1. education
2. school

STM CAVALIER
CHRONICLES
“DEVELOPING
PERSONAL
AND
ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE
IN THE
CATHOLIC
TRADITION”
“YOU WERE
BORN TO
BECOME THE
BEST VERSION
OF
YOURSELF!”
M. KELLY
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Join STM as we celebrate
Military Kids
in our school and our community
on April 15th!
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Greetings!! Our community has the opportunity to welcome a small group
of French teenagers next summer. This kind of experience can make such
an impact, not only the visiting students, but also on host families and our
entire school community!
The dates of the visit will be: June 11 - July 11, 2015
The students will arrive and depart Rapid City airport for hosting within driving distance. Families do not
need to know French to host since these students speak English!
If you are interested in hosting or would simply like more information, please contact Madame Benn at STM
HS.
Modern Woodmen of America STM
MS Regional Speech Contest Winners!
Congratulations to Samantha Bradsky, Megan Achbach,
Austin Bartunek, Lily Hilt, and Baxter Meyer
Congratulations to all the Black Hills Reading Council Contest
winners:
Poetry Cabaret Winners: Abigail Simmons & Morgan Lowenberg 12th
Young Authors' Contest Winner: Jared Kovall-Scarlett
12th
St. Thomas More
St. Thomas More
Congratulations presented to the 2015 Hugh O’Brien
Youth Leadership Scholarship!
St. Thomas More HS sophomore Audrey Cope has received the Hugh O’Brien
Youth Leadership Scholarship while classmate Steven Carreiro is the alternate for
this prestigious award. District-wide, faculty and staff selected these students from
the Class of 2017 based on their outstanding oral and written communication skills;
critical and creative thinking; creative problem-solving; strong decision-making
skills; and sensitivity to the needs or concerns of others, among other criteria.
Audrey will attend the leadership seminar at Dakota State University in Madison,
SD, June 11-14. There she will join other outstanding SD high school students to
build skills to implement in our school next fall. For more information about this
worthwhile program, check out www.hobysd.org. Congratulations to Audrey and
Steven!
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Mission: Jamaica
Challenge: To change a life, maybe yours…
ACCEPTED by: Payton Bradsky, Wylie Digmann, Ciara Duffy,
Matthew Eastmo, Marissa Eckrich, Nicholas Elliott, Brandon Emery, Peter
Freidel, Luke Haugen. Evan Henderson, Catherine Kellar, Kennedy Kirsch,
Jared Kovall-Scarlett, Giles McGillick, Henry O’Meara, Caitlin Oster, William Schutz, Cassidy Stratman, Cole Thurness, Carter Vincent, Avery
White, Sophia Wittenberg, CHAPERONES: Mary Casey, David Emery,
Fr. Marcin , Karrie Duffy, Christopher Dobesh
Why I use Scrip:
“I go to Sam’s Club once a week and get gift cards to pay for my purchase. I use the self
checkout line and am in and out quickly, saving time & money.” - Andy & Liz, parents to a
3rd grader.
“I reload money on my Safeway gift cards by logging into my Scrip account on
www.shopwithscrip.com. I know the money will be there when I do my grocery shopping and
I saved on my son’s tuition.” - Shannon, parent to 2nd grader.
Www.shopwithscrip.com
Order by Monday to receive your gift cards on Friday!
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St. Thomas More High School
Presents
Annie
Thursday – Saturday, April 16-18, 2015
7:30 PM Terra Sancta Stage
Reserve your seats today!
Call Shawna at 605-209-3036
Adults $10 Children $5
Annie
Is presented through special arrangement
with Music Theater International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also provided by MTI
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-541-4684, Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com
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RCCSS
School
Board
Meeting
Schedule
Meeting begins
at 5pm, unless
otherwise noted,
on the 4th
Monday of
every month.
April 27, 4pm
May 18, 2015
June 22, 2015
Upcoming
Calendar:
April 16-18
Annie
7:30 pm
Terra Sancta
Stage
April 23
Packing Hope
Day
Welcome
Home Mission
Jamaica Team
Looking
ahead:
May 2
Mayfest
May 20-22
HS Finals
May 22
Last day of
school
May 24
HS
Graduation
Memo from Ms. Shultz
“Homeroom: Not Just For Taking Lunch Count”
Over the past two years as we prepared for the accreditation process,
we utilized tools to evaluate our current environment and also identify
areas for improvement. Through staff, student and parent surveys, one of
the notable areas for improvement in the middle school was the need for developing a
student advocacy program that fosters not only the student’s academic success but also
helps the student to grow socially and emotionally. With the addition of Andy Shaw, our
student success coordinator for the middle school and high school, and our teachers who
have given many hours before and after school for individualized student support, there
still remains the need to ensure that none of our students “fall through the cracks.” Each
one of our students needs at least one adult at school whom they know believes the best,
knows the best, and wants the best for them.
