St. Joseph's Indian School

Back to school, practicing Generosity at St. Joseph’s

It is our first week back at St. Joseph’s Indian School. The Lakota (Sioux) students are getting settled into their new classrooms and new routines. At lunchtime, however,

Claire is a St. Joseph's houseparent — Claire

they have been looking longingly at their new playground, which is still a few weeks from completion. They have been checking the blueprints posted outside the school office, marveling at the towers, tunnels and slides. They can hardly wait! In the meantime, they have playtime in another area — walking, talking, and playing basketball.

Most of the physical work on campus happens during the summer time, so it is behind the scenes. The students arrive to see clean homes, new sidewalks and beautiful lawns. Seeing a crew of people doing construction on the playground is a bit of a novelty.

Not finished quite yet, St. Joseph’s new playground is under construction. — The new playground for the Lakota boys and girls is making progress, but not done yet.

It has also proven to be an opportunity for generosity.

At St. Joseph’s, we practice the Circle of Courage values of Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. These first few weeks of school we focus hard on Belonging—making sure each student feels connected in their home and classrooms, assuaging the inevitable bouts of homesickness, and building a sense of community.

Some of our eighth grade students jumped at the chance to practice other values as well. They used some of the cooking skills they learned in Personal Living Skills class to make treats for the playground construction crew – demonstrating Mastery.

They walked out to the playground site bearing a large container of lemonade and a pan of Rice Krispie treats—in a

The Lakota students practiced Generosity by bringing a snack to the crew working on the playground. — St. Joseph’s students brought cold lemonade and a snack to the crew on a hot day to demonstrate generosity.

show of Independence and Generosity.

The students introduced themselves and got to know the names of the crew, who hail from Omaha, Nebraska. It was a hot afternoon, and the crew was very grateful for a snack and some cold lemonade.

The students were grateful and excited to see the progress being made on the playground. They heard about what it was going to look like when it was finished, and got personal assurances that they were going to have a well-built, top-of-the-line play area. It was such a good experience for the students that they are planning on visiting again in the upcoming weeks.

As for staff, we were proud of our students, grateful for the hard work of the construction crew, and especially grateful for donors who made this new playground possible. Thank you to everyone —from our grounds crew, to the construction crew, to all benefactors who contributed. Pilamaya!

Claire N.

Paraprofessional

The Lakota students introduced themselves and thanked the crew working on St. Joseph’s new playground. — Pilamaya – thank you – for working on our playground!

St. Joseph’s Indian School is back in session!

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph's Chaplain — Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph’s Chaplain

We are now officially back in session! The Lakota (Sioux) students began arriving on campus about noon Sunday. I walked around campus to greet veterans and newcomers and learned that we are expecting 170 for grades 1-8 and have nearly 50 students attending Chamberlain High School.

When our high school students are back next week, we’ll be operating at full capacity of 220 students!

Some families made an event of bringing their sons and daughters to school. One checked in and got squared away and then the whole family went fishing on the Missouri River. Others with more than one child, started at one home and then moved around campus getting everyone the right home.

The first day of school, the Lakota children wore sunglasses – their future’s so bright, they gotta wear shades! — The future’s so bright we’ve gotta wear shades!

St. Joseph’s has 20 homes on campus – 10 boys’ homes and 10 girls’ homes, which are then divided into age groups:

Grades 1-3
Grades 4-6
Grades 7-8
Grades 9-12

St. Joseph’s houseparents were waiting to welcome each student and their family to campus. They shared basic information like how to stay in touch once the school year is underway, contact numbers and schedules.

My office is near the health center, so I was able to welcome back some of the early arrivals as they came for the nurses to take their height and weight measurements, do initial eye tests, find cases for their eye glasses and verify any medication the student might take.

St. Joseph’s staff tried to make the experience of coming back to school as joyful and happy as possible – we understand that it’s hard to be away from home. Each student was given a small blue St. Joseph’s backpack containing a few treats and a note of explanation:

‘We are popping with excitement that you are here’ — with a bag of popcorn.
‘It is a joy that you came to St. Joseph’s’ — with an Almond Joy bar.
‘The Great Spirit will save you when you are in trouble’ —explained the Life Savers candy.
‘If you’re feeling blue, just dance and grab a tissue’ — with a pack of Kleenex.
‘If you’re nervous about the first day of school, don’t worry we’ve bean there before’ — with a Beanie Baby toy.

