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