As we enter the 4th quarter of the 2011-2012 school year, I reflect upon the objectives we have covered in my 6th-8th grade Science classes. My students have done an outstanding job in the classroom and the Science lab; however we still have many more topics to cover in our last nine weeks. There will be many more activities completed this quarter to conclude the school year.
My 6th graders will wrap-up their units on matter and energy and move into motion. This should be a great unit involving lots of fun activities. I am in need of stop watches for many of the lab activities as the students will be studying their own motion. Hopefully, the weather cooperates and we can do most of these assignments outdoors.
The 7th grade continues with their exploration of Life Science, delving into natural selection and adaptations. These lessons contain some exciting group work. In one of the labs we will be demonstrating the importance of the opposable thumb by having the students tape their thumbs to their index fingers and attempting to perform daily tasks such as cutting a circle and writing their name. The students will also be required to complete the tasks with their thumbs so we can have a good comparison of differences. I will try to remember to take some pictures and post them on my next blog.
Eighth graders have started to look forward to their 8th grade graduation ceremony. There are many great activities and opportunities during these last few weeks of school, not to mention we must continue our journey in the classroom. The 8th graders continue on with their study of Earth Science, delving into volcanoes and earthquakes. They are already looking forward to creating their own model volcanoes. It should be fun and messy, but more importantly interesting and informative.
Thanks once again for all you do as donors to St. Joseph’s Indian School. Your generosity is so very important to maintain the day to day status quo of this wonderful educational and residential facility. You are greatly appreciated.
Today at church we had our final Rite of Christian Initiation ceremony for the students preparing for baptism, which we will celebrate April 15. Participants and their families are making preparations and getting excited.
Nice weather over the weekend means that we’re getting started with activities often pushed off until April and May. Once our American Indian students came back from spring break, all the bikes came out of winter hibernation, and the campus was full of pedal pushers. Some of the homes, like Ambrose (1st-3rd grade boys) rode off in a supervised bike brigade into town to the local park. The soccer nets are coming out and rubber softball bases are spread over the football field.
Many of our teenage readers were excited that Chamberlain’s movie theater got the movie “The Hunger Games” for opening weekend. I myself read and enjoyed the series, though it is very heavy and thought-provoking. Friday night at the early show I sat next to a large group of our junior high homes, and when we exited the theater, ran into many high school students waiting for the late showing. One fringe benefit of living in a small town is they don’t charge big city movie prices. The movie ticket, soda and box of popcorn ran me a grand total of $7.25, and the movie theater actually gives our students a further discount.
Two couples graced my Saturday. While I was eating lunch, Pink and Edwina from the parish I used to serve in Promise, South Dakota, were in the area to visit their daughter and dropped by to surprise me with a visit. As a brand new priest, they were a widow and widower in their mid 50’s, with grown kids about my age. When they decided to get married, they came to me for preparation, and I felt humbled by their years of marital experience compared to my just-out-of seminary-knowledge about the sacrament. Still, I just facilitated their talking about many issues, and we had a simple but lovely ceremony when all was ready.
The second couple are college seniors, preparing for their marriage this summer. They bring a whole different set of questions, hopes and dreams for their marriage. I don’t do as much of that kind of preparation and ministry as when I was a full-time parish priest, but do enjoy getting to know couples and celebrating with them those special, unforgettable times in their life.
As I walked by the playground and toward the office, some students on the playground waved me down and called me over. The Dennis Home (1st -3rd grade girls) and Raphael Home (1st– 3rd grade boys) were having a picnic at American Creek park that night and invited me to join them. How can you turn down food, fun and an invite from an 8-year-old?
I couldn’t stay for the whole time, but we tossed footballs around, pushed swings, walked on the balancing logs and after a satisfying meal, got out marshmallows and roasted them on sticks. I haven’t done that for some time. Kids remind me of how fun and meaningful the simple things in life can be.
Hello everyone, this is Mike from the William Home (4th and 5th grade girls). It is hard to believe, but we have started the fourth quarter of school here at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
The last time I was here I told you about the William Home and their walking. Well, we made our goal of walking 10,000 laps with a day to spare. The girls did a good job of getting their laps in and finishing what they started. 10,000 laps is equal to 500 miles.
