Dear Parents,

Christmas break is fast approaching and it is time to reflect and appreciate that we have had a great month of Advent Joy. There have been many blessings, opportunities for service and gratitude, time to pray and to sing, and also time to just have fun. Each morning we prayed together as a school community the Advent wreath prayers asking God to help us prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for Christmas. Thank you to our students, families, Home and School Committees, teachers, and staff who have all shared their talents, faith in action, and generous spirit to help make this a joyous and prayerful Advent season. In particular, I would like to recognize our 8th grade Service Committee for working with our Home and School Outreach Committee to orchestrate a project to benefit A Kid Again. In addition to this outreach project, our Home and School is conducting a drive to collect gently used or new toys for St. Lawrence Haven and St. Stephen’s Community House. Your donations can be placed in the bins that are currently placed near our front door entrance.   

The gift of music has also been an important part of our Advent preparations. This week our 5th - 8th grade choir prepared a beautiful evening of Lessons and Carols. This outstanding musical performance last evening was filled with the joy of the bible passages and music of the season. Additionally, our kindergarten and 2nd grade classes will be singing and performing their versions of the Christmas story this coming Friday morning.   

In addition to our Advent preparations, our Home and School committee arranged for some unusual visitors to our school. Your children may have come home talking about meeting the Elf on the Shelf or perhaps The Grinch and his dog Max! Next week our students will be treated to a Christmas movie and they may wear school-appropriate PJs to school on Tuesday, December 19th.  

We will conclude our Advent preparations with an Advent Prayer Service on Wednesday, December 20th at 2:00 pm in the gym. Feel free to attend if your schedule allows.  

Advent Blessings,

Kathy O'Reilly

Photo Newsletters: 2nd Grade

Click the link below to view a photo album and learn what the students have been up to in class.

Christmas Spirit

Celeste Taylor (OSU #12) Visits St. Brigid

Graciously on her day off, Celeste Taylor, #12 starter for the Ohio State Women's Basketball Team, came to visit with the St. Brigid 4-8th graders during Specials class time last Wednesday. Celeste talked with all the students and gave them some amazing advice and information on how to succeed in whatever they are passionate about in life! Celeste then stayed and played basketball with all of the 8th graders for PE class; she even played 1 on 1 and 2 on 1 against some of the 8th grade boys and girls!

Celeste is a very talented player who has won many honors in her careering, including playing on USA's Women's U-23 3 on 3 team, named ACC Defensive Player of the Year (Duke) in 22-23, Honorable Mention All-American, All-ACC First Team, All-ACC Academic Team, Nominated as a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, three-time USA Basketball Gold Medalist, McDonald All-American as a senior in high school (2018-19), Gatorade New York Girls basketball player of the year (2018-19), and played on high school varsity basketball since she was in 7th grade. Celeste is enjoying her final year of playing college basketball at Ohio State, hoping to help OSU earn a National Championship. She plans to head to the WNBA next year. 

Counselor Newsletter - December

Click the link below to read the November newsletter from our Spirit of Peace Clinical Counselor, Maegan Flannery.

St. Brigid Soccer Survey

St. Brigid Athletic Association is considering starting a soccer program at St. Brigid. The Diocese has always had a soccer program, which currently runs the season from July until around Labor Day.  Every year a couple of St. Brigid students will join with another parish that has enough players to field a team, but traditionally St. Brigid didn't have enough interest to have a full dedicated set of teams/coaches.  

We would love our community to enjoy the sport together, so we are looking to find out how much interest there is for official teams from St. Brigid.   

Currently the diocese offers boys and girls soccer for 4th-8th grade, but they are looking to collect feedback from parishes on if there is interest in 1st - 3rd grade also.  They are also deciding if they keep the season as it is or extend the season to run a little longer with more games .  We have the ability to provide them feedback, so it's important that we get some information from you.  

Fee's will be estimated to be around $150-$180 per player, and they would most likely start practices towards the end of June or early July.  Season is compact, which in the past also allowed for players to play other sports like Cross Country, Volleyball, or Football - all at the same time. Some kids may even compliment their other soccer playing at a club or DSL rec program by getting in some extra games with friends at St. Brigid.  

Please let us know your child’s interest by completing our soccer interest survey form.

We would like to collect all interest by January 10th, 2024 to help with planning at the Parish and the Diocese level.

Gifts of Gratitude - Teacher & Staff Appreciation Gifts

Get ahead on your Christmas gift giving this year!

Make your life easier by checking one thing off your Christmas gift list! Donate to Gifts of Gratitude! Home & School has provided you with a convenient way to show your appreciation to the teachers and staff at St. Brigid during Christmas and at the end of the year. 

What is it?

Gifts of gratitude was established by the Home and School Association as a united effort to provide a generous monetary gift to every school and parish teacher and staff member at Christmas and the end of the year to thank them for all they do for our children.

Why participate?

This is a convenient way for families to make sure that each teacher, aide, and staff member who touches your child’s life is recognized for all they do at St. Brigid. Instead of several small gifts from each student, each teacher and staff member will receive a monetary gift that they choose how to use–whether they want to splurge on themselves or help with their own family’s expenses.

