The O'Reilly Minute

Dear Parents,

As the school year draws to a close on Friday, May 29, I would like to invite everyone to our virtual Leadership Mass, which will be streamed at 12:00 Noon.  Our closing school liturgy always includes a beautiful ceremony during which our 8th grade students symbolically pass the leadership of the school to our rising 7th graders. We will include this as a virtual commissioning ceremony at the closing of Mass. Following Mass we will be recognizing our school staff who have served 5, 10, 15 and 20 years at our school and we will also honor our 8th grade graduates.  

I would like to share a few COVID related school business updates. Our diocesan elementary schools were each directed by Bishop Brennan to apply for an SBA Paycheck Protection Program Loan (PPP Loan) in April. At Saint Brigid, we received funding from this program on May 1 that can be used to pay for employee salaries, employee benefits, and school utilities for an 8 week period.  Once all guidelines of the program are followed, the loan will become a grant with no need for repayment.

We have worked tirelessly to provide quality Catholic e-learning for your children for the past 11 weeks, but as we know it takes a village, and parents jumped right in to assist their children with at​-home learning.  We believe our school families should share in the blessing of these additional funds from the PPP Loan. Since these monies allow us to free up our resources, we can now offer a good-faith credit of $500 for each currently enrolled K-8 student​ and $150 for each preschool student. These credits will be applied to any outstanding tuition balance as of May 31 or will be applied as a tuition credit for the 2020-21 school year. (In these difficult times, if you are in need of a cash refund instead, please contact Jackie Mack at jmack@stbrigidofkildare.org by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 1). Please note that those who paid less than full-cost tuition will be credited a proportionate amount.

Saint Brigid of Kildare School is already preparing to educate your children for the 2020-21 school year. We hope to have everyone back on campus, but will have contingency plans prepared for whatever guidelines we must follow by the State of Ohio. Our education task force will be working steadily over the summer preparing for the new school year. This committee will be using our survey data, best practices, and first hand student, parent and teacher accounts to name a few. 

Given the uncertainties the pandemic presents, we recognize that parents may need more flexibility when making educational decisions for 2020-21. We want to respect and honor each family’s needs. We are currently working with the School Advisory Committee (SAC) and the parish finance committee to formalize temporary COVID-related withdrawal policies to provide extra flexibility for families at this time. Please also know that if you need assistance with your enrollment concerns, we are here to help you! We would like to understand and address your concerns. If finances are a worry or a concern, we may be able to find additional resources.  

We are also able to offer flexibility at this time with several different tuition payment plan options. If it is helpful for your family’s financial planning, you may choose to delay your first payment until September. You may choose the following:

Contact Jackie Mack at jmack@stbrigidofkildare.org if you would like to change your existing payment plan to one of these options. Please note that changes must be communicated before June 15th so payments are not automatically processed in July.

Next week will be our final regular Wolfhound Wednesday for the school year. However, we will provide regular communication and updates regarding our planning and back to school information in summer editions of the Wolfhound Wednesday. We want to keep you informed as we have news to share this summer. Some of you may be wondering right now about the school supply sale. We are currently waiting to offer a sale until our task force can determine the most effective and efficient materials and model.  

8th Grade Graduation Event

Last Friday, May 22, Saint Brigid of Kildare School staff planned a drive-in graduation event to celebrate our eighth grade students and honor their hard work, leadership and commitment to our school community.

We had an unusual yet special celebration (with many rules...but it still included many of our traditions!). Families of 8th grade students drove in to the school parking lot Friday evening where we began with the graduation celebration. Following this, the graduate only was asked to step outside of the car, stand in front of his/her own car with a cell phone flashlight, and joined together in singing “ Go Light Your World.” Sound for the program and the movie was played through car radios. Following the song there was a short pause, then our feature film Aladdin was shown. Families brought their own food and snacks and were asked to stay in their cars.

We were excited to have found a creative solution to celebrate our graduates, and it was so great that we were able to be together as a community -- even with the many social distancing rules!

May Saint Brigid continue to bless our 8th grade students. We pray for their continued success in their high school years.

Click below to view an album of photos and videos from the event.

Where's the Wolfhound? Thurs, May 28

Get ready to help us celebrate the end of the school year with a special summer send off!

Your teachers and all of the staff here at Saint Brigid of Kildare School and Preschool are ready to have some fun! We bet you are too! Here is what we have planned...

When: Thursday, May 28th 2020

Time: 6 pm - 7:30 pm (you can begin anytime within this timeframe, just allow yourself at least 30 minutes to complete the route)

Location: 9 different homes around Dublin (see attached map)

You can visit all of the locations to see what you may find or you can choose just one or two...the route is completely up to you! Teachers, Staff, and a Special Wolfhound will be present at each of the (9) nine different locations around Dublin ready to send you off with well wishes and happy thoughts for your summer! They have a few funny surprises in store too! Keep a count of how many Wolfhounds you find along the way. Ms. O’Reilly will be at school waiting for you when you finish to keep a running total for the whole school!

Due to COVID safety precautions please stay in your cars while waving and looking for the wolfhound. Teachers/staff will be wearing masks and standing 6 ft apart to keep everyone safe.

This event will take place rain or shine!

Please see the attached map for your (9) nine locations! Feel free to start wherever you choose, but make sure your last stop is the school...we have something special in store for you!

