WOLFHOUND WEDNESDAY
September 9, 2020
We enjoyed having Bishop Brennan, Superintendent Adam Dufault, Monsignor Hendricks and Father Morris here on Friday morning to welcome our students! Bishop Brennan then stayed and led our morning prayers via Google Meets. Click here for more photos.
TIP: Some email providers shorten or "clip" this email to reduce its length. Please click "view entire message" at the bottom of this email to view the entire email and ensure you don't miss anything!
The O'Reilly Minute
Dear Parents,

As we begin the school year, "We Are All in This Together" is now becoming a practical reality. Our communication must be frequent and transparent. The health of our school community depends on it. We promise to share health information with our school families, and we need to hear the same from you! 

YOUR ROLE AS PARENTS:

1 - Keep your child/children home if:
  • he/she is experiencing any of the following COVID-19 symptoms: fever (> 100.0), cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, congestion/runny nose, sore throat, chills, body aches, fatigue, headache, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, new loss of appetite/taste/smell. Contact your Health Care Provider if symptoms worsen or persist for longer than 24 hours.
  • he/she becomes aware of a COVID-19 exposure: closer than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes with a person diagnosed with COVID-19.

2 - Notify attendance if your child is staying home. 
  • You can do this by either emailing attendance@stbrigid-school.org or calling the school office at (614) 718-5825; to speak to/ or leave a message for the nurse, use ext. 239.
  • Please include in your email or phone communication the following information: Student name with positive COVID case (or absence due to symptoms or quarantining), date of diagnosis (positive test, physician diagnosis, or symptoms), and contact phone number of parent/guardian.

OUR ROLE AS A SCHOOL:

  1. Upon notification of a positive COVID-19 case within a school or staff member, the school will notify the entire school community within 24 hours.
  2. Pods and/or grade levels of the positive case will additionally be notified. Parents will be given more information regarding symptoms to monitor or if quarantining is needed. 
  3. Our COVID-19 school dashboard will be updated with positive case counts every 24 hours (as needed). This can be found on our Safe Together webpage (formerly called “Reopening Safely Plan”). 

As always, feel free to email Peggy Iannarino, our school nurse, to discuss pertinent information
regarding your student: mrs.iannarino@stbrigid-school.org.

Please note that we have updated our website and changed our “Reopening Safely” Tab to “Safe Together”. We will keep this tab updated with the most recent information that we have to share. Today you will find posted an updated Travel Policy with the most recent guidance from the CDC and Health Department as of September 2, 2020.  
 
In closing, I would like to ask our community to pray a prayer of thanksgiving for keeping the Delligatti Family (Adrienne, Chad, Giada-6th grade, Luca-5th grade) safe. Their home was struck by lighting, causing severe fire damage during the storm Monday evening. The family, including their pets, all escaped safely. While they lost most of their belongings the family feels very blessed to be safe and together.  

Blessings,
Kathy O’Reilly
Curriculum Night Part 1: Videos
This year’s Curriculum Nights will be virtual. We will split this up over two parts — the first part is the teacher videos and handout links included below. Next week there will be more information on teacher Zoom sessions.

Click the link below, then click your child’s grade level to view their curriculum info.
Drop Off & Pick Up Updates & Reminders
We continue to work on fine-tuning our morning arrival and afternoon dismissal procedures; thank you for your help, for your patience, and for your attention to the details of our plans. We would like to offer some reminders at this time:

Morning:
  • Students need to exit their cars wherever their cars end up in the drop-off line and then walk to their entry doors. Please do not attempt to drop your children off right in front of their respective entry doors, as this really slows down our drop-off line. 
  • Cars need to pull all the way through the drop-off zone before dropping off, and the first car for each drop-off cycle needs to pull up all the way up to the front of Enke Hall, where Mrs. Lombardo will typically be standing on the sidewalk. Please don't stop halfway through the drop-off zone. When cars do this, it causes a great delay since not as many cars can drop off at a time.
  • Children will also be allowed to exit their cars along the basketball hoop side of the Enke lot, as long as they exit from the passenger side ONLY. Children will then walk directly to the sidewalk by the climbing toy. This will allow us to exit approximately 15 cars at a time, and then fill those 15 spots again quickly with the next set of cars.

