Dear Parents,

Today you will be receiving 3rd quarter report cards and discipleship rubrics. You will be receiving an email around noon with directions for accessing the report cards through your FACTS family portal. Please note that there is not a place to sign off that you have read the report card. FACTS is still working on this feature and we hope to have it available in the future.  

Our students and teachers have worked very hard this third quarter and there is much to celebrate! Please keep in mind that both parents and teachers are encouraged to initiate communication any time during the year if there is a student concern or a question. We believe that it is better to address a student concern or clarify a situation in a timely manner rather than wait for a scheduled conference time. You may contact teachers via email or leave a phone message in the school office at 718-5825. Faculty emails can be found using the quick link in the Wolfhound Wednesday or on our website at http://www.stbrigidofkildare.com/our-faculty/ 

As the weather improves and we are able to have more outdoor recess, we are in need of volunteers to assist during recess both on our kindergarten playground and our 1st - 8th playground. Please use the Quick Links on the right side of the newsletter to sign up to volunteer. This is a great way to meet our children and to help our staff keep our recess safe and fun!

Our 8th grade students left today for a school field trip and pilgrimage to Washington DC. They are visiting many of our national museums and monuments. Fr. Lynch is traveling with our students on the bus and will be leading different prayer opportunities and will also be saying a private Mass for our school group at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Our students raised some funds for this trip by planning and organizing bake sales. The class voted that a percentage of the funds raised would be donated to the Honor Flight Program for veterans. The students have also written thank you notes to distribute to veterans that they may see when visiting the monuments. Please keep our students and chaperones in your prayers for a safe, educational and spiritual trip to our nation’s capital and national Basilica.

Please see below information about many scholarships that are available for the 2023-24 school year. The deadline to apply is    

Spring blessings,

Kathy O'Reilly  

Photo Newsletters: K, 1st & 2nd Grades

Click the photo albums below to see what the classes have been up to.

Oak Society Scholarships Open

The Oak Society is possible thanks to the generosity of our parishioners. It is committed to helping families in our parish continue a Catholic education through parish-supported grants, scholarships, and tuition assistance. The Oak Society will provide scholarships to students with criteria set by the donor or organization.

Today we are opening the application process for our Spring 2023 scholarships.

• The deadline to apply for these scholarships is Monday, April 24, 2023.
• Winners will be announced by June 2, 2023.
• All school families with children in grades K-8 for the 2023-24 school year are eligible to apply (there is also one SBAA scholarship for current 8th graders to help fund their first year of high school), regardless of if you received an Oak Society grant or applied for tuition assistance. However each scholarship has criteria and qualifications, please be sure to review each scholarship's guidelines to ensure your student/family meets the qualifications before you apply.

2023-2024 scholarship opportunities are:

• Karen and William Nomina Faith and Service Scholarship
• The Brendan Foley Spirit Scholarships
• The Home & School Association Scholarship
• The Joyce O'Reilly Family Scholarship
• The SPiCE Scholarship Program
• The Elizabeth Jane Zetzer Memorial Scholarship
• The Babs Pulsfort Memorial Gift of Giving Scholarship
• St. Brigid Athletic Association (SBAA) Scholarship
• The Henry and Flora Bucci Scholarship 
• The Holthus Family Scholarship 

To read the criteria, award amounts and to apply for any of these scholarships, click the link below.

If you are interested in donating or creating a scholarship, please contact Sarah Moore at smoore@stbrigidofkildare.org or (614) 761-3734.

5th Grade Service Learning Project:

Bottle Caps to Benches

The 5th graders at St. Brigid of Kildare School are excited to tell you about our service learning project called Bottle Caps to Benches. We are working with a recycling center, Plastics-R-Unique, that will take plastic lids and caps and turn them into useful items, such as picnic tables and park benches. 

After studying the seven Catholic Social Teachings in class, our 5th grade took a huge interest in finding ways we can better care for God’s creation. Our research led us to the discovery of the harmful effects of discarded plastic caps and lids upon our water, soil, and wildlife. So we decided to team up with a recycling center and launch our own campaign to make a positive difference in our school and local community. We met as a class to devise a plan to put our ideas into action. The result was the development of four committees: marketing, collection, sorting, and weighing. These committees meet regularly to discuss next step procedures. 

Our first goal is to collect 100 pounds of plastic lids by the end of the school year to turn into a park bench for our school. We made and distributed posters, spoke on morning announcements, and met with each classroom to announce our project. We also made drop off bins and placed them in prominent areas in our school.  

Our next goal will be to go out into the community to research other areas where park benches may be useful such as senior centers, parks, and businesses so that we can make meaningful donations to our local community for others to enjoy.

We are so excited to take on this project, but we need your help. We ask that you consider the following:

Please help us collect discarded plastic caps and lids only from empty containers such as water bottles, medicine bottles, margarine lids, or detergent lids. The complete list is included below. 

Send or drop off these caps to St. Brigid of Kildare School in any of the designated drop off locations.

Encourage friends and family to do the same.

