De La Salle says welcome back

De La Salle says welcome back

21 April 2021

DE LA SALLE High School in Downpatrick recently welcomed all of its students back to the classrooms.

The school opened its doors with great excitement and anticipation as pupils and teachers met for the first time in four months.

Despite ongoing Covid-19 restrictions still in place, students were laughing and smiling at seeing their fellow classmates again whilst finally being able to speak to their teachers in a non-virtual environment.

Year 8 student Conor said he was “delighted to get back to school” as he missed his friends and ‘the teaching and non-teaching staff’ who had been so kind to him during lockdown.

Mr Kevin Murray, Head of Pastoral Care, said: “It feels like a huge celebration of homecoming. Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams and Zoom can never take the place of face-to-face teaching or pastoral care.”

Each form tutor took their pupils through a re-induction booklet designed by Barnardo’s, to help the pupils reconnect with school, rebuild their relationships and address any fears or anxieties they may have. 

Pupils were also reminded of the various support networks in the school available to them, and how they can avail of the school mentoring system if they need longer term support to readjust or to deal with any learning or pastoral issues due to lockdown. 

“The school will be working to its capacity to re-acclimatise the pupils to the classroom and to promote a positive atmosphere of reconnection,” said Mr Murray. 

“I am very proud of the efforts of our teaching and non-teaching staff during lockdown to reach out to pupils and their families, providing them with support and optimism.”