As we set our sights on the last quarter of school we are also preparing to take a day trip with the girls. We are very excited about going to Sioux Falls. We will visit the zoo and the Washington Pavillion to see the science exhibit and the I-Max Theater.
The weather has also allowed us to get some outside play time, and softball season will be starting in the next couple of weeks.
We hope you are all enjoying our blogs as much as we enjoy keeping you up to date on the things we do at St. Joseph’s!
The past few days have held a series of meetings. Before spring break, we collected letters of intent from our child services staff and know which employees will be moving on at the end of the school year. Now we have to begin figuring out how to replace them.
For some supervisory jobs, there are good candidates here who will want to move up and take on more responsibility. Some positions we will have to advertise for. We generally have need of qualified houseparents, and since we are opening another high school home next year that will be one definite need. Personnel requires more than just willing people, but must be about matching them to a position they can find fulfillment and success in.
We’re also in the ongoing process of budgets and planning for next year. The development office is particularly busy with the mail that comes in this time of year, and are also thinking ahead to the future. Our computer people have been incredibly busy preparing to switch over to a new software system that will allow us more personalization in meeting our donors’ requests and needs. We’re also exploring some corporate partnerships that will give us new possibilities of funding our programs.
On the student front, I met with high school students Errol and Kyran to prepare them for the presentations they will give to our donors next month at donor luncheons in Maine and New Hampshire. I’ve spent very little time in those states and am as excited about seeing the area and meeting folks as the boys are.
I resumed my culinary tour of the homes with suppers in Summerlee (4th-5th grade girls) and Stevens ( 6th – 8th grade girls). The students are excited that softball season begins next week, and the 3rd – 6th can take part in a week-long gymnastics camp if they wish – it’s not required.
The 7th graders enjoyed their cultural field trip to the Middle Border Museum in Mitchell, South Dakota, which also houses the Oscar Howe art collection. It is on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University, and they toured the school and started to consider if their future might include college or vocational tech training.
Many of our Lakota students enjoyed a spring break this past week. Our homes all opened up at noon today. While the students appreciate a chance to go home, I also notice that a few days off this time of year does wonders for our teachers and houseparenting staff. As we start the fourth quarter, staff are returning with renewed energy for the flurry of activity as we head towards graduation and all the end-of-the-school-year activities.
My week began with some community days of recollection. Fr. Jim from Milwaukee gave us a series of talks about spirituality and we took time to break from activity to spend extra time during this season of Lent in prayer and reflection. Mid-week, I made a quick trip to Wisconsin for a finance meeting for my religious order, the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJs).
Fr. Ed, who is retired in Milwaukee, brought out an index card box full of pictures. All were from 1965 when he was stationed here in South Dakota, and he asked me if we were interested in having the photos for our historical center. Many of the pictures were from the end of the year when families came to pick up students. Others were from the bus trip taking students home to North Dakota.
In those days, many of the students who came from that distance – more than 5 hours away – didn’t see their families from September through May, and the photos touched on their stories. As our Akta Lakota Museum expansion project continues to rise, several people have come forward with pictures and memorabilia that fill in St. Joseph’s history.
Campus wasn’t totally quiet during spring break. We kept one of the homes open for 13 students whose family situation made it better for them to remain here. Daves, Louie and Rudy are three brothers who live in different homes during regular school year because of their age difference, but were glad to have some family time together in the break home. They were the only boys in the group, but still got along well with the ten girls who stayed. The kids and houseparents in the break home enjoyed many activities on campus, and also traveled to Pierre where the water slide at the YMCA pool is always a hit.
Great job boys!
Since our high school students attend the public school, they continued with the usual classes. Friday was a day off for them as the Chamberlain boys played in the state basketball tournament at Sioux Falls. The Cubs finished 7th, and their one victory avenged an earlier loss to our rivals from Winner.
Today was a landmark day for several of our high school students. Six have been preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, and Bishop Swain from Sioux Falls was in our area. Erica and Tia, sophomore twins, are from Fort Thompson, which is 25 miles north of us along the Missouri River. They joined the parishioners there and had lots of family to celebrate with them. Their roommates from the Crane Home also joined for support. The twins both took the same confirmation name – Kateri – in honor of the Mohawk/Algonquin woman who will officially become canonized in October. I am a former pastor of Fort Thompson, and know most of the folks there. I grinned however, when one newer parishioner came up to me before mass and asked how my recent trip to Rome was. I’ve never been to Rome – she thought I was the bishop!
