- St. Stephen's De La Salle BNS

News Archive:
September 2013 - June 2014

** Please note that links to activities mentioned here in the News Archive may not work as that material may have been deleted or moved to a new section of the website! **

Summer Holidays 2014:

Summer is here! St. Stephen's is now closed for the summer holidays. We wish everyone a happy and safe summer - and we look forward to seeing everyone back for the new school year 2014/2015! St. Stephen's re-opens at 8:50am on Monday, September 1st.

UPDATE: Fundraising Football in aid of Lasallian work abroad:
The final amounts have been counted after 5th and 6th Class played a small blitz to add in some more funds to the money already raised by 3rd and 4th Class. The final amount raised is a staggering €659.30. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who sponsored the boys for the different football competitions - we all send our sincerest thanks for your generosity and kindness in raising such a stunning amount. This money will go to help with building projects in Ethiopia this summer, where Br. Tom and many other volunteers will be building schools and helping those less fortunate. The final amount was presented to Br Tom when he came to visit on Friday! See a photo with some of the boys representing 3rd and 4th Class here!

Retirement of Mrs. Kehoe:
It was with great regret and sadness that St. Stephen's saw the retirement of Mrs. Kehoe on June 27th. This brought to a close over 31 years of dedicated service to the pupils of St. Stephen's De La Salle. Mrs. Kehoe has taught infants, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th Classes, as well as Resource. In recent years, Mrs. Kehoe has worked tirelessly in her role as Learning Support Teacher. She was a dedicated, hard working teacher, who will be sorely missed. All of us at St. Stephens - pupils and staff alike - wish Mrs. Kehoe many happy years in retirement and thank her for her dedication and huge efforts, for which all of us at St. Stephen's will be forever grateful.

St. Stephen's De La Salle Website:
The St. Stephen's website is undergoing a makeover this summer! We'll be updating the look and feel of our website and making it easier to browse and find what you're looking for, as well as adding some new pages. Our new website will officially launch on September 1st, 2014 to coincide with the start of the 2014/2015 school year. Be sure to check it out on September 1st!

6th Class Graduation Mass:
The boys in Mr. Keevers' and Mrs. Quinn's 6th Classes celebrated their graduation mass on Monday, June 23rd in the school hall. Joined by Br. Ben and the school choir, it was an evening to celebrate the boys' graduation from primary school, as well as the hint of sadness at seeing them leave St. Stephen's after their many years here. Well done and congratulations to all the boys in 6th Class and thanks to Br. Ben and the choir for the beautiful music for the last ceremony for these two classes. We wish them all the very best as they leave us this week to move on to secondary school.

3rd Classes make the trip to Woodstown:
Mrs. Kealy's and Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Classes made the trip to the ever popular Woodstown beach on Tuesday, June 24th. Everyone had a great time on the beach, enjoying the good weather and playing lots of fun games!

Mr. Russell's 4th Class take the Energy Challenge:
Mr. Russell's 4th Class were back at the city's Central Library - again!!! - on Monday, June 23rd. The class went to an energy workshop where they met Ella Ryan, the Environment Officer who is working with our school towards our Green Flag for energy. The boys played Guzzler's Energy Challenge, which was great fun, as well as learning lots about energy and renewable and non renewable sources of energy. To top it all off, each boy was presented with juice and cookies at the end, and received a super diary and pack of colouring pencils (made from recycled drinks bottles, no less!!). See some photos from the class' visit to the Energy Challenge at the library by visiting their class page!

3rd and 4th Clas play the World Cup in aid of Lasallian work aborad this summer:
Mrs. Kealy's and Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Classes joined Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes in Cleaboy on Thursday, June 19th and played their own version of the World Cup! The main idea behind the day was to raise money for Br Tom's work on the Lasallian missions in poor parts of India. All the classes were mixed into 10 World Cup teams and played out some thrilling games! The final was tied at 1-1 between Spain and Croatia, so it was settled on penalties as Spain triumphed! All the teachers and the boys enjoyed the day and send their heartfelt thanks to everyone who sponsored the boys for the day. The final total raised will be announced on Thursday and presented to Br Tom when he comes to visit. Watch out for that!

