The O'Reilly Minute

Dear Parents,

If you haven’t already done so, please sign and return the Google permission letter at your earliest convenience. We need a signed letter for each student in grades K-8. If we do not receive a signed letter for your child by February 25th, their Google access will be turned off. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and for helping us ensure we have all necessary permissions on file. 

This week, please have your students check the Lost and Found (located in the cafeteria) for their misplaced items or search together while attending Hounds Hoopla on Friday night. All remaining unclaimed and unlabelled items will be donated and purged this weekend in conjunction with the Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange. Thank you!

This Friday, February 21st we will have a jeans dress down day to raise awareness of the daily challenges faced by those living with genetic rare diseases. Please read more about Rare Diseases Month and how we are honoring it in the story below.

This Friday is also Hounds Hoopla at our school -- a fun night of Bingo, a DJ, crafts, a magician and fun at our school! Volunteers and prize donations are still needed. Please see the story below to register, volunteer, and donate prizes.

I would also like to thank all of our sponsors and donors for SPiCE's upcoming Corks for a Cause Wine Tasting & Silent Auction on Saturday, March 1. New this year, we are offering the opportunity to purchase a SPiCE supporter star for $25 with your family's name on it. These stars will be used as part of the decor for the event and families can take home afterwards. The deadline to purchase these stars is this Friday, February 21. See the article below for more details.



Sincerely,

Kathy O'Reilly

1st Grade Photo Newsletters

Click the photo album link below to see what the students have worked on in class over the past weeks!

Hounds Hoopla - This Friday!

Hounds Hoopla is this Friday, February 21 from 6-8 PM! Get your tickets through the link below.

Join us for Bingo, a DJ dance party, crafts, face painting, a magician, and fun! Pizza, snacks and drinks included. Entry is $30 per family. 

The volunteer sign-up link is below. Please consider volunteering your time to make this event a success. There will be a separate volunteer sign-up circulated for 7th and 8th graders for service hours. 

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 the $10-20 amount, crafts, stuffed animals, games, sports equipment like soccer balls, plastic bats and balls, little kids ball gloves, nail polish, hair accessories. Anything new, unopened or in like new condition we would look forward to having on the prize table.  

Volunteer Sign-up Link

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949A8AE22A3FB6-54210430-hounds#/

Valentine's Day Parties

Thank you to Home & School and our Annual Fund for volunteering and sponsoring our class Valentine's Day parties on Friday! Our students enjoyed a fun variety of crafts, games and snacks!

SPiCE Celebrates Rare Disease Month

This month, SPiCE will be honoring Rare Disease Month with students learning about health conditions that impact a small percentage of people. 1 in 10 Americans have a rare disease, and more than half are children.

In addition to learning about rare diseases in class, students and staff will celebrate Friday, February 21st by dressing down! All are encouraged to wear jeans to raise awareness of the daily challenges faced by those living with genetic rare diseases.

Please view the slideshow below to learn more about rare diseases. Please note, slides 9-11 will be omitted for student presentations.

Congrats Power of the Pen!

On Saturday, February 8, the St. Brigid Power of the Pen team competed at their district tournament against 17 other Catholic, public, and private schools in central Ohio. Six students won individual awards, the 7th grade team won 2nd place, and the 8th grade team won 1st place. All the 7th graders individually placed in the top 37 out of 71 writers, and all the 8th graders placed in the top 20 out of 81 writers. We are even more thrilled that all 12 writers qualified for Regionals! 

7th grade writers included Andrew Adorno (6th place), Lillian Babcanec, Katy Durant (12th place), Justin Loudon, Evangeline Metz, and Isabella Salvatore.

8th grade writers included Arina Banks (2nd place), Alivia Cox, Maggie Harper (4th place), Evelyn Heise (15th place), Georgia Kiedrowski (5th place), and Anabelle Robinson (3rd place). Congratulations, Wolfhound Writers!

Show Your Love for St. Brigid by Supporting the Annual Fund!

Last week our school celebrated Valentine’s Day with food, fun and crafts. The parties your child enjoys are funded by the Annual Fund. Paying for parties is just one of the many items the Home and School Association funds with your gifts during the school year. Please consider a once-a-year contribution of $125 per student ($50 for preschool). 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to school projects and activities that enrich the learning experience for your children. Our goal is to have 100% participation with all our families. No gift is too small. Please join the families listed below by supporting this important program.

Please click the below arrow to give to the Annual Fund, and/or forward this email to a family member or friend who may be interested in contributing.

