The school bell has rung!!! The Lakota students began arriving yesterday, and some came in early this morning. As the students entered school this morning, the teachers and staff greeted them with leis –the traditional sign of welcome in Hawaii. We have a large number of students this year. It looks like we’ll have 50 high school students and 166 students in grades 1-8, for a total of 216 Native American youngsters! We are grateful for your generosity that makes it possible to welcome in so many students to St. Joseph’s Indian School.
As part of our commitment to make sure we can offer a safe environment for the students we serve, our staff has learned about the Olwes Bullying Prevention Program.
It was developed in Norway by Dr. Dan Olwes and has been used here in the United States for about 5 years now. It is a program that encourages all St. Joseph’s staff, not just teachers and houseparents, but anyone who will be in contact with the students, to be alert to any negative actions or words so that someone can step in on the spot to prevent the situation from escalating further.
We have ‘no bullying’ signs up around campus and will have an official kick-off at the start of September to remind everyone that it’s necessary to treat each other with respect and dignity.
We began the monthly novena of Masses for all our benefactors on Sunday, August 11 and it will continue to August 19. We offer this novena each month as our way of saying thanks to you for your support and encouragement.
I hope each of you has a wonderful week and that God’s blessings and strength will continue to be with you.
It’s hard to believe that in less than a week I will be seeing 24 adorable little faces! Some will be familiar and others will be new. Either way, it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that there will be 48 little eyes watching every move I make. It is a REALLY good thing that I don’t suffer from any form of social anxiety.
As 3-day houseparents, my husband Jachin and I have the privilege of working in both the Afra and Ambrose Homes. This will be our second year serving the Lakota children in the 1st-3rd grade community at St. Joseph’s Indian School. After seeing the progress our kiddos made last year, I can’t help but be excited about what is to come. Among other things, it was so rewarding to witness their academic, emotional, social, and spiritual development.
We don’t just love being a part of the mission at St. Joseph’s Indian School, we believe in it!
Although the kids aren’t back yet, staff members across many departments have been preparing for their return for quite some time. I could write a book about all that has been accomplished by my colleagues, but for now I’ll stick to what I’ve been involved with.
In July, I went to Colorado for a Love and Logic conference and just a couple weeks ago, we were certified in a counseling technique known as Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI). Then, all last week, was New Staff Orientation. I had the pleasure of meeting most of the newcomers on campus. My hat goes off to Human Resources – they did a wonderful job at finding lots of really wonderful people from all over the country.
Z, as she is known, is a new houseparent. Her cultural roots are in South Africa.
It’s great that St. Joseph’s continues to become more diverse. I happen to be half Chilean-Colombian and I also happen to be a bit of a nerd when it comes to learning about various cultures. I love listening to stories about traditions and listening to people speak foreign languages. I also think it’s valuable for our Native American students to have role models that look like them and others that are very different from them. Over the last couple of weeks, I have especially enjoyed getting to know Z (a new houseparent from South Africa), Nancy (a returning third grade teacher who is from the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe), and Jeshua (our new Native American Studies associate from Lower Brule). We are excited to have them with us!
Aside from learning about the ins and outs of the organization and their respective positions, our new staff took First Aid and CPR, and were also certified in CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention.
Nancy and Jeshua are new teachers at St. Joseph’s and are both Native American.
As you can see, we have been keeping ourselves busy. In addition to all of the above, we have to freshen up on policies, procedures, new programs, and goals for this coming year. We have also listened to various presentations on topics ranging from Fire Safety and Preventing Child Abuse to Professionalism. My personal favorite so far was a presentation on the correlation and bridges between the Christian/Catholic faith and Lakota traditions.
In total, I have about 20lbs of material I’ve read and reviewed so far and we’re still not done! We also have to prep the homes, make beds, and stock supplies and groceries. Devoting so many hours to preparing for the start of the school year could seem really monotonous to some, but being able to positively affect the life of just one child makes all time and effort worth it.