Infants visit the beach!:
It was an amazing sight - Miss Walsh's and Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants, along with Miss Hill's and Miss Lowe's Senior Infants boarded three buses on Wednesday, June 18th and took off to Woodstown! And what a day they had for it, as the sun shone high in the sky with not a cloud to be seen for ages! Everyone had great fun in the sun - playing in the sand, building sandcastles - and even taking in a paddle in the water!! Check out the photos of the boys having a ball at the beach by clicking here (and thanks to Rose for taking the photos!).

6th Class on Tour:
Mrs. Quinn's and Mr. Keevers' 6th Classes enjoyed their final outing at St. Stephen's as they visited Shielbaggan Outdoor Education Centre in Co. Wexford! What a fun time was had by all - and rumour has it that Mr. Keevers even took to the water in the sunshine!! Click here to see the photos from the 6th Classes' awesome day out!

School Sports 2014:
St. Stephen's annual school sports took place on Friday, June 13th - and as always, a fun day was had by all with races and obstacle courses in the De La Salle GAA grounds at Cleaboy. Our thanks, as always, go to De La Salle GAA for the continued use of the facilities in Cleaboy for various school events during the year. Check out a HUGE selection photos coming soon from our school sports day 2014 - click here!

Chess Club Awards 2014:
The Chess Club had its' annual Awards Presentation on Tuesday, May 27th 2014 in the school hall. All the players and their families made their way in to hear who won which league and Billy and Mr. Morris had some words about the magnificent efforts of the Parent's Association at St. Stephen's in looking after all aspects of our school, with some words in particular with regards to the Chess Club. Lots of medals and plaques were awarded to the players for some great games this year - and now you can check out the huge selection of photos from the presentation on the Chess Club's page here!

Cumann na mBunscol U-11 Hurling 2014:
St. Stephen's recently took part in a Cumann na mBunscol U-11 Hurling blitz. This blitz was the third which the team were involved in having previously played in both Walsh Park and De La Salle Gracedieu. Find out how the players did by visiting a special page for the team here!

Cycling Fun and Road Safety::
Mr. Fahy's and Mr. Russell's 4th Classes are having a WHEELIE good time!!! They've been getting cycling safety lessons and learning how to ride a bike! Donal from "Let's Get Healthy" has been coming to our school to get everyone more aware about cycling safety. They've learned about the checks that need to be done before setting off, such as the importance of wearing a helmet, testing brakes and checking tyres, as well as hand signals and proper clothing. They're really, really having a great time - and you can now see photos of Mr. Russell's Class and Mr. Fahy's boys on our cycling page here!

Fun Activities!:
Just before the Easter holidays, we held some sponsored fun events... all the classes had great fun, playing lots of games and doing loads of fun activities in class too! We've got some photos from the fun activities in the yard which you can see by clicking here.

School Policies:
We have now added a new option to our menu, where you will find details of our school policies, including our code of behaviour and our school's internet acceptable use policy (AUP). Please read these documents carefully and feel free to download a copy to keep for reading offline.

E-Safety:
St. Stephen's takes the online safety of our pupils very seriously. We have compiled some e-safety tips and recommendations for parents and guardians, with some ideas for monitoring your child's online activities and keeping your son safe while using online content. Please take some time to visit this new resource - click on "E-Safety" on the main menu to the left.

4th Class Recorder Concert:
On Thursday, April 10th, Mr. Russell's 4th Class presented a recorder concert in the school hall. The boys had been practicing for a few weeks - and the standard of playing was exceptional! They played "Movie Buster" and "Mellow Out" - both twice, the second time being at a much faster tempo, as well as Irish tune "Mo Ghile Mear" and a piece made famous by Michael Flatley, "Lord of the Dance". Visit Mr. Russell's Class' page, where you can download the audio from the class' awesome concert or download a video* featuring 3 of the songs by clicking that link. (Please note that the video file is quite large!)

