Dublin 7 Educate Together National School

Newsletter

30 05 2025

6^th class ‘Night at the Museum’

Good afternoon, parents and guardians,

I hope you’ve all had a lovely week.

Today, we said another fond farewell, this time to Jake, our much-loved taxi driver. Suffice to say, a few tears were shed. We hope this marks the end of retirements for a while!

Looking ahead, we’re delighted to share that June will be a very special month here at D7ETNS. We’ll be celebrating both our official school opening and our 25th birthday! Our guests of honour at this event will be our children, D7ETNS staff, past and present, and invited representatives from Educate Together and the Department of Education.

The celebration will take place during the school day on Friday, June 20th. Due to space limitations, we regret that we cannot invite parents to this event. However, we warmly invite all parents and past pupils to join us for our Summer Fête on Sunday, June 22nd, where you’ll be able to enjoy displays celebrating our journey over the past 25 years.

Our official opening will tie in nicely with Arts Week this year. The theme is all about looking back or, as Gaeilge, “ag breathnú siar.”

Peadar has prepared some exciting challenges for the children, which are outlined below. These include activities involving photography and drama, designed to encourage the children to reflect on the past in creative and engaging ways.

Peadar is gently introducing these ideas here in the newsletter, and we’ll speak to the children in more detail about them next week.

Just a quick reminder: Sports Day is scheduled for next Thursday, weather permitting, on the pitch at TU Dublin. Pádraig is coordinating the event, and we’ll share further details next week.

Please note that all after-school classes and Homework Club will be cancelled on that day. Little Learners will operate as normal.

Finally, reminder that school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday next week, reopening on Wednesday June 4^th

2^nd class SESE

Katrina and Grainne/Marie’s second classes had great excitement testing the buoyancy and seaworthiness of their boats this week in St Stephen’s Green.  They had planned and built their boats using recycled materials as part of the SESE curriculum, getting to test them was amazing! A fantastic day had by all and we managed to dodge the worst of the rain!

A Night at the Museum – Niamh’s 6th Class Brings History to Life

Niamh’s 6th Class wowed us all with their incredible Night at the Museum project, transforming the GP room into a living museum filled with history, imagination, and creativity. Each student took on the role of a historical figure, showcasing not only their deep knowledge of the past but also their growing confidence and wide range of skills.

The effort the children put into their projects was truly outstanding. From beautifully crafted costumes and props to thoughtfully designed displays, it was clear that every piece reflected hours of research and preparation. They skillfully combined art, technology, and storytelling to bring history to life in fun and innovative ways.

One of the most impressive aspects of the day was the children’s oral presentations. Speaking with confidence and enthusiasm, they guided visitors through their displays, shared fascinating facts, and answered questions with ease. Their ability to communicate clearly and creatively showed just how much they’ve grown over the year.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to support the event – especially the parents and families. Your presence made the experience even more special for the children.

Well done to all of 6th Class!

Thanks Niamh and Bridget.

Heartbreak at the Park 

D7 were unfortunate yet again at the semi-final stage of a competition as they came up short against a strong Gaelscoil na Camogie yesterday in Phoenix Park. With the possibility of traffic delays, we set off in plenty of time and arrived good and early. 

With our warmup completed, the sides lined out and the sliothar was thrown in to start the match. Our opponents got off to a perfect start by raising a green flag in the first few minutes. The early pressure was relentless, and Gaelscoil raced into a three-goal lead before D7 struck back for their first goal. With the wind in our tails, we began to dominate proceedings and took the game to our opponents. 

Half-time gave us a well-earned break and a chance for some fresh legs. Reinvigorated after the break, D7 continued dominating the middle third and following a blatant penalty, brought the deficit back to 4 points. Sensing blood, we pushed on, but our opponents proved difficult to break down.   

As the clock wound down D7 were on the wrong side of some refereeing decisions which resulted in a few well taken points by our opponents. The lads battled right up to the final whistle, but it wasn’t our day. In hindsight, we were always chasing the game after Gaelscoil’s lightning start. The lads should be proud of their valiant efforts, not just yesterday but over the whole season. We have to say farewell to our 6^th Class hurlers but based on the evidence of the skill, bravery and courage on display from our 5^th Class boys and the large number of hurls evident in 4^th Class, the future is bright. 

Padraig 

Our D7 camogie girls have their own semi-final of the shield on Weds in TUD, spectators welcomed to cheer the girls on v Scoil Mobhi from Glasnevin. Throw in 13.30. 

Niamh & Peadar 

Class Colours for Sports Day 2025 

Arts Week 2025 June 16^th – 20^th

PLASTIC RECYCLING ART

As part of our celebrations for Arts Week, D7ET 25^th Birthday, and our new School’s Opening Day, we would like to ask our wider school community with some help in collecting some recycling waste for an art project, recreating the school logo. In the pictures included, you can see what it is possible to create with bottle tops, broken watches, Lego and buttons. D7ET aims to make its own decorative art, using similar materials, but will need some help building up a supply first. If you have any contributions to make, please send what you have into the school, where it will be collected in a box on the ground floor.

Colours Should be: Green, red, pink, blue, purple, orange, black, browns, white.  To look like school logo. These are the colours of the school tree logo.

PHOTO COMPETITION

As we are celebrating the school’s history this year, as part of Arts Week, we would like to invite photographic contributions along the theme: “Looking Back At The Local Area”.

Pupils are asked to visit a historic location in the local D7 area and take a photograph that echoes events there. It can include child or not.  E.g. Cattle drovers on the North Circular Road ; The first ever hurling match at the Wellington Monument in 1883; Papal Mass of 1979 or 2013 at 100 Acre ; Smithfield food market; Famine Workhouse at Grangegorman, Famine workhouse at Grangegorman, The world’s oldest working clocktower at Grangegorman, where Fionn McCumhail’s father was allegedly killed at Castleknock hill, Viking settlement at Oxmantown Road, Usher’s Island where James Joyce’s The Dead was set.

Entries will be shown in a school exhibition during Arts Week and winner will receive a small prize.

HISTORIC PHOTOS EXAMPLES

In these pictures, you might get an idea of what’s involved for the “Looking Back” photos.

The fist picture reflects the hardships suffered by inmates in the Grangegorman workhouse during the Famine.

The next photograph, local football hero Liam Whelan is commemorated with a football on his bridge.

Send pics to peadar@d7educatetogether.com, or drop hardcopy pics to Peadar in 5^th class.

CALL OUT: 3 Minute Dramas

We are looking for actors to reenact famous stories, movies or dramas in 3 minutes or less.

This competition is open to all children in the school, and can be performed solo, in pairs or in any group number up to 6. You can enter several times if you like.

Just do a drama recreation, lip-sync, spoof or summary of a famous movie, book or a well-known story. For instance, you might perform any of the following: Harry Potter, Jack and the Beanstalk, Star Wars, The Battle of Clontarf, Red Riding Hood, Jack and Jill, Simpsons, Columbus discovering America, The Cat in The Hat, Hansel & Gretel, Dracula, The Wizard of Oz.

It can be funny or serious, done with puppets or mime, sung or danced. You can use props, costume and backing tracks – or not.

But it must tell some story, be performed live, and it has to be under 3 minutes.

Have a look at some of the examples to give you an idea of what’s involved.

Class teachers for each year will get together and pick one act for each school year.

EXAMPLES

My goodness, this feels a little like homework for the long weekend! It is not meant to be, just inspiration for how you can engage with our theme for Arts Week this year!

Have a lovely weekend,

Fionnuala