- St. Stephen's De La Salle BNS

News Archive:
September 2014 - June 2015

** 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 2015:
Our school is now closed for the summer holidays. We will re-open for the new school year on Tuesday, September 1st, at 8:50am. We hope everyone enjoys the holidays!

Retirements of Mrs. Quinn and Mrs. Stafford:
It was with great regret and a sense of sadness that the end of the 2014/2015 school year saw the retirements of Mrs. Quinn and Mrs. Stafford. They have both given many years to our school and have been an intergral part of creating and maintaining the special atmosphere that we have here at St. Stephen's. Everyone associated with our school wishes both Mrs. Quinn and Mrs. Stafford well in their retirements, and we are all grateful to them for their kindness to everyone and their efforts for our school down the years.

2nd Class Trip to learn about Birds of Prey:
Miss Barry's and Mr. Coghlan's 2nd Classes had a right "owl" time!!! These very lucky boys went to visit the Mayfield Birds of Prey. Check out some photos from a pretty awesome day out by clicking here or see a slideshow here!

6th Class Graduation Mass 2015:
Mrs. Quinn's and Mr. Keevers' 6th Classes celebrated their Graduation Mass on Thursday evening, June 25th, with a moving ceremony in the school hall. We will all miss the boys in these 6th Classes when they leave our school next week and we wish them the very best for the future, and thank them for all their efforts during their time in St. Stephen's. Slán agus go n-éirí an t-ádh libh, a bhuachaillí. We have some photos of the presentation of certificates, which you can see here.

6th Classes visit Shielbaggan for a day of outdoor adventures!:
Mrs. Quinn's and Mr. Keevers' 6th Classes visited Shielbaggan in Co. Wexford on Wednesday, June 24th, for a day of outdoor adventure and fun. Click here to "sea" photos from a day of fun by the water!

Mrs. Cosgrave's and Mr. Casey's 5th Classes on a fun day out:
Mrs. Cosgrave's and Mr. Casey's boys enjoyed a fun day out on Thursday, June 25th. Click here to read more about it!

A day on Ardmore Open Farm with Miss Flavin's 1st Class:
Miss Flavin's 1st Class made their way to Ardmore on Tuesday, June 23rd, to visit Ardmore Open Farm. See what they got up to by clicking here!

Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Class in Tramore:
Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Class were in Tramore on Tuesday, June 23rd - and boy, did they have a super time! The boys in 3rd played in the new playground, as well as taking in some surfing on the beach! Click here for some photos!

Beach fun with Miss Lowe's and Miss Robinson's Senior Infants!:
Senior Infants had a great time at Woodstown beach recently! Click here to see some photos from their fun trip to the coast!

Fun on the Farm with Mrs. Breen's Class:
What a day for some fun on the farm! Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants travelled to Sallyfort Farm in beautiful Stradbally, Co. Waterford, on Monday, June 22nd - find out how they got on and see lots of photos! And see a slideshow of the fun by clicking here!!

Fun on the Farm with Miss Hickey's Class:
What a day for some fun on the farm! Miss Hickey's Junior Infants travelled to Sallyfort Farm in beautiful Stradbally, Co. Waterford, on Monday, June 22nd - find out how they got on and see lots of photos here! And see a slideshow of the fun here!!

Celebrating the award of the Green Flag for Energy:
We were awarded our second Green Flag, this time for energy, in May 2015. We had a special celebration in our school on Friday, June 19th - read more about our celebrations here!

Sustainable Energy Workshop at the City Library:
Mr. Russell's 4th Class were back at the city's Central Library on Thursday, June 18th, where they met Ella Ryan, the Environment Officer who works with our school in our efforts for Green Flags. The boys took part in the "Guzzler's Energy Challenge" game, all about sustainable energy! Read more about the workshop here and see a slideshow of the fun here!

4th Classes History Trip: June 17th, 2015:
What a thrilling trip this was for the two 4th Classes! On Wednesday, June 17th, Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes joined up and travelled to Wexford for a day of history! Click here to see how they got on!

