Dear Parents,

We have had a great beginning to Catholic Schools Week! We began the week by gathering Together as One for morning prayer. It was a wonderful opportunity as a school community to sing and pray and celebrate the gift of Catholic education. Today our celebration centered on the Feast of St. Brigid with a beautiful Mass including all of our favorite St. Brigid hymns. Our students all created Love Tokens earlier this week to send a message of friendship, care and compassion for their buddies. The students met with their buddies before Mass and exchanged tokens and then attended Mass together while wearing their special tokens. Later this week our students will enjoy their favorite school lunch of rotini and have fun on Friday with a homeroom choice themed dress down day. Our teachers and staff were treated on Tuesday to a special lunch from Condado as a gift of appreciation funded through the Annual Fund and organized by our Home and School Association. 

In closing, as we reflect today on the life of our Patroness, Saint Brigid, who dedicated her life to education and to the poor, we continue to celebrate the Catholic Schools Week theme of learning, serving and leadership in our faith. I would personally like to thank you for the opportunity to be able to serve the children and families of Saint Brigid.  

May the blessings of St. Brigid be with you always, 

Kathy O’Reilly

P.S. Last Wednesday you should have received an email with information to access 2nd quarter progress reports. The portal to access report cards will be available until February 15th. If you need assistance, please contact Megan Wachalec at [email protected].  

Catholic Schools Week: Jan 28 - Feb 3

The theme of our celebration is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” This theme encompasses the core experiences and values that can be found in Catholic schools across the country. Not only are we teaching students to become future servant leaders, faith-filled disciples, and enriched citizens in our communities, educators are growing with them. In Catholic schools, we are all learners, servants and leaders. These shared qualities are what make Catholic schools work. They are what make Catholic schools succeed. The theme also focuses on key elements of Catholic education: faith development, academic excellence, and dedication to service. These elements set Catholic schools apart from other educational options. They are why families make sacrifices to provide their children with a Catholic education. 

Wednesday, February 1 - Celebrating Our Faith

By focusing on the themes of learning, serving and leading, Catholic schools prepare children to succeed by using their God-given talents to the fullest throughout their lives. Our patroness, Saint Brigid, dedicated her life to education and to the poor, sick, and elderly. Today we celebrate her feast day by looking to her as a role model of learning, serving, and leadership in our faith. 

• Feast of Saint Brigid Mass at 9:00 AM. Parents are welcome to attend as your schedule allows. (Please note we will not have a Thursday school Mass this week)
• Buddies will meet at 8:30 AM to exchange Love Tokens to wear to Mass
• Read Saint Brigid stories, legends or watch videos of her life/stories
• Green and Yellow Lunch

Thursday, February 2 - Celebrating our Families

Parents, Guardians, and other family members play a vital role in Catholic education. Not only do they choose to send their children to Catholic schools, they instill values and expectations for academic excellence and living a life of discipleship. Today we celebrate 100 days of academic excellence and share our successes and goals with our families during student-led conferences.

• 100 Reasons Why We Love Our School! Students will work together as a homeroom to make a display of 100 Reasons.
• Student-Led Conferences for Grades K - 2 and 5 - 6. Students will share thank you cards with their families.
• 8th grade will be holding a bake sale to provide a post-conference celebration treat! Proceeds will benefit the Honor Flight Organization and the 8th grade trip to Washington DC
• The Book Fair will be open in the library until 7:00 PM for families to select books for their home libraries. 

Friday, February 3 - Celebrating Students

We celebrate students today with fun activities to celebrate their accomplishments of learning, serving, and leading!

• Homeroom Vote - Theme Dress Down Day: Each class worked together to decide on a theme for their dress down day!  
• Favorite School Lunch - Students voted for rotini and cake with sprinkles!
• Hoops Game at 2:00 pm - Faculty and Staff vs. 8th Grade (Parents are welcome if your schedule allows)
• Hounds Hoopla sponsored Home and School and the Annual Fund - an evening of family fun!  

Photo Newsletters: Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grades

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

Congrats Spelling Bee Participants

Each year St. Brigid School participates in the Scripps National Spelling Program which starts at the Classroom Bee level in December, and ends with the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May. Classroom Bee winners competed through over 20 rounds of difficult words including "quibble" and "sleuthing". 