“Welcome to St. Joseph’s, we are glad you are here!”

School started an hour late Monday and students had the opportunity to “smudge” on their way in. This is a Lakota tradition of burning sweet grass and then pulling some of the smoke over you as a blessing and purification.

The Lakota boys and girls loved the Welcome Back to School cards you sent! — Thank you for the Welcome Back to School cards you sent the Lakota children!

As the children entered the school teachers, guidance counselors and staff waited with sun glasses of various descriptions – the theme of the day was ‘the future is so bright you need to wear shades.’

So we are off to a flying start!

We are grateful for your generosity that provides the resources and school supplies the children need. We are also grateful to be able to have some fun with the sunglasses and goodies!

We ask for your prayers that our students, teachers, counselors and houseparents – new and returning – may get off to a wonderful start and feel at home. Be assured of our prayers for you and yours.

Pilamaya – thank you – for the kindness you show the Lakota children!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

The excitement is growing at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

The excitement is growing at St. Joseph’s Indian School as we end All Staff Orientation Week. Around St. Joseph’s campus, this is a time of great anticipation. We are

Mike, St. Joseph's Director — Mike, St. Joseph’s Director

renewing old acquaintances and preparing for the school year that lies ahead. Child Services Staff have had some time off and the spirits are high.

Although most Child Services Staff (houseparents, teachers and Family Service Counselors) were away for part of the summer, our Facilities Crew has been busy. The campus looks great! General upkeep and many maintenance projects have been finished with others nearing completion. The playground is torn up as we are preparing the area for our new playground equipment. It will be so awesome when it’s finished!

Our Development Staff has also been very busy this summer. They work with our generous donors to provide the necessary resources for all our programs. They are getting ready for events like our powwow in September and upcoming Donor Luncheons.

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, St. Joseph’s Indian School is able to educate and care for 200 Lakota (Sioux) children every year. — The Lakota children start school at St. Joseph’s on Monday, August 11!

As we come back together after a break, there is visiting and catching up to do. Employees learn about each other’s summer trips; weddings we attended or even participated in; updates on changes that have happened in each other’s lives. There is home and classroom prep along with staff meetings.

We also catch up on what we have heard about our Lakota students. Are they having good or not-so-good summers? I saw so-and-so at the store, this or that. The Family Service Counselors have some updates from their travels, but there are other stories that will have to be checked out next week when the students arrive.

On Wednesday, all our staff came together for our traditional beginning of the year kickoff. We fittingly started with a prayer service in the Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. We asked for guidance and inspiration from the Great Spirit in meeting our important mission for the children and families we serve. The prayer service was followed by an all-staff meeting and lunch.

Yes, spirits are high as we look to carry out the work of our mission this year! We are blessed to be the hands of our donors, working directly with the Lakota children and families who come to St. Joseph’s for help.

Thank you for your generous support!

Mike, St. Joseph’s Director

The Lakota children arrive at St. Joseph’s in less than a week!

Good afternoon!

As All Staff Orientation begins to unfold at St. Joseph’s Indian School, you can almost hear the pitter patter of little (and big!) feet. The Lakota (Sioux) students will arrive for the upcoming school year in less than a week! All our staff are busy making sure everything is ready.

The orientation process gives veterans and new staff the chance to get to know one another, share insights and to ask and answer questions. All these preparations make the opening of the school year easier for everyone when the homes open Sunday and the students arrive.

Houseparents will put final touches on their home to welcome the students to their home-away-from-home. Teachers also are getting their classrooms in order and doing last minute decorating to welcome the children.

St. Joseph’s Family Service Counselors work with houseparents, teachers and support staff to help everyone understand how they can best prepare themselves to deal with the various experiences and needs the students will have.

Orientation will cap off Thursday with a picnic for all employees to share some good food and camaraderie for the opening of the 2014-2015 school year.

