The O'Reilly Minute

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow our second grade First Communion class and eighth grade Confirmation class will be leading our May procession for the traditional May Crowning ceremony. The procession will leave school at 8:45 and walk towards Avery Road, then proceed through the front doors of the church. This will take place as a part of our 9:00 am school Mass. Please plan to join us if your schedule allows. 

At this time, I have a few staff announcements. We wish Mrs. Kathy Wodarcyk all the best as she retires from 22 years of service at St. Brigid and 36 years in the Diocese of Columbus. Mrs. Wodarcyk will be greatly missed. Her dedication to teaching about our faith and instilling in her young students the power of prayer and the wonder of science has truly been a gift to our school community. Mrs. Wodarcyk’s husband is also retiring and they are planning to travel to many exciting places!  

We also thank Ms. Crystal Bensonhaver for her 9 years of service and dedication to both our choral music and musical theater programs. Ms. Bensonhaver will be transitioning to a new position in the Diocese as the Director of Music for both St. Joan of Arc and St. Peter parishes.  

When the 2023-2024 school year closes we also say goodbye to Mrs. Lindsey Hetrick and Mrs. Jackie Zeller. They have both decided to stay home for the next few years with their new babies and young families. We also wish our school nurse, Ms. Alyson Stickel all the best as she moves to Denver, Colorado to begin the next phase of her professional journey. Additionally, we thank Mrs. Joellen Mechenbier, one of our “lunch ladies” as she retires from her 9 years of service in the cafeteria.  

Wolfhound Field Day, sponsored by the Home and School Annual Fund, is scheduled for Friday, May 24th. Thank you to all of our volunteers. We do have a few volunteer spots open for class helpers for grades 5 - 8. A separate email will be coming to your inbox this Friday with specific details regarding dress, lunch etc. There will also be an opt out permission slip if you do not wish to have your child participate.

Spring blessings,

Kathy O'Reilly

Photo Newsletter: 2nd Grade

Click the link below to view a photo album and learn what the students have been up to in class.

Congrats First Communicants!

Congratulations to the 186 children who received the sacrament of their First Holy Communion this past Saturday!

It was a joyous day as our community celebrated their milestone. We look forward to watching our parish children continue to grow in their faith!

Pastries for Parents

Home & School is hosting Pastries for Parents after the 9 AM school Mass on Thursday, May 23.

Join other parents in Hendricks Hall from 10-11:30 AM for coffee, pastries and conversation. Parents and young children welcome!

Lunch Accounts

Please check your children's lunch account balance to see if there are enough funds in the account to last for the rest of the school year.

Starting on Monday May 20th, any student with a negative balance will be denied second entrees and al-a-carte items.

Please contact Joyce Brown (mrs.brown@stbrigid-school.org) if you have any questions.

A part-time position will be available in the cafeteria for next school year. Please contact Joyce (mrs.brown@stbrigi-school.org) if you are interested. 

Congrats Wolfhounds!

Congrats to our 8th grade baseball Wolfhounds who won their game on Monday night 5-3. Thank you to our many fans and teachers who came out to support them! 

New Family Welcome - Mentors Needed

Home and School is currently looking for parents to sign up to be on the New Family Welcome Committee.  This entails being a mentor to a new family for the next school year.  Mentor families will attend the New Family Welcome Breakfast (Sunday, August 18^th). They will need to be available to check in with their new family monthly and answer any questions to assist with their transition.   Mentors will be paired up with new families with children in the same grade. 

If you are interested in being a new family, please fill out the short survey below. Thank you!

Semi-Annual Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange Aug 11, 2024 10am-1pm

Shoppers, sign up here: Summer 2024 Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange. This sign-up contains more information about the exchange and signing up ensures you’ll receive a reminder to attend. Everything is FREE and you don’t need to donate to attend. If you need items, but can’t attend, let a friend shop for you!

Have items to donate? If you have gently used items for the uniform and spirit wear exchange you have a few options for drop-off:

1. At the school office June 3-7 or Aug 5-9 during school hours
2. At a bin outside Erin Heise’s home at 6588 Wynwright Dr Dublin OH Aug 3-9
3. Bring them with you to the exchange if the other options don't work for you.
4. If you have a ripped jumper or logoed item, please still donate it as we can use it for spare parts (buttons, crest, etc.)!
5. Leftovers will be donated to other schools and charities in need.