A committee of grade level teachers, counselors, Andy Shaw, and I met in January to
develop a strategic plan aimed at providing a supportive environment for every middle
school student. Research has shown that the biggest impact within the school on
students’ attitudes toward school is the classroom teacher. Their attitude toward a
subject is often their attitude toward the subject’s teacher (Wormeli, 2003). To develop
trusting relationships, teachers need to be paired one-on-one with a student to connect
with students and provide support and encouragement. The foundation of the plan relies
on ensuring that teachers have time to meet with students. Starting next year, homeroom
will be expanded by 25 minutes at the start of the day with five main advisory goals:
advocacy, community, life skills curriculum, academic-time management, and
administrative tasks. Teachers will be able to meet one-on-one with a student every two
weeks to know students on a more personal level and discuss their academic progress
report, their goals, and how they can support the student. Homerooms will continue to
compete in community giving projects and fundraisers, while allowing time to focus on
school pride and the creation of a caring community. Homeroom lessons will also allow
community-building activities such as “Kindness Wall”, “No Put Downs Week” or
“Mix It Up At Lunch” that teach behavior expectations for students. As part of the
Advocacy Program, students will have time to finish forgotten homework or study for a
test, which many parents have said there is a need due to busy family schedules and
nighttime activities.
Over the next several months, the committee and administration will be trying to
reorganize the school day to incorporate this student-focused program. It is our hope
that this Advocacy Program communicates to students that they are cared for, respected,
welcomed and appreciated by their adult advocate every day in school. As our Strategic
Design states, “Students need to be challenged AND supported” so that they can “take
ownership in their education.”
www.facebook.com/rccss
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Sullivan’s Corner
We hope that everyone had a restful and prayerful Easter. We are now in the
home stretch of the school year.
We have many things happening this month:
April 14th – Tim Teebow will be speaking at the Civic Center 7pm
April 15th – National Purple Up day. This is to honor our Military families. We will be having an
assembly starting at 9am. Please join us in the STM gym.
April 23rd – Big day for the Cavaliers. We have C-Span coming to honor our winners in the C-Span video
contest. They will be here with their C-Span bus and to award the winners. We also have our big day
for Packing for Hope. We will have packed over 1,000,000 meals total this year! This is also our
welcome home assembly for our Mission team. This will also be a 9am assembly.
April 28th – We will have a Hall of Fame football player joining us for an assembly. He will be awarding
Lincoln Feist and award of given by the US Army and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is one of 20 winners
across the United States. He will then attend the Hall of Fame inductions on August 8 th this summer.
May 2nd – MAYFEST!!!!! This is our largest fundraiser for our school system. Hope to see everyone
there.
Good luck to all of our Spring sports: Girls Golf, Track and Field, Baseball, and Boys Tennis.
Happy Birthday!!
Ashley Tuma
Elizabeth Erlandson
Carter Vincent
Sara
Schmanski
Grace Wittenberg
Liam Maguire
Logan Pokorny
Arin
Wagner
Carson Brosnan
Jenny Rooks
William McGinnis
Mark Wesolick
Davin Kahler
4/1
4/1
4/3
4/4
4/4
4/4
4/4
4/5
4/5
4/5
4/6
4/7
4/8
Ethan Oleson
Catherine Kellar
Dylan Hall
Chazz Litz
Mason Ray
Cailee Cuny
Abigail Eaton
Jonathan Bader
Mary Kinyon
Jacob Haga
Travis Mills
John Maher
Grace Blote
Thomas Rafferty
RoseMarie Blote
4/12
4/12
4/15
4/15
4/16
4/17
4/17
4/18
4/18
4/18
4/18
4/19
4/19
4/20
4/20
Madelyn Soulek
Sean Vickers
Gavin Timmer
Alysa Denholm
Ethan Mann
Emma Wojtanowicz
William Dirks
Jon
Hansen
Malik Osborne
Karlie Reagan
Samantha Bradsky
Ross Skinner
Chase Thurness
Anna Bradsky
4/20
4/20
4/21
4/23
4/23
4/24
4/24
4/25
4/25
4/25
4/27
4/30
4/30
4/30
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E-mail: [email protected]
Google Voice: 605-939-0618
* All courses have a 10 student minimum
and a 20 student maximum
** PLEASE REGISTER BY
CONTACTING MRS. BAYE BY
MAY 20TH
Summer is right around the corner!
Does your student have a good book to read on those warm summer evenings?
