Dear Parents,

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Nicholas by focusing on Saint Nicholas’ generosity and his love for children.  Following the arrival of Saint Nicholas on horseback, our entire school worked together with their buddies to make prayer bracelets for the families with children who are a part of an organization called “A Kid Again”.  This organization’s mission is to serve children with a life-threatening condition.  “A Kid Again”  helps families participate in fun activities like the Columbus Zoo, Christmas parties, Kings Island and Buckeye games.  Our service project was planned by our 8th grade Service Committee in conjunction with our Home and School organization with financial assistance from our Annual Fund.  

Thank you to our many school families for your generosity in participating in the many collections, donations and volunteering opportunities in the past month and the remainder of this month.  In the spirit of Saint Nicholas your never ending kindness and generosity is a blessing to so many… Together At The Table, we are Serving God and the Community,   

May the blessings of Saint Nicholas and Saint Brigid be with you and your family during this holy season,

Kathy O’Reilly

Loving and gracious God

the bold faith of your gentle servant Nicholas

       Teaches us generosity

How to care for others

And to share what we have.

Give us strength and courage

   To be faithful to Jesus

By following Nicholas’s example

So our lives like his, will reflect your love,

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Photo Newsletters: 1st Grade

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

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

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 - Donations Needed

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 sarahjogable@gmail.com 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

In this season of giving, don't forget to give your gift to the Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year! Thank you to all who have already remembered to give their gift to the Annual Fund. Over 196 of our school families have supported this important effort for a total of $39,225 towards our $45,000 goal!

It is through your generosity that our children benefit from school programs throughout the year.  This month the Home and School have so many fun activities planned for our children. A few include:

• A visit from Saint Nicholas on Dec 6
• 8th Grade Service Project - Prayer Bracelet Making - Benefiting "A Kid Again" - this organization's mission statement is to serve children with a life-threatening condition
• The Grinch will stop by to see the students
• A pajama & movie day is planned
• An Elf on the Shelf contest

Please consider making an Annual Fund donation today. If you have friends or family members that would like to contribute we also receive gifts from other individuals committed to the education of our children. Please forward this email. Thanks again for your support and Merry Christmas.

OWjL Camp

The 43rd OWjL Camping season is approaching! OWjL is a week-long residential summer camp for gifted and talented students currently (at time of application) in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. It is held in June on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

New in July 2024 for 4th, 5th, & 6th graders: We are happy to announce that OWjL Day Camp will be offered in 2024. OWjL Day Camp is a week-long summer camp for gifted and talented students currently (at time of application) in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. It will be held in July on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University.

OWjL Camp provides enrichment and challenging experiences in a variety of areas including but not limited to, science, math, computing, creative development, humanities and arts.  Some sample course titles are:  Adventures in Leadership, Anatomy 101, Calligraphy ABC, Computer Composer, Cooking With A Flair, Fantastic Fiction, Introduction to Classic War Gaming, Murder in the ChemLab, Survivor, Primer Chess, You’re on Trial, and many more.  

One of the qualification requirements is to “...meet the state definition of giftedness: score in the 95th percentile on any one area on the most recent ability or achievement test; above average proficiency test scores; or otherwise demonstrate talent or creativity.”  For our purposes, St. Brigid would submit STAR scores for math and/or reading.

If you think your child is interested and has met the qualifications, feel free to fill out an application.  The school will be made aware through email of those that have applied.  

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Stacie Williams, school counselor, ms.williams@stbrigid-school.org or to Eve Helenberger, OWjL Camp office manager, owjl@owu.edu, 1-740-368-3939.

Emmaus Road Scholarship Program

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?

Is SPiCE only for those on IEPs and those who have disabilities? 

No! SPiCE supports everyone at St. Brigid with needs that arise in the school and parish.

Staff, Services, and Opportunities 

Our school currently has six intervention specialists working across all of the grade levels. The school also has a full-time guidance counselor, a part-time mental health counselor, and speech and occupational therapies.  

Individual student needs are met through personalized learning and project-based learning opportunities.  

Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program

With the inception of the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program in 2012, the school was able to enhance its special education programming and is currently serving over 40 students that have Individualized Education Plans.  

Corks for a Cause 2024 - Planning Meeting Next Week

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 smoore@stbrigidofkildare.org.

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 6/7: What’s Our Story?

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/