The O'Reilly Minute

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your support of the Corks for a Cause event which provides funding for our SPICE (Special People In Catholic Education) program. The funds generated at this event and through ongoing generous donations from so many have become vital in allowing our school to have the resources necessary to meet the specialized needs of our students. Our Saint Brigid community can be proud that we are a Catholic school that values each student as a child of God with unique spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, cultural, and emotional needs.  

Spring break is fast approaching, giving us all time to relax and refresh and take a break from the fast-paced schedule of the school year. This break also allows extra time for students to engage in social media and technology. The opportunities that these tools offer are amazing; they have given us so many advancements and wonderful resources. However, as we heard from Jesse Weinberger, they come with great responsibility. Here are some great resources for parents to review on Common Sense Media: Parenting, Media, and Everything in Between | Common Sense Media. This site has great articles regarding TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and many others. The topic of social media and pre-teen/teen usage has become even more important than ever before due to easy access and peer pressure.

The deadline to apply for any tuition assistance for the 2024-25 school year is March 15th. Please note this is next week in the middle of spring break. We have additional funds to award this year, so we are strongly encouraging any families in any need of assistance to apply. Please see below for full instructions on how to apply through FACTS. To renew or apply for an EdChoice scholarship for 2024-25, please see the instruction sheet here. 

For planning purposes, please see below the 2024-2025 school calendar. 

2024 -2025 School Year

August 21, 22, 23 - Staggered start days 

September 2 - Labor Day - No school for students

September 27 - No school for students - Diocesan In-service day

November 15 - No school for students

November 27,28,29 - Thanksgiving break

December 23 - January 3 - Christmas break

January 20 - No school for students

February 17 - No school for students 

February 28 - No school for students

March 10 - 14 - No school Spring Break

April 17 - April 21 - No school Holy Week and Easter 

May 26 - Memorial Day - No school for students

May 30 - Last day of school 

Lenten blessings,

Kathy O'Reilly

Photo Newsletters: 3rd Grade

Rare Disease Awareness & Stories

Last week, our school children learned about and honored rare diseases. Rare Disease Day is an observance held on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families.   

We held a service project where children collected and donated toys, activity books, and gift cards to be donated to the hematology/oncology team at Nationwide Children's Hospital to be given to children and siblings while coping with rare diseases.  Children in all grades talked about rare diseases and wore jeans for genes to recognize the genetic relationship.

Our kindergarten students all benefited from children and staff in our school community sharing their personal experiences with rare diseases. In Mrs. Hare's class, Jonah shared a heartwarming story about his brother Gavin who has a rare disease. In Mrs. Katona's class, Dottie shared her journey with cystic fibrosis and how it has impacted her life. In Mrs. Stuart's class, teacher's aid Mrs. Tiffany Smith shared about her son who has a rare disease, Isodicentric 15q. Several students in other grades shared their personal journeys with rare diseases as well.

As Tiffany has written, "Awareness is a long word, but only certain causes get Awareness. Awareness and inclusion has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go. Awareness can be shared, but it takes people on both sides to participate. Awareness is not just listening, it's hearing. Hearing the message, the good, the bad, and the ugly. But hearing the message is not enough. You have to take what you hear and move it forward. Carry what you have learned, and bring it to others to hear. Awareness for those with Rare Diseases deserve to be seen.

So why does Rare Disease Day matter? It counts because every person counts. Every extra chromosome counts, every deletion counts, every mutation, every condition that affects even one person counts. Every moment spent in a hospital waiting room, every moment spent researching, every moment of care, every moment of meetings, and every moment of every day in the life of Rare matters. So don't let the awareness end because the day ends. Keep it going so next year Rare Disease Day is not so unheard of. " 

We are grateful for our SPICE program supporting and honoring this day, and the empathy our children experienced from learning about these conditions. 

Latchkey Registration

Online enrollment for the 2024-2025 Latchkey Program is officially closed.  There is currently a wait list for those who wish to register. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email [email protected].

