Friday 24th October 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we reach the midterm break, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education. The first half of the term has been a busy and positive one, filled with learning, creativity, and community spirit across our school.
Our students have shown great commitment and enthusiasm, whether in the classroom, on the sports field, through the arts, or in their participation in school initiatives. I wish to acknowledge the dedication of our teaching and support staff who work tirelessly each day to create a caring, inclusive environment for all.
As we pause for midterm, I encourage everyone to take time to rest and recharge. The weeks ahead will bring further opportunities for growth, engagement, and celebration of student achievement as we move towards the latter part of 2025 and look forward to Christmas.
Thank you again for your ongoing support, involvement, and trust. It is through our shared commitment that we continue to nurture the best in each student.
Below you will find the usual mix of various notices and pieces of information that will tell you all about what’s going on in our school.
Wishing you and your families a safe, restful, and enjoyable midterm break.
Sarah Green
Principal
Stand Up Awareness Week
From Nov 3rd-7th, we celebrate Stand Up Awareness Week in St Seton’s. The purpose of this week is to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues, to challenge bullying and to show support for LGBTQ+ students and staff in a safe and inclusive environment.
There will be a number of events to mark this week including
-Flag raising ceremonies
-Presentations on bullying and how to combat it
-Drop in counselling sessions for students who may have questions on LGBTQ+ issues
-Rainbow Cake sale
-Rainbow colours Day whereby students get to wear a colour of the rainbow to show that they show support for LGBTQ+ community in our school and will stand up to any bullying. A photo will be taken on both campuses. The colours that the classes are asked to wear can be seen here. This is not a non-uniform day. Students who are not participating are to wear their school uniform.
Ice Skating
There will be a trip to Ice Skating in Dun Laoghaire for all 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th years on 10th December. There are 300 places booked and these will be allocated on a first come, first booked basis on Compass. Any parent/guardian who is struggling to book on Compass is requested to call into the school office for assistance. The trip costs €20Euro. There will be classes as normal for 3rd and 6th years. Below is the poster with information for students, parents and guardians. There will not be classes for any 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th years that do not go ice-skating.
Parent-Teacher Meeting – 6th November – 1st & 2nd Year Parents
Our first parent teacher meeting of the year takes place on Thursday, 6th November from 16:15 – 18:45 on the Junior Campus. This meeting is for all parents / guardians of 1st and 2nd Years and we encourage all parents and guardians to attend. The gates into the yard on the JC from Le Fanu Road will be open to parents / guardians for parking. Please do not park on Le Fanu Road as it disrupts traffic at the busiest hours and causes difficulties for the residents on the road. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation. We will have lots of help from our Staff and Student Leaders on the evening to assist any parent / guardian who finds it hard to see all the teachers for their child so please make an effort to attend this valuable opportunity to support your child’s education.
Admissions of Incoming 1st Year 2026/27
The annual admissions meeting for incoming 1st Years was held yesterday following the closing date for applications on 22nd October. In total 150 offers of places have been made and there are 48 students on a waiting list. Communication of offers of places and waiting list places are being posted today. Acceptance of Offer Forms must be returned by 18th November. It is anticipated that the waiting list will clear quickly as students in the area accept their offer of a place. Most students have made multiple applications. Please reassure any prospective parents / guardians that you meet about this.
Consultation: Students’ Use of Toilets in School
I am in the process of developing a policy around Students’ Use of Toilets in school. The need for this policy has arisen from concerns that the Students’ current use of the toilets is leading to significant disruption to teaching and learning and the erosion of class time.
As part of developing the new policy on Students’ Use of Toilets in School, I am asking all parents / guardians to complete the survey below. Please also encourage your child to complete the student survey so we can hear the voice of the students and understand their perspective too. These two surveys will remain open for one more week to encourage more responses and perspectives to be shared. Both surveys will close on Wednesday, 29th October. A draft of the new policy will be circulated to parents / guardians in my Friday email on 7th November.