Soccer Blitz to fundraise for Lasallian work in Ethiopia this summer:
Mrs. Kealy's and Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Classes joined Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes in Cleaboy on Tuesday, June 16th, for a fun football blitz to raise money for Br. Tom and the Lasallian projects in Ethiopia this summer, where a new school is to be built. It was a day of great fun in glorious sunshine. Once again, we are indebted to the De La Salle GAA Club for the use of the Club's grounds in Cleaboy. Click here to see some excellent photos from the 3rd and 4th Class Blitz!

Chess Club Outing 2015:
The 2015 Chess Club trip took place on Monday, June 15th, as the Chess Club boarded a bus after school and made their way up to the beautiful Comeragh Mountains. Find out how they got on - and see a ton of photos! - by clicking here!

St. Stephen's Football Team:
The football team at St. Stephen's were back in action in the Jack Kennedy Memorial Cup Semi Final. Read about how the team fared here.

Sacrament of Confirmation:
Well done to all the boys in Mrs. Quinn's and Mr. Keevers' 6th Classes who made their Confirmation on Saturday, May 30th, in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street. Special thanks to the boys in the choir, who sang beautifully at mass and helped to make it such a special occasion.

Cycling in the 4th Classes:
Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes had a WHEELIE good time!!! These lucky boys took part in a 6 week cycling and road safety course, as well as learning how to ride a bike! Donal came to our school to get us all more aware about cycling safety. The two classes 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. Click here to see some photos and videos from these two awesome classes!

St. Stephen's aims for the Green Flag for Energy:
As you may know, we here at St. Stephen's De La Salle were awarded with our first ever Green Flag in June 2013. Mrs. Breen and the boys on the Green Schools Committee have been working hard to try to secure a second flag. Well, we have some exciting news! Mr. Morris, Mrs. Breen and two boys from the Green Schools Committee travelled to Kilkenny recently - and our school was awarded OUR SECOND GREEN FLAG!! We are all so proud of Mrs. Breen and the boys on the Green Schools Committee for their efforts and of our school for now being able to say we have two Green Flags. See some photos from the ceremony here and a short video slideshow here! Don't forget to visit our main Green Schools page for all the latest Green Schools news - click here!

St. Stephen's Football Team:
The football team at St. Stephen's were in action recently in the Jack Kennedy Memorial Cup. Read about how the team fared here.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION IN 2nd CLASS:
A big WELL DONE to all the boys in Miss Barry's and Mr. Coghlan's 2nd Classes! The two classes made their First Holy Communion on Sunday, May 10th, in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Barronstrand Street. Special thanks to Mrs. Quinn and the boys in the choir, who sang beautifully at mass and helped to make it such a wonderful occasion. Everyone at St. Stephen's is really proud of all the boys in 2nd Class - and their teachers too!

TRIBES OF THE WORLD WALKING TOUR (MRS. COSGRAVE'S 5th CLASS):
Mrs. Cosgrave's 5th Class took a walking tour of Waterford! The boys met with Stephen from Fadó at Bishop's Palace - and they learned about the Irish flag and Thomas Francis Meagher's connection to the flag and went on to learn about the Australian and New Zealand flags, Greece, Mexico, South Africa, America and Italy. Check out the photos from Mrs. Cosgrave's 5th Class here and a video slideshow here!

TRIBES OF THE WORLD WALKING TOUR (5th and 6th CLASS):
Mr. Casey's 5th Class and Mrs. Quinn's 6th Class took a walking tour of Waterford! The lucky boys in these classes met with Stephen from Fadó at Bishop's Palace - and they started their tour at Reginald's Tower! They learned about the Irish flag and Thomas Francis Meagher's connection to the flag and went on to learn about the Australian and New Zealand flags, Greece, Mexico, South Africa, America and Italy. Check out the photos from Mr. Casey's 5th Class here and Mrs. Quinn's 6th Class here and a video slideshow from Mr. Casey's 5th Class here and Mrs. Quinn's 6th Class here!