I ask that you keep the children, their families, and us in your prayers. Fr. Steve will definitely be missed by all this year. With that said, I’m beginning to thank God for the work He is doing, for those He is leading into a new season, for the people He has purposefully placed here, and for the generosity of all those who make our day to day blessings possible. I am hopeful that 2013-2014 school year will be a great one! Please stand in faith with me! 🙂
There’s lots to learn, but staff orientation is also a lot of fun!
I’ll leave you with a silly picture of Jachin and me from All Staff Orientation.
I write with mixed emotions today, since we’ve said good-bye and hello at the same time this week.
You may remember Fr. Steve sharing with you that we had a visiting Portuguese SCJ, Fr. Jose, staying at St. Joseph’s since April as he worked on his thesis. He really got into the swing of things on St. Joseph’s campus and throughout South Dakota. He went with Fr. Steve and Lakota (Sioux) seventh graders on their cultural trip to the Black Hills and other important places to Native American heritage in neighboring states.
Fr. Jose also went to Hales Corners, Wisconsin, to observe the election assembly that chose Fr. Steve to be our new Provincial. I think the only thing we may have missed while he was here were the lawn mower races in Pukwana, South Dakota! Father Jose left about 10 days ago to visit our SCJ confreres in Houston, Texas and see the work that is being done there at Our Lady of Guadalupe. He’ll head back to France in mid-August.
The other ‘good bye’ was for Fr. Steve as he headed out for Hales Corners early Sunday morning. On August 1, he will take over as our new Provincial. He reminded me that he‘d be coming for St. Joseph’s powwow in September, so you will have the chance to see him then if you can attend.
Hellos were said to our new staff members who are on campus this week for orientation. Right now, they are on a scavenger hunt, which will take them around the campus to find various sites they need to know about. They’ll be taking classes on First Aid, fire safety, adult and child CPR and use of the AED, and learning how to fill out various forms they will need for school, in the homes or kitchen for supplies.
New staff are trained in everything from paperwork to how to safely deescalate a situation with a child who may become aggressive. Safety for St. Joseph’s students and staff is our top priority!
We are very grateful to have them! Their willingness to blend their talents and skills with our veteran staff will help us provide our Native American students with the best, safest and most rewarding program possible. Of course, all this is thanks to your generosity.
Next week, St. Joseph’s returning staff will begin orientation. On August 11, students will return and class begins Monday, August 12. As you can see, things will be busy for a while!
Thank you again for your support of St. Joseph’s, both financial contribution and prayers – we are grateful for your friendship! Have a great week and may God’s blessings continue to be with you now and always.
Sincerely,
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
St. Joseph’s Indian School
PS. Please keep Fr. Steve in your prayers this week as he prepares to be installed as Provincial on Thursday, August 1, 2013! If you could say a prayer for him that day, I’m sure he would appreciate it so that God’s strength and guidance will be with him as he leads our community into the future. Thank you!
The countdown for the start of the new school year is underway. The Lakota (Sioux) students who were in our summer home have returned home to their families for a break. St. Joseph’s staff will have a brief time of relaxation before we kick things off for the new school year.
Our Admissions Team reviews the files of the Lakota students who have applied to come to St. Joseph’s Indian School.
Today, we begin orientation for all our new staff members. All staff return to St. Joseph’s Indian School for orientation August 5.
This week of special training for all houseparents, teachers, counselors and staff working with our students helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. That way, all the staff can be supportive of one another and help each other get comfortable with the procedures to be followed to keep everyone safe – especially the Native American boys and girls in our care.
The students begin arriving on August 11 when the homes open and we begin the school year on August 12. It seems like we just had graduation and here we are getting ready to kick things off for the 2013-2014 school year!
We appreciate your prayers for a great start and a wonderful year.
Sincerely,
Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
Cases upon cases of vegetables, cereal and other food items are waiting to stock the pantries of St. Joseph’s campus homes!