The goal is to gather parent/guardian and student views on how the school can ensure toilet facilities are:
– Safe and respectful spaces
– Accessible when genuinely needed
– Managed fairly to support wellbeing, learning, and positive behaviour
Click Here To Complete the Parent / Guardian Survey
Click Here to Complete the Student Survey
TY – Permission to Leave the Premises for Lunch
This year’s Transition Year group has got off to a fantastic start. They are very responsible, well behaved and engaging really well with the TY programme. As a reward for their effort, they are being granted the privilege of being allowed off the school grounds for lunch for a trial period of four weeks, beginning on 3rd November. There will be a TY Assembly on 3rd November where the School’s lunchtime expectations will be explained to the students (excellent behaviour; punctual return etc). If there is failure to meet these expectations, the new lunchtime privileges will be removed. We will review the new arrangements after 4 weeks. Any student who does not wish to leave the premises will of course be welcome to remain and have lunch in the student canteen, as many senior students in 5th and 6th year do everyday.
All parents / guardians are also reminded that our hot lunch in school costs 50c a day and that includes the supply of a bottle of water. Please do not feel pressure to give your child a large sum of money for lunch.
Pumpkin Carving
Well done to all the students, staff and parents / guardians who participated in various pumpkin carving activities and Halloween crafts. Both campuses are proudly displaying some of these beautiful autumnal decorations. Thanks to our HSCL teachers who coordinated the parents / guardians pumpkin carving competition! Congratulations to all the wonderful and spooky entries! We had so many entries and it was a frightfully hard decision to make!!
The Winners are:
1st Prize – Willow Rose Downey in 1st Yr
2nd Prize – Leah Kenny in 2nd Yr
2rd Prize – Matilda Loughnan – 1st Yr
4th prize – Kirsty Brennan – 5th Yr
Look out for the photos on social media over the next couple of days
Celebrating School Community Success
La Sallian Gathering in Beneavin De La Salle
Thank you to Mr Murphy who brought a group of 5th Year students to a La Sallian Gathering in Beneavin De La Salle College this week. Students had the opportunity to take part in workshops on drumming, art and drama which they thoroughly enjoyed. I was very pleased to hear from multiple sources that they represented the school with distinction!
Halloween Costumes
What impressive costumes we have seen from our school community again this year! Well done and thanks to all the students and staff who have gone to great effort to engage in the fun of Halloween week in school. Check out the School’s instagram page for all of the photographic evidence!
Nostra Next Mentoring
Well done to the 5th year students who participated in the Nostra Next Mentoring up at Nostra Buildings in Park West. Thanks to Ms Keeler for coordinating this valuable corporate link for our students. We know the power of mentoring to impact positively on a young person’s life and there are great signs that this programme will be another incredibly valuable support for our senior students as they look beyond the time spent with us in St Seton’s.
Our Marathon Runners
Best wishes to Mr Blanch, Ms McMahon, Ms Conroy and Mr Keogan who are tackling the Dublin Marathon’s 26.2 miles on Sunday. I am sure there will be lots of friendly faces and support for our staff along the route.
Courses & Learning Opportunities for Parents / Guardians
“The Teen Brain Workshop” – Understand and supporting you pre teen and teenagers
18th November @ 5:30pm – in St.Seton’s, Junior Campus
This is a very worthwhile workshop. our HSCL Teachers find that this is one of the most beneficial workshops for families, even if you aren’t new to having a teenager! Please see the flyer attached for more information.
Healthy Minds Learning – Free Online ADHD Parents Course
Parents / Guardians with children with ADHD or suspected ADHD, might find this course beneficial. Just click on the link: https://healthymindslearning.ca/courses/rolling-with-adhd/
You will need to create an account to access the various lessons.
Friday Reflection
The Gift of Autumn
As autumn settles in around us, we’re reminded of the quiet wisdom this season offers. The changing colours, the falling leaves, and the gentle shift in the air all speak of growth, change, and renewal. Autumn encourages us to pause – to appreciate what has been achieved, to let go of what no longer serves us, and to prepare for new beginnings ahead.
As we reach the midterm break, may this season bring a sense of calm, gratitude, and balance to every home in our school community.
