Newsletter 15 05 2026
Student Council proudly announcing money raised from fundraiser earlier in the year
Good afternoon, parents and guardians,
I hope you have all had a lovely week.
Everyone was delighted to return to school after our break, and we are now really beginning to plan for the end of the school year.
Our 6th Class teachers are busy preparing for graduation. Ciara has started teaching the children their showcase dance for families on Graduation Day. We have also ordered the graduation bags and photo frames. We are still looking for a graphic designer to help with the yearbook, so if anyone would like to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate it.
Just to note, the ceremony is listed on the calendar already sent to families. To confirm, it will take place at 11am on Friday, 26th June. Each family may invite up to three guests. If you would like to bring additional guests, please email the office so that we can plan appropriately for the expected numbers on the day.
While planning our 6th Class exit celebrations, we are also preparing to welcome our new Junior Infant parents and guardians next week. We will welcome them on Tuesday evening. I greatly appreciate that some members of our Student Council have kindly offered to come along and speak about their experiences of school at the meeting. It will be lovely for our new families to get a flavour of the children’s experience of being part of D7ETNS, and they will even have the opportunity to ask the children some questions.
A big thank you to Sarah from PGSA for visiting The Fabric Counter to purchase fabric and for coordinating a wonderful group of parent seamstresses who are currently stitching away in their homes across D7, creating our very own D7ETNS bunting. We will use this at the Summer Fete, Winter Bazaar, Graduation, and other special occasions. We really appreciate this D7 heirloom and promise to keep it very safely. Thanks also to The Fabric Counter for the discount they offered Sarah.
A note about our Active Week: this will take place from 15th–20th June, with Sports Day taking place during this week on the pitch in Grangegorman. Like last year, the children will participate in a range of activities organised by Pádraig. It is not necessary for parents to attend. We felt that viewing opportunities were quite restricted for families, as spectators remained outside the sports grounds. However, the positive side of this arrangement was that the children had more space and were able to take part in more activities.
Finally, if you wish to purchase D7ETNS attire, please place your order soon, as the link will be closing shortly.
I am not sure that the new labelling system is working very well at present, as the lost property is overflowing once again. Please remind your children to check the lost property area if they are missing any items and ensure that all belongings are clearly labelled.
Finally, our play therapist, Reg, has asked me to let you know that she will be on RTÉ Radio 1’s Oliver Callan show between 11am and 1pm on Tuesday, 19th May, talking about “Siblings”.
D7ET School Summer Programme 2026.
We would like to inform you that we are currently in the process of finalising arrangements for the D7ET School Summer Programme 2026.
At present, we are awaiting confirmation form the Department of Education regarding additional places that have been requested. Invitations will be issued to families on Monday.
The Summer Programme is organised in line with Department of Education and Youth guidelines and is designed to support pupils in a structured and supportive school environment over the summer period. As in previous years, the programme has limited capacity, and it will not be possible to offer places to all pupils. Places will be allocated in accordance with Department guidelines, with priority given to those children who would benefit most from participation.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to finalise all arrangements. Invitations will be issued as soon as possible.
Grace Kelly and Niamh Brennan
Summer Programme Organisers
Summer Programme SummerProgramme@d7educatetogether.com
Aviva stadium
Padraig’s 4th Class were fortunate to receive a tour of the Aviva stadium today. We got to visit the press room where the children learned a bit about the changes at the venue from when it was first used for International matches. We then visited the home changing room and saw the recovery room where the players can alternate between a cold plunge pool and the warm jacuzzi.
A short visit pitch side allowed us to see the turf up close before we grabbed a lift to the upper stands to see the contrasting view from the top. It was a great experience and hopefully some might get back to see it again from a different perspective.
GAA
Both teams are waiting in anticipation of the draw for the knockout stages of their respective competitions. The draw is being held over the weekend, so we won’t have too long to find out our next opponents. Training will continue as normal on Monday in TUDublin.
School garden
Glad to report our peas, broad beans and potatoes are doing well
D7ETNS Summer Fete Raffle
The D7ET Summer Fete is on Sunday May 24th, if you can’t attend but would love to support our raffle, you could buy €10 worth of raffle tickets! Pay for RAFFLE tickets at the link, just checkout as guest, and *put in your phone number* in the “note to merchant” section, so we can write your name on the tickets.
https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/Q9FFOWIF
School hedgerow
On Wednesday sixth class added three holly trees to our school hedgerow, learning a bit about the trees themselves, as well as the contribution they could make to biodiversity in the area including blossoms for pollinators in the spring, berries (on female trees) for birds and animals in the winter as well as a degree of shelter all year round.
Patrick
5th Class Trip to National Concert Hall
Peadar’s 5th Class went along to the National Concert Hall on Tuesday to enjoy a free performance of Peter and the Wolf. Luckily, we have wonderful connections within our school community, as Romey one of our teachers has a daughter playing violin alongside our caretaker Martin’s wife, Liz, in the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra.
For many of the children, it was their first time hearing a full orchestra of over 90 musicians perform live. Prokofiev’s famous narrative piece was specially written to introduce audiences to the different instruments and sections of the orchestra, and the class were very impressed by the experience.