Will my family be recognized for participating?

Yes — the teachers and staff will receive a list of families who participate in this program. You may also let the teachers and staff know that you participated in the program by marking “G.O.G” inside your Christmas card.

How much do I give?

The suggested annual gift amount is $25 per child once a year, however any given amount is graciously accepted!

Can't remember if you already contributed?

No worries -- just contact Sarah Graf at [email protected] and she will let you know!

You can find the link for Gifts of Gratitude at the button below. Choose your donation amount and that's it. It's that easy! It's such a simple way to show appreciation to your child/children's teachers and the staff at St Brigid of Kildare.  

Prospective Families: Open House RSVP & New Family Application Now Open

Sunday, January 28 from 3-5 PM

This is the perfect time for interested friends, family or neighbors to explore our three-time Blue Ribbon School. Prospective families can tour our school and see first-hand how Saint Brigid of Kildare School provides a quality Catholic education in a warm environment. There will be representatives from Saint Brigid of Kildare School’s many programs available to answer questions.

Spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested in applying to Saint Brigid of Kildare School for the 2024-2025 school year!

Registration Reminders:

• Our new family application and the open house RSVP is now open. This is for any new children entering preschool or K-8 that are not currently enrolled at St. Brigid School. Anyone interested in applying for the next school year can learn more about the process here.
• Current family re-registration for K-8 and those returning to preschool will take place January 19-26, 2024.
• If you have a currently enrolled St. Brigid preschool student wishing to move on to Kindergarten, you will fill out a re-enrollment packet beginning January 19th. Completing this re-enrollment packet for Kindergarten will place you in the general queue for review/acceptance along with all other Kindergarten applicants. You will be notified via email of acceptance/wait list status on or before February 12, 2024.

Crucial Conversations: Nationally Recognized Speaker Jesse Weiberger Coming Jan 25: RSVP Now Open

Crucial Conversations is a parenting speaker series for St. Brigid of Kildare Parish and School parents of school-aged children, focusing on student wellness and safety.

Internet Safety for Parents with Jesse Weinberger

Thursday, January 25 | 6:30 PM

Nationally recognized internet safety speaker Jesse Weinberger will share guidance, data, and life-changing information on keeping children and families safer online, and the connection between social media and mental health.

Presentation highlights include:

• value vs risk of tech use
• parental complicity
• mental health impact
• cyberbullying, sexting, sexual predation
• popular apps explained
• extreme content & gaming
• how to monitor, supervise & consequence

This presentation applies to all parents. Whether your child is a toddler or a college student, technology is having an impact on their day-to-day life as well as their future outcomes.

As parents, we may not realize that our children are hypersexualized by digital content, how our own adult use of technology changes them, and the causal impact technology has on their mental health.

Jesse Weinberger is a former programmer, a nationally recognized speaker, TEDx presenter, and the host of Big Mama's House Podcast. Jesse is also the author of The Boogeyman Exists: And He's in Your Child's Back Pocket, 2nd ed. With over 15 years of speaking at school districts all over the United States, Jesse's particular skill is successfully reaching audiences with the perfect combination of humor and deep expertise in technology and digital content.

Learn more about Jesse at her website www.overnightgeekuniversity.com.

Giving Back Toy Drive - This Week!

Please join the SBK Gifts of Gratitude Committee in giving back this advent season. The “give back bag” is a Christmas tradition where children choose toys from their homes to donate to children in need. We invite our students to select a gently-used (or new) toy to donate to children in need within the Diocese. This collection is in partnership with the Parish’s Giving Tree and will benefit organizations such as St. Lawrence Haven and St. Stephen’s Community House. We will be accepting infant to school-aged toys from Monday, December 11^th through Monday, December 18^th. Donations may be placed in the bins under the trophy case in the cafeteria.  

Please contact Sarah Gable at [email protected] with any questions.  

Did you Know? There's a lost and found in the cafeteria!

It’s the time of year when students are wearing outerwear . . . and accidentally leaving it at school. Here’s how you can help keep those items where they should be—with your child!

1. Label all sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. with your child’s name (or even last name if it won’t fit!), not initials. There are customizable labels out there but Avery non-iron tags are an inexpensive and easy way to protect your investment! Labeled items are more likely to be returned to your family rather than heading to the lost and found.
2. If you’ve obtained an item from the Uniform Exchange and it already has a label, do your best to re-label so the item isn’t “returned” to the wrong family when lost.
3. Label water bottles, lunch boxes, etc. Many look the same!
4. Ask your child to search the lost and found during his/her lunchtime if missing an item.
5. Parents are welcome to pop in to check for items in the cafeteria anytime during the school day.
6. Items of value (cash, phones, etc.) will be taken to the office receptionist for safekeeping.

Items not claimed or labeled will be donated on Feb 23.

