Join us in St. Stephen’s!
Would you like your son to join our amazing school community? Well, now’s your chance! We have some spaces for enrolment in our Pre-
- All boys from Senior Infants-6th Class will finish at 1:00pm on Monday September 12th. This is to facilitate a staff meeting. Please collect your son at the designated gate at 1:00pm.
- Please make sure your son’s name is on all his belongings, especially coats, jumpers and tracksuit tops.
- Please pay the School Contribution Fee before the end of September. I understand that back to school is an expensive time for everyone so there is an option to pay by instalments if preferred. Payments can be made via Aladdin or you can send in cash in an envelope with your son’s name/class on it.
- Please do not park on yellow lines around the school, especially at the Bachelor's Walk entrance. We are a city centre school and I know parking is an issue; however, there is plenty of parking available on the Mayor's Walk and on Ballybricken. If you arrive a bit early, you can park and walk to the school to pick up your son.
- All boys should have all their books and stationary by now. If you are in need of assistance please contact our HSCL Marise on 085 2775077.
- Reminder: please all boys from 1st - 6th must wear their full school uniform. Tracksuits are for PE days only. Please note the boys are not allowed wear earrings. This is strictly enforced.
- Lunches: There is a lot of waste each day. We are asking that each child bring in an empty lunch bag/box to take home the waste. Please make lunch choices that your son will eat. Make your choices on www.freshtoday.ie before 5:00pm each Thursday.
- 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.
- Any queries please call the office on 051 871716 or email ststephensbns@gmail.com
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we're heading into a very busy time of the year, we have a number of items to bring to your attention:
De La Salle Day
We celebrated Our Founder’s day on Friday 12th May. A lovely, respectful mass was celebrated in the Cathedral and it was wonderful to see so many come and join us for such a special day. Well done and thanks to all the boys for their participation on the day.
Hurling Blitz
Congratulations to our U11 hurlers who won the Roinn B Inter schools hurling blitz! After extra time, and a nail biting finish, St. Stephen's won the game. There was - and still is - great excitement! Thanks to Mr. Barrett and Mr. Hayden for their efforts with the boys. The future is bright!
Waterford City Primary Schools Athletics
Best of luck to all the pupils who will represent St. Stephen's in this much-anticipated event on Tuesday, May 16th. Thanks to Mr. Coghlan and Mr. Hayden for their efforts.
Green Flag Success
Congratulations to Mrs. Breen and our Green Schools Committee on successfully securing our sixth Green Schools Flag for Biodiversity. The entire school put a lot of hard work into this project with the committee leading the way. We're very proud of our work as a school on Biodiversity and environmental awareness and care.
6th Class Basketball Blitz
Well done to the boys from our 6th Classes who competed in an inter school basketball blitz in De La Salle College on Wednesday. The boys displayed great skill and determination and some superb scores made! Thanks to Miss Robinson, Miss Drohan and Mr. Morris for their dedication to the boys.
First Holy Communion
Our 2nd class will make their First Holy Communion on this coming Saturday, May 20th, at 11:00am in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. We wish the boys the very best of luck for their special day! Additional information will be issued directly to the class groups from their teachers.
Standardised Testing
Standardised tests will take place on Wednesday May 17th from 1st to 6th Classes. Maths Testing for Senior Infants will take place on Tuesday May 23rd. Spelling Testing will take place for 1st to 6th Classes on Wednesday May 24th and Maths testing for 1st-6th will take place on May 30th/ 31st. Please try and have your son in school on time on these days.
School Closure
School will close on Monday 5th, Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th June as per our school calendar. All closures are on our school calendar, which you can view on our website HERE.
School Tours
School tour dates and locations are being finalised. Information will issue to each class with all the information.
Fun Day
Our Fun Day (previously known as Sports Day) will be held on June 16th in Cleaboy. More details to follow!
Junior Infant Open Day
The Open Day for next September's Junior Infants will be held Tuesday June 13th. Further details will be issued to parents in the coming days.
Autism Class
We are delighted to announce the opening of St. Stephen's 1st Autism Class in September 2023. The applications window has now closed and places will be allocated soon. This is an exciting time for St. Stephen's BNS.
School Books
All School books, copies and stationary will be provided for all students in September 2023. There will be a school contribution fee for all pupils to cover photocopying, arts and craft resources, drumming, swimming etc. We will let you know the amount in June and open the payments option on Aladdin to allow you pay in instalments over the summer break.
Summer Holidays
School will close at 12:00pm on Friday, June 30th for the summer break.
We're delighted to announce that St. Stephen's will open an Autism Class in September 2023. You can find the policy, admissions notice, and both an online and downloadable application form on our new admissions page, which has all the relevant information needed regarding admissions and enrolment in St. Stephen's. You can find that page HERE.
International Week was a great success last year and was just as much fun in 2023! The boys took part in projects, art work and videos about different countries and a magnificent display was put on show in the hall. Boys from many different places also recorded some videos to share some information about their countries. Visit our special International Week page HERE to see those, along with photos of the magnificent projects completed by lots of classes!
