The O'Reilly Minute

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week beginning this weekend. The Catholic Schools Week theme is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” Catholic schools have an irreplaceable role in the Church’s evangelizing mission. Building on the central goal of Catholic schools to form saints, Catholic schools teach and embrace the whole person, body, mind and spirit. The fact that all members of a Catholic school community share the Christian vision of faith that Christ is the foundation of Catholic education is what unites the school as a faith-filled community.

There are several “To Do” items to mark on your family calendar.  

Saturday/Sunday January 24/25 - Your Parish Family

• Students are asked to wear uniforms or church appropriate spiritwear to all weekend Masses.
• School families will distribute prayer cards at the weekend Masses to parishioners entering/leaving the church. Please sign up to help out here if you are able.

Monday - January 26th - Celebrate your Community

• Our school community will gather together for morning prayer in the gym led by our Prayer Club.
• We will follow with a First Responder Seeds of Caring service project
• Our book fair will open, and will remain open through Friday, January 30.
• Snack bag collection continues (see article below)

Tuesday - January 27th - Celebrate your Students

• Our Prayer Club will lead us in morning prayer
• Students will enjoy a dress-down day and their favorite school lunch - rotini and meatballs! (The favorite dessert, cupcake with sprinkles, will be served on Wednesday)
• Each class will enjoy a themed dress-down day
• Sister Ana Gonzalez and a few sisters from the Dominican Sisters of Peace are visiting students during lunch times
• Snack bag collection continues (see article below)

Wednesday - January 28th - Celebrate your Nation

• Our Prayer Club will lead us in morning prayer
• Students will complete a 100th day of school service challenge using the snack bag collection for Feed the Kids Columbus
• Families will come together to celebrate student learning at Student Led Conferences for Grades K, 1, 2, 7 and 8.
• Our book fair will be open this evening during conferences as well as a bake sale fundraiser for 8th grade.

Thursday - January 29th - Celebrate Vocations

• Our Prayer Club will lead us in morning prayer which will include a decade of the rosary offered for vocations. 
• We will gather together for Mass and celebrate our patroness Saint Brigid
• Sister Andrea Andrzejewska O.P will be visiting today at 10am
• Families will come together to celebrate student learning at Student Led Conferences for Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.
• Our book fair will be open this evening during conferences as well as a bake sale fundraiser for 8th grade.

Friday - January 30th - Celebrate Faculty, Staff, Volunteers

• Our Prayer Club will lead us in morning prayer
• Students and staff may enjoy a spiritwear dress-down day
• Faculty and Staff will enjoy a special luncheon organized by Home and School and our Annual Fund. 
• Our traditional Basketball Game  - Faculty, Staff, Clergy vs. 8th Grade (Parents are welcome if your schedule allows. Please register in your child's Friday Folder).

Saturday - January 31st - Celebrate Families

• A special prayer for families will be available in the Friday Folder on January 30th.  

Student-Led Conference Sign Ups

Student-led conferences will be held:

Wednesday, January 28 (4-6:30 PM):

Grades K, 1, 2, 7, and 8

Thursday, January 29 (4-6:30 PM):

Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6

Use the link below to find your child's teacher and sign up for their conference.

Spirit Wear Sale at Student-Led Conferences 

Spirit Wear Winter Inventory Blowout | MOST ITEMS $5–$10

Stop by the Spirit Wear table during Student-Led Conferences on January 28 & 29 to shop deeply discounted school apparel. We’ll have a mix of items, including premium sweatshirts, super soft vintage football tees, football sweatshirts, and gym pants. Sizes and quantities are limited. Cash appreciated.

2026-27 Calendar Dates

To view a list of preliminary school calendar dates for the 2026-2027 school year, click the link below.

First Day of School: August 19th (L-Z) last name and August 20th (A-K) last name

Last Day of School: May 27th (1:00 Release)

Thanksgiving Break: November 25th-27th 

Christmas Break: December 21st-January 3rd. 