Lá Gaelach 2014:
Bhí Lá Gaelach againn sa scoil ar an Déardaoin agus an Aoine, 13ú agus 14ú lá de Márta 2014. Bhí ceol, dráma, caint agus craic againn - agus ceolchoirm ar súil Déardaoin agus Dé hAoine!! Bhí na buachaillí as na ranganna ag canadh amhráin, ag spraoi, ag caint as Gaeilge, agus ag baint sásamh as na rudaí a bhí ar siúl againn! We had our annual Lá Gaelach in St. Stephen's on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th March, 2014! There was music, drama, chat and lots of fun - with a concert on each day too! The boys from every class were singing, playing and talking in Irish and enjoying our native language. It's our way of celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge! Visit the special Lá Gaelach page here!

World Book Day 2014 at St. Stephen's De La Salle:
Thursday, March 6th was World Book Day- and we had a whole load of celebrations around all the classes taking place to mark the day! There was dressing up, read-a-thons, podcasting, buddy reading, Skypes and more taking place - as well as boys bringing in their favourite books to talk about them! Visit our special World Book Day page with photos and news from all the events here!!!

4th Class and Waterford's Vile Villains:
The most travelled 4th Class in Waterford were out and about again! On Wednesday, March 5th, Mr. Russell's Class went on a walking history tour of our historic city with Stephen and Eleanor. WOW! We walk past so much history with so many interesting stories to tell every day - and don't even realise it! We heard all about the vile villains from Vedrarfjordr's 1100 year history. And there were some really VILE villains in our city through the centuries! Check out our class' page to see some really awesome photos from a fun and interesting walk around the oldest city in Ireland!

Clann Cluana visit St. Stephen's De La Salle:
Clann Cluana Theatre Company visited St. Stephen's on Friday, February 28th, to present a dramatic telling of the Irish legend of Cúchulainn. The three actors brought us a brilliant telling of the story of Setanta, from his adventures as a young boy with the Red Branch Knights, to how he became known as Cúchulainn. 3rd to 6th Classes filled the hall to enjoy the play - and you can see some photos of the afternoon here.

Aistear is Awesome!:
Mrs. Breen's and Miss Butler's Junior Infants are having great fun, learning lots and improving their oral language skills all at the same time! Aistear is an innovative programme which is aiding the boys' development of oral language through play and is currently running in the Junior Infant classes. Aistear is an Irish word, which means "journey". And what a journey these lucky boys are on! We've got some amazing photos from Aistear in the two Junior Infants classes - visit our NEW Aistear page here!

Fun on the Drums - Concerts in the Hall:
Cathy, Mo and Catherine from Rhythm and Shakes have been lighting up the musical lives of loads of classes! The boys in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Classes have been learning new rhythms and over a number of weeks, some very special performances have been staged for all the families! Thanks to everyone who came to see the boys perform in the school hall, which has been packed to the rafters with admirers of these fantastic boys. They all wowed the audience with amazing drumming skills! Check out the drumming page on the main menu for some photos AND links to videos and mp3s of the performances from all the classes that took part! We hope you enjoy our drumming - we most certainly did!!!

Credit to the St. Stephen's Quiz Teams:
St. Stephen's recently took part in the Credit Union Quiz Night! Mrs. Musgrave accompanied boys from 4th, 5th and 6th classes to the quiz on Monday, February 3rd as they performed admirably. The questions covered a wide range of topics and the boys did very well in answering them, amassing an impressive points tally! One of the teams finished 3rd and each boy on that team won a plaque. Click here to see some photos of the teams!

Maths for Fun in Mr. Coghlan's Class::
It was a 1st Class morning of fun every Wednesday! Maths for Fun returned for 2014 with a bang and Mr. Coghlan's Class were the lucky boys who had an opportunity to play LOTS of cool and fun maths games! The boys had lots of fun working with tangrams, bingo, snakes and ladders and loads of other activities! Mrs. Mulvaney, Mrs. Crowley and a number of parents organised the maths activities and everyone involved had an amazing time and hopefully gained a great love for Maths! We send our sincerest gratitude and thanks to all the parents who help out with Maths For Fun - and there's a selection of photos from 1st Class to view on the Maths for Fun page - click here!