Play Like a Champion Training for Parents

SBAA invites all parents to participate in an upcoming diocesan “Play Like a Champion” training course, designed for coaches and required by the diocese for all CYO coach volunteer roles. This training also satisfies the “Parent Like a Champion” requirement for athletes’ CYO participation. The “Play Like a Champion” course is a 3 hour training, serving as an informational workshop providing coaches and parents with best in practice skills for building great teams and engaged athletes through the coach’s role.

As St Brigid of Kildare continues to grow sports offerings and expand to younger athletes, the “Play Like a Champion” training course is highly encouraged for parents interested in having their children participate in St Brigid athletics. This course is a one-time requirement for parents in the diocesan league (thereby this does not need to be completed for each athlete, only once per parent, per family). To learn more about the “Play Like a Champion” course, please visit our diocesan athletics webpage. To register to attend, sign up here. 

Upcoming training courses and locations are below: 

• Saturday, 3/1 @ St Catharine 9:30am-12:30pm
• Saturday, 3/22 @ St Agatha 9:30am-12:30pm

Congrats Basketball Wolfhounds!

The 8th grade girls basketball team defeated Trinity 25-22 to win their tournament championship - finishing their season at 12-1, also winning the regular season championship. The great basketball players and even greater young women on this team are: Mia Davis (7th grader), Kaitlin Host, Mara Host, Ruth Little, Alexa Obers, Sydney Pope, and Anna Ulrich. 

The 8th grade boys' varsity basketball team finished in second place in the Division 1 Diocese Tournament with a 12-6 overall record. Congratulations on another GREAT season of basketball to Collin Hutsell, Jack McCurdy, Blaise Barnum, Danny Schiavone, Reid Austin, Declan Barr and Sam Moeller.

The 8th grade boys green team had a great season filled with great efforts and a lot of fun! Congrats to Henry Brown, Luke Davis, Blaise DeShetler, Brennan Kramer, Tommy McAuliffe, Evan Mooney, Andy Oberhammer, Ronan O’Reilly, Mitch Palmer, Collin Petersen, and Sam Voyles!

The 7th grade boys green team had a phenomenal seasonal finishing in second place in the division 1 regular season and tournament. The team led the entire league in scoring at 46 points per game and won their quarterfinal and semifinal tournament games by an average of 24 points per game against two teams with a combined record of 18-2. Congratulations to Jacob Tolson, Alex Beran, Luke Baumel, Andy Lemle, Dawson Hayes, Brennan Norton, Cooper Musser, Calvin Bihari, Wyatt Rutledge, and Ethan McDaniel. 

The 6th grade girls basketball team has improved every season. This season they finished the league games with 4 wins and a number of closely contested games. The team comprising of Annabelle McCoy, Luciana Reinbolt, Berkley Barnum, Martha Oberhammer, Abigail Marchal, Frankie Nation, Joann Alexander, Charlotte McDaniel, Katelyn Roesener and Millie ODonnell left everything on the floor during each game, and won a hard fought 7-6 semifinal and a great comeback 25-17 victory in the finals to lift the trophy again this year.

The sixth grade boys basketball program had another successful year. Highlighted by several key victories for both teams, the boys continued to develop their skills and ability to play together as a team. The coaches look forward to their continued growth next year.

The boys 5th grade green team went undefeated during conference play and dropped a close semi-final game in the tournament. Congratulations to Joel Schilling, Zach Baumel, Nick McCurdy, James Ferrara, Jonathan Hu, Kyle Lewis, and Amandus. 

The fifth grade girls green team ended as runner up in the St. Veronica bracket of the Diocesan tournament. They closed the season with a record of 7-6. The girls worked hard, played harder, and had a lot of fun along the way! Congratulations to Emma Jolly, Sofia Simonetti, Brynn Mulholland, Addie Adorno, Grace Flock, Keya Patel, Ella Kernan, Maggie Glatz and Madeline Frantz on a great season of Wolfhound Basketball! 

The 5th grade girls white team showed great improvement throughout the year. The Team played its best basketball over Christmas Break, tying OLPH in 2OT and beating St. Michael’s. Each player made progress on their individual goals and earned a Gatorade at some point throughout the season for: “trying your best, being a good teammate, and having fun.”

The 5th grade boys white team had strong growth as individual basketball players and as a team throughout the entire season. Awesome group of young men that consistently demonstrated our team values as Smart, Accountable, and Tenacious basketball players

The 5th grade boys gold team finished 10-1, going undefeated in division play. Teamwork was their biggest strength.

The 4th grade boys green learned to overcome adversity, learned through ups and downs, had fun and played like a team. They set a great foundation for future success in basketball and other endeavors. The coaches were tremendously proud of them. 