ST. STEPHEN'S AT THE WATERFORD CITY PRIMARY SCHOOLS' SPORTS:
The annual Waterford City Primary Schools Sports took place on Tuesday, April 21st, at the Regional Sports Centre (RSC). 30 of our school's athletes competed at the event. See how our school fared - click here!

TRIBES OF THE WORLD WALKING TOUR (4th CLASS):
Mr. Russell's and Mr. Fahy's 4th Classes took a walking tour of Waterford! The lucky boys in these classes met with Stephen from Fadó at Bishop's Palace - and they started their tour at Reginald's Tower and learned about the Irish flag and Thomas Francis Meagher's connection to the flag and went on to learn about the Australian and New Zealand flags, Greece, Mexico, South Africa, America and Italy. Check out the photos from Mr. Russell's Class here, photos from Mr. Fahy's Class here, and video slide shows from the walking tours from Mr. Russell's Class here and Mr. Fahy's Class here!

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 he's using online content. We strongly encourage you to take some time to visit this invaluable resource - click here. Please also read our school's Acceptable Use Policy regarding internet and computer use.

ST. STEPHEN'S VISITED BY BR. GEORGE AND BR. ULTAN:
We were all delighted here in St. Stephen's to receive a visit from Br. George and Br. Ultan before Easter. The two Brothers bring photos and stories of their work on the missions each year in poor parts of the world. This past year, the Brothers were in Ethiopia where, this summer, Mr. Coghlan is going to work on the missions as a Lasallian volunteer. Br. George also brought a relic of Saint La Salle. It's always a pleasure to welcome the two Brothers to our school and we wish them well for their work on the missions in 2015.

JUNIOR INFANTS TO 3rd CLASS WERE VISITED BY AN AUTHOR!
Junior Infants to 3rd Class were visited by author Liam Farrell as our school celebrated World Book Day! All the boys had a great time as Liam told them stories! Check out a short video from the infant rooms here, see photos from around the classes here or see a slideshow of the photos here!

LÁ GAELACH 2015!:

Bhí ár Lá Gaelach againn sa scoil ar an Déardaoin agus an Aoine, 12ú agus 13ú lá de Márta! Bhí ceol, dráma, caint agus craic againn - agus ceolchoirm ar siúl 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! Tá cúpla pictiúirí le feiceáil ó gach rang ó Lá Gaelach 2015 i Scoil Stíofán Naofa De La Salle aníos! Bainfidh sibh sult as, táimid cinnte! **Féach ar an físeán ó Rang a hAon - rinne na buachaillí ó rang Miss Flavin damhsa le scuabanna - agus is físeán iontach é!! B'fhéidir go bhfuil sé an rud is iontach a bhí ar siúl le haghaidh Lá Gaelach riamh!!
We had our Lá Gaelach (Irish Day) in school on Thursday and Friday, March 12th and 13th! There was music, drama, chat and fun - and a concert on Thursday and Friday!! The boys from the classes were singing songs, playing, speaking in Irish, and enjoying enjoying all the things that were going on! There's some pictures to see from each class from Lá Gaelach 2015 in St. Stephen's De La Salle. We're sure you'll enjoy them! **Be sure to look a the video from 1st Class - the boys from Miss Flavin's Class were dancing with brushes - and it's an excellent video! It might be the best thing that's ever been on for Lá Gaelach!!

Cliceáil anseo! Click here!

SCHOOLS BASKETBALL COMPETITIONS:
5th Class and 6th A and B teams from St. Stephen's  competed in the 2015 Waterford Primary Schools Basketball Blitz recently. Click here to visit the basketball page and see the latest happenings!

WORLD BOOK DAY 2015 IN ST. STEPHEN'S:
We celebrated World Book Day 2015 on Friday, March 6th! St. Stephen's was buzzing with a load of different activities taking place to promote reading and the enjoyment of books! Visit our special World Book Day page to see what events took place in our school!  Click here!