Little Red Kettle visit St. Stephen's De La Salle:
St. Stephen's welcomed Little Red Kettle to the school on Thursday, January 16th for their 2014 play. Click here to see photos from the play!

"Check" out St. Stephen's Chess Club:
Billy and the chess club are back in action for 2014! Have a look at the Chess Club's special page - including a video of the Chess Club in action! Click HERE!

Christmas 2013 in St. Stephen's:
WOW! The 2 Junior Infants Classes staged their Christmas show on Tuesday, December 17th in the school hall. They all took part in a play called "The Sleepy Shepherd". It was amazing! The hall was packed to the rafters as families made their way in to see these fantastic boys put on a spectacular show - and now we have a Santa's sleigh full of photos from the show!

Senior Infants were in action too! The 2 classes presented "A Christmas Story" in the hall on Wednesday, December 18th. The show was thoroughly enjoyed by all the families in attendance - and again the hall was packed out to see these great boys put on a thrilling show!

Ms Flavin's 1st Class wowed their audience on Tuesday, December 18th with a magical play for Christmas! It was a real joy to watch - and everyone enjoyed it... especially the spaceship!!!

Mr. Russell's 4th Class put on the most awesome 4th Class Christmas Concert EVER! They sang a HUGE set of songs - and made the songs even more enjoyable by adding in percussion instruments! There were triangles, wood blocks, sleigh bells, tambourines - and some serious dance moves being shown too!

Click here to visit the special "Nollaig 2013" page featuring the Christmas events happening in St. Stephen's for the festive season!

Christmas Carol Singing:
Mr. Russell's 4th Class decided to give something back to the community for Christmas 2013. On Friday, December 13th, after school had finished, the boys made their way to Mowlam Nursing Home in Ballinakill and very generously gave of their time and efforts to spend over an hour singing traditional Christmas carols and some more upbeat festive songs for the residents. The boys included many musical instruments in their songs, such as triangles, bells, claves and tambourines to add to the performances. It was a special occasion and was greatly enjoyed by everyone present and the boys were a credit to the school and to their families. Huge thanks and gratitude go all the parents and family members who brought the boys to and from the venue on a very busy Friday afternoon - your support is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Annual Christmas Carol Service:
Every December, St. Stephen's holds its annual Christmas Carol Service in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand St. It is always a very special occasion for all of us, as all classes make their way to the church to sing beautiful Christmas songs in honour of the birth of Our Lord. It is always a highlight in the school calendar and an uplifting experience in the height of the festive season. This year's carol service takes place on Thursday, December 19th, at 11:30am. We invite you to come and experience this truly magnificent carol service, which is now a Christmas tradition for both the Cathedral and our school.

Superior General Br. Alvaro visits St. Stephen's De La Salle:
Our school was honoured to receive a visit on Thursday, November 14th from Br. Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria, Superior General of the De La Salle Order. We here at St. Stephen's are very proud of our Lasallian ethos and we were delighted to welcome Br. Alvaro back to our school, which he visited previously, in November 2004, when Br. Martin was our principal. Br. Alvaro spoke to all the boys and all the staff from our school about the importance of the Lasallian ethos that is alive and well in 82 countries worldwide today. Br. Alvaro was accompanied by Br. Jacques, Br. Finbarr and Br. Damien, a former principal of our school. We have made available a video of Br. Alvaro's words for the pupils, and also an audio clip of his address to the boys - click here to visit our dedicated page highlighting Br. Alvaro's special visits to St. Stephen's De La Salle.

All aboard! Junior Infants went on the Winterval Train!:
Choo won't believe this! The 2 Junior Infants classes had an amazing day on Friday, December 6th! All the boys went down town and took a ride on the Winterval train!!! Everyone had a great time - including Mrs. Musgrave who went along for the fun trip! Click here to see the photos!

