Dear Parents,

Welcome back to all. I hope everyone is settling in well to the back to school routine! A big welcome to our new Junior Infants and all the new boys that have joined our school. We hope you will be very happy with us. 

Just a few matters to bring to your attention:

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all safe and well and enjoying the beautiful weather. As the summer holidays are quickly coming to an end, all thoughts are on back to school! School will reopen Thursday, September 1st, 2022 for the new school year. Please see below for the entry/exit gates for each class.

We are very excited to be finally moving some classes into our amazing new extension. It has been a long time coming and it’s a very exciting time for our school community. I want to thank you all for your patience and cooperation over the building period. 6th Class and 3rd Class are the lucky classes that are moving in but we will make sure all classes get a grand tour over the next few weeks.

Please make sure we have all up to date contact details, phone numbers, addresses etc. Boys from 1st Class to 6th Class must wear their full uniform to school. They may only wear their tracksuit on PE days. Junior and Senior Infants can wear tracksuit or uniform. Please make sure your son’s name is clearly written on all his belongings.

The boys may bring a school bag to school. Please do not purchase bags with wheels as they are dangerous. The boys do not need lunch boxes as there will be no waste going home. Reminder: Hot Lunch options to be chosen online by 5:00pm each Thursday.

Our Online Payment system is up and running via Aladdin Connect. I would appreciate it if you could pay the school contribution fee next week. I appreciate that back to school is a costly time so remember you can pay in instalments if that is easier. Please see your booklist for fee details.

Looking forward to welcoming everyone back on Thursday.
Sinead Lowe, Principal

The boys in Mr. Coghlan's and Mr. Morris' 6th Classes will be receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and making their Confirmation in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street on Friday, June 24th, 2022. The boys have been working hard in preparation and are looking forward to the ceremony. Everyone in St. Stephen's wishes the boys the very best for their special day!

St. Stephen's annual School Sports Day made its' return for the first time since 2019! Three long years had passed before we were able to be together for the fun of Sports Day.

Congratulations to the boys in Miss Kenny's and Miss Keevers' 2nd Classes who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday morning, May 21st, in the Cathedral. Our thanks also to the boys in the school choir who sang so beautifully on the morning, and to Miss Power, Miss Brennan and Mr. Lyons who worked with the choir to help provide the beautiful music on the day.

Mrs. Breen's and Miss Butler's 1st Classes went on their school tour on Wednesday, May 18th. This was the first school tour since 2019 - and this was the boys' first ever school tour! They had tons of fun - find out where they went and see photos from the day by visiting Mrs. Breen's and Miss Butler's class pages using the menu above!

We're into the final term of  2021/2022! We have just a few matters for your attention:

• We have a busy term ahead with school tours and other activities planned. All teachers are trying to keep the costs down but it is difficult to do so. Please note that you can pay in installments if this suits you.
• If you need to speak with your son's teacher, please make an appointment by calling 051-81716. We ask that parents remain at the barrier and do not enter the school area without an appointment. Construction is still ongoing and safety for all is a priority.
• Our 2nd Class boys will celebrate their 1st Holy Communion on Saturday May 21st in the Cathedral. Our 6th Class boys will celebrate their Confirmation on Friday June 24th. We are all very much looking forward to these special occasions.

Our Parents' Association organised a fundraising walk on Wednesday, April 6th, 2022. All classes from Junior Infants to 6th Classes took part in the walk. All money raised by the walk will be used by the Parents' Association and will go directly to the boys and their education. As always we appreciate your support in our fundraising efforts.

Dear Parents,
Our Parents Association will hold a fundraising Bingo night at the Forum on Tuesday 26th April at 8.00p.m. Tickets are €10 and are available through the school office. We would appreciate your support on the night.
Thank you, 
Paula McAuliffe (Chairperson)

We are looking for uniforms and tracksuits (in particular bigger sizes) in excellent condition, if you have any at home.  Also, if you would have schoolbags that your son is no longer using, again in excellent condition, we would love to have them please! You can drop them into Miss Robinson's room or contact her at 085-2775077. Thanks as always for your support!

Our 5th and 6th Classes are currently undertaking an 8 week programme with Marathon Kids. This initiative encourages students to engage in four running sessions each week inching them closer to completing their first marathon as well as learning about the benefits of physical activity. Well done to all the boys!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

A few matters for your attention please. 

The Department of Education has issued new guidance to schools in relation to Covid. 

Measures that will remain in place include:

• Hand and respiratory hygiene.
• Ventilation.
• Remaining at home if a child has symptoms.
• As our yard is restricted due to the extension of our school, staggered opening and closing times and breaktimes will continue for now. 