***The STM Middle School Library will be having a Scholastic Book Fair the week of April
20th. Shopping begins on Monday, April 20th and will end on
Friday, April 24th.***
The book fair will bring a wonderful selection of fun, engaging, and
affordable books kids want to read. We believe that giving kids access to good books and the opportunity to choose books will motivate them to read more. And like most acquired skills, the more kids
practice reading, the better they’ll get!
We look forward to having you participate in our Fair, and remember, all purchases benefit our
school.
If you have any questions, please contact our Library Director, Jenelle Kirchoff at
[email protected]
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Using a Soft Voice
When your kids act up, does your voice get louder or quieter? When I'm having a good day and I'm practicing what I preach - my voice gets softer. From years of observing successful
parents and educators, I learned the value of leaning close to a child's ear and whispering a
question:



Are you going to settle down, or do you need to spend some time in your room?
Can you use a quiet voice in here or would it be best for you eat outside so you can
yell?
Do you think you can play with that nicely, instead of hitting your brother with it?
There's true power in the quiet voice! In my CD, Oh Great! What Do I Do Now?, I teach the
importance of making discipline look easy, even when our kids are taking limit-testing to the
limit. When we can handle things with a whisper, our kids begin to reason, "Wow! If Mom
handled me that easily, what else does she have up her sleeve?"
While there are times when it's appropriate to raise our voices a bit, doing it too often trains
our children to respond only when we're flexing our vocal cords. I don't know about you, but
this wears me out! I think I'd rather whisper and then prove to my kids that I'll follow up with
actions rather than words. I heard this example from a Love and Logic dad:
Last week I whispered to my four-year-old, "You may keep the toys you pick up." That
afternoon, I picked up the ones he left out, put them in the attic, and kept
my mouth shut. Yesterday, I whispered the same thing, and he yelled, "No!
I'll pick them up!" And he did!
Dr. Charles Fay
Uniform News:
The Uniform Swap Room (RM 220 in MS) is open to all HS and MS
students during all Middle School “open” hours. Donations of outgrown
uniforms can be made in the uniform swap room, or in the offices.
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Say “Thank You” to our generous donors and sponsors by
patronizing their businesses!
A&B Business Solutions
Albertson Engineering
Alex Johnson Mercantile
Arrowhead Country Club
Audra's Bridal Gallery
Bag Ladies Antique Mall
Ballard Gynecology
Bangs McCullen Law Firm
Bear Country USA
Behrens Wilson Funeral Home
Benson Sports Training, LLC
Berendse & Sons Painting
Contractors
B.E.S. Lighting and Home
Black Hills Ammunition
Black Hills Animal Hospital
Black Hills Bagels
Black Hills Federal Credit Union
Black Hills Plastic Surgery
Black Hills Power
Black Hills Regional Eye
Blessed Sacrament Church
Boland Wellness
Cask & Cork
Celtic Connection
Children's Trading Post
Colonial House
Crow Peak Brewing Company
Dakota Angler
Eagle Sales of the Black Hills
Edge Sports
Enviroscapes, LLC
Epic Outdoor Advertising
Evans Orthodontic Specialists
First Gold Hotel and Gaming
Golf Club at Red Rocks
Gregory & Nanette Wittenberg
Headlines Academy
Highmark Federal Credit Union
Hilt Construction Inc.
Impressive Nails Inc.
Independent Optical
Jessica Henrichsen– Silpada
Johnny Sundby Photography
Johnson Creek Antiques
Just Jymnastics
Karl's TV & Audio
Liv Hospitality
L & L Insulation Inc.
Magic Moments Bridal
Main Street Market
Main Street Square
McDonald's
Meadowbrook Golf Course
Meyer Dana Orthodontics
Moda Stone
Morgan Stanley
Neugebauers
New Electric, INC.
Norwex
O’Connor Company
Omni Home Financing
Pactola Pines Marina
Pepsi Cola Of The Black Hills
Pete Lien & Sons Inc.
Piesano's Pacchia
Pillen Optical
Ponderosa Screen Printing
Pottery To Paint
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Rapid Chevrolet
Rapid City Obstetrics &
Gynecology
RBC Wealth Management
Sarah Carlson
Scheels
Security First Bank
SiBelle Salon & Spa
Sisters of St. Martins
Someone's in the Kitchen
Sonic
Stanley Johnsen Concrete
STM Football Team
Strider Sports International
St. Therese Church
Super Lube
Sylvan Learning
The Allergy Clinic
The Rehab Doctors
The Skin Institute
The Yoga Studio
Tucker Kudrna Holec & Young
US Bank
VIP Properties
Wall Drug
Warwick Workouts
Weathered Vane
Wells Fargo
West River Periodontics
YMCA
Yuppy Puppy
Zoom Soda & Candy
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The 4th and final Catholic Math League contest was held on Wednesday, March 4th.