FIRST CONFESSION IN 2nd CLASS:
The boys in Miss Barry's and Mr. Coghlan's 2nd Classes are almost ready to make their First Holy Communion. A very important step on the road to that special day is the Sacrament of Penance. The boys in 2nd Class had their First Confession on Wednesday, March 4th, in the Cathedral. All the boys were really great and they will now start preparing for their big day in early May!

CLAN CLUANA VISIT ST. STEPHEN'S:
Clan Cluana visited our school on Friday, February 27th to perform the Irish legend of Oisín in Tír na nÓg. It was a brilliant presentation, with some fantastic acting and plenty of fun thrown in too! 3rd to 6th Classes gathered in the hall to enjoy the story and everyone enjoyed it greatly! Check out the photos of Clan Cluana's "Oisín in Tír na nÓg" here!

ST. STEPHEN'S - INDOOR HURLING CHAMPIONS:
The St. Stephen's Indoor Hurling team were victorious in the Roinn A Group 2 Indoor Hurling Competition which took place in the Cill Barra Sports Centre recently. Read more about how the team emerged as group winners by clicking here!

COOL HAPPENINGS IN 4th CLASS:

Mr. Russell's class have been working hard for the past few weeks - they've been writing a comic... in Irish!! The boys wrote a comic based on the Irish theme, "Siopadóireacht", which means shopping. Check out the comic here! And on Tuesday, January 27th, the boys in 4th were treated to a live work up with a nurse shark from Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas! The class learned about some of the characteristics of the nurse shark, learned about tagging - and saw a LIVE nurse shark on the screen! Visit the class' gallery of this fin-tastic Skype here!!

MATHS FOR FUN! IN ST. STEPHEN'S:
Our Maths for Fun! information page has undergone a makeover! Check out news and photos from Mrs. Mulvaney and the Maths for Fun! scheme by clicking here!

MRS BREEN'S JUNIOR INFANTS:
Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants have been SO busy again! They've been having great fun while learning with their newest theme in Aistear, "The Little Red Hen"! They've also made some pretty awesome artwork based on Monty the Penguin and The Gruffalo. Head on over to Mrs. Breen's class' area and see some photos of these brilliant boys and their work!!

MORE DRUMMING FUN WITH RHYTHM AND SHAKES!:
The boys in Mr. Keevers' and Mrs. Quinn's 6th classes presented their final drumming concert in our school on Wednesday, February 11th, in the school hall, which was packed to the rafters with so many parents and family members coming in to support the boys - and they were joined by Miss Flavin's brilliant boys from 1st Class, for their FIRST EVER drumming concert! It was one of the best drumming performances this year - and now you can hear the performances from these classes by clicking here! Click here to see the photos from the concert too!

ST. STEPHEN'S AT THE CREDIT UNION QUIZ NIGHT:

Pupils from St. Stephen's are regular entrants in local quiz event, especially the Credit Union Quiz. Each year, Mrs. Musgrave looks after the teams from our school that take part in this challenging but fun quiz night. This year, we have had great success! Our under 11 and under 13 teams were involved and performed very, very well. Read more about how the teams fared - and see photos of the 2015 quiz teams by clicking here!

LITTLE RED KETTLE VISIT ST. STEPHEN'S DE LA SALLE!:

It's become an annual tradition - and one we all look forward to! Every January, Little Red Kettle visit us here at St. Stephen's to present their newest play. It's always great fun as the characters are played by boys from all the different classes! The 2015 visit took place on Thursday, January 15th. See a whole load of photos here! Or you can view a video slide show of the photos here!

NEWSLETTER FROM MR. MORRIS:

All the latest news from our school has been sent home in a newsletter! If you missed it, you can read it here!

NEWS FROM OUR HOME SCHOOL TEACHER, MRS. MULVANEY:
All the latest news from our HSCL went home recently in a newsletter! There are some exciting events and classes for adults coming up, and there's more news in there too. If you missed it, you can read it here!