Chris, at one of his last plays.
After Fort Thompson, I came back to Chamberlain, where three of our high school boys, William, Chris and Jacob joined their high school classmates for confirmation downtown at St. James. I noticed Chris took the name of a Saint that I’m not very familiar with – Genesius. When asked about it he said that Genesius is the patron of actors. Chris has relished taking part in the highschool theater department and definitely has caught the acting bug. Several children of our staff members were also confirmed, and I enjoyed wandering the tables to say hello and meet extended family at the tasty dinner the parish put on for everyone afterward.
One more high school girl, Trinity, is prepared for confirmation, but will wait until May and receive the sacrament at her home parish, Isaac Jogues in Rapid City when the bishop visits.
Our last Enrichment night before spring break with the Afra and Dennis Homes (first through third-grade girls) was filled with the sound of the bat hitting the ball. We were inside playing whiffleball!
First, we had the girls throw and catch to warm up and improve those skills. Then, we played a game of whiffleball. The girls really were hustling and the score was close all the way to the end! Thanks to Sherry, Christine, Peter and Mike for all their help and cheering.
The boys from the Rooney and Speyer Homes (sixth through eighth-grade boys) tried their hand at a Hot Shot contest, which is a basketball shooting game. The first two rounds were one minute long and the top six shooters from each home played a third round of 30 seconds.
The Championship Round came down to Kyle and Jeremy, who each won a prize as the top shooters from their homes. After 1 minute and 30 seconds of shooting, Jeremy finished on top 30 – 18. Many thanks to Nate and Tony for keeping score, Mark for keeping the clock and Brian and Sue for cheering the boys to do their best!
Next week, when everyone is back from spring break, we will get back in the swing of Enrichment night. Hopefully, we will be outside playing t-ball and softball!
Hi! My name is Tina and I am the receptionist in the Development Office at St. Joseph’s Indian School. I have the pleasure of visiting with many of you each day when you call St. Joseph’s. The heartwarming conversations and generosity of so many make my job rewarding.
I’m always happy to answer your questions or, when necessary, direct you to the appropriate staff member. Many requests I hear and can assist with are:
accepting donations
taking address changes
sending additional address labels
limiting the number of mailings you receive
excluding gifts from mailings
seeing that we correspond with you through email only
sending additional Christmas cards or other gifts
removing someone from the mailing list
In addition to my receptionist duties, I enjoy spending time with a sixth grade St. Joseph’s student as a mentor. Even though her houseparents are very loving and supportive, living in a home with 12 other girls does not allow for much one on one attention. I’ve been a mentor for 3 years and have learned about many challenges the children face on the reservation.
Thank you for the many blessings you share with the Lakota boys and girls!
I’m getting back in the swing of things after a 10 day stay in the hospital for an obstructed intestine, apparently caused by scar tissue in my abdomen from the previous cancer surgery. Lent is often a time of fasting, and I had to go the first 7 days with no solid foods at all to help the system relax and clear itself out.
When I finally got to eat some chicken broth, it tasted finer and richer than Thanksgiving dinner! I had good care in our local hospital and thank all the nurses and doctors who looked after me.
Being close by also had the advantage of a steady stream of visitors. Staff dropped by to inquire, pray and support. One of our 2nd graders, Kyla, had to come up to the clinic for tests, and she stopped by the room with a homemade card and hug that brightened my day considerably. LaToya, one of our high school juniors who works an after school job at the hospital brought me my tray of food and greetings from the Crane Home. As I roamed the hallways, pushing IV pole ahead of me to get some exercise, I ran into a whole variety of folks from the community with health concerns of their own, and tried to be a caring listener to them.
Hospital stays trigger so many different moods and emotions. At times during the week I felt anxious. Once they determined I wouldn’t need to have surgery, but just wait it out, boredom became a struggle. A few times the hospitalization had a retreat-like quality, as I had plenty of time for prayer and spiritual reading. With no meals to break up the day, the Divine Office, with its various prayers at each time of the day, took on greater significance to mark and celebrate the passage of time. I tried to listen carefully to what God might be saying in the midst of sickness and struggle.
