Dear Parents,

During this week of Thanksgiving we have much to be grateful for: our faith, our health, our families, our school and for each other! Together we have accomplished so much already this year!  More than ever, I am especially thankful and proud of our school community. Our theme for the year: Come To The Table: Serving God and Our Community, has truly been taken to heart in so many ways. You may have noticed our older students accompanying their young buddies to Mass where we find the Eucharistic table. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to serve as role models of appropriate behavior at Mass. 

Our 8th grade faith, service, leadership and social committees have been working together to plan events not only for the 8th grade, but also for the whole school. This week our faith committee planned a special morning prayer assembly for the whole school to begin our week of Thanksgiving. They planned, set up the prayer space and technology, and proclaimed the readings inspiring us to be extra thankful at this time of year. 

The 8th grade social committee planned the Thanksgiving feast tables this year. Working with Mrs. Crawford (retired St. Brigid school secretary), the students learned flower arranging and made centerpieces for each of the tables. The centerpieces were then donated to the Dublin Retirement Village after our feast to bring cheer to additional tables in our larger community. The students also asked Mr. Jake if round tables could be used for lunch so that conversation could better take place and the feeling of family would be enhanced. The committee also designed table talk cards and offered post it notes for students to write down something they were thankful for this year and made a poster to display the gratitude notes. (Please take a minute to enjoy the photos from the feast). It was a memorable day and we have much to be thankful for in our 8th grade leadership and our entire school community.

During this time of Thanksgiving, I would also like to take a moment to formally acknowledge the School Advisory Committee (SAC), the Home and School Association, SPICE and our Athletic Association, all of whom work diligently to advise, generate funds, and organize volunteers to provide many wonderful programs, activities and opportunities for our students and staff. 

In closing, let us join together in thanking God for the many blessings He has bestowed on our school and parish. Enjoy this wonderful week of fun, traditions and Thanksgiving celebrations around the table with your family and friends.  

Thanksgiving blessings,

Kathy O’Reilly

Thanksgiving Feast Photos

Students K-8 enjoyed the annual Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday where the 8th grade students took a leadership role and served their fellow students!

Our 8th grade social committee worked hard on table decorations (with the help of Mrs. Crawford from Mosie's Posies Flower Bar). They invited students to Come To The Table and use the table talk cards for conversation. Students also wrote a thankful note and placed it on the banner.  

Spirit Wear - Morganheimer Premier Open for One More Week

Good news…..Our long-time vendor for St. Brigid spirit wear options (non-vintage) is staying open for one more week. If you missed the cut off for orders, Morganheimer Premier is opening their spirit wear store for one more week. They had a few requested new items come in last minute and will be accepting orders until November 30th. Use the link below to shop their sale, which includes a few new items! *As a reminder, if you are looking for items in a certain color, click on the item to see all available color options. 

Check out the link below to order:

https://saintbrigid.itemorder.com/[saintbrigid.itemorder.com]

Prospective Families Open House

Sunday, January 28 from 3-5 PM

This is the perfect time for interested friends, family or neighbors to explore our three-time Blue Ribbon School. Prospective families can tour our school and see first-hand how Saint Brigid of Kildare School provides a quality Catholic education in a warm environment. There will be representatives from Saint Brigid of Kildare School’s many programs available to answer questions.

Spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested in applying to Saint Brigid of Kildare School for the 2024-2025 school year!

Our new family application and the open house RSVP open on Monday, December 4. Anyone interested in applying for the next school can learn more about the process here.

The Annual Fund Thanks You!

Here at St. Brigid of Kildare we are blessed to have the best and most supportive parents. The teachers, staff and administration are so fortunate to be able to provide the best educational opportunities for your children because you are so generous to the Annual Fund. The fieldtrips, parties, visiting authors and ALSO programs are just a few of the areas you fund with your donations. The Annual Fund pays for teacher appreciation and the teacher’s wish lists in the beginning of the school year. As we count our many blessings during this Thanksgiving holiday, we are so thankful for all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!

8th Grade Service Committee Project + Sign Up Link

Last year, St. Brigid of Kildare School partnered with Home and School to create stockings filled with goodies for kids. All the younger grades worked with their older grade buddies to make the stockings together. Everyone had so much fun and we really enjoyed helping The Ronald McDonald House!

The current 8th grade service committee would like to follow in their footsteps by helping a LOCAL organization called A Kid Again. Their mission statement is to serve children with a life-threatening condition. This organization helps families participate in fun activities like the Columbus Zoo, Christmas Parties, Kings Island, and Buckeye games.  

A Kid Again also provides family baskets for when a child goes into the hospital. On Wednesday, December 6th, after St. Nick’s visit to school, students will be meeting with their buddies around the school to create a prayer bracelet for these children.

Thank you to Home and School for helping fund this service project!