Hello friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School! I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying your summer! Summer is in full swing here at St. Joe’s and it is keeping us all very busy! I am a Family Service Counselor and wanted to share a little with you about what summer is for me.
Julie and one of the Lakota students she works with, Chelsea.
During the summer, the Family Service Counselors hit the road and go visit our Lakota students and their families. We check in to see that the students and families are doing well, as well as ask if there is anything they need from us during the summer. The students and families are usually happy to see us and are very welcoming.
We also complete interviews for prospective students during the summer. Part of the admissions process is gathering records for a student, but perhaps the most important part of the admissions process is meeting the child and their family.
We go to their homes and complete an interview to see if they would be a good fit for St. Joseph’s programs. We also take time during the interview to explain St. Joseph’s Indian School, the programs offered and the schedule in the homes and school. The interview process usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to complete.
It is always wonderful meeting new families!
Other things counselors complete during the summer include paperwork, getting ready for the upcoming school year, attending workshops and trainings, and other tasks that pile up during the school year.
While there are a few Native American students on campus during the summer, it is much different from during the school year. Most of a Family Service Counselor’s summer is spent on the road traveling to various locations around South Dakota to check in with students and families.
We get to see a lot of beautiful country and it is always a pleasure seeing students and families. One of the students I have seen this summer is already anxious to come back for the new school year! J
We miss our students during the summer, so getting to see them is a bonus. We are all ready for them to come back and to start a new school year in August.
Enjoy your summer, and as always, thank you for the generous support you give to St. Joseph’s Indian School. Without your prayers and support, we could not do the wonderful work we do!
After a lot of planning, five staff members of St. Joseph’s Indian School have left their office space in the Nagel Business Office and relocated to a new Personal Care Center at 111 S. Main Street in Chamberlain. The space was previously the home of the St. Joseph’s Thrift Store, which moved further north on Main Street into a much larger space with adjacent receiving space for donated items.
The staff members include our first four Personal Care Specialists and our first Major Gift Officer, but we know them simply as Tina, Marge, Shirley, Shawn and Brian. They are excited to start this new adventure!
Shirley, Tina, Brian and Marge are looking forward to visiting with you!
The addition of the Personal Care Center is another step in the development of our Major Gifts Program and an important part of our Decade of Transformation and strategic plan.
The Personal Care Center staff will focus their efforts (phone calls, letters, e-mails, personal visits) on St. Joseph’s top donors. Each and every gift counts, but the efforts of the staff at the Personal Care Center will focus on top donors who have made, or may have the ability to, make larger gifts.
To continue to meet the needs of the Native American students at St. Joseph’s and plan for the future, we need to focus on developing deeper relationships with these donors. Our first step will be to reach out to these generous supporters to let them know their support is appreciated and is making a difference in the lives of our Lakota (Sioux) students!
The Personal Care Center has room for 12 staff but, for right now, five is a great start. We’re looking forward to visiting with you!
Have you ever traveled roughly 2,000 miles in ten days and never left your state?
These Native American boys spread the word – free books!
You would have if you traveled along on the St. Joseph’s Indian School Bookmobile! This is one of my favorite activities of the summer. We travel to 32 communities on reservations in South Dakota giving out books, both new and gently used.
My name is Mary Jane. I am the Outreach/Alumni Coordinator at St. Joseph’s. For the last several summers, I have traveled with the bookmobile giving out free books, meeting new folks as well as former students of St. Joseph’s.
This summer we started our journey heading north to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. We visited 13 communities.
White Horse, South Dakota, was the smallest community we visited. There, we had 15 children total. When we drove in to town, we were spotted by three Lakota girls out riding their bikes. They followed us and picked up a few friends on the way.
The girls were so happy to see us and to learn that they could pick out their own FREE books and that they got to KEEP them!! As we left, they told us to come back again. They would be waiting! J
In Eagle Butte, South Dakota, we saw the most children – well over 100 in three separate stops.
The girls are so excited to choose their books!
The following week, after reloading the van, we headed south to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, visiting 16 communities and distributing 1140 new books and 1710+ used books.