Being active, it’s hard to slow down and my mind raced with the many things I could be doing. Now that I’m home and have both the freedom and opportunity, I don’t have the energy I’d like. It’s important to pace yourself and not overdo it.
I sometimes hold the mistaken belief that I am teaching something. A few weeks ago, I sat down on the couch with a ball of yarn and my knitting needles, trying to make a cable knit scarf. Within minutes, several girls were sitting with me watching.
“Oooooh! Can you teach me to knit?”
We spent that evening, and many evenings after, sitting in the living room with donated yarn and needles, working on the basics. Knitting usually involves two kinds of stitches—either wrapping the yarn towards or away. Moving back and forth – between towards and away – creates patterns that are both beautiful and elastic. We spent our time focusing on just one direction, repeating it over and over again. The girls were surprised at how fast I could stitch, and I had to remind them that I had many years of practice. They settled in happily with their projects, slowly working their needles.
It turns out that I had a lot to learn from these girls. They had no trouble at all asking for help. Our knitting times were punctuated with,
“Help! I think I messed up! Did I do this right? Can you help me fix this?”
They weren’t always sure what “right” looked like. Often enough, they hadn’t actually made a mistake. We’d look together, count the stitches, examine the loops, and make a few tugs. Then they were right back to work. In order to master a skill, sometimes you have to rely on someone more skillful than yourself to show you the way.
They were also much better at handling unraveling. If they made a big mistake or got tangled up or things fell apart, they happily came back to me with empty needles and a skein and said,
“Can you start me over again?” And again? And again?
Dakota, and the girls did a great job!
Because sometimes the process is much more important than the product. Sometimes we really don’t need to get something “done,” we just need to do it. No need to get attached to an outcome. No need to freak out when that cable pattern gets turned inside out and it can’t be fixed and you have to give up and undo 6 hours of work (ahem). Unraveling is not the end of the world.
And sometimes we don’t need to “do” something as much as we need to be with someone while we’re doing it. If we’re sitting in the living room together – stitching and unraveling, moving towards and away, mastering and forgetting and re-mastering – then the real skill is one of belonging.
In these past few weeks I have learned so much from these girls. They set an example of how to recover from a mistake with grace. Whether on the basketball court, on the playground or in the knitting circle, they demonstrate the power of admitting a mistake and setting it right. They trust their houseparents to hold them accountable, help them course-correct, and then celebrate their success when they get it right. I’ve been inspired at their courage in the face of so much unraveling.
Perhaps the girls will come away from this experience with a scarf or a new hobby. I’m hoping that their time knitting will provide them with a sense of Mastery and Belonging. Learning, after all, will show up in rather unexpected places.
This morning’s gospel focused me on the main purpose of the ministry at St. Joseph’s Indian School:
“Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me,” (Mark 9:37).
I’m reminded that even with meetings and paperwork, I owe the students here some quality time every day.
After yesterday’s wet sleet, today’s sunshine and 40 degrees felt warm, and the children on the playground were full of life and energy. Looking back, I was able to catch a glimpse of God in the children’s laughter and activity.
When she saw me striding onto the playground, 4th grader Trinity ran up to me, grinned broadly and greeted me with a big hug. She talked about representing St. Joseph’s Indian School in the upcoming regional spelling bee, which will be held Saturday. I quizzed her on a few words and reminded her to say the word before she started and when she finished.
Harold, Jashon and Richard were surprised when I reached out and intercepted the football coming toward me, and threw back a tight spiral in the direction from where it came. I spent a lot of time playing sandlot ball when I was growing up. Little encounters like those mean a lot, and remind me what I’m here for.
I ran up to Central Receiving during break and found Glenda and Cathy opening and sorting all the boxes that came in today. Donors sent us clothing, shampoo, books and educational computer programming that we’ll put to good use.
After that, it was back to budgets and meeting with our facilities supervisor to decide what projects we can afford to do in the coming year, and also what must be put on hold. Besides cost, we have to also figure in which projects our workers will have time to do. What they do, they do well, and I’m grateful for their ongoing efforts to keep the campus well attended to.