5th grader Isabelle Murphy earned the title School Champion… Best of luck to Isabelle as she moves on to the next level of competition! Fellow 5th grader Jake Dublikar was official Runner-up.

Congrats to all our participants! (listed in image below)

Hybrid Book Fair with Cover to Cover

St. Brigid will be partnering with local bookstore 

Cover to Cover for a hybrid Book Fair!

Date: Thursday Feb 2nd

Time: 5-7pm (during Student Led Conferences)

Location: St.Brigid Library

What you can expect: Samples of books you may want to order. 

If you cannot attend in person: https://www.covertocoverchildrensbooks.com/st-brigid-kildare-school-book-fair

***All books ordered Thursday evening, or online, will be delivered to St.Brigid and sent home with students!

Bake Sale

From the Eighth Grade Social Committee:

The Eighth Grade Social Committee is having a Bake Sale fundraiser for their trip to Washington DC. It will be open the nights of Student Led Conferences on Thursday February 2nd and 9th. A portion of the profits will go to the Honor Flight Columbus. The bake sale will be in between the Think Tank and the Sun Room next to the library, and near the Book Sale. We can only accept cash payments. Thank you for your support!

Spirit Wear Sale Coming Soon!

Hey Wolfhounds! Get ready to gear up for spring sports and spring break with some fresh Wolfhound spirit wear! Keep an eye on the Wolfhound Wednesday for details on when our Spring Spirit Wear sale will open. Thank you for supporting St. Brigid School and Parish.

Any questions? Please contact Lesley Beran 614.257.9791 or Shauna Durant 740.815.9053

Hounds Hoopla is Feb 3 - Last Call for Tickets

Hounds Hoopla is coming this Friday, February 3 from 6-8:30 PM at our school!

Join us for Bingo, a DJ dance party, crafts, and face painting. Pizza and snacks included. Entry is $25 per family; register at the link below.



Donations Needed

Donations are needed for bingo prizes. A donation box will be in the main office area outside the nurse's office. Great donation item ideas include: gift cards for the older kids in $10-$20 amounts, crafts, stuffed animals,

games, sports equipment like soccer balls, plastic bats and balls, little kids ball gloves, and nail polish.

Anything new, unopened or in like new condition we would look forward to having for the prize tables.

Student-Led Conference Sign Ups

Student-Led Conferences are coming up on Thursday, February 2 for grades K, 1, 2, 5, and 6 and Thursday, February 9 for grades 3, 4, 7 and 8. Please use the link below to sign up for your child's homeroom teacher's conference.

Home & School Meeting Feb 2

All are welcome to join the next Home & School meeting coming up on Thursday, February 2 at 10 AM in Hendricks Hall, or to join via Zoom at:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82943756170?pwd=Uy9hSFhhWmhHMkVOaFZWQldHMkdxZz09

Tuition Assistance Application - Deadline March 15

Applications for Tuition Assistance for the 2023-24 school year must be submitted through the FACTS Grant and Aid portal by March 15, 2023.

In order to receive a scholarship through the Emmaus Road Scholarship Program, you must apply for tuition assistance through FACTS.

Please note you cannot receive both an Oak Society grant and tuition assistance.

To be considered for Saint Brigid or the Diocese of Columbus Tuition Assistance Programs:

• You must be registered for the 2023-24 school year by March 15, 2023.
• The application, tax return, and W-2 must be submitted by March 15, 2023. (No exceptions will be made for any late applications, so please apply early in case additional documentation is requested by FACTS.)
• You must pay the online $35 application fee.
• You need only submit one application per family.
• Saint Brigid does not offer tuition assistance for non-Catholic families but you may be eligible for Diocesan assistance.
• There is no tuition assistance available for preschool.
• If 2022 taxes are not finished for submission by March 15, 2023, the 2021 tax return with 2022 W2 is acceptable.

Click here to view the flyer with this information.

Lost and Found, Come and Get It!

This is a final call to retrieve your missing items from the newly established lost and found area of the cafeteria (link to photos here). Items remaining after 4 PM on February 10^th will be donated to the Uniform and Spiritwear Exchange or a local charity. Parents are encouraged to come check for lost items during school hours, but there are also some great opportunities like Hounds Hoopla and Student Conferences to browse the stash to see if any items are yours!