Lights! Camera! Action! Senior Infants are super stars!:
Miss Lowe's and Miss Kenny's Senior Infants staged an Oscar-worthy performance of "The Nativity" on Tuesday, December 16th! It was a wonderful show, enjoyed by everyone who packed into the school hall to support these wonderful classes. Now you can see the play! Click here to visit the Senior Infants' video page, where you can stream the video online!

Festive Drumming fun with Rhythm and Shakes!:
More fabulous music was made in the hall in December as the lucky boys in Mrs. Kealy's 3rd Class, Mr. Coghlan's 2nd Class, Miss Butler's 1st Class, Mrs. Cosgrave's 5th Class, Mr. Casey's 5th Class and Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Class presented their big drumming concerts in the hall, which was packed full of so many parents and family members coming in to support the boys - and of course, to enjoy some fantastic drumming too! Visit the audio galleries where you can check out mp3 recordings of the magnificent drumming performances from these boys! Click here!

Mr. Russell's 4th Class celebrate Christmas!:
Mr. Russell's 4th Class really got into the festive spirit for Christmas 2014! The boys visited the Giving Tree in George's Court Shopping Centre - check out the photos from their visit here - made lots of artwork which you can see here, wrote a huge poem, which you can read here, and had a wonderful Christmas party - a video of which you can see here!

Lights! Camera! Action! Junior Infants in the spotlight!:
Mrs. Breen's and Miss Hickey's Junior Infants classes spent so many weeks preparing for a very special concert for Christmas. And you can be sure that they didn't disappoint! The boys in these classes staged their Christmas play, "It's A Cracker!", on Thursday, December 18th, to a school hall bulging with so many proud parents, families and friends! It was a truly mesmerising performance from these very talented classes! Check out our photo gallery of the festive fun by clicking here!

Miss Flavin's 1st Class enjoy their Golden Ticket day out at Winterval!:
The boys in Miss Flavin's 1st Class are SO lucky!! These boys were the lucky winners of the Golden Ticket to Winterval! They got to spend a whole day enjoying the many different events happening around the city, met Santa, had a Garda escort, visited the toy museum and so much more! Click here to see photos from this thrilling day out for 1st Class!

Christmas 2014 at St. Stephen's!:
There's so-ho!-ho! much happening all around St. Stephen's for Christmas this year! The school has been a hive of activity with so many different things happening across the classes!

Miss Lowe's and Miss Kenny's Senior Infants classes wowed the crowds in the hall on Tuesday, December 16th, with their presentation of "The Nativity". We hope to have some video on the site soon! And 1st Class have been very, very busy too! The boys in Miss Flavin's 1st Class staged their own Christmas play on Tuesday, December 16th - and then spent the day at Winterval on Wednesday, December 17th! Why not pop over to the special Christmas section of our website and see some photos of the events happening in our school for Christmas 2014! Click here!

Junior Infants and 6th Class visit the Giving Tree in George's Court:
Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants joined Mrs. Quinn's 6th Class on Wednesday, December 10th, to visit the Giving Tree in George's Court Shopping Centre. Each year, for every decoration that is placed on the tree, a toy company donates one toy or game to a local charity. The boys were delighted to make some decorations to put on the tree and do something small to help others at Christmas. Check out the photos in our Christmas section or click here!

4th Class tour the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre:
Mr. Fahy's and Mr. Russell's 4th Classes made the short walk to The Mall on Wednesday, December 10th, to take a guided tour of the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre. The boys were able to see the mould room, the blowing department, the cutting department, quality control and some sculpting and engraving. The pieces on show were amazing and all the boys really enjoyed the visit. Mr. Russell's Class took some photos on their way around the factory - you can view their photos here or see a slideshow of the class' visit by clicking here!

Infants on the Winterval Train:
The infant classes were on the right track on Friday, December 5th! These lucky, lucky boys went down town to take in some of the Winterval atmosphere.... and then took a ride on the Winterval train!! The boys all had a really super time and got to see so many sights as the train took them around our wonderful city! Check out the photos from the infant classes' visit to the Winterval Train by clicking here.