Any parents willing and able to come in and assist us during this service project, please sign up on the Sign Up Genius below.

To Learn more about the A Kid Again Organization and how you and your family could help, please visit this link.

Together, at the Table, we are serving God and the Community!

Emmaus Road Scholarship Program

Ohio Tax Credit Program

This weekend at Mass, we spoke about a state program that allows donors to receive a tax credit on their Ohio tax return up to $750 ($1,500 if married and filing jointly).

This program allows donors to give the gift of Catholic education while receiving a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their Ohio taxes.

Through the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund, Ohio taxpayers may donate to a K-12 Catholic school to be used for tuition scholarships based on financial need. The donor then receives a dollar-for-dollar non-refundable tax credit on their Ohio state tax return up to $750 ($1,500 if married and filing jointly).

This program helps make Catholic education accessible and affordable while giving donors the power to put their tax dollars to work to lead children to an encounter with Christ.

To learn more or give, click the link below.

SPiCE Spotlight: What is SPiCE?

SPiCE stands for Special People in Catholic Education.  

• SPiCE is a school community organization that supports the education of all children with learning needs.
• SPiCE is for the entire school and parish community.
• SPiCE raises funds and awareness in the parish and beyond to educate and address the special needs that exist and to meet those needs.

History of SPiCE

SPiCE was created in 2001 at St. Catharine School in Bexley, Ohio. Parents Mary Ginn & Bob Ryan, along with the help of Msgr. Sorohan, pastor, and Mrs. Janet Weisner, principal at the time, formally created the program with three goals: to raise awareness of special needs and the ability to serve special needs children in a Catholic School setting, to raise funds to help serve these needs, and to serve as a model to other parishes both within the diocese and beyond. The news of SPiCE spread rapidly and was soon adopted by many other parishes and schools in the Diocese of Columbus. The SPiCE program was created at Saint Brigid of Kildare School in 2007, and has served hundreds of students since.

To read the personal story of Mary Ginn & Bob Ryan, SPiCE co-founders, click here.

The Mission of SPiCE at St. Brigid:

The St. Brigid of Kildare SPiCE program recognizes that each of our parish and school children are unique individuals with diverse learning needs. The SPiCE program supports serving the educational needs of all children as our parish believes children have a variety of learning styles that provide diversity in the classroom environment.

Working together with the support of the SPiCE program, the parish community, pastor, administration, teachers, and parents all will work to provide understanding, information, creativity, and willingness to address special education needs.

Family First Advent Series: Behold

Mom to Mom & Sisters in Christ will be watching and discussing the book Behold. There will be copies available for $8.25 during Mom to Mom.

Join Mom to Mom on Wednesdays 9:45-11am in the Church Basement with free childcare in Carr Nursery.

Sisters in Christ meet on Wednesdays from 1:15-2:45 PM in the Deacon’s room.

https://www.avemariapress.com/products/behold 

Advent Series on Behold

November 29– Behold Motherhood

December 6–  Behold Fatherhood

December 13– Behold Childhood

December 20– No Meeting – Finish 4th week at home with family

Giving Tree Project

The Giving Tree Project has been a parish tradition and demonstration of generosity for many years. Last year, over 600 gifts and >$10,000 in donations were provided by your generosity, making a significant difference in the lives of others.

This year, our parish will be collecting a variety of items for Bishop Griffin Resource Center, Gladden Community House, Heinzerling Community, Kentucky Mission, St. Lawrence Haven/St. Vincent de Paul, St. Stephen’s Community House, and the St. Brigid Emergency Fund.

The Giving Trees with ornaments will be in the gathering area of the church on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12. There is also a list of gifts on the Giving Tree SignUpGenius, or you can make a monetary donation online at www.stbrigidofkildare.org or by check to the Parish Office.

Jesus and the Eucharist

This seven-session series will immerse participants in the gospel proclamation (Sessions 1-4) and unveil God’s saving work in the Eucharist (Sessions 5-7).

Session 1: What’s Our Story?

Session 2: Who Is Jesus?

Session 3: Am I Saved?

Session 4: Why a Church?

Session 5: God Is With Us

Session 6: The Story of the Eucharist

Session 7: Bread for the Journey

Learn about the many ways you can participate and sign up at the link below.

Thinking About Becoming Catholic?

There's still time to join RCIA!

• Have you ever thought about becoming Catholic?
• Do you think you might like to look into the Catholic way of Life?
• Do you know someone interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith?

 You are invited to join us!

All classes will be held on Tuesday evenings, from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Berry Room. The calendar for this coming year is on our website at www.stbrigidofkildare.org/rcia. For more information contact Kim VanHuffel at [email protected] or complete the form on the website above.

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: 



12/14/2023 Zoom PGC (Columbus) 6:00pm

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/