Carysfort National School News

Richard Hogan Talk

An Evening with Richard Hogan at Carysfort N.S.

Thank you to all the parents who joined us recently for an insightful and thought-provoking talk delivered by renowned psychotherapist and author Richard Hogan. Richard specialises in family therapy and is well known for his expertise in supporting young people and their families in navigating the challenges of modern life.

Key Themes from the Talk

Richard’s presentation focused on the theme of “Children’s Mental Health and Resilience in Today’s World.” He spoke about the pressures faced by children and teenagers today, from academic demands to the influence of social media, and highlighted practical strategies for parents to support their children in building confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of identity.

Supporting Children’s Mental Health

Richard reminded us that while modern life can feel overwhelming at times, parents play a vital role in helping children to regulate their emotions and manage stress. He encouraged parents to focus on connection, open communication, and consistent boundaries, and he provided examples of how small, daily interactions can make a lasting positive impact on a child’s well-being.

Practical Advice for Families

During the session, Richard outlined some simple yet effective approaches to supporting children, including:

  • Encouraging open conversations about feelings.

  • Setting clear and fair boundaries around screen time and technology.

  • Nurturing positive self-esteem by praising effort as much as achievement.

  • Building resilience by allowing children to learn from challenges and mistakes.

Learn More from Richard Hogan

For parents who could not attend, we highly recommend exploring Richard’s work further. His published books, articles, and media appearances provide a wealth of advice and practical tools for supporting children and families in today’s fast-changing world.

Website: https://richardhogan.ie

Thank You, Richard

We are extremely grateful to Richard Hogan for visiting Carysfort National School and sharing his expertise with our parent community. His wisdom and practical guidance have inspired us all to think carefully about how best to support our children’s emotional and social development.

We look forward to welcoming Richard back to Carysfort N.S. for future talks and discussions.

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Bebras Challenge 2025

A huge congratulations to the 26 Carysfort students who have qualified for the Bebras Challenge
final, taking place in Maynooth on Saturday, April 5th.

Bebras is an exciting computing challenge made up of interactive online tasks. This year, over 12,000 students from across Ireland participated, making it an incredible achievement to reach the final.

We are so proud of our students and wish them the very best of luck!

 

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Odd Sock Day

On Friday 21st March we celebrated our differences in support of Down Syndrome Ireland by wearing odd socks. It was great fun!

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Seachtain na Gaeilge ☘

We had a fantastic week here in CNS celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge 2025!

Here is a list of some of the activities the children took part in during the week:

  • Irish dancing teacher Ms. Joanne McDonnell taught the Junior Classes, while the Senior Classes had the opportunity to take part in a Céilí with MRs. Murphy or Mr. Hamell.
  • Ceist an Lae: There was a question on the noticeboard for children to answer. One winner was chosen each day and they received a voucher.
  • Our amazing Banna Ceoil performed some lovely traditional Irish music and taught us about their instruments.
  • Comórtas Gaeilge: All children were encouraged to use as much Gaeilge as possible throughout the week. Staff members gave tickets to children they saw making an extra effort. The class with the most tickets y the end of the week will won a prize.
  • All classes will be learning songs as Gaeilge and listening to stories trí Ghaeilge throughout the week.
  • Nuacht an Lae: Children from 3rd-6th class told us our daily news trí Ghaeilge over the intercom.
  • Friday 14th March was our annual ‘Lá Glas’. The children were encouraged to wear green, white and orange clothing.

It was a fabulous week for all members of the school community. We will continue to encourage children to use their ‘cúpla focal’ as much as possible. Photos from the event can be found here: Seachtain na Gaeilge

 

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Calendar 2025-2026

 

The school will reopen for all classes on Thursday, 28th August 2025.

The Calendar of school closures for 2025/26 can be found here: 2025-2026 School Calendar

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World Book Day

On Thursday 6th March we celebrated World Book Day in Carysfort. Many of the children dressed up as characters from their favourite books. Children from 6th Class enjoyed reading to Junior Infants. Second Class took part in book tasting. We also had some wonderful authors visit the school to talk about their books, as well as engaging online talks with authors throughout the week. Each child was given a book token to use in any book shop. You can find photos of the wonderful activities here: https://carysfortns.ie/gallery/world-book-day/ 

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Science Blast

On Monday some of our 3rd and 4th class students attended Science Blast in the RDS. They have been working very hard to create their projects which all received fantastic feedback from the judges. The day was filled with experiments, demonstrations, fun activities and interactive games. We are very proud of how well the children represented our school. You can see photos from the event here: Science Blast 2025 Gallery

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Credit Union Quiz

Well done to our wonderful team of 6th Class students who participated in the Credit Union Quiz 2025. They placed 1st in the qualifier and 8th in the final, which is a fantastic achievement. A big thank you to Ms. Kennelly who organised and prepared the team for the event.

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Multicultural Week

During the last week in January, we celebrated Multicultural Week here in Carysfort. The aim of the week was to teach the children about different cultures and traditions that exist in different regions or settings. This included culture based on countries, as well as other communities such as school culture, pop culture, sports culture etc.

The week was filled with fun activities. Each class attended an Art Workshop with Michael Cleary where they made fabulous pieces (now displayed in the hall). We ran a Question of the Day competition with a different winner each day. We had parents come in to speak to classes, some children wrote poems, some made traditional foods and wore traditional clothing, and many made projects. It was a wonderful experience for all involved, and many classes are continuing their learning into February and beyond.

Thank you to all the staff, parents and children who got involved. Photos from the week can be found here: https://carysfortns.ie/gallery/multicultural-week-2025/

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Hockey

Well done to our 6th Class girls who played the first hockey match of the Leinster League on Wednesday against Loreto Dalkey. Unfortunately, the result was 5-0 to Dalkey, but we are very proud of our team who represented the school so well. Best of luck in the league girls! A big thanks to Ms Sexton and Ms Cooper who train the team every week.

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