#wheresthewolfhound for your photos!

Summer Work Links

Below are links to opportunities available for summer work from many Saint Brigid of Kildare teachers. The grades listed are for the student's current grade level.

These links are also listed on the e-learning webpage and will remain there throughout the summer.

FlipGrid Talent Show Recap

Beginning in April, students and staff were asked to participate in the Wolfhound E-Talent Show and Tell. The talent show has since received 77 video submissions, 330 hours of shared learning and 24,710 views (and counting). Submissions include; musical performances, gymnastics, basketball, rubix cube solves, artwork, horseback riding, comedy routines and much more!

If you haven’t viewed the talent show yet there is still time.

CLICK HERE to view and support our talented Wolfhounds!

Summer Tutoring

As we do at the end of each school year, we are sharing a summer tutoring list with you. In the world of COVID-19, we don't know whether or not 1:1 tutoring sessions will be allowed to happen in person. But, we thought we would share this in case things begin to open up and you would like to consider extra supports for your child.

Staff can be contacted via email or by calling the school office and leaving a message.

BWHS Valedictorians & Service Cords Announced

Congrats to the BWHS graduating seniors who achieved a cumulative grade point average of 4.0 or greater and have taken a minimum of 12 accelerated, honor or Advanced Placement courses over the four years. Valedictorians from Saint Brigid of Kildare School include: Mia Brown, Jacques-Charles Geoffrion, Abigail Giesler, Michael Reis, and Rachel Weaver. Click here to view the full list.

The Service Charity Cord celebrates students who have completed 250+ hours of community service above the Sophomore Service requirement during their time at Bishop Watterson. The Service Charity cords, first awarded in 2017, are blue and white in honor of St. Teresa of Calcutta who was canonized during the 2016-17 school year. Congrats to Service Charity Cord recipients from Saint Brigid of Kildare School, including: Margaret Baur, Sophia Cramer, Abigail Geisler, Megan Mullahey, Rachel Weaver, and Abigail Zetzer. Click here to view the full list.

JA BizTown Summer Camp

JA BizTown will be offering TWO 2-day Virtual Entrepreneur Camps!

June 8-9, 9:00-12:00 - Be an Eco-Entrepreneur

June 17-18, 9:00-12:00 - Be a Restauranteur

Campers will run their very own business and create a product for their community at this at-home virtual camp! Registration for camp closes June 3.

For more information and to register, please click here.

Register for Bus Transportation 20-21 by June

The transportation departments from Dublin, Hilliard and Olentangy schools require all new and returning families to register your students for busing this fall. If you are a new family moving to the area, and don't know your new address yet, please contact them as soon as you have this information.

They would like these forms to be completed by June.

Click here for instructions and form links to register for bus transportation for all three districts.

If you have any questions, please contact Megan Wachalec at mrs.wachalec@stbrigid-school.org.

Support SPiCE: 20-21 Volunteers Needed

The SPiCE program at St. Brigid of Kildare thrives because of the time and talent of people like you -- without your support, these programs wouldn't be possible.

From volunteering to help with an event, chair a committee, or donate financially, any bit of help you can give to support our SPiCE program is deeply appreciated. Click the link below to learn about the many ways you can support SPiCE at St. Brigid of Kildare.

Open positions for the 20-21 school year include:

Use the link below to view all volunteer opportunities and sign up. Please contact Karri Brady if you have any questions at sbokspice@gmail.com or 614-596-1725.

Diocesan Baccalaureate Mass - May 27 at 7 PM

Please join Bishop Robert J. Brennan as he celebrates a Baccalaureate Mass for all Catholic seniors in the Diocese of Columbus on Wednesday, May 27, at 7:00 pm.  Bishop Brennan is honored to share in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and offer his message of love and support to the Class of 2020, their families and our diocesan community of faith. A brief video highlighting our 11 diocesan high schools will be shown before Mass begins.

All will be livestreamed from Saint Joseph Cathedral, beginning at 7:00 pm, through any of these platforms:

We hope you will join Bishop and all of the faithful on May 27, and may God continue to bless the Class of 2020!

FACTS Tuition Agreements Finalize on June 1

We are thankful and inspired that so many families have committed to the 2020-2021 school year at Saint Brigid of Kildare School! We will finalize tuition agreements on June 1 so please review your FACTS Re-enrollment Agreement sent on May 13 and verify your email address, payment plan and Peace of Mind option.  If you need to make changes or have decided to withdraw, please notify Jackie Mack by Monday, June 1 at 5:00 pm. FACTS will draw their processing fee from your account on or about June 12.

Let's Stay Connected: Share Your Learning!

We love to see your photos of your children continuing their learning and creativity while social distancing.

Schoolbelles & Educational Apparel Uniform Ordering Info & Sales 20-21

Educational Apparel is having a 30% off Back to Business Sale May 10-31st.

Click here for details and offer codes.

Schoolbelles wants to make uniform shopping convenient for the families at St. Brigid Of Kildare and stress free for the administration! Below is a URL that will directly link your school’s website to the Schoolbelles "St. Brigid Of Kildare" shopping page. Purchases made under your school number s2649 helps you earn more towards your School Rebate.

http://www.schoolbelles.com/myschool/M37/s2649

Also, click here for a PDF copy of our school's Buying Guide.

NEW! Schoolbelles would like all customers to take this survey regarding summer ordering.