The boys in Miss Kenny's and Mr. Lyons’ 2nd Classes will be partaking in their First Reconciliation on Tuesday March 14th. This is an important step on their journey towards their First Holy Communion. We wish them the best of luck!
The last few weeks through February and into March have been very busy for the school and we would just like to update you on the following:
6th Class Retreat
Mr Coghlan’s and Mr. Morris' 6th Classes attended a Confirmation Retreat in Miguel House in Castletown. The boys had a great day in the company of De La Salle Brothers, many of which spent some time in St Stephen's. Huge thanks to our Parents' Association for subsidising this trip.
FAI Primary 5s Football
Two teams represented St. Stephen's in SETU Arena in the FAI Schools Primary 5s competition last week and had a great day out and played some fine football! Behaviour was exemplary and they represented their school so well. Thanks to Mr. R. Hayden, Mr. Coghlan and Mr. Russell for their time and effort with the boys.
First Confession
Miss Kenny's and Mr. Lyons' 2nd Classes will make their First Confession in the Cathedral on Tuesday 14th March at 7:00pm with Fr. Harris. The boys had their Enrolment in the hall on Wednesday, March 8th.
Hurling
Hurling in the yard began on Monday March 6th for 1st class boys and Thursday March 9th for 2nd class boys. Boys can bring their hurls and helmets to school with them. We have some on sale here if needed.
Artist in Residence
The school successfully applied to participate in the Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme. Animator Mike Byrne spent 4 days recently in 2nd class working with the students. They have had an amazing week bringing their ideas to life and Miss Kenny and Mr Lyons will share links to their work in due course.
World Book Day
World Book Day was a great success last week. The boys were busy reading and listening to new stories and enjoyed the dress up and chatter about their favourite characters. Mr. Russell has uploaded lots of photos on our website and social media channels.
Swimming
Swimming continues for 6th, 2nd and 3rd classes.
Swimming lessons will start for 1st, 4th and 5th classes on Tuesday April 18th. Full payment of €40 is required before swimming lessons start. You can pay via Aladdin or bring €40 into your sons class teacher.
Cake sale
The Parents' Association Cake Sale was a huge success with an amazing total of €1700 raised. Huge thanks to everyone involved. The PA’s next fundraiser is Bingo at the forum on Tuesday March 28th. Tickets are on sale for €10 from the school office. A great night is guaranteed with some fabulous spot prizes!
New Enrolments 2023
There are a limited amount of spaces still available for Junior Infants 2023 and for our preschool also. If you have a son, nephew or friend looking for a place in these classes, please CLICK HERE to download an application form or call us on 051 871716 for an application form.
Miss Power's and Mr. Russell's 3rd Classes had a very interesting and enjoyable "Biodiversity Bootcamp" workshop with Eoin, the local Biodiversity officer with Waterford City Council, on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023. Eoin visited the boys in their classrooms, and gave a very interesting and interactive talk about biodiversity in Ireland and about many of the different species that live in our country, as well as talking about the adaptations that many of the different species have made. Check out some photos from Miss Power's 3rd Class HERE and Mr. Russell's 3rd Class HERE!
The Roots of Empathy programme is back in St. Stephen's this year and we are thrilled to welcome Miriam back as our Facilitator for the 2022/2023 year. We're also very lucky to have baby Quinn and mum Aisling as our Roots of Empathy family this year. You can keep up to date with all the Family Visits HERE!
We were very excited with the return of a very special day in our school, as our annual Christmas Carol Service in the Cathedral of The Most Holy Trinity took place on Tuesday morning, December 20th, 2022. It was wonderful to see so many friends of our school who to join us in a celebration of the birth of Our Lord.
Science for Fun returned to St. Stephen's after an absence and it was 3 weeks of wonderful science fun and learning in Mr. Russell's 3rd Class! Helped by a number of brilliant volunteer parents each week, the boys worked with dancing raisins, discovered what happens to food when you eat it, it gets broken down... and what happens to the waste left over from the food that your body needs to get rid of; the class worked to create volcanoic eruptions using baking soda and vinegar, and tested to see if they could make a bag waterproof - even with holes being poked in the bag! The final week involved experimenting with floating eggs and adding Mentos mints to Coke to create a geyser! Thanks to the super volunteer parents for coming in to help out and to our awesome Home School Liaison Teacher Miss Robinson for organising the programme and running all the activities over the 3 weeks!
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The school is a hive of activity at the moment and we have a number of items to bring to your attention:
Code of Behaviour and Anti Bullying Policy
The above policies have been ratified by the Board of Management following approval by staff and parents and are now in use by all staff. Please familiarise yourself with the code of behaviour and remind your son of the types of behaviour that we expect in St. Stephen's and what happens when misbehaviour occurs.
Parents' Association Christmas Cards
Order forms for the ever-popular Parents' Association Christmas Card fundraiser went home this week. Please return the forms with the correct amount by Wednesday, 7th December.
Christmas Raffle
The Parent’s Association annual Christmas raffle will take place before the Christmas holidays. Cards will be distributed next week.
