Newsletter
30 01 2026
It’s been one of those weeks…… relentless rain
Lovely artwork from Caragh’s class
Dear Parents and Guardians,
What an incredible week of weather we have had! We are very grateful for the big green canopy at the front of the school — it certainly proved its worth with several downpours right at 8.30am drop-off and again at 2.10pm collection.
As always, the weather did not deter us. Groups visited the Little Museum of Dublin, Henrietta Street Museum, and took part in swimming and rowing. Next week will be our final week of rowing for 5th class. On that note, the rowing centre has been in touch to let us know they are running an Easter Camp for any interested 5th or 6th class pupils. It is always a very enjoyable camp for those who are available. Further details are included below.
We also look forward to tin whistle lessons beginning next week for 3rd class.
Thank you to those who have already taken the time to submit feedback on the draft policies shared with families last week. I am aware that there has been a significant amount of discussion around these draft policies. For anyone who may not yet have had an opportunity to review them, I have reattached the documents here.
To date, we have received 15 submissions from our school community of 367 families. I have filed all responses, and I apologise in advance, but I may not be able to reply to all emails individually.
I would like to emphasise that these policies are very much in draft form and are currently in the consultation phase. They are not finalised, nor are they a fait accompli. This is precisely why we are seeking your input now — to ensure a collaborative process in which all perspectives can be considered before any decisions are made.
The policy generating the greatest level of comment is the Draft Class Reallocation Policy. Our work on this policy is intended to map a proposed route for all classes currently in the school. To allow families additional time to reflect and discuss over the long weekend, the submission deadline has been extended to Friday, February 6th.
All submissions will be reviewed, after which revised drafts of each policy will be shared with the parent body. We are aiming to have each policy finalised in advance of our Board of Management meeting on February 24th.
Submissions should be sent as follows:
- Draft Class Reallocation Policy and Critical Incident Policy:
fionnuala@d7educatetogether.com - Admissions Policy:
grainne@d7educatetogether.com
Thank you for your continued engagement with this process.
Finally, a number of parents mentioned that getting to school this morning was particularly difficult. Fridays are our busiest mornings, as many families visit classrooms, and traffic was especially congested today. Parents have suggested that it would be very helpful if cars did not make U-turns to travel back up Orchard Terrace but instead continued onwards.
Many of our children cycle or walk to school and, in the excitement of arriving early, may not always be as cautious as we would hope. For this reason, we ask all adults to take extra care around the school at drop-off times.
Padraig has asked me to remind all families in his class that his Parent Teacher meetings will take place from 9th – 12th February. Slots will be released to parents next Tuesday.
Reminder school will reopen on Tuesday February 2nd.
Culture Day
On Wednesday last we celebrated Culture Day in the school. We are lucky enough to have a rich and diverse range of cultures making up our school community with links to six of the seven continents. This year we looked at Culture through the lens of dance. We had jigs, reels, polkas and hornpipes in Pádraig’s class accompanied by Róisín on the tin whistle. Aonghus played the fiddle for some talented Irish dancers from fourth class. Senior Infants were mesmerised by the complexity of steps in Russian folk dance as they copied the steps to Kalinka. Parent volunteers visited to teach Spanish dance (Ciara’s JI), ‘La Taranta/Pizzica’, an Italian dance from the Puglia region which was believed to cure a tarantula bite(Niamh’s sixth class and both fourths), the high-energy Jewish Hora and German ‘clap dance’ (Caragh’s third class), Romanian dance and the Palestinian Dabke dance (Gráinne/Marie’s second class) and all second class were lucky enough to attend a Polish folk dance workshop in the hall! Gosia and her daughter, Aurelia, from Shamrock Polish Folk Dance Group gave a wonderful lesson on Polish history and how this influenced Polish culture. The kids had great fun trying on traditional dance costumes from different regions in Poland and learning traditional folk dances. They especially enjoyed spinning each other around! As well as all of the dancing we heard Slovak folk singing (Ivana), the traditional Irish flute (Ciara’s JI), the differences between school in Canada and Ireland (Caragh’s class), what growing up in Australia was like as well as lots of information about all of the animals there (Jennifer’s class) and Róisín brought in various traditional Irish instruments for the children to sample (Pádraig’s fourth). Not only was the day a feast for the eyes and ears but some classes were lucky enough to try out some food from other countries – traditional Italian Christmas cake and some very special olive oil from Spain. There was so much happening in the school that I’m sure it isn’t all represented here. It was a brilliant day full of fun, laughter and shared joy. A sincere thanks to all of the staff and parents who helped to make it so special.
Climate Planning in 6th Class
Enda’s 6th examined the impacts of climate can have this week. The pupils created models of flood proof houses and gardens, as well as a design plan for a garden that can function in times of severe drought. The pupils also created an informational video on preparing for hurricane and storm force winds. It includes some very practical advice! It can be viewed at the link below.
Hurricanes – A Practical Guide – 6th Class
Well done 6th class!
Little Museum of Dublin
Peadar’s 5th Class visited the Little Museum of Dublin this week. Newly reopened after a refit, the museum has some new attractions: Tara’s 24 room dollhouse, stuffed ducks who were casualties of the 1916 rebellion, and an air-raid siren for The Emergency.
Brigid’s Crosses
Grainne & Marie’s 2nd class Brigids Crosses made from recycled materials
Brídeog making in Senior Infants
St Brigid’s day
All three second classes celebrated St Brigid’s day with a dance in the Grangegorman band stand, and we lay our Brat Bride to offer protection for the year ahead.
Junior Infant artwork
Cumann na mBunscol Handball Finals
Thank you, Fred, for wearing the D7ETNS jersey with pride today in the Cumann na mBunscol Handball Finals at Croke Park today.
Play Therapist
Our play therapist, Regina, has told us that she will be on RTE Radio 1 this Tuesday, 3rd Feb, on the Oliver Callan show between 12pm and 1pm talking about anxiety in children.
Easter Rowing Camps 2026
Dublin Municipal Rowing Centre
3 Day Camp
Camp 1: Monday 30th ,Tuesday 31st March & Wednesday 1st April 9.30am – 12.00pm
Camp 2: Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th April 9.30am – 12.00pm
All participants must be at least 11 years old
The cost of each camp is €75 & is on a first come first served basis.
Please note all camps are subject to weather conditions being safe.
As there is limited spaces available, I would advise booking asap.
We have no card facility, so cash or cheque is accepted here in the centre.
Contact Details: gavin.doyle@dublincity.ie 01-6779746
National Conversation on Education Survey
The Department of Education and Youth has launched the National Conversation on Education Survey to gather views on the future of education in Ireland. The findings will help shape the agenda for the Convention on Education taking place later this year. The Convention on Education is a once in a generation opportunity for children, young people, parents, educators and wider society to help shape Ireland’s education system for decades to come.
The survey is open to everyone and takes approximately fifteen minutes to complete. You can access it at the link below:
National Conversation on Education Survey
Have a lovely weekend,
Fionnuala