Thursday Newsletter 30th April 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians/A Thuismitheoirí agus a Chaomhnóirí,

Primary Schoolbooks Scheme for the 2026/2027 School Year

For the 2026/2027 school year all pupils/students in primary and special schools in the Free Education Scheme will receive free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks. These will be in place in time for the start of the new school year.

This scheme is being implemented by Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton TD. Funding for the scheme in 2026/2027 is being provided directly to primary schools by the Department of Education and Youth. Schools now have responsibility for providing schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, to all pupils at the start of the 2026/2027 school year.

All schoolbooks will remain the property of the school so that they can be reused in future years. Schoolbooks will be provided on loan to children and young people for the duration of the school year and must be returned to school at the end of the school year.

Parents/Guardians are requested to remind their child/children to take care of their schoolbooks and keep them in good condition during the year. It is not permitted to write on schoolbooks.

Hot School Meals – Update

We had a visit from Mindfuel yesterday. All 4 stakeholders enjoyed a tasting session, and we were impressed by the variety and taste of the food and the friendly staff. There are still quite a few steps to figure out so in terms of managing expectations, it may be a while some time until the service is available. We will keep you updated with any news as best we can. Thanks for your patience.

Flexible Seating & Our UDL Approach

As part of our ongoing work to support all learners through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach, we are continuing to develop more flexible and inclusive classroom environments. UDL encourages us to provide children with choice, comfort, and varied ways to engage in their learning.

One of the ways we are doing this is by introducing flexible seating options in our classrooms. These alternative seating choices can help children to feel more comfortable, stay focused, and regulate their energy throughout the day.

We would really appreciate your support with this. If you have any items at home that you no longer use, we would be delighted to give them a new home in our classrooms. Items such as:

• Beanbags
• Cushions
• Small rugs or mats
• Floor pillows
• Low stools or similar seating

All contributions will help us to create a more engaging, supportive, and inclusive learning environment for every child.



Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Assembly – Value of the Month is Honesty

Thanks to Emma’s Junior Infants for a lovely assembly today to celebrate some of the great work covered on this and the ongoing daily efforts by all to be honest and true to themselves.

Thank you to Nieves Maria visiting from Spain for all the wonderful work over the last fortnight. She has given all of the kids in the school opportunities for all sorts of creativity, with lots of visual art projects and music. We are very grateful to her. Gracias!

Maria and Eira playing the cello



Maria playing the cello

And More!

Last week, the Planetarium visited our school. They brought a dome and a projector and we got to see stars, the moon, fractals, the planets, sharks, astronauts, the galaxies and black holes. We really enjoyed the experience.

Fionn: “I loved the planetarium. My favourite part was the fractals because they were getting smaller and smaller.”

Hunter: I loved the planetarium because:

·        “It feels like you’re moving.”

·        “It feels real when you’re inside.”

·        “When you look up, it’s like a show.”

Freya liked being in the tent, seeing the colours and hearing the music.

Jamie: “I liked sitting down on the floor with my class. It felt like a dream.”



Jake really liked going into the dome. He liked the fractals and the colours in particular. David, ALC Blue

5th class had a fabulous day in IMMA on Wednesday- we spent a lovely few hours walking the museum and sunny gardens, sketching plants and sculptures; we then had a lovely guided tour from Nieves Maria of one of the exhibitions.

Everyone down in ALC Green having great fun and playing together  Daniel

Naomi and Aoife's 4^th class have been working on their drawing and shading skills using charcoal. They created these fabulous dragon eyes closeup. 

Realtín’s 2^nd class enjoyed being a private audience for Maria’s magnificent performance on the cello.

Lisa's 2nd class loved having Maria in for music and art! We had great fun making stained glass window art.

Rinne rang a trí ím. Chritheamar crúsca le bainne instigh ann. Ansin bhí ím agus bláthach (buttermilk) againn.

Ansin rinnemar tósta. Chuireamar an ím ar an tósta. Bhí sé ana blásta

 Reminders:-

• School Closed on Tuesday, 5^th May 2026
• ET AGM – 9^th May
• Please follow the Traffic Management Plan. There is no parking for parents on the school grounds.
• School Calendar for Academic Year 2025-2026.
• School Calendar for Academic Year 2026-2027 (subject to potential further closure days as instructed by the Department of Education)

Frása na Seachtaine: 

“Dathaigh é/ Dathaigh an ciorcal dearg.” – “Colour it/ Colour the circle red.”

Le meas

Róisín Conlon

Príomhoide

Glasnevin Village Residents' Association (GVRA) is running our first  Community Survey, and we'd be very grateful if you could help us reach members of your school community.

About the survey

It's anonymous, takes about 5–10 minutes, and is hosted on Google Forms. No names or email addresses are collected. Demographic questions are voluntary.

Why we're asking schools to share it

Significant funding is currently available through Dublin City Council and national programmes for projects that would directly improve the village environment your school community uses every day: footpaths and road safety on the school run, lighting on routes home, the condition of public spaces around schools, traffic management, public realm and community safety more broadly. 

To make strong, credible applications on behalf of the village, GVRA needs evidence — not just from residents, but from the wider community of people who spend their days in Glasnevin Village. School communities matter to that picture in three specific ways:

• Staff — many of whom commute into and spend their working day in the village
• Parents and guardians — particularly on issues around traffic, road safety, and the school run
• Secondary School students — whose views on safety, public spaces and what they'd like to see in the village are too often missed in adult-led surveys

The findings will also feed directly into the work of the Local Community Safety Partnership for Dublin Central, where I represent the area as a Partnership member. The Partnership is preparing its first Community Safety Plan for the area, and the issues your school community sees first-hand is the kind of evidence I want to bring to that work.

Safeguards for your school community

We've thought carefully about what it means to ask schools to share a community survey, so a few notes that should help you decide:

• The survey is fully anonymous — no names, email addresses or identifying information are collected
• It is hosted on Google Forms and includes an "under 18" age option
• It contains no questions that would be unsuitable for secondary students — the safety, environment and community-life questions are framed appropriately, and demographic questions are optional
• Sharing is entirely at your discretion — you decide which channels (staff only, parents only, students, or any combination) feel right for your school
• 
  

How you can help — three quick options

If you have time for only one, even just option 1 makes a real difference:

1. Share the link with staff via your usual internal communications channel
2. Include the link in a parents' newsletter or school app message — particularly useful for issues around traffic, road safety and the school run
3. For senior students: share via TY coordinators, year heads, or your student council, at your discretion
4. 
   

 Take the survey here

The survey closes on 30 May 2026.

Need flyers?

If a printed flyer would be useful for the school office, staff room or noticeboards, please just reply and we can send you a version to print. 

Thank you for considering this. Your school community's voice would make a genuine difference to what GVRA is able to advocate for over the year ahead.

Kind regards,

Martina Whyte Chairperson Glasnevin Village Residents' Association [email protected] | 085 8642479