Going forward, here are some tips to keep your items with you:

1. Label all sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. with your child’s name, not initials.  Avery non-iron tags are an inexpensive and easy way to protect your investment! Labelled items are more likely to be handed back to your child rather than placed in 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.

Uniform Exchange Feb 12, 10 AM-1 PM

For the first time since 2020, there will not be a sign up to attend, so please add it to your calendar so you don’t forget to come! All items are free and you don’t need to donate to “shop”!

While you’re decluttering in January, please gather up the gently used uniforms that your children no longer need to donate to the Uniform and Spiritwear Exchange! Items accepted include all logo and non-logo uniform items AND spirit wear and PE uniforms. Donations can be brought into the main office after January 3rd during school hours or placed in a bin in the Hendricks Hall collection closet.

The exchange could not happen without volunteers! Please sign up to help and “shop” while you’re there!  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b44a8a929ab9-winter5#/

Father/Daughter Dance - April 1

The annual St. Brigid Knights of Columbus Father/Daughter Dance will be held on Saturday, April 1^st in the St. Brigid School Gym from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. 

Registration will open at 1:00 pm on February 12th. 

For more information or details on how to register, please see the event website: Saintbrigidfatherdaughterdance2023.eventbrite.com. Cost is $50/couple and $15 for each additional daughter. This price includes heavy snacks, dessert, crafts, entertainment, and more. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Corks for a Cause: Tickets On Sale Now!

We are excited to hold our 16th annual Corks for a Cause Silent Auction and Wine Tasting for SPiCE on Saturday, March 4, 2023. The theme this year is a Mardi Gras Masquerade! Tickets are now for sale online at the link below.

Wine Bottle Donations Needed

If you have an extra bottle or two of wine ($20 value or higher) that you can donate, we would love to use them for our popular wine grab! Just bring them in to the parish office anytime.

We are also looking for auction item donations. If you have any items to donate, please contact Sarah Moore at [email protected].

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:

·    2/20/2023 Joan of Arc (Powell) 6:00 pm

·    3/23/2023 Holy Spirit (zoom session) 6:00 pm

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/ 

SBAA Spring Sports Registration Now Open

SBAA is happy to open up the Spring Sports Registration for 2023.  Offerings for the spring are Baseball, Softball, and Track & Field.  All three are available to boys and girls in the 4th - 8th grades that are students of St. Brigid or parishioners of St. Brigid.

Registration will be open until Saturday, Feb 25th, with the first practices to start shortly thereafter.  Please register soon to not miss out on any communication around practices and forming of teams. You can Register on the GoWolfhounds.com Registration form.

Early Bird Registration - Use Coupon Code "EarlySpring23" until January 28th for 10% off your registration.

Baseball & Softball:

Season will be made up of 8-10 games with a season-ending tournament planned for grade 5-8. Registration fees are $160 and include your jersey & St. Brigid hat. Practices will be at Brigid's Green along with about 1/2 of the games at St. Brigid and the rest at other Diocese schools.

If you have questions about Baseball or Softball - please contact Commissioner Will Malerich at [email protected]

Track & Field:

Season will consist of 4 meets + the Diocese championship starting around April 1 until May 14.  Practices will be held at Karrer Middle School or at St. Brigid/Avery Park as needed. Registration fees for track & field are $85.

If you have questions about Track & Field - please contact Commissioner Dan Workman at [email protected]

Knights of Columbus Youth Free Throw Competition

Save the date for the Knights of Columbus Youth Free Throw Competition which will be held February 5, 2023 at 2:30 in the St. Brigid School Gym.

Register at the link below.

Make it a Date!

A Night Out to Strengthen Your Marriage

Saturday, February 11, 2023

6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Hendricks Hall – St. Brigid of Kildare Parish 

All married and engaged couples are invited to St. Brigid’s 25th Make It a Date!

Journey back to the early years of your relationship as we reminisce about the role faith played in our marriages. 

We’re excited to hear from Rachael and Phillip Bede. They’ve been married for 18 years and have 8 kids. 

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 [email protected] or 614-256-9065 by February 9.

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