Afternoon:
  • Once parked in the Enke lot, all cars should be turned off.
  • Parents/guardians are invited to stand in front of their cars' front bumpers, with masks on, to greet their children.  
  • It is very important that L-Z car rider parents/guardians arrive at school no earlier than 3pm.

Thank you for your help!
Parent Notice of Upcoming Fire Drill
During this time of Covid-19, we realize that anxiety levels could be heightened during otherwise routine fire drills and safety drills. Therefore, we wish to continue with prior notification to parents before these drills in hopes of alleviating any anxiety you or your child might have. Last year we did this with the school safety drills. This year we wish to add prior parent notification for fire drills also.

Our first fire drill we be held on September 11, 2020. Working with our local fire inspector, we were able to design a drill that would also adhere to social distancing protocols.  The drill will involve a teacher led discussion about what to do in the event of a real fire and that social distancing would no longer be the main priority and we would all evacuate at the same time.
Hopefully, these prior notices will help you to talk as a family before the drill to calm any nervous feelings.

Please know that your child's safety and comfort level with these drills is always at the forefront. The drills are purposely designed to be the least anxiety inducing drills that we can run and to get our students back into educational mode as quickly as possible.

Please reach out to Mr. Bruce McKenna with any questions. He can be reached at 614.718.5825 ext. 276 or mr.mckenna@stbrigid-school.org
Morning Prayers with Bishop Brennan
Last Friday, our students and staff were lucky enough to be greeted by Bishop Brennan, Superintendent Adam Dufault, Monsignor Hendricks and Father Morris as they arrived in the morning. Bishop Brennan then stayed to lead our morning prayers for all of our in-school and home learners.

To view the video of Friday's morning prayers with Bishop Brennan, click the link below.
Spiritwear Store Now Open
The Wolfhound Spiritwear Store is open now until September 27 with new items available.

The new store link is below. Options for pick up will be at the store during store hours, or shipped directly to your home.

If there are any Spiritwear questions, please contact Stacy Austin stacyandrob2001@yahoo,com, Lesley Beran lesley.beran@gmail.com or Katie Davis katherinedavis8@gmail.com
Updated Policy on Travel
Updated: September 2, 2020

The travel policy is a safety precaution to continue our efforts in supporting the well-being of the children, our families, and our staff.  

When making your travel plans, please keep in mind that you will be required to quarantine for 14 days if you travel to a hot spot or high risk state as defined by the CDC and/or the State of Ohio. Please consult the State of Ohio website here.

You will not need to quarantine after travel and may return to school immediately if you did not travel to a hot spot or a high risk state, if you were not exposed to Covid-19, and you are not showing symptoms of Covid-19.

Please be sure to plan ahead and check the CDC and State of Ohio travel advisories before making your plans.

As always, our goal is to minimize disruption while at the same time keeping you, your family, and our staff healthy and well.
Mom to Mom: Fall 2020
Hey moms! Come and refill your spiritual cups with Mom to Mom this Fall as we meet Thursday afternoons 1:15 to 2:15 pm via Zoom! Mom to Mom is a vibrant faith-sharing community and discussion group that includes Catholic moms in all stages of motherhood.

We’ll gather virtually beginning September 24th and discuss podcasts which will be emailed in advance. Topics include, but will not be limited to, Catholic parenting, marriage enrichment and spirituality. Don’t miss this chance to connect spiritually with other moms in the comfort of your own home, car or wherever your busy schedule takes you!

To be added to our email list, please send a request to stbrigidfamilyfirst@gmail.com.

Zoom links and the Fall schedule will be posted on our website at stbrigidofkildare.org/familyfirst.

Please contact Gretchen O’Reilly (gsoreilly@yahoo.com) or Erin Heise (erinjolene@hotmail.com) with any questions.
Volunteer with Home & School
The Home & School Association is a parent-run organization with the purpose of enriching the Catholic School experience for Saint Brigid of Kildare students and staff by supporting our school’s mission statement, building a strong sense of community spirit, and expressing appreciation to those committed to our school.

