an exciting initiative that promotes the learning of modern foreign languages in primary schools.

Led by visiting teacher Ms. O'Connor, the pupils have begun exploring the Spanish language through a variety of engaging activities, games and conversations. The programme provides a wonderful opportunity for the children to develop an appreciation of different languages and cultures from around the world, while also enhancing their communication and learning skills.

The pupils are thoroughly enjoying their introduction to Spanish, and we look forward to seeing their confidence and proficiency grow over the coming weeks.

¡Buena suerte, 6th Class!

Our 5th Class pupils have been swapping the classroom for two wheels as they take part in the Cycle Right Cycling Safety Programme. We are delighted to welcome back accredited instructors Mick and Shane to PJP, where they are guiding the children through this valuable and practical programme.

Over the course of the programme, pupils are developing essential cycling and road safety skills, beginning with bicycle control, signalling and safe manoeuvring within the school grounds. As their confidence and competence grow, they will progress to supervised cycling on local roads, where they will learn how to navigate junctions, understand road signs and apply safe cycling practices in real-life situations.

It has been wonderful to see the pupils' confidence and independence develop with each session. The children are thoroughly enjoying the experience while gaining important lifelong skills that will help them become safer and more responsible road users. A sincere thank you to Mick and Shane for making the lessons both engaging and enjoyable.

Our 4th Class pupils are currently enjoying weekly swimming lessons at Westwood Pool as part of the Aquatics Strand of the PE curriculum.

These lessons provide a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop important water safety awareness, build confidence in the water and improve their swimming skills in a fun and supportive environment.

The children have shown great enthusiasm and determination each week, and it has been wonderful to see their progress and growing confidence.

Once 4th Class have completed their swimming programme, our 3rd Class pupils will begin their lessons, and we look forward to them enjoying this valuable learning experience and developing their own aquatic skills.

We were delighted to welcome back Andrew ‘Mouse’ Fleming, Environmental Awareness Officer with O.W.L.S. (Outdoor, Wildlife, Learning and Survival), to PJP for another exciting year of environmental learning. Following the success of his previous visits, our pupils are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to take part in Mouse’s engaging biodiversity programme.

Andrew will visit the school each month, leading a variety of hands-on activities, investigations and outdoor learning experiences linked to our school theme of Biodiversity. Through these sessions, pupils will explore local habitats, learn about native plants and wildlife, and develop a greater understanding of the importance of protecting and caring for our environment.

Mouse’s enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for nature always inspire our pupils, encouraging them to be curious about the world around them and to become responsible, environmentally aware citizens. The programme also provides a wonderful opportunity for the children to connect with the natural world while developing valuable skills in observation, teamwork and scientific inquiry.

We look forward to another year filled with exciting discoveries, outdoor adventures and memorable learning experiences. We are delighted to have Mouse back as part of our school community and cannot wait to see what each monthly visit will bring for our third class pupils!

We are delighted to announce that Pope John Pauls will be participating in the annual Peace Proms Choir again this year under the direction of Ms Marissa Magner and Ms Deirdre Byrne.

Peace Proms is a music & peace programme for Primary Schools. Presented by the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, Peace Proms engages over 30,000 children in 700 primary schools across Ireland and Northern Ireland each year. The highlight is a series of spectacular large-scale concerts, featuring up to 3,000 choir members and our full symphony youth orchestra, held in major arena venues across Ireland and Northern Ireland in January–March 2027. Our school will be performing on the 6th February .

Designed for children aged 8–12, Peace Proms offers an engaging, exciting, educational, fun and magical musical experience.

Rehearsals started this week and the children are all very excited. Songs for this year include a medley of Disney/Pixar songs; 'Somewhere only we Know' and a fantastic 1980's medley amongst others. We are thrilled to have such a large number of children from 5th and 6th class participating this year. All places have now been filled and applications to join this choir are closed for this year.

Applications for the school choir for First Communion/Confirmation are separate and will take place after Christmas.

Ms. Whelan and Ms. Creavin's 4th classes recently participated in the Explorers Education Programme, an exciting marine education initiative that helps children learn about Ireland's rich marine environment and coastal biodiversity. The programme began with an engaging classroom workshop where pupils were introduced to marine ecology and had the opportunity to examine and handle a range of fascinating marine biofacts.

The second part of the programme saw the children take part in a seashore field trip, where they spent an incredible morning exploring their local beach. Equipped with nets, buckets, identification guides and scavenger hunt resources, the pupils investigated the diverse habitats and wildlife found along the shoreline. They thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on learning experience and gained a greater appreciation of the importance of protecting our marine ecosystems.

The enthusiasm, curiosity and teamwork displayed throughout the programme were wonderful to see, and the beach visit was undoubtedly a highlight for all involved.

A huge well done to both our Girls and Boys Senior GAA Teams, who have represented our school with great pride throughout this year’s Cumann na mBunscoil competitions.

Our PJP Girls have had an outstanding campaign so far! They have had some fantastic performances and victories against Corpus Christi Drumcondra and St. Vincent de Paul Marino. The girls have played some excellent football throughout the competition and have now progressed to the quarter-final, where they will take on Holy Family Swords. The girls have shown great determination and sportsmanship throughout their games and should be extremely proud of themselves and all they have achieved so far.

We wish the girls the very best of luck in their quarter-final today! LET's GO PJP!!

Our PJP Boys have also had a fantastic campaign, recording some excellent results against St. Patrick’s Drumcondra, St. Marnock’s Portmarnock and St. Oliver Plunkett’s Malahide. The boys performed brilliantly throughout their games and finished joint top of their group alongside two other teams. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for the boys in their playoff game yesterday. However, they can be extremely proud of their achievements and the effort, determination and sportsmanship they showed throughout the competition. They represented our school brilliantly and should be very proud of themselves.

We are so proud of both our girls' and boys' teams. They have shown great teamwork, commitment and determination while representing PJP, and have been fantastic ambassadors for our school.

Well done to everyone involved, and best of luck to the girls today!