Confirmation emails to the new incoming families will be sent by Friday, March 8, 2025.  It is very important that you confirm back to Mrs. Halm your need for the program since there is a waitlist.

Existing families should notify Mrs. Halm, as well, should there be ANY changes should your need change, as well.

Congrats Power of the Pen Team!

This weekend, our Power of the Pen team competed in their Regional tournament. Congratulations to our seventh grade team for winning first place!

Anabelle Robinson won an individual third place award, Charlie Ferrara won 11th place, Andrew Doll won 7th place, and Nicolette Gianakopoulos was recognized for an outstanding story she wrote at Districts.

We will find out sometime in the next two weeks which students have qualified for States. Go, Wolfhound Writers! 

Free Throw Championship Regional Results

Congratulations to the following girl and boys who won their age group at Saturday’s Regional Championship and advanced to compete at the State Free Throw Championship held on Saturday, March 16 at Bishop Ready High School.  

Adelyn Tolson (9-year old girls)

Jacob Tolson (11-year old boys)

Charles Mazza (12-year old boys)

Congratulations also to Luciana Reinbolt who was second in the 11-year-old girls bracket and is the alternate for the State championship.

Our Deacons are on the Radio This Thursday!

Tune into St. Gabriel Radio (AM820) this Thursday, March 7 to listen and support Deacons Paul Zemanek and Frank Iannarino! They will be playing on a team with two other deacons in a basketball tournament to see which Deacon Team will win the gold medal! For every donation made in their name prior to or during the AM820 radio event, our deacons' team will receive additional shots. 

Deacon Paul Zemanek will be on from 10:45 - 11:30 AM and Deacon Frank Iannarino will be on from 12:15 - 1:00 PM. 

Make a donation to support their teams ahead of time! Donate at www.stgabrielradio.com or call (614) 459-4820.

5th Grade Praying on Radio

Next week our St. Brigid of Kildare School 5th grade students will be on St. Gabriel Radio (AM 820) praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Listen in and pray with us! They will be on at 3 PM each day, March 11-15.

Join our school children in prayer next week!

Spring Spirit Wear Sale!

Hello Wolfhounds! As we move into warmer months, it might be time to update your St. Brigid spirit wear! Both of our spirit wear stores will be open March 6 and run through March 27 (last day to order)! Orders should be in mid-late April.

Morganheimer/Premier is our traditional St. Brigid spirit wear option (non-vintage), and their spirit wear store is open. Shop the link below to check out their options for those Wolfhound Spirit Wear Days! Options are available for pick up at their store front location or you can have the items shipped directly to you.

Check out the link below to order spirit wear from Morganheimer/Premier:

https://saintbrigid.itemorder.com

Rah-Rah is a Dublin-based spirit wear company that is offering super-soft, vintage-inspired, uniquely designed spirit wear made just for us! The owners of Rah-Rah are a St. Brigid family and we are happy to offer their spirit wear to our Wolfhound families. They have added new designs for us this year that they are excited to share with you!

Check out the link below to shop the Rah-Rah spirit wear store and add their vintage inspired clothing to your closet!

https://rahrahgear.com/collections/st-brigid?page=1 [rahrahgear.com]

You can have any items shipped directly to you for the best and quickest delivery. Standard shipping rates apply. Details on shipping can be found on the website.

If you prefer to pick up your Rah-Rah order, you may do so at:

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

Please watch the Wolfhound Wednesday (and your email) for delivery information.

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

March Counselor Newsletter

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

Yearbooks for Sale

Yearbooks are on sale ($25.68) NOW thru April 2, 2024! Don’t miss out on your chance to order your 2023 – 2024 school yearbook that is packed full of fun memories! Online ordering is simple and easy! Simply click on the direct link below, fill in your information and pay by credit card.

http://diane-spagnuolo-photography.hhimagehost.com/20232024StBrigidofKildareYEARBOOK

If you have questions regarding ordering – please email Diane Spagnuolo Photography

[email protected] or call the studio at 614-873-6867

ORDER DEADLINE – Midnight – Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The Emmaus Road Scholarship and Diocesan Tuition Assistance Application Deadline March 15, 2024 - Next Week!