As part of the effort to make our program at St. Joseph’s Indian School interesting and challenging, our Principal, Kathleen, took part in a conference on education sponsored by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJs) this summer. She and the principals of other SCJ schools from around the world met to share ideas and foster ways of promoting the spiritual values of Fr. Leo John Dehon, SCJ and Founder of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

The Lakota children will return to St. Joseph’s on August 10, so homes and classrooms are being prepared. — St. Joseph’s houseparents are stocking cupboards and getting ready for the Lakota boys and girls to return for the start of the school year!

It has been a bit noisy around the Chamberlain community these last few days. Bikers are passing through on their way to the Black Hills and the annual Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In the past we have had the opportunity to bless a number of the riders and their motorcycles. We wish them safe travels and an enjoyable time!

The beautiful green of early summer is quickly fading to shades of tan and gold. Rain has been scarce lately. Hopefully, we will be blessed with rain between now and powwow so things will be nice and green for the event. We would love to have you join us for our annual powwow September 12-13. You can register to attend and find more information at stjo.org/powwow.

We hope you have a great week! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare the arrival of our Native American students, and for safe travel of our students as they return for the upcoming school year! May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity to for the care and education of the Lakota children attending St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Making Dreams Come True at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Isn’t it just amazing how sometimes a plan comes together?! And how quickly it can happen? Don’t you find yourself saying No way!?

Geri, St. Joseph's Major Gifts Director — Geri, St. Joseph’s Major Gifts Director

St. Joseph’s Development or Business Office had one of those moments this spring when a donor told us a check was on the way to cover 45% of the cost for updating the playground!

We were overwhelmed with gratitude, and we’re so excited the playground project is moving forward!

St. Joseph’s Indian School isn’t simply in the fundraising business. We are in the Making Dreams Come True business – not only for the Lakota (Sioux) students and their families we are privileged to serve, but also our donors.

It’s such a blessing to help people make a difference in the lives of Native American children.

Thanks to the generosity of many friends, the Lakota children have a safe place to play and learn at St. Joseph’s Indian School. — The Lakota children love playing outside at St. Joseph’s!

St. Joseph’s average donation is around $21. We don’t have a large corporation that contributes millions of dollars each year. One by one, people who genuinely care about serving Lakota children and their families make it possible for us to continue our mission year after year.

At St. Joseph’s Indian School, we don’t just provide for the education and basic needs of poverty-stricken Native American children – we help make dreams come true!

You make dreams come true.

Pilamaya – thank you – for your generous support to make a difference in a Lakota child’s life!

Help us reach our goal by making your donation to the playground project now!

Thank you,

Geri, St. Joseph’s Director of Major Gifts

Staff return to St. Joseph’s – the Lakota (Sioux) children are next!

And so it begins!

Where did the summer go? Monday morning, orientation began for new houseparents, teachers, counselors and support staff. We have 29 new team members for the 2014-2015 school year.

One mentioned she felt God’s call to come and offer her service to St. Joseph’s Indian School. This reflects an attitude many have shared in the past. We are grateful for this spirit of mission and that God calls the right people at the right time to cross paths and serve the Lakota youngsters.

When new staff were asked what qualities they bring to the job, some of the comments included:

Patience
Empathy
Wisdom
Humor
Compassion
Creativity
Love of young people

May the giver of all good gifts, our Heavenly Father, enable them to have many opportunities to share these gifts with everyone around them, students and staff.

St. Joseph’s new staff members are on campus and have begun their training. — All St. Joseph’s staff members have extensive training in working with children.

All staff will be back on campus next week, but final touches for the upcoming school year are still being made. The new playground equipment is being delivered over the next few days and it will be a challenge to get everything bolted and in place by the opening of school on August 11. Pilamaya – thank you – for your continued generosity that allows us to provide a safe environment for the children we serve!

Many guests and visitors have been stopping at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. I hope you and your family will have the opportunity to visit one day soon. It is good to see the museum parking lot filled with vehicles from all over the USA and beyond. Our visitors are impressed by the facility and we have received several great reviews, such as this blog post.

Remember St. Joseph’s annual powwow coming up September 12-13. For more information or to register, visit www.stjo.org/powwow or call 1-800-584-9200.

Please continue to pray for us as orientation continues this week and for the all-staff orientation next week. Together, we will develop a sense of family and provide the best experience possible for our in-coming students. We are grateful to God for your support and encouragement which allows us to have a positive impact on the children’s lives.