Volunteer. Volunteers are needed to organize the exchange, help others find items, and to clean up and pack items for donation at the end of the exchange. If you are free, please sign up here:  Summer 2024 Uniform and Spirit Wear Exchange Volunteer Sign Up

Questions? Email Erin Heise at erinjolene@hotmail.com or Gracie Dziewiatkowski at marygracedzski@gmail.com.

Wolfhound Field Day - Volunteer Sign Up

St. Brigid Super Games (Wolfhound Field Day) will be held on Friday, May 24^th at Brigid’s Green. We are in need of numerous volunteers to ensure the day runs smoothly and the teachers and students have a blast! To volunteer, you MUST be PGC compliant. This year, if you wish to volunteer, we request you only sign up for ONE (1) time slot. This will allow additional families the ability to volunteer. 

For questions regarding Super games, please contact Molly Seago (molly@seagosolutions.net) or Jessica Freiburger (4freixys@gmail.com).

May Nurse Newsletter

Click the link below to read the May newsletter from our school nurse, Alyson Stickel.

May Counselor Newsletter

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

Educational Apparel Sale

Uniform store Educational Apparel is having a summer sale from May 24-31. View the image for more details.

New Book from Preschool Director Hillary Harper

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, join us as we watch Mack and his new best friend Gertie explore calming techniques and self-regulation skills in 1-2-3, A Deep Breath for Me, written by Hillary Harper and illustrated by Felipe Calv.

Mack, an anxious dog, finds help in an unexpected place: his new friend Gertie! Through colorful illustrations and simple language, children will learn to understand their emotions and gain practical techniques, including breathing exercises, visualization techniques, and other self-soothing activities to manage anxiety.

- The Children's Book Review

Diaper Drive - This Week

Raising a child in poverty can be one of the most difficult experiences in the lives of a mother. When the money runs short, children are forced to live off minimal supplies, leading to a smothering of innocence and a spoiling of childhood. And it is our duty as Christians to do anything we can to help these families. 1 in 2 families struggle to buy diapers for their little ones, forcing them to re-use diapers. Fortunately, that is where the World’s Largest Diaper Drive comes in! The 8th Grade Service Committee is inviting St.Brigid families to participate the week of May 13-17!

Sizes For Each Grade:

Preschool - Newborn

Kindergarten - Size 1

1st Grade - Size 1

2nd Grade - Size 2

3rd Grade - Size 3

4th Grade - Size 4

5th Grade - Size 5

6th Grade - Size 6

7th Grade - Pull-ups

8th Grade - Size 3 and 4

Thank you,

8th Grade Service Committee

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health awareness month was established in 1949 to increase awareness and education regarding the importance of mental health and wellness.

Since its inception, Mental Health Awareness Month has

been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by

millions of Americans living with mental health conditions.

Week Two (5/13 - 5/17) Cozy up for Fun!

Having a quiet night at home, watching a movie as a family or having a family game night promotes better self esteem, connection to family and independence. Including downtime in your families week encourages the development of essential skills such as problem solving, time management, adaptability, decision making, and resourcefulness. These life skills will help with school and work life in the future.

"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Accept my work and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will find rest for your souls. The work that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is not heavy.” --Matthew 11:28-30

PE Uniform Reminders for 24-25

Please note for the 2024-25 school year, PE shirts, jackets, and pants will only be available for purchase through the uniform stores. No outside apparel will be accepted. The PE jacket is optional.

The black gym uniform jackets will now be required to have the crest embroidered on them and will also be an accepted layering piece to wear with your school uniform. There will also be green layering pieces available that will have an embroidered crest as well. Any of these layering pieces (green or black) can be worn with both the gym uniform and the school uniform.  There will be no need to have both a green and a black layering piece unless you choose to purchase both.  There will be several options available in green or black and both will be acceptable to wear everyday with either uniform.

As a reminder, gym uniforms are required for grades 5-8 only. All of the green and black layering pieces available can be worn for grades P-8.

The full dress code can be found in our handbook here, beginning on page 21.

Girls’ and boys’ uniforms are available online and in-store at the following locations: 

Schoolbelles, 867 Bethel Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214. 614-336-2040

Educational Apparel, 3906 Brown Park Dr., Hilliard, OH 614-876-3030  

If you have any questions about the gym uniform, please feel free to contact Stacy Austin (317-694-6202) or Jaime Schiavone (614-595-5677) of the School Advisory Committee. 