Cinema Trip
All classes will be going to the cinema on either Friday 9th December or Friday 16th December. The cost for this cinema trip is €7. There is great excitement as we haven’t had our annual cinema trip since 2019!
Little Red Kettle Theatre Company
Little Red Kettle are also making a comeback on Thursday 15th for all classes. Cost for this is €3.
Carol Service
Our traditional Carol Service returns after its 2 year absence. It is scheduled for Tuesday 20th December at 11:00am in The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. Children from 2nd to 6th class will attend. Everyone is welcome to join us.
Class Christmas Concerts
Some classes will showcase their talents to parents at various performances scheduled for the days leading up to the Christmas break. Specific dates and times will be communicated to you.
Extra-Curricular Activities
We are delighted to have so many extra-curricular activities available to our pupils.
Monday - Hurling for 1st class
Tuesday - Basketball for 5th/6th classes
Wednesday - Book Club, Chess and Gardening club
Thursday - Hurling for 2nd class
We look forward to starting an Art and Craft club, a Radio/Film Club and a Lego club next term.
Teachers give their time to these clubs on a voluntary basis. The whole school community is extremely grateful to the teachers involved for their dedication to our pupils.
Swimming Lessons 2023
Swimming classes will take place for all classes from 1st-6th in term 2. The cost of these lessons will be approximately €40. Full payment must be paid before lessons commence. You can still pay by instalments but full payment is required before lessons begin. Swimming is a part of the SPHE curriculum and all boys must take part. If for some reason your son cannot take part in the lessons you will be asked to collect him from school while lessons are taking place.
Christmas Holidays
School will finish at 12 noon on Wednesday 21st December for the Christmas holidays and we will return on Thursday 5th January.
Enjoy the special time in the build up to Christmas!
Regards,
Sinéad Lowe, Principal
Technology is an amazing tool that we use in St. Stephen's to give the boys opportunities that they might not have without it. Recently, Mr. Russell's 3rd Class enjoyed a chat online with author Tom Rogers. Tom wrote the book "Eleven", a novel for children about the September 11 attacks in America in 2001. The boys heard about the writing process behind the book, how Tom came up with the idea, and had lots of time for a Q&A as he heard ideas for stories from the boys and answered many questions about the book and his job as a scriptwriter for Disney. Well done to all the boys!
Our Parent Teacher meetings took place last week and it was great to meet everyone in person this year for the first time since 2019. Thanks to all parents and guardians who came along to meet all the teachers last week!
There's always lots of wonderful things happening in St. Stephen's - and we always do our best to grab photos so we can share the awesomeness! You can check out photos from what's been going on in 2022/2023 by clicking HERE - and you can also see tons of photos from lots of years in the past by clicking on the relevant year, which will drop down to show you all the links available for that year!
An annual tradition, boys came to school in Halloween costume on the last day before the mid-term break. There were lots of great costumes and every class played games and enjoyed some treats for Halloween. We've lots of photos from a wonderful day so we've gathered them all onto one special Halloween page - click HERE to visit!
Marise, our HSCL Teacher, ran 3 make up Classes over a few weeks in October 2022 with Lyndsey Waring, Makeup Artist. We had great attendance over the 3 weeks and parents really enjoyed the cuppa and chats! Lyndsey was amazing and everyone picked up so much from her. Marise also ran 3 workshops with Bricks4 Kidz over a few weeks for Junior and Senior Infants boys and their parents. We had a huge response to this too! Sixteen different families participated in the workshops, with younger siblings welcome too. A wonderful month for everyone involved in these different projects all organised by our fabulous HSCL teacher, Miss Robinson!
All of us in St. Stephen's were absolutely delighted to witness the official opening of Lasallian House on Friday, October 14th, 2022.
Principal of St. Stephen's Miss Lowe spoke of the efforts of so many people to make Lasallian House a reality, paying tribute to Mr. Morris and Br. Frank and the school's Board of Management, after which Bishop Cullinan blessed the building and Br. Frank and Mr. Morris cut the ribbon to officially open our stunning new extension. Our many guests then took the opportunity to look around the new building. There's plenty of photos of the official opening to view in the gallery HERE!
After over a 2 year break because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chess Club returned to St. Stephen's on Wednesday, October 5th, 2022 with over 30 members joining! Chess Club will be running for eight weeks and we have already had some great matches played on the first day. League tables will start in a few weeks. Thanks to Mr. Morris, Miss Kenny and Mr. Coghlan for helping out - and well done to all the boys!
Our school athletics team took part in a cross country competition in the RSC on Tuesday, September 20th, 2022. Boys from 1st to 6th Class competed and they all did themselves and the school so proud. St. Stephen’s came away with a total of SEVEN medals. Well done boys!! See the photos from a great day out HERE!
De La Salle GAA Hurling and Football Club won the County Minor Hurling Final to become County Minor Hurling Champions 2022! The team visited the school on Friday, September 9th, to speak about the magnificent accomplishment and to offer some words of inspiration to the budding young hurlers in our school. It was great to see so many of our past pupils return as part of the winning panel. See photos from the visit HERE!
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:
Looking forward to another fun year at St Stephen's!
Sinéad 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! 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