I hope your remaining summer is relaxing and enjoyable. Stay safe and may God’s blessings continue to be with you and yours!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Where did the summer go?

Summer is nearly over at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

I just received a note from Donna, our Human Resources Director – things are looking great for the upcoming school year (which is just around the corner)!

Donna mentioned that our teaching spots have been filled, which is a special accomplishment. Newspapers recently reported that 30% of open teaching positions in South Dakota have not been filled. We even have two new Family Service Counselors hired. The only area still to be filled is for three houseparents. Please keep in your prayers that these openings may be filled with the right people.

See St. Joseph’s available career opportunities here!

New staff orientation started today. All staff orientation begins the first week of August. The Lakota (Sioux) students return August 10 and classes begin August 11. Where did the summer go?

St. Joseph’s hosts donor luncheons in cities across the U.S. Hear the Lakota students tell you their story! — St. Joseph’s students Wankiya and Alan will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio in August for donor luncheons.

Just after school starts, we’ll host our next donor luncheons in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 16 and 17. Two of our students, Alan and Wankiya, will be there with staff to meet you and share their experiences at St. Joseph’s. Register online now or call 1-800-584-9200 for more information. You can also take a look at our event calendar to see if we’re coming to a city near you!

As we continue moving through summer, it’s rodeo and powwow season throughout central South Dakota – fun for all ages! I hope to see you at St. Joseph’s annual powwow on September 13.

Whether you can attend powwow or not, you are always welcome to stop in and visit St. Joseph’s Indian School and see the good you are doing for the Lakota children. Be sure to make time for the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center!

May God continue to keep you in good health. Know we are praying for you in gratitude for your generosity. Pilamaya – thank you!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Summer Projects at St. Joseph’s Indian School

St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew is always busy and summer is no exception! Some projects are big and noticeable – like the new playground. Others are smaller and less

The Lakota children are safe and learning lots thanks to your support! — Thanks to you, the Lakota children have a safe place to learn, play and grow!

interesting… but critical to operations and the safety of the Lakota (Sioux) children nonetheless.

As our programs grow, so does our need for new staff and, consequently, office space. The crew reconfigured space in the school library and in the Kateri Building for three new offices this summer.
The newly installed windows in the Benedictine Building (where boys and girls in grades 1-3 live) are safe and energy efficient – but every one of the 200+ windows needed to be trimmed out. No small task.
While most of the students and teachers are away, carpets get a thorough cleaning.
Painting is a never-ending process, both inside and out.
Many of our brick buildings are decades old, so tuck-pointing is underway to restore the integrity of the brick.

To keep current with government regulations and innovations in the industry, different members of the Facilities Crew take part in training. Recent classes for crew members covered the proper use of respirators, the benefits of a new scrubber in the Rec Center, and features of a computerized preventive maintenance program.

There are multiple other projects underway:

Replacing worn-out carpeting
Repairing concrete
Caulk, caulk, and more caulk!

The repair and upkeep of St. Joseph’s campus is critical in providing our students with a safe, secure environment.

We couldn’t do it without the generous support of our donors – thank you!

St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew is busy with maintenance and repairs before the Lakota children return to school. — Major summer projects are underway and will be completed before the Lakota children return to St. Joseph’s for the new school year.

Pride in St. Joseph’s Team

Good afternoon from deep in the heart of Texas!

With orientation for new staff and all staff just around the corner, I have taken a few days to make a quick visit to my mother in the San Antonio area and enjoy some vacation time. Seems hard to believe summer is going by so quickly!

Though I am away from campus, I wanted to take a moment to express some pride in the people who are part of St. Joseph’s Team.

Brock, one of St. Joseph’s fifth grade teachers, was honored for his dedication to community baseball.

Brock, one of our fifth grade teachers, was honored with the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award for his years of service to the Chamberlain baseball program!

He started as a volunteer in 2001 with the Chamberlain High School baseball program. He stepped down last year after spending the last six seasons as head coach. He also served as head coach of the Chamberlain Legion baseball team from 2002-2013.

In addition to coaching, Brock has been groundskeeper at the field trying to encourage others to enjoy this summer sport. He still is active in the baseball program in the area by serving on the Chamberlain Baseball Association Board.