Measures that will change include:

• Children in 3rd to 6th class will no longer be required to wear masks in school from Monday, February 28th, 2022. They can of course continue to wear them if that is their wish. 
• End to physical distancing and pods in classes. This now opens up the opportunity for children to interact more in their classroom, and engage in wider school activities such as GAA, swimming and school tours.

The easing of restrictions is a very positive development for the children's learning and wider experience of school. The process will be managed carefully and with your continued support we look forward to an increased range of learning experiences for the children in the weeks and months ahead.

World Book Day

Thursday, 3rd March is World Book Day.  On that day, children may dress up as a favourite book character and/or bring in their favourite book for class discussion.  Please do not go to the expense of buying a costume - lots of characters wear items you would have at home. We have lots of activities planned for all classes to celebrate World Book Day.

St. Patrick's Weekend

School will close on 16th March at the normal time and re-open on Monday 21st March at 8:50am.

Enrolments 2022/2023

Dear Parents,

I have received official notification from the Department of Education regarding the easing of Covid 19 restrictions in schools. From Monday February 28th, Pods in the classroom will no longer be needed and mask wearing is no longer a requirement.

We will continue with pods in the yard and with staggered opening/closing times/break times as the removal of these would have a huge impact on timetables and we need time to review and reflect on what we’ve had in place over the last 18 months. Also, with the yard still restricted due to the extension of our school, I would be keen to keep the status quo until we have our full yard back, which I hope will be next month!

We also hope to have some after school activities like hurling and possibly basketball underway in the next couple of weeks. It is a lovely positive way to sign off on our mid term break. Normality is definitely on the horizon!

Hope you all have a lovely mid term break.
Stay Safe,
Miss Lowe

Dear Parents,

We have been informed by our insurance company, Allianz, that due to the increased risk of accidents and theft, we cannot allow e-bikes or e- scooters on the grounds of the school.

We therefore ask students not to travel to school by this mode of transport. This is effective immediately.
From tomorrow, Tuesday, February 1st, we will not allow any motorised scooters or e-bikes to be stored on the premises.
We are asking all parents for your cooperation on this matter.

Regards
Sinéad Lowe,
Principal

Happy New Year to all our pupils and their families! We hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas. School reopens for all pupils tomorrow Thursday, 6th January, 2022.

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in-school Christmas concerts could not take place in 2021. However! You can't take the Christmas spirit out of St. Stephen's - so every class recorded a short virtual performance! Click any of the links below to see ALL classes performing for Christmas 2021!

The annual FÍS Film Awards were held on Friday, November 19th. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Awards could not take place in person in Dublin as in previous years. Instead, the awards took place online with a virtual awards ceremony. There was a very high standard again this year, with some fantastic films winning awards for categories like animation, Irish, costumes, and many more. To a huge roar of approval, the boys from St. Stephen's were announced as winners of the "Best Local Interest" category. This is another fantastic achievement for our school, winning another coveted FÍS Award in a national competition. Well done to all the boys!

Our Parent Teacher meetings took place recently through phone calls. Thanks to all parents and families for engaging with our teachers through the calls to hear how the boys are getting on. Please remember that if you need to speak to a member of staff, please contact the office on 051-871716 and we will arrange a suitable time with the person you wish to speak with.

Dear Parents/Guardians, 
A few items for your attention: 

Parents' Association AGM: 
Just a reminder about Monday (15/11/2021) night's Zoom meeting.  Please use the link that was shared on Aladdin to access the meeting.

Parent Teacher Meetings:
Parent Teacher meetings will be held on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th November. These will be held over the phone. Your son's class teacher will be in touch to schedule a day and time for these meetings. School will close from 12.30pm onwards on these days. A list of staggered closing times will be sent out closer to the time. Please make sure we have updated contact telephone numbers.

Reminder: 
School will close from 11.35am this Friday to facilitate staff training. Prompt collection is appreciated. 

Photos: 
Photos from the Halloween Party, Maths Week etc have been uploaded to the school website and our various social media channels. I would like to thank Mr. Russell for the huge amount of work he puts into sharing these photos with the school community.

Regards,
Sinead Lowe

This year, the boys designed their very own Christmas Cards. The sample copies of each card arrived back to school and they look really fantastic! Each child brought home his sample card with an order form. Please return the order form to school if you would like to buy a pack of cards with your son's design. The price is 10 euro for a pack of 10 cards. We would ask that you please send in the money with the order form too. Please do so by next  Wednesday (November 17th). Also - if you would like to amend how your son's name appears on their Christmas card, you can do so on the order form too. Any questions or anything at all, please contact Marise, our Home School Liaison Teacher either by phone or email using the details that were sent home on Aladdin.