What a lovely opportunity for the children, and many thanks to Romey and Martin for pulling some strings and helping to organise this memorable visit!
We are so proud of Louise and Astrid for their All Ireland win in the U12 SFAI National Cup recently with Bohemian FC. They brought their cup into school today to show everyone.
NEPS
Review of the Department of Education & Youth’s
Wellbeing Policy Statement & Framework for Practice
With the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice Implementation Plan having come to its conclusion in 2025, the Department of Education and Youth is currently undertaking a review and assessment of the progress made and are now planning for its successor.
As part of this review, the Department is seeking the views and experiences of students, parents/guardians and school staff across primary and post-primary schools. Your school’s participation is important in ensuring that the policy reflects the lived realities of school communities and supports positive wellbeing outcomes.
We are therefore requesting your assistance in circulating an online survey to the following groups within your school community:
👉 Students: Click here to complete the student survey
👉 Parents / Guardians: Click here to complete the parent/guardian survey
👉 School staff: Click here to complete the school staff survey
👉 General Public: Click here to complete the survey
The survey has been designed with accessibility in mind, and you can change how things look or sound to make them easier to use. Accessible options include Easy read (student only), Irish Sign Language, Read Aloud, Theme Contrast, and up to 10 separate languages (English, Polish, Ukrainian, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Irish, Simplified Chinese, Lithuanian, Romanian & French) .
The survey is designed to gather feedback on current wellbeing practices, identify strengths and challenges, and inform future policy development. All responses will be treated in confidence and used solely for the purposes of the policy review. Surveys are open until 2 June 2026
We would appreciate it if schools could support engagement by sharing the survey link through existing communication channels, such as school email systems, newsletters, school websites or other appropriate platforms.
The Department recognises the significant work already being undertaken by schools to promote wellbeing and greatly values the time and perspectives of school communities. Your cooperation will make a meaningful contribution to shaping the future direction of wellbeing policy in education.
If you have any queries in relation to this survey or the policy review, please contact wellbeing_policy@education.gov.ie
Stoneybatter Festival
I wanted to update you on the lovely opportunity I told you about a few weeks ago for our students and families to take part in this year’s Stoneybatter Festival, a much‑loved, family‑focused celebration of the people, stories and creativity of our local community.
As part of the festival, Culture Underground is creating a Children’s Art Walk and we are inviting all young artists, poets, writers and musicians to be part of this showcase of the next generation of creative talent at the Stoneybatter festival. The Children’s Art Walk is a virtual gallery of creative work. People discover artworks, poems, and stories “pinned” to different spots in the village as they explore the area. The work is all shown virtually, on your phone. It’s a simple, enjoyable way to experience local creativity while out and about during the festival.
We are inviting young creative folk to submit:
• A drawing or painting
• A short poem
• A short story (maximum 300 words)
Work can be on any theme, but it would be especially lovely if it reflects Stoneybatter – places your child knows, memories, local characters, family life, or what it feels like to live here.
Selected pieces will be featured as part of the Culture Walk during the Stoneybatter Festival, where families, neighbours and visitors will be able to discover and enjoy them.
How to submit
If your child would like to take part, please:
• Submit through the online form https://tally.so/r/ZjP5Qv
• Deadline for submissions: June 1st
If you’ve any questions feel free to get in touch with Shane Holohan – Shane@cultureunderground.ie .
Charleville Tennis Summer Camps
Charleville Tennis Club is running camps all summer from 29 June to 28 August for children aged 6 and up. Cost is €125 per child per week.
Booking link: https://www.smartclubcloud.com/registration/registration.aspx?club=5e022a0d-c71f-43f2-804d-d4ed5c178789&type=c
More details are available on the club website https://www.charlevilleltc.net/juniors-3
Childline
Childline by ISPCC are delighted to deliver a FREE online webinar for parents/carers with information on how to support your child’s transition from primary to secondary school.
On the night ISPCC’s Niamh Clarke, National Children’s Lead with responsibility for our Smart Moves School Transition programme and Victoria Howson, Community Engagement Manager for our Shield Anti-Bullying Programme and trainee Educational Psychologist with the HSE will focus on:
- Preparing your child for the school transition from a resilience focused lens
- Challenges your child may face, and how they can be supported to overcome them
- Tips on how you can support your child before and after this transition period
- Tips and support for children with SEN
Tuesday May 26th @ 7 – 8pm.
Supporting your child’s transition to secondary school
Supporting Your Child’s Transition to Secondary School | Join meeting in Teams | Microsoft Teams
Registration is now open, and we would appreciate if you could share the above information and the attached leaflet promoting the webinar to all your networks/ committees/ CYPSC’s/ CFNC’s/ stakeholders/ parents you are working with/ friends/ family etc. By clicking on the above links or the ‘register now’ on the attached leaflets you will be able to register for these webinars.
Dance Summer Camp with Rachel, one of our substitute teachers. She taught our 6th class their graduation dance last year.
Have a lovely weekend,
Fionnuala