All Bus Riders: Register for Bus Transportation

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.

Olentangy Schools Requests:

All Non-Public parents (new or returning) must fill out this online form by June 20, 2024.

Dublin Schools Requests:

All Non-Public parents (new or returning) please complete this form by June 30, 2024.

Hilliard School Requests:

All Non-Public parents (new or returning) please complete this form by June 15, 2024.

Gifts of Gratitude: Teacher & Staff Appreciation Gifts

What is it?

Gifts of gratitude is a program established by the Home and School Association as a united effort to provide a generous monetary gift to every teacher and staff member at Christmas and the end of the year to thank them for all they do for our children. Gifts of Gratitude is different from The Annual Fund.  

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.  

What if I already participated at Christmas?

If your family donated to the Gifts of Gratitude program previously this school year, there is no need to donate again. We only ask for each family to donate once per school year.

Will my family be recognized for participating?

Yes -- the teachers and staff will receive a list of families who participate in this

program. 

How much should I give?

The suggested annual gift amount is $25 per child, however any given amount is graciously accepted and appreciated!

Can't remember if you already contributed?

No worries -- just contact Sarah Graf (614-256-8422) or Sarahstarks77@hotmail.com and she will let you know!

You can find the link for Gifts of Gratitude at the button below. Choose your donation amount and that's it. It's that easy! It's such a simple way to show appreciation to your child/children's teachers and the staff at St Brigid of Kildare.  

Summer Tutoring

Summer tutoring is available from many Saint Brigid of Kildare staff members. Staff can be contacted via email or by calling the school office and leaving a message.

Click below for the list of teachers, subjects and contact information.

Family First Summer Fun

St. Brigid's Family First group is holding many activities for families this summer, including Mass meet ups, adoration, popsicles on the playground, service, playgroups and more. For all details, view the flyer below.

Sandwich Saturday - May 18

At Sandwich Saturday 1000 bologna sandwiches are made to support various food pantries in downtown Columbus. This is a great way to start off your weekend with an act of service and it only takes 30 minutes! It is perfect for all ages (including those in need of service hours) and no registration is needed.

The sandwich making starts promptly at 9:00 am in the school cafeteria so come a little early to get settled. We also accept donations of individually packaged snacks. Sandwich Saturday is a project of the Social Action committee.

If you can't make it in person, you can also sign up to contribute through Sandwich Saturday at Home at the link below.

SBAA Fall Sports Registration - Now Open

St Brigid Athletic Association is happy to announce Fall Sports Registration is now open.  Please note strict deadlines for registration, there will be no extension of registration dates - so please register as soon as possible - some registration dates are sooner than normal due to new season start dates, new sports, and attempts to have teams formed on time and be able to have enough coaches. Please note - if you register by May 1, an Early Bird 10% discount will be applied on your registration fees.

New this year will be an attempt to have dedicated St. Brigid Soccer teams to participate in the diocese CYO program - notice the season starts in the summer so that it could be a sport that you also play while doing other fall sports very easily.  If you have specific questions about soccer, please reach out to Commissioner Allison Heacock or AD Bill Baumel asap.

Also new this year, the diocese CYO is offering Flag Football for grades 1-4, so please look into this option for those incoming 1st-4th graders for the fall.

We are also in search of a new Volleyball Commissioner - without finding one we may not be able to offer Volleyball in the fall.  We have been searching through existing coaches and parents, but we haven't found someone yet to take over this role.  Please reach out to info@gowolfhounds.com if you would be interested in giving back to the St. Brigid Volleyball program.  

If you have any questions about a specific sport, please reach out to each respective commissioner/ contact.  If you have any problems with registrations, please reach out to shawn.steinbrunner@gmail.com for any registration problems.

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: 

6/11/2024 St Brigid of Kildare, Hendricks Hall 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 & St. Charles Summer Camps

Registration is now open for summer camps! Bishop Watterson High School and St. Charles are hosting a variety of summer camps, including academics, athletics, art, theatre, robotics and more, ranging for children in incoming grades 2-9. Click the links below to learn more.

• BWHS Summer Camps
• St. Charles Summer Camps