We're all delighted here in St. Stephen's to welcome Cathy from Rhythm and Shakes back to our school! Cathy has started drumming with the boys from 1st to 6th class (during school time) and every class will get a 4 week block of drumming lessons between now and March. We're DELIGHTED to hear the sound of drumming in our school again!

Ryan, James and Bobby from 6th Class are fundraising for Dublin Zoo. They have organised a no uniform and no homework day for Thursday, November 11th.  They are asking for each boy to donate €2 to the cause. Well done to the boys on their efforts. They are working very hard on this campaign. Everyone in St. Stephen's would like to thank you for your support!

Saturday, November 6th, 2021 was a very special day for our two 3rd Classes!. The boys made their First Holy Communion with their 2nd Class teachers Miss Keevers and Miss O'Shea. The original date in July 2021 was postponed because of the public health situation at the time but the ceremony went ahead in the autumn and the boys were able to celebrate this very special sacrament. Thanks to our teachers for preparing the boys and to all parents, families, and Fr. Harris in the Cathedral for the co-operation in making First Holy Communion day a big success.

There was lots of great fun and activities all around St. Stephen's celebrating Halloween! Check out the photo and video archive pages for photos of Halloween artwork, Halloween parties, a highlights video from Mr. Russell's 3rd Class and a "Thriller" of a video from Miss Kenny's 2nd Class!

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to all! What beautiful weather we are having to help us all settle back into the school routine. A special welcome to our new Junior Infants who have settled in so well and so quickly!

Just a few reminders as we all get to grips with the new school year:

✅ Please arrive at school at your appointed time and at your appointed entrance only. Our aim is to reduce congestion at the school gates and that is why we have staggered opening and closing times. No child is allowed on school premises before 8.50am.

✅ Please put your son’s name on all his belongings especially his jumper and tracksuit top.

✅ All boys should have all their books etc for school. If you need help with this, please contact the school.

✅ Our hot lunches are going down a treat but some boys are still getting the generic chicken curry and rice. Reminder logins were sent home for all so please take the time to look at the choices with your son and choose something that he will like together. This must be done by 5:00pm each Thursday.

✅ We would appreciate if we could have all school contributions collected by the end of September. If you would like to pay by instalments that is no problem. Otherwise, please pay via Aladdin connect or give money to your son’s class teacher.

✅ No homework for the month of September! Loads of time for making the most of the good weather!

✅ Please note the boys are not allowed to wear earrings. This is strictly enforced. Boys from 1st -6th must wear their school uniform every day with the exception of PE days. Boys in Junior and Senior infants may wear either.

✅ Mobile Phones: Pupils are not allowed to have mobile phones in the classroom. If they need to bring their phone to school boys in 5th and 6th class only may bring them to school but they must be left into the office to Deirdre or myself before school starts. They can be collected at home time. Any pupil found with a mobile phone in the classroom will have the phone confiscated.

✅ If your child has any symptoms of COVID-19 they must NOT come to school. Symptoms include: fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell, a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes. If your child or a member of their household is waiting on a test result, they must NOT come to school. If your child has been identified as a close contact you must follow HSE advice and they must NOT come to school. If your child displays symptoms in schoo,l they will be brought to the isolation area until they are collected. Remember: if in doubt, stay out!

Looking forward to another fun year in St Stephen's.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

• Miss Lowe, Principal

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all safe and well and enjoying the beautiful weather. As the summer holidays are quickly coming to an end, all thoughts are on back to school!

Wednesday June 30th, 2021, saw the end of an era in St. Stephen’s with the retirement of two hugely respected and exceptional teachers, Mrs. Kirwan and Mrs. Mulvaney.

Mrs. Mulvaney came to St. Stephen’s 20 years ago and brought with her an infectious love of learning and a caring nature that was greatly admired and appreciated by all her pupils. In more recent years, the boys who received Learning Support were the ones to benefit from her positive approach to learning. Mrs. Mulvaney also spent a number of years as St. Stephens’ Home School Liaison Teacher, where she excelled in welcoming parents and families and being the link between home and school. Even now, many parents recall the generosity of spirit that Mrs. Mulvaney gave to her many roles in our school.

Mrs. Kirwan is an embodiment of the term “living legend”! Arriving in St. Stephen’s 42 years ago, Miss D’Arcy, as she was known then, immediately became a favourite teacher of many pupils and a highly valued member of the staff. As the years went by, this never changed. Large numbers of past pupils always fondly recall Mrs. Kirwan for her kindness and patience, for her unwavering commitment to helping the boys and doing so with gentle encouragement. Indeed, over the years, as new teachers have joined the staff of St. Stephen’s, every single one mentions the kindness, welcoming smile and the offer of the open door for help, where all you had to do was ask. Teachers and pupils alike have been helped along the way by a lady whose giving nature has shaped more lives in positive ways than many of us realise.