The 4th grade girls gold team finished the season 10-1 and won the league championship trophy, beating previously-undefeated St. Andrew. The girls are excellent basketball players and great teammates to each other. The team members are Allie Gesing, Skylar Heacock, Olivia Kendjorsky, Maeve Mitchell, Brigid Norton, Adelyn Tolson, Sadie Ulrich, and Veronica Wing.

The 4th grade girls white team ended their season 10-0 and won the St. Patricia Conference. They improved every week and ALWAYS showed effort and toughness. Every girl contributed to the overall success of the team. Congratulations to Isabel Baker, Annie Creekmur, Anna Pizzino, Rose Pervan, Mia Campbell, Grace Fontaine, Nora Sheehy, and Emma Storey on a great season.

The 4th grade girls green team went 6-4 for the season, Grace Fulkert had 59 points, Annabelle Wright 33, and Ella McTighe 19 points. Libby Marchal, Amelia Ma, and Marley O'Connell each had 10+ rebounds, and Gabby Dye and Oliva Stinehart had lots of steals. 

EdChoice Expansion Scholarship for the 25-26 School Year

In order to receive the EdChoice Expansion Scholarship for the 25-26 school year, you must follow the instructions at the link below.

The link will provide instructions for each group:

• Renewal for current 8th graders
• Renewal for all other grades
• New applicants

Kick-Off Meeting: St. Brigid Football

Parents of 4th–7th Grade Boys – You’re Invited!

Join us for an exciting St. Brigid Football Kick-Off Meeting as we introduce our coaching staff, outline plans for the upcoming season, and prepare for conditioning!

Date: Thursday, February 20th

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Hendricks Hall

What We’ll Cover:

✅ Meet the Coaches – Learn about the team leading our 5/6 & 7/8 squads

✅ Conditioning Schedule – Tentative start date of March 15th to get our athletes ready

✅ Upcoming Summer Camp – A great opportunity for development

✅ Volunteer Opportunities – Get involved with the chain gang, scorekeeping, and concessions

Don't miss this chance to be part of the future of Wolfhound Football!

Questions? Contact Adam Horn Sr. at adam.horn710@gmail.com

Semi-Annual Uniform & Spirit Wear Exchange Feb 23

Shoppers, sign up here: Winter 2025 Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange. This sign up contains more information about the exchange and signing up ensures you’ll receive a reminder to attend. Everything is FREE and you don’t need to donate to attend. Prospective families are also welcome to come to start their wardrobe and seek answers to uniform questions. If you need items, but can’t attend, let a friend shop for you!

Have items to donate? If you have gently used items for the uniform and spirit wear exchange you have a few options for drop-off:

1. At the school office beginning Feb 3 during school hours
2. At a bin outside Erin Heise’s home at 6588 Wynwright Dr Dublin OH Feb 15-21
3. Bring them with you to the exchange if the other options don't work for you, but please help us put them out.
4. If you have a ripped jumper or logoed item, please still donate it as we can use it for spare parts (buttons, crest, elastic, etc.)! Similarly, if you have gym jackets without logos, we will try to find crests to add to them
5. Leftovers will be given to the Bishop Griffin Center.

Volunteer. Volunteers are needed to organize the exchange, help others find items, and to clean up and pack items for donation at the end of the exchange. If you are free, please sign up here:  Winter 2025 Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange Volunteer Sign Up

Questions? Email Erin Heise at erinjolene@hotmail.com or Gracie Dziewiatkowski at marygracedzski@gmail.com.

FACTS Tuition Assistance Application Open - NEW Simplified Application Process

The application to receive tuition assistance for the 2025-26 school year is now open, with a deadline of March 15, 2025.

New this year, the FACTS Grant & Aid application is an income-only application, meaning you only need to submit the following information to apply:

• Federal tax return for the most recent tax year
• Most recent W-2(s)
• Any other sources of income and amounts

This one application makes you eligible to receive tuition assistance dollars from one or more of the following pools of funding:

1. Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund
2. Diocesan Tuition Assistance
3. TACT (Teacher) Tuition Assistance

(Please note St. Brigid Donor Scholarships and Oak Society Grants require a separate application in the spring).

Scholarship awards are determined in May. Please contact Jackie Mack (jmack@stbrigidofkildare.org or 614-761-3734) with questions regarding potential award status.

You can begin the application now at https://online.factsmgt.com/aid

SBAA Spring Sports Registration Deadline Tomorrow

St Brigid Athletic Association is happy to announce Spring Sports Registration is now open.  Please note strict deadlines for registration; there will be no extension of registration dates. In addition, if you register by the end of January you will receive a 10% discount on the registration fee.

