St. Patrick's GNS News
7th September 2026
Secondary School Fair
We have invited the local secondary schools to the school on Wednesday 9th September. They will be set up in the Halla from 1.20 to 2.00 and parents are welcome to come and talk to the different schools and find out about their open nights and subject offerings. The meeting for parents of pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th Classes will take place afterwards.
Class Meetings
Class meetings are taking place on Wednesday at 9 a.m for parents of pupils in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Classes.
The Secondary School Fair is taking place on Wednesday at 1.30 p.m
Parents of pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th Classes are invited to come to the fair and the Class Meeting at 2 p.m
Teas and Coffees will be served by our new HSCL Elaine
Pupils Personal Insurance-24 Hour Cover
Anyone who has used this before will know what great value it is for those accident and emergencies with your child. Forms were sent home last week.
School Fees
š A little reminder about school fees! š
Swimming is starting on Friday the 11th September for 3rd, 5th and 6th Classes. Make sure to get those fees in.
Here is the link https://platform.payzone.ie/customer/11526/product-list
Please contact the office if you have any difficulty with this
Swimming
Swimming-3rd, 5th and 6th Classes
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Swimming for 3rd, 5th & 6th Classes will take place at Mayfield Swimming Pool on:
Fridays ā Sept 11, 18 & Oct 2, 9, 16 and 23rd at 10 a.m.
(Cost: ā¬25, included in school fee)
What to Bring:
Proper one-piece swimsuit , towel, swim cap & goggles (if needed).
School tracksuit (named) to be worn.
Separate swim bag (cross-body/backpack).
Hair tied in high ponytail or bun.
Coat for walking to/from pool.
Reminders:
No armbands (pool provides).
Quick rinse only ā no shampoo/bodywash.
No photos.
No money for vending machines.
š Please gather these items now. If you have difficulty getting anything, let the class teacher know.
Homework Club
The Homework Club has a waiting list now. Contact the club on 0873155681 if you have any questions
Upcoming School Closures
Event Information
Event Information
Upcoming Events
Event Information
Event Information
A chance for you to meet your child's teacher and other parents.
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Event Information
Event Information
A chance for you to meet your child's teacher and other parents. We have also invited some local secondary schools to set up a table so you can have a chat with them about what they have to offer
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Event Information
News from the Community
Richard Hogan-Advice on our Children and ICT
Dear Principal, Parents / Guardians,
I wrote in the Irish Examiner last week about one of the more unsettling developments in AI - the growing use of AI companions and āAI girlfriendsā by young people.
It raises a much bigger question for all of us as parents:
How is AI going to change the world our children are growing up in?
This Thursday evening, Iāll be joined by leading Technology and AI expert James Garry for a special live conversation:
AI & Our Kidsā Future
What Parents Need to Know About Careers, Skills and the World of Work
Thursday, 10 September
8.00pm
Live online
Weāll explore what the rapid development of AI could mean for our children - from education to future careers, skills and the changing world of work.
If you havenāt registered yet, Iād love you to join us.
REGISTER FOR FREE EVENT HERE:
Register
And if youād like to read more about some of my concerns around AI and young people, you can read my latest Irish Examiner column here:
AI āgirlfriendsā make me fear for future of humanity ā Irish Examiner
I hope you can join us on Thursday evening at 8pm.
With warm regards,
Richard
Dr Richard Hogan
Family Psychotherapist & Co-Founder
Parenting & Technology Institute (PATI)
23 Fitzwilliam Street Upper
Dublin
D02 DF74
Ireland
Information on Secondary Schools
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Parents/guardians may find it hard to understand what subjects their child can take in
secondary school and how these subjects can help with future jobs.
To help with this, the Department of Education and Youth has created clear, easy-to-read
subject and career leaflets.
These leaflets explain the subjects your child may study and show how they link to different
jobs. They are to help you and your child talk about and choose their school subjects
together.
The leaflets are available on the Departmentās website in Irish, English, Irish Sign Language,
Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Latvian, Portuguese, Romanian, Mandarin Chinese
and Spanish.
Further resources
National Council for Curriculum Assessment:
o Information on transition from primary to secondary school is available here.
o Information on the Junior Cycle curriculum is available here.
Department of Education and Youth:
o Information on the Junior Cycle is available here.
National Parents Council
o Information from the National Parents Council is available here.
National Council for Special Education:
o Guidelines to support parents of children with special educational needs is
available here.
o Information for parents, pupils and teachers in relation to supporting pupils in
mainstream classes in primary and secondary schools is available here.
Transitions
https://www.curriculumonline.ie/primary/primary-curriculum-toolkit/reporting-and-transitions/
Information on Junior Cycle
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/junior-cycle-information-for-parentsguardians.pdf