St. Stephen’s loss is the gain of the families of Mrs. Kirwan and Mrs. Mulvaney. They have given exceptional dedication to their positions and to our school, which is a richer place because of them. Everyone in St. Stephen’s wishes these two phenomenal ladies all the very best for a long and happy retirement.

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another school year. It seems like no time at all since we were preparing to reopen after the first Covid lockdown in 2020.

I would like to thank you, the parents, for your support throughout the last school year. It was a challenging year for all, not least for our boys. They have been fantastic and showed great resilience and courage in strange and difficult times. I really appreciate your kindness, patience, cooperation and understanding.

I am so proud of our efforts as a school. I want to thank everyone associated with St Stephen's for their huge efforts in making the best of all the challenges.

To our 6th class boys, we bid them a fond farewell. They have been an incredible class group and have left a great legacy as role models for all in our school. For now, I send them my best wishes on their journey through second level. I know that each one of them will be a success because they got the best start here with us in St Stephen's. I hope they will always keep St Stephen's and De La Salle in their hearts because they will always be in ours.

We will never forget this year and what we went through – and we need to remember that we all did so well! We lived, laughed, and learned all along the way!

I hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you all back here on September 1st, 2021.

Kindest Regards,

Sinéad Lowe, Principal

Just a quick reminder the school will close this Friday May 14th for a half day as it is the Feast Day of our Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle.  Please see the closing times below for each class.  Please be on time to collect your son in order to prevent crossover of classes.

St Stephen's is delighted to inform you that construction will begin on our 4 new classrooms on Monday May 17th, 2021. This is an exciting time for everyone, as after many years of planning, we are one step closer to expanding our school.

With any building project there is noise and disruption and no more so when you are situated in the middle of the city centre and construction begins on the day the shops are reopening! Your understanding and patience would be greatly appreciated as we begin our new project.

The site access will be on Stephen Street and as a result there will be reduced footpath and parking in this area. This will lead to increased traffic congestion so please be mindful of that. Take your time and don’t worry about being late, safety above all other concerns at all times.

Safety is of huge importance and the children will be protected from any building activity by hoarding which will be erected around the site.

The boys in Miss Keevers' 2nd Class celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday, 11th May, and Miss O'Shea's 2nd Class on Wednesday, May 12th, 2021. The boys in both classes worked very hard to prepare for the service. They did brilliantly and received a lovely certificate to mark the occasion. To celebrate, these lucky boys had an ice pop party in their classroom and then played some giant games in the lovely sunshine. Well done to all involved!

We recently celebrated Well-Being week in St. Stephen's. There was a lovely week full of activities for the boys with lots of fun! The boys and staff really enjoyed it! On Wednesday, 28th April, we held a Rainbow Day Fundraiser for Pieta House. All boys wore any colour they liked to school on this day. We had a disco in the yard and a popcorn party for every class. We are hoping this Fundraiser raised awareness of the importance of looking after our Mental Health. Thanks to everyone for your amazing support of this fundraiser! Our application for the Amber Flag has now been submitted and we are waiting to hear back. Keep your fingers crossed!

Back in March while on remote learning, the boys in Mr. Russell's 3rd Class worked on a story to enter the 2021 FÍS Film Storyboard Competition. On Friday, April 16th, at lunchtime, the boys were contacted and told that after a very competitive process, the judging panel had awarded the honour of 1st Prize in the class category 3rd and 4th class to the boys for their storyboard called "Disasters". What a fantastic achievement for the boys, taking 1st Place against 3rd and 4th Classes from all over Ireland!!! Well done to all the class!

Food Dudes has run in St. Stephen's a number of times and been a huge success on each occasion. Now, in April 2021, Food Dudes is back for another run! Over the next 10 weeks, the boys will get to try out different fruits and vegetables. An information letter was sent home on Aladdin and we would appreciate it if you could have a read over it.

We hope that everyone enjoyed the Easter break. The weather for the most part was lovely, let's hope we get more of that in the coming weeks.

In order to reopen our school safely tomorrow I am bringing the following points to your attention:

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We are delighted to welcome the children from 3rd to 6th class back to school on Monday. The children from Junior Infants to 2nd Class have settled back very well.

Coming back to school after an extended period of time working at home will be a period of adjustment for the children. School is a very busy place (both learning & socialising) and consequently the children will probably be quite tired after the school day. The class teachers have agreed to pause homework until after the Easter holidays to help with their adjustment back to school. The focus between now and the Easter holidays will be re-establishing routines, making the children feel safe and happy in school and assessing where their learning is at. This will put us all in a good position to hit the ground running after Easter which this year is a good long term.