Mission, which is on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, was one of our biggest stops. There were over 50 children at the local Boys & Girls Club. Some were busy planting a garden, but were eager to take a break and pick out their books.
Our smallest stop this trip was in Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There we saw six children and two adults. A Native American father brought his two young children to choose their books. He was so excited to be able to have something to read to them! Luckily, we had some books for very small children packed away in a ‘special’ box. We made sure he had a bag of books for him and his two young girls. He was very grateful.
As he got off the bookmobile, he reached out to shake our hands and said, “Keep up the good work. You are doing a wonderful job. Thank you!”
The Lakota children are always happy to see St. Joseph’s Bookmobile!
All along our journey, we distributed boxes of used books, crayons, notebooks, construction paper and some dictionaries to various Boys & Girls Clubs, daycares and others who were in need of these items for their programs.
What’s the best part of this summer adventure? Meeting new people as well as former students and seeing children’s eyes light up when they get to have their books!
We just finished our donor luncheons in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Merrillville, Indiana! Our two Lakota (Sioux) students who told folks about their life at St. Joseph’s were Selena, who just graduated from eighth grade and will enter Chamberlain High School in the fall, and Chandler, who just finished her seventh grade year.
On the shores of Lake Michigan.
When I asked the girls to share about their hopes and dreams for the future, Selena spoke about going into law enforcement to help make life better for the people at home – the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.
Chandler shared that she wanted to go into nursing, possibly as a midwife. Then she added that a dream of hers was to attend college at the University of Notre Dame. On the way from Michigan to Merrillville, we took a slight detour, and went to South Bend!
The university was a lot bigger than she imagined. Rather than scaring her off, this excited her more!
Whether or not Notre Dame becomes her final decision, when our Native American youngsters talk about college, we try to encourage them to think big and then to prepare themselves by working hard.
We took a few pictures by the Golden Dome, and bought some souvenirs in the bookshop.
Our time in Michigan included a visit to the Gerald Ford presidential museum, just a few blocks from our hotel. In the evening, we ate at a fun family center that included a pizza buffet, go-carts and bumper car rides. Selena was the daring racer who lapped everyone else, flying by with the biggest grin on her face!
After our luncheon on Sunday, we headed up to Chicago. My religious community’s formation house is in Chicago, and with students gone for the summer, there was plenty of room to make that our home base. We spent the next day touring the Windy City.
I attended college and graduate school in Chicago, so know and love the city well. It’s always fun to see the sights anew through the eyes of newcomers, and Selena and Chandler were enchanted everywhere they turned. We spent the evening touring the Hyde Park neighborhood, including the University of Chicago and getting our feet wet in Lake Michigan. Even on a hot summer’s day, the water is always icy cold. Then, we picked up some deep dish Chicago pizza and came home to enjoy the feast.
Monday, we made our way around the loop, and up the Magnificent Mile. As we walked past a silver statue, the street performer came to life and jumped up next to Selena, who almost jumped over the Wrigley Building!
They laughed and got their picture taken with him. Lunch was at Ed Debevic’s. At first, the girls didn’t know what to make of the intentionally rude waiters. But they laughed and enjoyed the outing, especially when our server sang and danced on the table. We made our way to Lincoln Park Zoo. Our staff members were surprised that such a nice a zoo could be free, and enjoyed the lovely scenery and animal antics.
Selena and Chandler were startled by a street performer.
Besides the girls’ first plane ride on the trip out, they also experienced their first city bus and subway/el rides, and then took a spin on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel for a great view of the city. The best view we had was standing by Buckingham Fountain in the evening, with patriotic music playing, the mist shooting high into the night, and the city lit up all around us.
These were my last two donor luncheons. Most folks have gotten word via email that I will be moving on at the end of the month, so the days were nostalgic and bittersweet. I got so many hugs and congratulations, and cherished the people who care so much about St. Joseph’s Indian School and want to make sure the good work continues. With our committed, passionate staff, I assured them that it would. There are no doubt greater and more exciting things to come after I’ve completed my time there.