Save the Date—Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange to be held Feb 25, 2024 10 am-1 pm

To everyone who donates, volunteers, and uses the uniform and spirit wear exchange—thank you so much! Your donations help other families and reduce waste! In the coming months, please gather gently used items your children no longer need and donate them to the school office beginning February 1^st.  Items accepted include all logo and non-logo uniform items AND spirit wear and PE uniforms. Non-logo articles that are not claimed at exchange will be donated to the Bishop Griffin Resource Center! Remember, you don’t need to donate to “shop” the exchange!

Spirit Wear: Rah Rah orders are in and ready for pick up

Great news, spirit wear orders from Rah Rah are in and ready for pick up. If you chose to pick up your order, you may do so at:

6702 Royal Plume Drive, Dublin (home of Jaime Erickson)

All pick up orders will be placed in a large tote on the front porch. Orders will be bagged and marked with your name. If you chose shipping to your home, those orders started going out this week.

Stay tuned for when orders from Morganheimer Premier will be ready for shipping/pick up!

Any questions? Please contact Jaime Erickson 614.578.8960 or Shauna Durant 740.815.9053

Your Annual Fund Dollars at Work

Last week, 115 5th and 6th graders attended JA BizTown. JA BizTown is an organization that combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular learning experience allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. Students can connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world. 

This amazing program is provided to our students without a fee because the Annual Fund covers costs and transportation. This is just one of the many programs supported by your Annual Fund donations. The Annual Fund benefits every student at St. Brigid of Kildare throughout the year by providing enriching experiences like JA BizTown to enhance their in-class learning and curriculum. We suggest a $125 donation per student to the Annual Fund. Thank you to all the families that have donated. Please consider an end-of-the-year tax deductible donation. 

Emmaus Road Scholarship: Year End Donations

Reduce your Ohio income taxes...and help make an authentic Catholic education affordable and accessible for all!

It’s true! As an Ohio taxpayer, when you make a donation to the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund, you could receive a dollar-for-dollar credit* against your state income tax liability while creating scholarship dollars for students to attend Our Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Columbus. Even with the recent expansion to Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship program, financial need still exists for many families. Your gift helps bridge the gap between state scholarships and the cost to educate a child while reducing your Ohio tax burden.

*Ohio tax credit is up to $750 per person, or $1,500 if married filing jointly. Based on tax rates posted by the Ohio Department of Taxation, an individual with an annual income of $40,000 has an average state tax liability of $750. Consult a tax advisor for guidance on your specific situation. The Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund is a certified scholarship granting organization (SGO) in the state of Ohio.

TO GIVE: visit the link below (www.emmausroadscholarship.org) to donate online, or give by check by mailing a check made out to Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund to Office of Catholic Schools, 197 E Gay St., Columbus OH 43215 (note “St. Brigid of Kildare School” to designate dollars to our school). 

You will receive a mailed receipt from the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund. Keep that receipt and submit when filing your 2023 Ohio taxes.

SPiCE Spotlight: What is SPiCE?

Through the support of SPiCE, we have been able to purchase materials and technology equipment for all students.  

Some of these materials and equipment are:

• Novels (graphic, decodable, etc.)
• Computers and Ipads
• Audible book programs
• Flexible furniture
• Sensory tools (fidgets, weighted balls, swing, etc.)
• Speech programming through Everyday Speech
• Daily teaching materials for students (executive functioning, math, reading, etc.)

SPiCE has also supported teachers with professional development in areas such as dyslexia, behavior management, reading comprehension, Orton Gillingham, and the science of reading.

Corks for a Cause 2024 - Planning Meeting Today

We are excited to hold our 17th annual Corks for a Cause Silent Auction and Wine Tasting for SPiCE on Saturday, March 2, 2024. We can't wait to celebrate Music City with our Nashville Nights theme!

We will continue the planning with our next meeting on:

• Wednesday, December 13 at 12 noon in Hendricks Hall Immke Room (lunch will be served at this meeting)

Children are welcome if babysitting is a challenge. If you'd like to learn more about the event, how you can help, or share your ideas please join us for one or both of these meetings!

RSVP to Sarah Moore at [email protected].

Family First Advent Series: Behold

Mom to Mom & Sisters in Christ will be watching and discussing the book Behold. There will be copies available for $8.25 during Mom to Mom.

Join Mom to Mom on Wednesdays 9:45-11am in the Church Basement with free childcare in Carr Nursery.

Sisters in Christ meet on Wednesdays from 1:15-2:45 PM in the Deacon’s room.

https://www.avemariapress.com/products/behold 

Advent Series on Behold

November 29– Behold Motherhood

December 6–  Behold Fatherhood

December 13– Behold Childhood

December 20– No Meeting – Finish 4th week at home with family

Jesus and the Eucharist - Begins This Week

This seven-session series will immerse participants in the gospel proclamation (Sessions 1-4) and unveil God’s saving work in the Eucharist (Sessions 5-7).

December 13/14: Who Is Jesus?

December 20/21: Am I Saved?

January 10/11: Why a Church?

January 17/18: God Is With Us

January 24/25: The Story of the Eucharist

January 31/Feb 1: Bread for the Journey

Learn about the many ways you can participate and sign up at the link below.

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: 



 1/10/2024 DeSales HS Cafeteria (Columbus) 6pm

Fingerprinting available prior to this session 5pm

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/