I'd like to bring a few items to your attention:

• School will be closed on Wednesday the 17th for St Patrick’s Day.
• Communication with the school must take place by phone 051 871716 or email ststephensbns@gmail.com
• It is important not to congregate at or near school when dropping off and collecting your child.
• Please complete the Return to Education Parent Declaration Form on Aladdin Connect after 3pm on Sunday.
• As we will have all classroom doors and windows open for maximum ventilation you might want to put an extra layer on your son as the rooms might be cooler than usual!
• Children are not to attend school if
  • they are displaying any symptoms of COVID 19
  • they are awaiting a test
  • they are a close contact of a person with COVID 19
  • they have travelled outside of Ireland; in such instances parents are advised to consult and follow latest Government advice in relation to foreign travel.

The school operated very smoothly before Christmas and that was due to a large degree to the support parents gave us as well as the amazing children we have who took this in their stride. Parents can continue to help our school by continuing to abide by all social distancing guidelines and staying home apart from essential journeys. Adults are asked to please wear a mask at all times. Play-dates and home visits between your children and their friends are not recommended.

We are all looking forward to safely welcoming the boys back into school on Monday. It will be great to have everyone back together again! Please tell them all there will be extra playtime for everyone!

Thank you, as always, for your cooperation

Sinéad

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Following the announcement by An Taoiseach, I am delighted to inform you that school will reopen for students in Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st class and 2nd class on Monday March 1st.

We know how difficult the last 2 months have been and we are really looking forward to welcoming our younger students back.

Level 5 restrictions will remain in place and for that reason we all have a part to play in keeping our school open. I am asking all parents to read the attached Section 5 of the school’s Covid-19 Response Plan. From Monday, communication with the school should be by phone or online only. You can call the school on 051 871716 or email ststephensbns@gmail.com. No parent has permission to enter the school grounds without notification.

All parents should observe and adhere to public health guidelines. Masks are to be worn at the gate and social distancing maintained. Please do not gather at the gate. You must come to the school at your appointed time and leave promptly once your son has gone into his line. At home time please arrive at your appointed time and pick up your son and once again please leave promptly.

Junior Infants: Miss Nevin 9.05 - 13.45 Patrick St Entrance
Junior Infants: Miss Kenny 9.00 - 13.40 Patrick St Entrance
Senior Infants: Ms Brennan 8.50 – 13.30 Patrick St Entrance
Senior Infants Ms Byrne 8.55 – 13.35 Patrick St Entrance
1st Class Ms Butler 8.50 – 14.30 Stephen Street Entrance
1st Class Mrs Breen 9.05 – 14.45 Stephen Street Entrance
2nd Class Ms Keevers 9.00 - 14.40 Stephen Street Entrance
2nd Class Ms O Shea 9.10 – 14.45 Stephen Street Entrance

A Return to Education Declaration form will be required for each pupil returning to school on Monday. This can be be filled in via Aladdin Connect. Please complete this form anytime after 3pm on Sunday February 28th. We are all working hard to ensure the safe operation of our schools for students, staff and families. We have put in place rules and routines which must be followed to keep everyone safe. The latest public health advice on returning to school is available on gov.ie/schools.

Remember if your child has any of the following symptoms of Covid-19, do not send them to school and contact your GP:
• A temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more
• Any other common symptoms of Covid-19 – a new cough, loss or changed sense of taste or smell, shortness of breath or an existing breathing condition that has become worse
• Been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19
• Been living with someone who is unwell and may have Covid-19
• Other uncommon symptoms of Covid-19, such as sore throat, headaches or diarrhoea
• Returned from another country in the last 14 days.

Dear Parents / Guardians,

I hope you are all safe and well. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Following confirmation from Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, I am writing to inform you our school buildings will remain closed until the end of January. This is obviously very disappointing news but hopefully it will be a short term measure. A review will be made by the Government towards the end of January and hopefully it will be deemed safe for us all to return to school in February.  Schools, including ours, have demonstrated that they are safe environments for children, but with the increased numbers in recent days the safest option is remote teaching and learning. 

From Monday the 11th of January, we will engage in remote teaching and learning. The children have made great progress this school year and have been so happy and safe in school and in so far as possible, we hope that we can continue to support and facilitate their learning during these difficult times. I am very conscious of different pressures and constraints households are under during these turbulent times. Home-schooling is not easy, sometimes not possible and whatever you can do is OK. Varying WiFi speeds, work commitments, lack of devices, caring for family members can all contribute to making an already stressful situation even more challenging. Setting a time to spend with the children each day (ideally in the morning) works well. If you are at home with your child or if someone within your family support bubble is caring for your child do what you can to support the learning of your child. The school work that the class teachers will assign is optional. Nothing is compulsory. The most important thing is that everyone is safe, well and happy.