Applications for The Emmaus Road SGO Scholarship, Diocesan Tuition Assistance, St. Brigid Parish Tuition Assistance, and TACT Teacher Assistance for the 2024-25 school year must be submitted through the FACTS Grant and Aid portal by March 15, 2024.

In order to receive funds through any of these tuition assistance programs, you must apply for tuition assistance through FACTS.

To be considered for 2024-25 Tuition Assistance Programs:

• You must be registered for the 2024-25 school year by March 15, 2024.
• The application, tax return, and W-2 must be submitted by March 15, 2024. (No exceptions will be made for any late applications, so please apply early in case additional documentation is requested by FACTS.)
• If 2023 taxes are not finished for submission by March 15, 2024, the 2022 tax return with 2022 W2 is acceptable.
• You need only submit one application per family.
• There is no tuition assistance available for preschool.
• All K-8 families, Catholic and non-Catholic are eligible to apply.
• Assistance amounts given vary by family and will be based on family income and number of children in a household.
• All applications and materials submitted are confidential.
• Applicants are expected to be notified of award status in May.

For full instructions on applying for tuition assistance, click here.

Corks for a Cause 2024 Thank You!

Thank you to our many donors, bidders, attendees and sponsors of our SPiCE Corks for a Cause Wine Tasting and Silent Auction on Saturday! We had an amazing time raising funds for our SPiCE (Special People in Catholic Education) program at our parish and school.

We are grateful for the generosity of our parish and school families who come together to support this crucial program.

Congratulations to 2nd grade who won the voting battle for a class Neon Dance Party! They will get to have this before the end of this school year.

A special thank you to our speakers Jason & Joanna Jutte, who shared how much the program has meant to their family.

They also created a video about why the SPiCE program is so important. Click the link below to view it.

Sensory Wall & Pathway Fundraising

This year we raised enough funds for a sensory wall and pathway that will engage our youngest learners. This wall promotes sensory integration for our children, which helps them regulate their emotions and behavior. Some other benefits of this wall and pathway include:

• Providing a calming environment
• Increased focus and concentration
• Improved coordination and balance
• Promoting fine motor skills such as grip strength, writing and drawing

Thank you to the many donors who supported this addition for our young learners!

Thank You 2024 Sponsors!

Msgr. Hendricks to Receive Honor

Monsignor Hendricks will receive the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award on Tuesday, March 19th at noon at the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio by Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus. The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice is a medal known as the "Cross of Honour," and is the highest medal that can be awarded by the Papacy. It is conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. 

Monsignor Hendricks will be receiving this award for his many years of service to the church and community through his work on parish leadership, financial management, community relations, and community service as chair of several boards. All are welcome to attend the Mass on March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph.

Tickets on Sale: Father/Daughter Dance

Save the date for the parish's annual Father/Daughter Dance, coming up on Saturday, April 6 from 6:30 - 9:30 PM.

Tickets are available at the link below.

Father/Daughter Dance Volunteers Needed

The Knights of Columbus are excited to be hosting the dance in the school gym again this year. To make this event a success, we need are in need of volunteers to help set up, clean up, and are especially in need of volunteers during the dance. This is a great opportunity for moms to participate.  Volunteers during the dance must be PGC compliant. Older children (7th-12th grade) are welcome to volunteer with a parent as well but must sign a junior volunteer code of conduct. 

Please see the link below to sign up.

If you have any questions, please email [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 Columbus Diocese at www.virtus.org

Upcoming Virtus Protecting God's Children (PGC) session: 

3/7/2024 Zoom via St Andrews, 6pm

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, registration with Selection.com/Fastrax and complete a criminal background check prior to volunteering.

Full details and forms can be found at https://stbrigidofkildare.org/safe-environment/ 

BWHS Red & Gold Newsletter

To read the latest Bishop Watterson High School Red & Gold Newsletter (a newsletter for future BWHS eagles), click here.

To sign up to receive these emails, click here.