Spring Break: March 8th-12th

Easter Break: March 25th-29th 

Thursday Early Release at 1:30 Dates: September 17th, October 15th, November 19th, December 18th (Friday), January 21st, February 18th, March 18th, April 15th, and May 20th

Additional Days Off School: September 7th, September 25th, October 23rd, November 6th, January 18th, February 15th, February 26th, and April 16th

This link can also always be found on our website under Calendars.

Hounds Hoopla: Registration Open

Hounds Hoopla is coming Friday, February 6th from 6-8PM at St. Brigid.  

Join us for Bingo, a DJ glow dance party, crafts, face painting, a magician, a photo booth and fun! Pizza, snacks and drinks included. Entry is $35 per family. The registration link and volunteer sign up are below. 

Please note for planning purposes, this event is not a drop-off. To ensure everyone's safety and enjoyment, children may attend only with a supervising adult present throughout the event. 

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 Signup Link

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949A8AE22A3FB6-61574356-hounds

*Please sign up to volunteer early so we can ensure PGC compliance.*

Registration Link

https://payit.nelnet.net/form/aInlhPQ8

*Please sign up early*

100th Day of School Service Challenge

To celebrate our 100th day of school, students will support Feed the Kids Columbus through a fun service project. Each grade level has been challenged to work together to create 100 snack bags, helping ensure that children in our community have food when they need it most.

Families are invited to help us reach our goal by donating the snack item assigned to their child’s homeroom. Donations should be sent to school January 23–27, and students will assemble the snack bags in class on Wednesday, January 28.

Thank you for helping with this opportunity to serve others with generosity and care.

Snack Donations by Grade Level

Pre-School: Box of large Ziploc bags

Kindergarten: Box of granola bars (no nuts)

Grades 1–2: Box of applesauce squeezers

Grades 3–4: Box of fruit snacks

Grades 5–6: Box of individual packs of pretzels

Grades 7–8: Box of Nutri-Grain bars

Staff: Box of individual packs of Goldfish

Catholic Schools Week - Distribute Prayer Cards at Mass

Join us on Saturday, January 24th and Sunday, January 25th to kick off the start of Catholic Schools Week!

Students will be creating St. Brigid prayer cards to share at all of our weekend Masses. We are asking families to sign up for a Mass time to help distribute these to families coming into/leaving Mass.

We would ask a few families to stand at the following entrances as people come in.

• West Entrance (by the stairs)
• West Entrance (by the wooden kiosk)
• East Entrance by the Chapel

We invite students to wear their school uniforms to Mass as well to show our Wolfhound spirit!

Use the link below to sign up.

8th Grade 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 January 28th and 29th. A portion of the profits will go to charity. 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 at this time. Thank you for your support!

Happy 2026 from the Annual Fund!

Home and School has exciting plans ahead as we begin a new year together. Next week we kick things off with the joyful celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Special events are planned throughout the week, including an appreciation luncheon honoring our dedicated teachers and staff who give so much to our children every day.

These celebrations and so many of the “extras” that make our school such a vibrant and faith-filled community are made possible because of the generosity of families like yours. Gifts to the Annual Fund help provide important resources and opportunities that tuition alone does not cover. From classroom enhancements to student programs and community events, your support directly benefits every child in our school.

We are deeply grateful to all the families who have already contributed this year. If you have not yet had the opportunity to participate, we invite you to consider making a gift to the Annual Fund today. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference.

We also welcome support from grandparents, alumni, and friends who share our commitment to Catholic education. Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who may wish to help strengthen our school community.

Tuition Assistance Application Deadline March 15

The application to receive tuition assistance for the 2026-27 school year is now open, with a deadline of March 15, 2026.

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

The Mantle - 7th & 8th Grade Events

St. Brigid's High School Youth Ministry program, The Mantle, is welcoming 7th and 8th grade students to join The Mantle for several upcoming events.

• February 1 - St. Brigid Feast Day Party
• February 8 - Super Bowl Pot Luck
• March 29 - Parish Penance Service & Mantle Musical

See graphic for more details, and reach out to Ellie Dills at edills@stbrigidofkildare.org if you have any questions.