It is important that you check into Aladdin regularly for any updates. The school staff met remotely today and we finalised plans for distance learning. As was the successful practice last year, class teachers will be your primary contact. Class teachers issued See Saw codes to all pupils before the Mid Term Break. They will be reissued in the coming days.

Parents of children who were absent before Christmas can call to collect books on Friday 8/01/21 between 11:00am and 1:00pm. This is to facilitate parents of pupils that were absent before Christmas and didn’t get the opportunity to bring home books. If your son did bring home books before Christmas, there is nothing extra that you need to collect. Please wear a mask and observe social distancing guidelines. The bags will be labelled and placed in class lines in the yard. Staff will be here to point you in the direction of your class line. 

St. Stephen's is now closed for the Christmas holidays. It's been a different term than usual but thanks to all parents and families, and of course the boys themselves, it has been another successful one. Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Christmas. Everyone please be mindful and stay safe and look after each other. And be thankful for the good things that we have, like health, happiness and family. Those are the real gifts that we should treasure at this time of year! We'll see you all again on January 6th, 2021, when we re-open for the new term. Until then, Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Dhaoibh go léir!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the St. Stephen's Parents' Association Christmas Raffle... The draw took place in the school on Monday, December 21st - congratulations to all the prize winners!

Well done to all the boys in Mr. Russell's 3rd Class, who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday, December 12th 2020, in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street. It was great that the boys finally got to celebrate this very special occasion, which had been postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to all the families for your cooperation in both ceremonies, and we hope you all enjoyed your very special day!

It was a busy week ahead in St. Stephen's, as our past pupils from Mr. C. Hayden's and Mr. R. Hayden's 6th Classes finally made the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street. Mr. C. Hayden's former class made their Confirmation on Monday, December 7th and Wednesday, December 9th, while Mr. R. Hayden's former 6th Class celebrated their Confirmation on Thursday, December 10th and Friday, December 11th. It was great to see our past pupils and their families again for this very special occasion!

Well done to all the boys in Miss Power's 3rd Class, who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday, December 5th 2020, in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street. It was great that the boys finally got to celebrate this special occasion, which had been postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to all the families for your cooperation in both ceremonies, and we hope you all enjoyed your special day!

Friday, December 4th was a special day in St. Stephen's! We kicked off all our Christmas festivities with lots and lots of Christmas fun, art, and activities taking place all around the school. The aim of the day was to help to raise some funds for our school's amazing Parents' Association, who do such fantastic work on behalf of our school and are always working hard to raise money for activities and resources for the boys in St. Stephen's. A huge word of thanks to everyone who contributed to the fundraiser - and we all hope that the boys had a lovely day too!

We were all delighted in St. Stephen's to launch our Amber Flag campaign on Wednesday, December 2nd. 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone and it is so important that we look after our Mental Health and the Well-Being of our children. As part of our initiative to promote Well-Being and good Mental Health in our school we are making every Wednesday "Well-Being Wednesday" a day where the boys can spend some time doing the activities that they love. This could be extra art, music, drama or simply getting outside for some fresh air. We will keep you updated with lots of photos showing the boys having fun in school. We look forward to hopefully getting the Amber Flag next year!

As you are no doubt aware there is a lot of discussion whether schools will remain open in the coming months. The reopening of our school has gone very successfully and with the support of the parents and the wider community we have created a learning environment where children have thrived whilst remaining safe. It is our hope that schools will be allowed to continue operating in their present format until we come out of this situation.
There is, however, in the coming weeks and months the possibility of a closure (whole school, class or pod) and the children are being set up on the online learning platform Seesaw.

On Thursday/Friday this week we will send home 3 books. These books are only being sent home in the event that the mid-term break is extended and should be left in the bag to be returned to school on Monday November 2nd.
In the event of an unexpected school closure, each class teacher will communicate with you via Aladdin, Seesaw and Zoom. For this reason it is important to make sure you check your Aladdin regularly. SET and SNA support will be also provided through these channels.

Please take note of the following important information:
• It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that pupils are supervised while they work online.
• We ask that parents/guardians check the work pupils send to their teacher, ensuring it is appropriate.
• Under no circumstance should pictures or recordings be taken of video calls. Actions such as these will be in breach of our Behaviour Policy and there will be sanctions. Teacher-pupil calls will be recorded by the teacher and saved as a record. Under GDPR the recordings will not be made public and will be stored until the end of the year.
• Communication may only take place during normal school hours (8.50a.m. – 2.30p.m.)
• Check-in on your child`s school work on a daily basis and talk to your child about the work assigned.