We are proud to have Brock as part of our St. Joseph’s Indian School team!

Deacon Bud and Frances are active at St. Joseph’s and in the community. — Deacon Bud and Frances have dedicated their lives to serving the Native American people.

Deacon Alfred “Bud” Jetty and his wife, Frances, are also a vital part of St. Joseph’s Indian School, the local community and the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Deacon Bud serves at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain and frequently helps with our Sunday liturgy. He is a positive example to the Lakota students and is also on St. Joseph’s Board of Directors.

Bud and Frances were named Native American Liaisons by Bishop Paul Dudley in 1991. Bud and Frances were both featured in the July 2014 issue of The Bishop’s Bulletin.

Deacon Bud was selected to be State Deputy for the Knights of Columbus (KOC) in 1991 and thus far has been the only Native American to hold the top post in the state. One of his programs was the establishment of a KOC student exchange program giving both Native and other students the chance to experience other worlds. More than 50 such exchanges took place in the first three years and still continue today.

Bud and Frances both take great pride in the canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha – the first Native American Saint. Deacon Bud was a representative of the Diocese of Sioux Falls at her canonization ceremony in Rome. Frances and Bud are looking forward to attending the annual National Tekakwitha Conference in Fargo, North Dakota in August.

Congratulations to Bud and Frances! We are honored to have their support and involvement with St. Joseph’s Indian School. We pray their ongoing example of service and dedication is a reminder that each of us is gifted in a variety of ways and are indeed all related and called on to be present to one another as we fulfill Jesus’ command, “love one another, as I have loved you.”

I hope everyone continues to have a safe and enjoyable summer! I look forward to getting back to campus and welcoming new staff to St. Joseph’s Team.

Your prayers are appreciated that orientation go smoothly so staff will be ready to welcome the students as they return for the opening of school on August 11, 2014.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Hello from St. Joseph’s Personal Care Center!

Hello my name is Julie and I’m the Manager of our Personal Care Center. As a Personal Care Specialist I have the privilege of working with our awesome donors, answering any questions they might have about the school or our Native American students, and also just getting to know them a little more which is the best part!

We currently have six people working at the Personal Care Center and they are the best group of people to work with. I love hearing all the conversations everyone is having over the phone with our donors – you can tell we all love what we do!

We always laugh a little when we get into a “thank you war” – when we thank the donor and then the donor thanks us but then we thank the donor…well you get the point.

I guess you could say both the donor and we here at the Personal Care Center are very grateful for what we are able to do for the Lakota boys and girls!

I am actually pretty new to St. Joseph’s and to the Chamberlain area. I moved to South Dakota with my husband and two daughters in January of this year from San Diego, California and started at St. Joseph’s not long after our move.

My husband grew up in Chamberlain, so I had visited a couple times before we moved. However, I was shocked to see this amazing school in such a small town! Having lived here for 6 months now, I couldn’t imagine a better place for our students to be and receive a great education.

Although working as a Personal Care Specialist keeps me pretty busy, I love being able to participate in activities with our students and learn about Native American culture.

My favorite memories so far would be helping out at the gymnastics performance, attending eighth grade graduation, Senior Prayer service, attending the staff Inipi (a traditional Lakota (Sioux) purification/prayer ceremony), and visiting the seventh grade Native American Studies class.

In addition to her regular job, Julie participates in lots of activities with the Lakota boys and girls. — Julie, formerly a gymnast herself, helped with St. Joseph’s gymnastics camp!

I also had the opportunity to have dinner in one of the homes where the students live during the school year. It was so nice to see how well-mannered and polite they were when I visited with them. We had a nice healthy meal made by one of the houseparents and one of the students gave me a tour of their home. She was really excited to show me her Hello Kitty bedspread and decorations in her room!

Being in the home that night made me think of how important our houseparents are and just how loving they are to the students. A thought came to me later about what a great houseparent my mom would be.

And wouldn’t you know – my mom will be moving from San Diego to be a houseparent starting next month!

It’s funny sometimes how things work out.

I feel blessed to be at St. Joseph’s Indian School doing what I’m doing, surrounded by great people, great kids and all the great work we do here.

Thank you for your generosity!

Julie, Personal Care Center Manager