Marvel's Spiderman on display at Greyfriars Art Gallery:
Mr. Russell's Class visited the Waterford Municipal Art Gallery at Greyfriars on December 4th to see an exhibit featuring Marvel's Spiderman! An Irish artist is behind the artwork for the new Spiderman 2099 series. How cool is that! They also had a short tour around the  gallery itself and they even got to see a display featuring photographs taken by Annie Brophy. Annie is remembered as a gifted photographer who photographed the city's everyday life and it is interesting to see the city from such a long time ago! Check out the photos from their visit here or watch their video slide show featuring their pictures here!

Mrs Breen's Junior Infants:
Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants have been learning lots of different things - and having a whole lot of fun while learning too! They've had a ball learning about the doctor's surgery in Aistear, the importance of eating healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, and they've even found time to make some cool Winter Art! Visit Mrs. Breen's Class' page to see lots of photos from these brilliant boys in junior infants!

Green Schools Updates:
Lots of new information has now been added to our Green Schools page here on the school's website! Click here to visit the Green Schools page and read all about our efforts to win a second Green Flag for our school - as well as reading our records of waste and energy usage in our school!

Halloween 2014 at St. Stephen's De La Salle:
It was a really scary time 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 the spooky (and fun!) happenings from many classes in our school for Halloween 2014!

The Mayor visits St. Stephen's De La Salle:
Waterford's Mayor, Lola O'Sullivan, paid a visit to our school on Monday, October 20th. All the classes gathered in the yard to welcome the Mayor at just past midday to hear the Mayor speak and present 57 boys with certificates for full school attendance in 2013/2014. Well done to these boys on a fantastic achievement! Check out some photos of the Mayor's visit to St. Stephen's De La Salle by clicking here!

Mrs Breen's Junior Infants:
Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants have been very (very!!) busy since they started school in September. But now, their class' page here on the school website has exploded as they show off the wonderful work they have been doing! Why not head over to Mrs. Breen's section (under 'Class Pages') and read all about the amazing things that have been happening in that very lucky class!

Maths Week in St. Stephen's!:
WOW! There were so many fun events happening at St. Stephen's as we celebrated Maths Week Ireland 2014! Miss Flavin's Class went on a Maths Trail and played lots of Maths games, Mr. Russell's Class had a Maths quiz and went on a Maths Trail on Ballybricken, Mrs. Breen's Junior Infants played lots of Maths games, made patterns, measured different things, made sets and generally had a ball with their Maths; Mr. Coghlan's Class went on a Maths Trail around the grounds, and Mr. Fitzgerald's Class took on Mr. Russell's Class in a Mystery Number Skype Challenge! Visit the special Maths Week page to read details and see photos of the various fun maths activities that were happening in so many of the classes!

Drumming fun with Rhythm and Shakes!:
There's been great fun being had and fabulous music being made in the 4th and 2nd Classes! The lucky boys in these classes presented their big drumming concert on Tuesday, October 14th, in the school hall, which was packed to the rafters with so many parents and family members coming in to support the boys - and of course, to enjoy some fantastic drumming too! Visit the drumming page for photos of the boys during their preparations - and check out our video galleries where you can find video of the brilliant drumming in all 3 classes!

3rd and 4th Class visit the City Library!:
History is always so interesting... so when you add in some interactive fun, along with Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Class and Mr. Russell's 4th Class, you get a wonderful afternoon at the Waterford City Central Library! The two classes visited the library as part of the annual Children's Book Festival, on Monday, October 13th! Check out the photo gallery featuring the boys from Mr. Fitzgerald's 3rd Class and Mr. Russell's 4th Class on their trip to Central Library for the Children's Book Festival 2014 by clicking here!

Nature Trail in the People's Park!:
What an amazing day out in the park! Miss Lowe's and Miss Robinson's Senior Infants joined with Mr. Russell's 4th Class, Mr. Fahy's 4th Class and Mr. Casey's 5th Class to go on a Nature Trail in the People's Park on Friday, September 26th! Read all about it and see LOADS of photos by clicking here!