The health and well being of all is paramount. Circumstances may change for any of us unexpectedly, teachers or parents, so please keep schooling in perspective and do not allow anything school related to impinge on your child negatively. You are the primary educator of your child and you make those calls. We encourage a little work every day for routine. We provide work and guidance and ask parents and pupils to do their best and that is all.

In light of the entire country moving to level 5 restrictions on October 21st, and with all efforts being made to keep the schools open, it is now mandatory to wear face masks at the school gates at drop off and collection times. Please observe social distancing guidelines and wear a face mask. This is all part of our efforts to protect the whole school community from Covid 19. Please pass on this message to other family members who may be bringing or collecting your child to/from school.

We ask for your full cooperation.

Thank you.

Ms S. Lowe

A new chapter for our school began on Monday, October 5th, 2020! Miss Lowe succeeded Mr. Morris as principal of St. Stephen's. Here is a welcome message from our new principal, Miss Lowe:

Dear Parents and Guardians,
 
It is with great pride and excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the newly appointed Principal of St. Stephen's BNS. I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead a school with such a high reputation and tradition of excellent teaching and learning. I am excited and eager to bring my skills as School Principal to St. Stephen's and I look forward to working with you as a partner in education to ensure your child's success.
 
This is a year like no other and we have had and will continue to have many hurdles to climb. Along with the tremendously dedicated teachers and staff of St. Stephen's, I will work hard to guide us through this difficult time. I wish to continue the legacy of success established by the De La Salle Brothers by building strong relationships with parents, students and the wider community.
 
I would like to thank Mr Morris for all the guidance, support and kindness he has shown me, especially over the last few weeks. I have big shoes to fill and I hope that I can build on the many accomplishments Mr. Morris achieved in his tenure as principal. I wish Mr. Morris and Mr. Keevers the happiest of retirements.
 
As your Principal, it is important to me that everyone who steps through our doors - teachers, students and parents - are excited to be here! This attitude enables us all to learn in a positive, fun, and nurturing environment.  My door is always open and I welcome your input.  Please feel free to call or email me to discuss any concerns you might have throughout the school year.  
 
I look forward to working with you as a team to help each student at St. Stephen's BNS to be the best that they can be and to meet their goals and have a successful school year!
 
Mise le meas,
Sinéad Lowe

It was with a heavy heart that St. Stephen's saw two of its longest serving staff members retire on Friday, October 2nd, 2020.

Mr. Morris arrived in St. Stephen's in the 1980s and taught many different classes up to 2010. Since then, he has served as principal of St. Stephen's, taking over from Br. Martin. He has overseen the profile of St. Stephen's raised to a national level, leading and encouraging our teachers as our school has won numerous Green Flags for environmental awareness and work in this area, been awarded with the prestigious and highly coveted Digital Schools of Distinction status, and in recent years, winners at the FÍS national primary school film-making awards. Mr. Morris also spent many years as a player and coach with the De La Salle GAA Club.

Mr. Keevers also arrived in St. Stephen's in the 1980s. For over three decades, he has given hugely dedicated service to our school and the pupils who have been and gone, and those currently here. Mr. Keevers' love and passion for our national games was always evident and he could be found many afternoons after school in Cleaboy in all weathers, taking teams for training in both hurling and Gaelic Football which led to many successes for St. Stephen's in both sports grades. He, too, spent many years coaching with the De La Salle GAA Club. In recent years, Mr. Keevers brought his teaching talents to Language Support and this has been of great benefit to those boys.

We are all truly blessed to have had the privilege to work alongside these two men who have left a gigantic impression on both their colleagues and pupils alike. All of us in St. Stephen's are very sad to see them leave us for retirement, but we wish both Mr. Morris and Mr. Keevers the very best in this new chapter in their lives, and we thank them for their huge contribution to St. Stephen's.

Dear Parents / Guardians,
Welcome to all our boys and parents for a new school year. A special welcome to our Junior Infant boys who have settled in really well. Thanks to all our parents. Thanks to Miss Kenny and Miss Nevin. We hope 2020 - 2021 will be a happy and successful year.

Thanks to all our parents for your co-operation. There are changes to start times and finish times. We now have 3 entrance gates. These new plans are working very well. Thanks to all families for bringing boys to the right gate at the right time. We have contacted Waterford City Council to post road markings on Stephen Street and Bachelor's Walk to warn drivers to slow down.

We are all delighted to have the boys back in school. It is lovely to see the boys so happy coming in. Our playground is divided into 4 separate parts and only one class plays in each part. We have postponed some activities like dance, hurling in the yard, our choir and chess to limit the number of contacts in our school. If your son is unwell, please keep him at home. We are following H.S.E. guidelines with regard to Covid-19.