Most parents that volunteered during the basketball season had their $50 refund processed. There may be a few outstanding that will be processed once our records are updated that show volunteering is complete. You should see the refund to the credit card you used for winter registration in the coming days. Thank you for all your support throughout the season and supporting the boys and girls teams by volunteering. It was a great help to the athletic board and commissioners.

Registration Deadline for all Spring Sports: February 20

Softball

Grades: 4th - 8th Grade Girls

Registration Fees: $160

Commissioner/Contact: Andres Adorno

Baseball

Grades: 4th - 8th Grade Boys

Registration Fees: $160

Commissioner/Contact: Andres Adorno

Track & Field

Grades: 4th - 8th Grade

Registration Fees: $85

Commissioner/Contact: Dan Workman

If you have any questions about a specific sport, please reach out to each respective commissioner/contact.  If you have any problems with registrations, please reach out to Brian Frantz for any registration problems.

Corks for a Cause 2025 - Star Deadline Friday!

We are excited to hold our 18th annual Corks for a Cause Silent Auction and Wine Tasting for SPiCE on Saturday, March 1, 2025 with the theme Red Carpet.

Ticket sales are now open at corks25.givesmart.com.

NEW: Buy A Star! Deadline Friday, Feb 21

Become a SPiCE Star on our St. Brigid Wall of Fame!

For each star purchased, the family name will have a star on the Wall of Fame at the event. Come find your star on March 1 and take a selfie next to it! If you can't make it to the event, this is still a great way to support and have your family represented. This wall is designed to recognize SPiCE supporters and to help raise money for our SPiCE program to support the special needs of our many types of learners at St. Brigid of Kildare.

Stars must be purchased by Friday, February 21. Click here to purchase a star.

Wine, Bourbon & Champagne Bottles Needed

We are looking for donations of bottles of wine or champagne valued at $20 or higher and bottles of bourbon valued at $30 or higher for our fun Wine Pong game at Corks for a Cause! If you can donate please drop off at the parish office or contact Sarah Moore at smoore@stbrigidofkildare.org or 614-761-3734 with any questions. 

Thank You Sponsors!

Thank you to our many gracious sponsors of the 2025 Corks for a Cause.

Father/Daughter Dance - April 5

Save the date for the parish Father/Daughter Dance taking place on Saturday, April 5 from 6:30-9:30 PM in the school gymnasium.

Registration is now open at the link below.



Wear your fanciest attire for the Red Carpet VIP event!

Women's Retreat - Registration Open

Registration is now open at the link below.

St. Brigid Women's Retreat

April 25-27, 2025

Maria Stein

For more information about the Women's Retreat, visit https://stbrigidofkildare.org/womens-retreat-2025/.

St. Charles Drama - Feb 27-Mar 2

St. Charles Drama Department to present its winter musical, The Old Man and The Old Moon, February 27-March 2

The St. Charles Preparatory School Drama Department will present its winter musical, The Old Man and The Old Moon by the PigPen Theatre Co. on February 27, 28, and March 1 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m. Adult Tickets are $15, students $10. Tickets may be purchased by reserving online at scprep.org and clicking the “buy tickets” button on the top left. Tickets will not be sold at the door. The Old Man and The Old Moon tells the epic tale of an old man who must abandon his duties of filling up the moon with liquid light to cross the seas in search of his missing wife. A glorious musical for every generation to enjoy.

All Saints Girls Middle School Lacrosse

All Saints Girls Lacrosse Team consists of 7th and 8th Grade girls who attend any of the schools that feed into Bishop Watterson High School. Watterson Girls Lacrosse has reached the Final Four twice and won the State Championship once in the last four years.

Almost every girl on those teams was a former Saint’s player and many started playing lacrosse for the first time with the Saints.

Practice starts in March depending on the weather. All Saints play between 10-12 games we also play in an end of the year tournament in Dublin. Practice and games will most likely be on Mondays and Wednesdays. We may also have an occasional practice on other days.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing female sport in the United States.

Do you have a daughter who is interested in playing?

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – Every year many of our players have never played lacrosse before. If you have a daughter who is interested in playing, please email Brett Coleman at bcolema6@att.net. You can also call or text Brett at 614-561-4813

Submit Materials to Wolfhound Wednesday

If you have information you'd like included in the next Wolfhound Wednesday, email it to Allie Wing at mrs.wing@stbrigid-school.org.



To view past issues of the Wolfhound Wednesday, find them archived on our website here.