Lost and Found Items Will Be Donated on Feb 22

A reminder that the lost and found will be cleaned out on Feb 22 in conjunction with the uniform exchange, so please reclaim your item(s)! Because the lost and found is overflowing, if you are missing an unlabeled item, you have permission to guess and take one of the same size. Wash and label your items before wear!



Click to view a photo album of what is currently in the lost in found.

New Students Registration Deadline: Jan 23

The application for new students for the 2026-27 school year opened on Friday, November 14. The on-time deadline for new families to apply is Friday, January 23, 2026 at midnight.

If you have a new student applying to the school, please complete the new student application at www.stbrigidofkildare.com/apply. (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 9th.) Preschool students whose families are active, registered parishioners are guaranteed enrollment for kindergarten. Parents will be notified via email of acceptance/wait list status beginning or shortly after Friday, January 30, 2026.

Corks for a Cause 2026 - Tickets on Sale Friday

Tickets for Corks for a Cause 2026 go on sale this Friday!

Tickets will be available at www.corks26.givesmart.com beginning Friday, January 23.

We are excited to hold our 19th annual Corks for a Cause Silent Auction and Wine Tasting for SPiCE on Saturday, March 7, 2025.

If you'd like to learn more about the event, how you can help, or share your ideas, please reach out to Sarah Moore at smoore@stbrigidofkildare.org.

If you are interested in a sponsorship, learn more at the link below. All sponsorship packages include tickets to the event and a wide range of advertising.

Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest

We are still in need of girls of all ages to register, and 10 and 12 year old boys!

Do you have children aged 9 to 14 as of 1/1/2026?

Join us for the Free Throw Contest on Sunday, January 25th, in the St. Brigid school gymnasium from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Check-in for registered girls and boys begins at 1:30 pm.

Register online at the link below.

Adult Faith Formation

We would like to invite you to join one of our Adult Faith Formation groups to learn more about our Catholic faith, to meet more people from our community, and to enliven your spirit and become closer to God.

For more information, contact Kim VanHuffel at kvanhuffel@stbrigidofkildare.org.

Make It a Date!

February 7, 6:15 - 7:30 PM

Hendricks Hall

All married and engaged couples are invited to St. Brigid's 34th annual Make It a Date!

Fr. Jason Fox will be the featured speaker and the evening will begin with light appetizers, the chance to catch up with old and new friends, then couples leave on their own date at a venue of their choice.

RSVP to Jessica Freiburger at 4freixys@gmail.com by Feb 5.

St. Charles Spaghetti Dinner

Annual St. Charles Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, February 1st

St. Charles Preparatory School will host its annual Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, February 1st, from 1:00- 6:30 p.m., in the school’s Walter Student Commons. Dinner will be prepared by the Susi Family and its staff from Berwick Manor. Guests will enjoy a bountiful meal of spaghetti with meatball, salad, rolls, ice cream, and a beverage. Cost is $16.00 for Adults; $11.00 for Senior Citizens; $8.00 for Children ages 5-12 (4 and under are free). There is also a special $70 Family Rate (dine-in, up to 6 immediate family members). Tickets only available at the door and carry out orders will be available.

A Night for the Eagles

Saturday, February 22

6-11 PM

Ohio Brewing Company

A Night for the Eagles is a fresh, modern take on Bishop Watterson's beloved Gala tradition. Revived for the first time since 2019, this reimagined "Night Out" celebration will bring our

community together for an elegant, high-energy, cocktail-style evening dedicated to uplifting and expanding opportunities for the Bishop Watterson student body supporting tuition assistance

through the BWHS Family Scholarship Endowment & Facility/Building Upgrades. Guests can look forward to a vibrant atmosphere, meaningful moments, and the chance to directly

support the programs and experiences that help our students soar.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Meet & Socialize With The BWHS Community

Heavy Hors D'oeuvres

Full Bar

DJ

Silent Auction

Learn more and register at the flyer.

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.