We are grateful for your help. We can’t begin to tell you how much we are looking forward to continuing this project that allows us to give back to our community in such an exciting and meaningful way while helping our environment. Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely,

The Fifth Grade Class of St. Brigid of Kildare School

School Advisory Committee (SAC) Applications: Deadline Today

Take an active part in making our already amazing school even better. Apply for a position (3-year term) on St. Brigid's School Advisory Committee (SAC). The purpose of the School Advisory Committee is to provide the pastor of Saint Brigid of Kildare Parish and the principal of Saint Brigid of Kildare School with advice and to make recommendations regarding issues affecting the school.

The mission of the School Advisory Committee is to promote and support a distinctive religious learning environment that provides for the propagation of the Catholic faith and values, fosters academic excellence, and develops fully the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional capabilities unique to each student. SAC meets once a month during the school months on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. Prior to applying, please consider if you can commit to this time commitment for a three-year period.

The deadline for applications is April 19, 2023 and they can be submitted via the link below.

Please contact Stacy Austin (stacyandrob2001@yahoo.com) with any questions.

Congrats Gymnast Lauren Malerich

Congratulations to 8th grader Lauren Malerich who recently competed in a regional gymnastics competition in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lauren was named the Ohio State Champion on balance beam last year and Ohio State Champion on vault this year. 

Congrats Lauren!

Summer Camps

Click the links below for more information on summer camp opportunities -- registrations are now open and opening soon for the following camps:

• St Charles Summer Camps (24 summer camp offerings for rising grades 1-9, including athletics and academics)
• Bishop Watterson Summer Camps (including options in art, sports, wood shop and theatre)
• SPiCE Social Groups Summer Camps (hosted by Bishop Hartley, grades 1-9)
• Summer Acting Opportunities
• BWHS Woodshop Camp (incoming 6th-9th grades)

Make It A Date - April 22

A Night Out to Focus on Your Marriage

Saturday, April 22, 2023

6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Hendrick’s Hall – St. Brigid of Kildare Parish

All married and engaged couples are invited to St. Brigid’s 27th Make It a Date!

We’ll reminisce about our favorite anniversary memories and what qualities we like best about our spouse.

Parishioners Craig and Gracie Dziewiatkowski will share their memories and serve as our guides for the evening. Craig and Gracie have been married for 17 years and have 4 children. Like always, we’ll have light appetizers and there will be a chance to catch up with old and new friends. At the conclusion of the event, couples leave on their own date at a venue of their choice to talk about the evening and how it relates to their own relationships.

Please RSVP to Christine Drab at cadrab@gmail.com or 614-256-9065 by April 20.

Sponsored by Family First and the St. Brigid School of Adult Faith Formation

Catholic Family Night with the Clippers - May 24

Watch the Clippers vs. the Indians on May 24th at 7:05 PM for the Catholic Family Night with the CLippers!

To purchase tickets and view more info click the flyer linkbelow.

Diocesan Recreation Association Sportsmanship Scholarship Fundraiser

Hosted by Plank's Cafe & Pizzeria

743 Parsons Ave. | 614-443-6251

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 5pm - 10pm

30% OF SALES (Excluding alcohol) are returned to the DRA for the sportsmanship scholarship fund.

No discounts will be honored.

Come out before or after the games and spend some time chatting with other parents, players and fans, as well as the DRA Team.

Requirements to Volunteer with our Children

If you are 18 years or older and interested in volunteering with youth activities at SBK, attending PROTECTING GOD’S CHILDREN is required before you can volunteer. Register under the Diocese of Columbus at www.virtus.org

The Diocesan Safe Environment Department will be offering Virtus Protecting God's Children (PGC) sessions:

4/29/2023 SS Simon and Jude (W. Jeff) 9:00am 

5/11/2023 St Brendan (Hilliard) 6:00pm

5/25/2023 Holy Spirit (Zoom Session) 6:00pm

All volunteers with our children and youth must complete PGC, a St. Brigid volunteer application, submit the signed code of conduct, copy of photo ID, and complete a criminal background check prior to volunteering.

Full details and forms can be found at https://stbrigidofkildare.org/safe-environment/ 

Alumni on Honor Roll - 3rd Quarte

Congratulations to our St. Brigid of Kildare School alumni at Bishop Watterson High School and St. Charles Prep who earned 3rd quarter honor roll.

Click below to view the list.

Alumna Commits to Play College Sport

Congratulations to St. Brigid of Kildare School alumna and senior at Bishop Watterson High School Callie Kasun who recently committed to play volleyball at Jacksonville University.

She was one of nine BWHS seniors who committed to play college sports on April 12, 2023.

To view the whole list, click here.

BWHS Color Guard Clinics

Bishop Watterson High School is hosting Color Guard clinics for incoming freshman and above.

Click the link below to view the flyer.

BWHS Jazz Night

The BWHS Band is hosting a Jazz Night Out at the Scioto Reserve Country Club on April 28 at 6 PM.

For more information and tickets, click the link below.

BWHS Youth Baseball Night

The Bishop Watterson baseball program is inviting students from the feeder schools to watch the baseball Eagles play on May 4th at 5:00 at Watterson. 

Click the link below to view the flyer.