Newsletter
07 11 2025
3rd class finger painting
Dear parents and guardians,
What a busy week it has been.
We have been swimming, rowing, boxing, Little Museum of Dublin, Dubray Books, Monster Doodle workshop aside from all the teaching and learning! We are looking forward to our STEM week starting next Monday. Thanks Padraig and Peadar for organising it all.
Thanks, Maeve, for coordinating the coffee morning this morning for Emily’s class.
Free To Be
Thank you to Sarah from Aviva, who nominated our school for the Free To Be programme by Children’s Books Ireland — and we’re delighted that D7 Educate Together was selected as one of this year’s library winners!
Each year, Aviva partners with Children’s Books Ireland to gift a free library to a number of schools nationally. This wonderful project is part of Aviva’s commitment to social action and to supporting diversity and equality. Each of the books we were given were carefully chosen for celebrating diverse themes, voices, and characters.The Free To Be programme ensures that every child can see themselves reflected in books, while also discovering the stories and perspectives of others whose experiences may differ from their own.
We were thrilled to welcome illustrator Ashwin Chacko to our school, along with staff from Aviva. Ashwin led a fun and inspiring illustration workshop with our 68 second-class pupils, whose fantastic artwork is now displayed in the Sports Hall.
A huge thank-you to Aviva for both the library and the opportunity to work with such a renowned illustrator.
After the workshop we also took the chance to celebrate the work of someone from our very own community — John Devolle. Coincidentally, his wonderful new book Humans was published on the very same day!
https://www.johndevolle.co.uk/illustration/humans
Conor was rightly very proud of his dad’s work! I had the pleasure of reading the story to Junior Infants today — and what a joy it was to see the pure delight children get from great books.
Congratulations John!
Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free
As you know, D7ETNS part of Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free, along with 15 other schools in Dublin 7 and Dublin 15. We decided to participate in this last year following a parental survey in March and a very well attended talk in our school on the topic in May of this year.
We are now inviting any parents (if you haven’t already done so), to sign up to be part of this growing initiative to work together as a community to Keep Childhood Smartphone Free. You can do so by following this link!
Dubray Books
Today, Second Class visited Dubray Books on Mary Street to meet author and illustrator Jamie Carroll. He read his new book, Milo and the Mountain, and demonstrated how he illustrated the characters from the book. The children got the chance to try their hand at creating their own characters to be friends with Milo and help him climb the intimidating mountain. They had such a wonderful time that even the rain showers didn’t dampen their spirits.
1st class designers
Call out – St Brendan’s U9s (2016 boys)
St Brendan’s U9s (2016 boys) are looking for new players and invite anyone who would like to try out football and hurling to join us on Saturday mornings during November – 10am on the GAA pitch in Grangegorman, starting November 8th.
We aim to create an inclusive environment, with an emphasis on participation and enjoyment. So, whether your child has never played GAA before, would like to return to football and hurling after a break, or has their eyes on winning a Liam McCarthy or Sam Maguire, there’s a space for them on our team! The sessions on Saturdays will be normal training sessions for our team but with more emphasis on the basic skills for new joiners.
WhatsApp Ciarán (087 781 2358) or Emmet (086 792 4202) or just come along on Saturday!
Plugged In, Switched Off 2025
A parent in our school community has recommended sending this link to an upcoming event that may be of interest to people. I see this free event organised by Bernardos Online Safety Programme Team. The programme is designed for agencies working with children and families, primary and secondary school teachers, principals, and parents. Please see details attached and outlined below.
Register here: Plugged In, Switched Off 2025 Tickets, Fri, Nov 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite
This year’s theme is: Parent & Carer Involvement in the Online World of Children
They hope to bring together perspectives from young people, families, practitioners in the community, and representatives from Google, Webwise, Media Literacy Ireland, Barnardos, and other online safety stakeholders.
The event will explore how children and young people perceive their parents and carers involvement in their online lives, and how we can support safer, more informed digital engagement.
With support from Google.org, the event will offer:
- Practical advice for supporting children’s digital wellbeing
- Insights from real experiences and expert voices
- A chance to connect with others working to create safer online spaces
- Light lunch provided, registration from 12.45pm
This in-person event is designed for:
- Professionals working with children and young people
- Primary & Secondary School Teachers and Principals
- Parents, Families & Community Groups
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues or networks who may be interested.
This event is FREE but you must register for a ticket and places are limited.
Have a nice weekend everyone!
Fionnuala
4th class 3D art