Special thanks to Mrs. Achbach for coordinating the contest system wide.
Congratulations to all participants!
Students who participated in some or all four contests are as follows:
Math 6: Hailey Bierman, Grace Blote, John Blote, Jenna Bohnenkamp, Logan Boym, MaKenna Boyum, Imogene
Christian, Alysa Denholm, Megan Eilers, Ben Feist, Wilson Feist, Theresa Freeman, Kaitlyn Greene, Emilia Hagan,
Bryanna Herman, Lily Hilt, Vivian Hurd, Jenna Jacobson, Emily Kandolin, Lauren Letner, Kwynn Morsching, Abbi
Nelson, Jacob Rausch, Jacob Solano, Haligh Timmer, Garrett Varilek, Annie Weiland, John Weiland, Vanessa
Wittenberg, Luke Bodine, Rhett Bradsky, Jenna Casey, Meredith Landry, Angeline Rasby, Averie Buren, Stephen
Peterson, Max Edelen, Jake Goble, Sophia Janssen, Sarah Matthes, Seth Stock, Rachel Thompson, Jack Wenger,
Sam Evans, and Baxter Meyer.
Math 7: Megan Achbach, Katie Conzet, Madi Dietrich, Lizzy Elder, Mary Kinyon, Ryder Kirsch, Payton Miller, Isabel
Nielson, Jack O’Neal, Steven Rumbaugh, Ainsleigh Scott, Hallie Snyder, Doug Wingert, Jake Zaug, Kendall Diehl,
Evan Hall, Jake Achbach, Brett Blakeman, Sam Matthes, William McGinnis, Alissa Stephens, Aurora Venteicher,
Ciara Benson, Elizabeth Carlisle, Caden Casey, Andrew Evans, Jarek Glenn, Jacob Hyde, Eveneau Rasby, Joey
Schad, Andrew Smith, and Andrew Williams.
Pre-Algebra: Jordan Bradsky, Sydney Bradsky, Sophie Farwell, Strider Jacobson, Madisen Lindholm, Gabby Montero,
Jay Neugebauer, Joe Obineche, Izebella Riter, Amelya Robinson, Alexia Wright, Carter Janssen, Ryan Eilers, Jillian
Houk, Ian Krump, Alexis Collins, Zach Lemon, Austin Bartunek, and Cydney Hillard.
Algebra I: Katherine Achbach, Casey Ballard, Angelea Baumberger, Emily Blote, Teresa Blote, Samantha Bradsky,
Sandy Cronin, Michael Eastmo, Morgan Gorman, Joe Hanson, Alex Kandolin, Spencer Lund, Matt McGillick, Gabrielle
Prill, Joe Rangel, Ingrid Schroeder, Louise Swanson, Frank Veldhuizen, Lauren Eccarius, Liam Maguire, Olivia
Paikos, Jens Christensen, Patrick Kellar, Ella Larson, Greer Wittenberg, Ryan Emery, Michael Hurd, and Jordan
Oster.
Algebra I: John Bridges, Shay Casey, Elizabeth Hansen, Rose Kinyon, Jacob Larson, Joe Poeppel, Jake
Bohnenkamp, and Ethan Oleson.
Geometry: Zachary Bashman, Brigit Blote, Aislinn Duffy, Meghan Fenske, Taylor Hammerbeck, Mia Hilt, Andrew
Josten, Kale Landguth, Leah Lowenberg, Tyler Matt, Josie O’Meara, Jessica Peterson, Jackson Schad, Liberty Fallon,
Olivia Gomez, Abigail Julian, Connor Pruss, Eric Fajgl, Dillon Johnson, Emma Kellar, Megan Ward, and Nick Lust.
Algebra II: Steven Carreiro, Audrey Cope, Bella Glissendorf, Luke Julian, Isaac Kortemeyer, Dalton Lund, Natalie
Montoya, Corbin Olson, Grace Wittenberg, Madison Feist, and Dane LaFleur.
Advanced Math: Megan Albertson, Rosie Blote, Payton Bradsky, Matthew Carreiro, Theresa Cronin, Wylie Digmann,
Ciara Duffy, Matthew Eastmo, Lincoln Feist, Hanna Glissendorf, Andrew Montoya, Henry O’Meara, Cierra Veldhuizen,
Sophie Wittenberg, Catherine Kellar, Ryan Krump, Sean Maher, and Will Schutz.
Congratulations to Henry O’Meara! Henry is the recipient of the 2015 STM Top Scorer Trophy!
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