Points to note / remember:
• Please ensure you have an up to date contact list on the Aladdin App. You can edit your details on the App at home.
• Please mark / label all clothing especially jumper and tracksuit tops, books, copies etc.
• Twenty four hour Personal Accident Insurance is being offered at a cost of €8 per pupil for the whole year. The link to pay for the insurance is on Aladdin. Please do not tick the permission section unless you have paid the €8 as you will not be covered.
• Give your son a good start to the day by ensuring that he is on time for school.

We are happy to have secured funding for lunches for all our boys. Fresh Today is the name of the company who supply and deliver the food. It is working very well.

For better communication with our parents our school are now using Aladdin Connect to relay information with regard to our pupils. We will NOT be sending “paper notes” so it is very important that the phone number you gave to the office is correct and up to date. Please download the ALADDIN CONNECT APP if you have not already done so. We have also added e-payments to our system and all money can now be paid through the app. You will be sent notification when there is a money collection. We thank you as always for your co-operation. If you have any problems please ring the office at 051-871716 or email us at ststephendlsoffice@gmail.com.

In consideration to other children, we ask that children or parents do not distribute birthday invitations and Christmas cards in school. Please do not send in leftover cakes from birthday parties to be distributed in school due to allergies. Due to GDPR we are not in a position to give out class lists.

The tender for the new building will begin in the next two weeks.

Thanks to all families for having books and uniforms. Thanks also to all who have paid for arts / crafts, photocopying etc. If you haven`t already paid the €35 please follow the link sent to you on Aladdin or send it into the class teacher. We realise that equipping children for school is costly. If you are unable to pay these charges in one amount, it is quite acceptable to pay in weekly installments. Please contact the class teacher, Miss Robinson (HSCL), Deirdre or myself.

Thank you,
Mr Morris, Principal.

Welcome back to school! What a fantastic first week for everyone. It was great to see all the boys again and to see how much they have all grown since we last saw them. A big and warm welcome to the new boys in our Pre-School and in our two Junior Infants classes. We hope that these boys will have many happy years in St. Stephen's! 

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We are all looking forward to a positive start to the new school year.   School will open for all students on Tuesday September 1^st.   We are complying with “The roadmap for the full return to school” in as much as is possible.  Consequently the following changes will be implemented for the foreseeable future:

We're hope you are enjoying our new website here in St. Stephen's! Our new website is fully responsive on all devices, so whether you are browsing on a computer/laptop, tablet, smartphone or any other device, you will be able to view all pages hassle free! We've added shortcuts to our social media channels on the main header of the website. Click on the icon for the social network you would like to visit and it will open in a new window. We are still working on rebuilding our digital archive, so you may still come across some pages that are not fully functional yet. Please bear with us as we restore the thousands of photos to the photo archive. In the coming weeks and months, we hope to also be adding old photos from the history of St. Stephens's that date back as far as 1910! Keep an eye out here and on our social media channels for those. Thanks for visiting!

Today was or is the official end of this school year. It has been strange and unprecedented. I want to thank you all for your positive cooperation in recent months. I want to thank you for the great effort you have put into your boys learning with 'home schooling'. I thank all our staff for the work and activities they have planned, shared and managed with your sons.We look forward to a new start on the first of September. I believe the Department of Education is going to supply Freshtoday boxes over the summer, Please be on the lookout every 3 weeks. We hope to have our book exchange/collection next Monday, 29th June, at the same times you were given before. We have to limit numbers and follow guidelines of social distancing, so only one adult per family in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Classes and one parent of 6th Class boys with your son. Please hope that Monday will be a fine day. I am delighted to see the lovely videos of both our 6th class boys. They represent family, school, happiness and being together. Thanks to our teachers especially Mr Russell. Take care.

- Mr. Morris

Dear boys, parents, grandparents and minders
I would like to say on behalf of myself and the Pre-School teachers and that we are very sorry we didn't have the full year with you. We had so much more fun plans. We missed our tour, sports day and concert. We had so much more learning through play to do. We had more painting and arts and crafts to make. We missed our hugs and seeing you grow over the year. We wish you all a lovely summer and you'll all be ready for big boys school in September. We wish that everyone of you reach your full potential. We loved having you in our classes.
Thank you to our parents, grandparents and minders for all your support. It was a pleasure meeting you every day and we will miss you too.

You are a very special child
And I want you to know
Although our year was cut short
I'm so proud of how you did grow

I loved being your teacher
And I have missed your smiling face
But the memories we have of this year
Will never be replaced.

What I have tried to teach you
To last your whole life through
Is to know that you are special
Just because you are YOU!

- Wendy Murphy, Joan Grant, Caroline Elliott and Mary O'Hanlon