While many events typically planned each year are currently tentative, we are still collecting volunteer sign ups so that if and when these programs and events can return (whether virtually or in their traditional form), we will have volunteers who are interested in helping!



First Home & School Meeting - Wed, Sept 9 at 7 PM via Zoom
The first Home & School kick-off meeting will be held next Wednesday, September 9 at 7 PM via Zoom. All are welcome to join!

Room Parent Sign Up Due This Week
Room parents are a division of the Home & School Association who usually help plan 2-3 parties per year for your child(ren)’s classroom, as well as assist with other outreach projects, as needed. There are two room parents per classroom. While room parent duties may look different this year due to physical distancing, we are still collecting sign ups for parents who may be interested.

To sign up to be a room parent, use the same Home & School Volunteer Form linked below. The deadline to sign up is this week.

If you have any questions about becoming a room parent, please contact Laura Farnham (lfarnham@erpartners.net), Amy Creekmur (amycreekmur@gmail.com), or Kelly Scott (kellynicolescott@hotmail.com).
Gifts of Gratitude
Gifts of gratitude was established by the Home and School Association as a united effort to provide a generous monetary gift to every school and parish teacher and staff member at Christmas and the end of the year to thank them for all they do for our children.

Why participate?
This is a convenient way for families to make sure that each teacher, aide, and staff member who touches your child’s life is recognized for all they do at St. Brigid. Instead of several small gifts from each student, each teacher and staff member will receive a monetary gift that they choose how to use–whether they want to splurge on themselves or help with their own family’s expenses.

Will my family be recognized for participating?
Yes — the teachers and staff will receive a list of families who participate in this program. You may also let the teachers and staff know that you participated in the program by marking “G.O.G” inside your Christmas card.

How much do I give?
The suggested annual gift amount is $25 per child once a year, however any given amount is graciously accepted!
Join the Cub Scouts
Is your son interested in scouting? Cub Scouts Pack 117 is hosting their first monthly pack meeting, a bike rally, on September 18th from 6-8pm. Sign up soon to ensure they don’t miss out on any of the fun!

Parents please email lkramerjr@gmail.com and rpetersen3@gmail.com to sign up or for more details.
Lunch Calendar
The lunch calendar for August and September is available to view on our website here. Please note there is a google calendar option and a printable PDF option for viewing.

2020-2021 Salad Bar Info:
Students will have the option to purchase pre-packaged salads.
Option 1: Chef Salad – romaine lettuce, cheese, ham, turkey, egg, cucumber, tomato, croutons
Option 2: Ceasar Salad – romaine lettuce, chicken, parmesan cheese, croutons
Salad bar will also include the fruit that is being served for hot lunches that day, bagel and/or crackers, milk and water.
Chocolate, white milk or a 10 oz bottled water is also included with salad bar. Additional milk can be purchased for $0.50 and water for $0.25.

Had a change in income?
Your child may be eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. Please contact the cafeteria or school office for an application. All information is kept confidential.
Fall Updates from St. Brigid Athletics Association
Diocesan flag and tackle football has been postponed until the spring season but in addition to cross country and volleyball, baseball will now be offered this fall.  See below details:

Boys Baseball
When: Practices start late August, games mid-September - October
Who: 4th - 8th Grade boys that are St. Brigid students or parishioners.
   Note: To limit the risk of spreading the virus, at this time we cannot take boys that are not St. Brigid students or parishioners.
Registration fee: $160
Questions: baseball@gowolfhounds.com

Cross-Country
You should have already registered for the team (if not, please do so), but we also now will need to process your "Cross-Country Payment" - please sign-up for this on the site and we can complete things now that the season has been given an approval to begin.

Volleyball
You should have already registered for the team (if not, please do so), but we also now will need to process your "Volleyball Payment" - please sign-up for this on the site and we can complete things now that the season has been given an approval to begin.

Don't forget your Spring Refund Coupons!!!
Those of you that had your Spring Athletics registration fees refunded in the form of coupons, please don't forget to use those for the fall.  If you have problems with the coupon or can't find that email, please email shawn.steinbrunner@gmail.com for assistance.