Maths for Fun 2013:
Mr. Russell's 4th Class enjoyed Maths - for fun through November and December 2013! Mrs. Mulvaney and a number of parents ran the maths activities and everyone in the class had an opportunity to play LOTS of cool and fun maths games! The boys worked with tangrams, bingo, snakes and ladders and loads of other activities! Everyone involved had a wonderful time and gained a great love for Maths! We send our sincerest gratitude and thanks to all the parents who helped out with Maths For Fun - and there's a HUGE selection of photos from day one of the Maths for Fun in 4th Class to view on the Maths for Fun page - you can see them by clicking here!

4th Class visit WIT as part of Science Week 2013:
Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes celebrated Science Week 2013 in style! We went to W.I.T. to see "It Takes Guts", an interactive show from the London Museum of Science all about how the human digestive system works. What a great time we had! We learned about the journey that food makes as soon as it goes into your mouth - and then down the oesophagus... and all the way until the waste material comes out the other end! It was so interesting - and more than a little disgusting too! We took a small number of photos which you can see by visiting Mr. Russell's 4th Class' page - and watch out for a video of our trip soon!

Mrs. Breen's Junior Infant Class have exciting news!:
Mrs. Breen's Junior Infant Class now has their own class page!!! You'll be able to see photos of all the fun things, great work and amazing art happening in our room! Click the Class Pages button on the menu to the left to start exploring!

Halloween 2013 at St. Stephen's:
It was a really scary day in our school, as vampires, Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Iron Man, turtles, pirates, devils, skeletons, werewolves, monsters and all sorts of terrifying things appeared in all the classes! Thankfully, they were only costumes from our very imaginative minds! Click here to see photos from Halloween 2013 in St. Stephen's!

Maths Week 2013:
We recently celebrated Maths Week 2013 in St. Stephen's! We had maths trails, maths bingo, maths eyes and a maths quiz taking place... And you can check out all the amazing maths games, activities and more by visiting the special Maths Week page with lots of photos of the activities - which you can find on the main menu on the left!

De La Salle GAA: County Minor Hurling Champions 2013:
De La Salle GAA Hurling and Football Club recently won the County Minor Hurling Final to become County Minor Hurling Champions 2013! The team visited the school on Tuesday, October 15th with the trophy to speak about the magnificent accomplishment and to offer some words of inspiration to the budding young hurlers in our school! You can see photos of their visit by clicking here.

Waterford's Mayor visits St. Stephen's De La Salle:
The Mayor of Waterford, John Cummins, visited St. Stephen's on Monday, October 14th, to present certificates to the boys who had full attendance in school for the year 2012/2013. It was a special occasion to have the mayor return to where he himself went to school and to mark the occasion, he gave the whole school no homework!!! That was announced to huge cheers!  You can see photos of the Mayor's visit to our school by clicking here.

Visit of Waterford's All Ireland Minor Hurling Champions 2013:
St. Stephen's received a visit on Friday, September 27th from Waterford's All Ireland Minor Hurling Champions 2013! Some of the squad came to visit our school and had some words of inspiration about hurling and Gaelic Football for our pupils. Click here to see some photos of the visit!

St. Stephen's wins its' first EVER Green Flag!
We are all so proud! On June 14th, 2013, St. Stephen's De La Salle was awarded our first EVER Green Flag! The hard work put in by Mrs. Breen and all the boys on the Green Schools Committee was finally rewarded as An Taisce recognised our school's efforts to reduce waste and recycle more. It was such a fantastic occasion, as Mr. Morris had some words for the crowds gathered. Br. Tim, the chairperson of the school's Board of Management, also spoke eloquently about the spirit within our school, Mrs. Breen thanked everyone for their efforts, and the Mayor of Waterford congratulated our school before he assisted 2 boys from the Green Schools Committee to raise the flag, which went up to a huge cheer from the boys! Check out some photos from this special day for our school - click HERE!