I have truly loved and enjoyed the chance to meet the people across the country who make the work we do at St. Joseph’s Indian School possible. So many folks make great sacrifices that allow us to run our programs. So many people have never gotten the opportunity to visit up close and personal, so it is a joy to let them meet the students and find out more about all we’re doing.
Besides being a blessing to the school, our donors have been a blessing to me personally.
Many folks have been praying for my health. A week ago, I was back at Mayo Clinic for my 6-month check in with the oncologists. I’m happy to report a continuing clean bill of health. After running the comprehensive battery of tests, the doctor told me that I can now wait a full year before needing to come back – thanks be to God!
The girls get their first glimpse of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza!
Welcome to the lofty heights of St. Joseph’s Summer Home! I mean this in a literal sense, as over the last weekend we took the Lakota (Sioux) children on a camping trip to South Dakota’s Black Hills!
Thirteen Native American students, two St. Joseph’s houseparents and one intern (Genevieve) camped out for two nights.
We spend the first in the South Dakota Badlands, where we shared a campground with the buffalo and South Dakota’s infamous “gumbo” in the morning after a rainy night.
The second night, we camped at Center Lake in Custer State Park. Genevieve commented that the campground looked like a postcard or like it was out of a TV commercial.
The highlight of the trip was the hike up Harney Peak, the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The kids did an amazing job on the two-hour hike from Horse Thief Lake to the fire tower on the summit of Harney Peak. These summer home kids are some tough kids!
The kids were impressed that you could see Wyoming to the west, the Badlands to the east, Nebraska to the south and Bear Butte to the north all from the fire tower! On the way down, we shared the trail with a mountain goat and some marmots.
The Summer Home is a great time for the Lakota students to get some adventure and travel in that they don’t get in the school year. We are thankful to all you donors who make these important times possible!
Hello everyone! My name is Kelli, Planned Giving Summer Intern at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
A Lakota boy imitates his favorite animal—a snake!
A few days ago, I was able to spend some time with the youth of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp here in Chamberlain, South Dakota. On this particular morning, they were imitating animal movements and practicing summersaults and cartwheels on the football field. Their giggles and smiles made me take a trip down memory lane to two years ago when I was a camp counselor at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp.
Although every day brought many joys and wonderful experiences, one day in particular still stands out in my mind.
On this particular day, one of our St. Joseph’s staff was reading a Native American children’s story to the kids. While The Rough-Face Girlwas being read, nearly all of the children were listening quietly, but one little boy was not following the rules and was being disruptive to everybody else.
Feeling like he may need to burn some energy, I grabbed a plastic bag and told him to follow me outside—we were going to go pick up some trash.
For the first few minutes, the young boy was quite unruly. However, when he saw how much fun he could make the situation, he began to laugh, smile and run around—the first time I had ever seen this young boy so alive and carefree.
His smile and laugh were contagious and I began to get into the game he created out of his own imagination. “Kelli, hold the trash bag really high!” I would hear, so I would hold it above my head and he would aim, shoot, and SCOREEEEEE! A silly celebratory dance and lots of cheering would always follow.
Two young Lakota girls practice partner log rolling.
After about 20 minutes or so, I asked the young boy if he would like to go back inside and be on his best behavior.
He replied yes, gave me a huge hug, began to cry, and thanked me for spending time with him because “no one ever spends time with me.”
This little boy was my best friend the remainder of the Rising Eagle Day Camp. He was usually one of the first ones on the bus bright and early and one of the last to walk back to his house. He was my right-hand man and was often given certain ‘duties’ to help me with.
The young boy who had multiple disciplinary problems on his first day never had an issue again.
Thank you for allowing me to pick up trash and spend quality time with young Lakota Sioux children. Although picking up trash is a messy and sometimes stinky job, I am so grateful for this young boy and the opportunity I had to make a little friend that changed my life forever.
