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YOURSELFYOURSELF!”!”

M. KM. KELLYELLY

“DEVELOPING

PERSONAL

AND

ACADEMIC

EXCELLENCE

IN THE

CATHOLIC

TRADITION”

STM CSTM CSTM CAVALIERAVALIERAVALIER

CCCHRONICLESHRONICLESHRONICLES

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“In January of 2015, the RCCSS hosted an External Review Team from AdvancED with the purpose of seeking renewal of our District Accreditation. The team interviewed a total of 175 stakeholders during their three-day visit. In part, the Exit Report stated, ‘The Rapid City Catholic School System is to be commended for their commitment to Catholic education and the achievement of their students. Such a commitment is an essential element of successful teaching and powerful practices that ensure a process of continuous improvement for their system.’" - Barb Honeycutt, 2014-2015 Annual Report

Congratulations to the RCCSS on receiving the AdvancEd Accreditation. The

official award was presented in Pierre, SD this fall. Pictures above are Robert

Aberle, Barb Honeycutt, Colleen Lecy, Susan Oleson, Mary Helen Olsen, Keiz

Shultz, and Cathy Matthesen.

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2015 Fall Sports Program

We would like to thank the following businesses

for their support in the STM Fall Sports Program!

Opportunities to advertise in the Winter edition of the program are available. Please

contact Liz Myscofski at lmyscofski@rccss.org for more information.

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RCCSS

School

Board

Meeting

Schedule

Meeting begins

at 5pm, unless

otherwise noted,

on the 4th

Monday of

every month.

September 28

October 26

November 23

January 4 (in place of

December

Meeting)

January 25

February 22

March 21 4:00 pm

April 25

May 16

June 27

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It is great to be a “Cavalier”!!

Cavalier Nation is going strong this school year. Our Girls Soccer and

Girls Tennis teams both came home with State Championships. This

was the first state championship for Girls Tennis and the 5th title for the

soccer team. The following girls made the All-State Team- Delaney

Carlson, Kassidy Kirsch, Ciara Duffy, and Olivia Janssen.

St. Thomas More also had 6 students make All State Orchestra- Will Raymond, Megan

Ward, Carolyn Eckrich, Nick Lust, Rosemarie Blote and Brigit Blote.

We had 4 STM girls play softball in a co-op with Douglas and they won the State

Championship. Alexis Collins, Bailee O’Brien, Michelle Lanam, and Mary Kinyon.

Michelle also made All-State.

Cross Country girls took 5th and the boys took 4th which was their best finish ever. Luke

Julian took 3rd overall and Ty Trainor took 5th overall for the boys. Kaci Cooper took 8th

overall for the girls team. Cheer took 7th in their division, and the Dance team took 6th

overall at their state competitions. Oral Interp and Knowledge Bowl continue to

compete tough and will be heading to Regions on November 7th.

First quarter is now in the books (pardon the pun). Just a reminder that the only grades

that are on your student’s transcripts are the semester grades. This will be an average of

the two quarters. There will be semester finals December 16th , 17th and 18th.

Cancer Awareness night was a success! With your help we raised over $2,900 which

was then donated to the Rapid City Regional Cancer Care Institute.

I also wanted to share how proud I am of our students who have been helping in feeding

the homeless on Sunday mornings. We have students who have been coming on a

regular basis and bringing food, clothes, blankets and other items to help those in need.

What inspires me the most is watching our students lead them in prayer after the meal is

over. Our students are truly amazing.

Please know that if you would like to meet with me or any of the staff, just email or call

and we will set up a time to meet.

St. Thomas More families, there are many ways that we as a school can earn money

without having fundraisers! I will list a few items that can earn money for our school

that I am sure you are doing and do not even realize the potential of income for our

school. They are:

Family Thrift receipts- for every $150,000 dollars of receipts our school

receives $1,000. (We are now only $5,000 short of another $1,000!) Every “Our Family” upc code is worth - $.05 Every “Box Top for Education” is worth - $.10

If you simply send in these items we will have groups such as “Student Council” and “National Honor Society” at our school adds them up and then we collect the monies for our school. It is that easy! We appreciate your support.

“It’s easy when you know how” Have a wonderful month and may God Bless you and your family. God Bless, Mr. Sullivan

P A G E 5

Middle School Memo ...Recognizes and respects the dignity of the human person, and pursues

Christian virtues through daily awareness.

You’ve perhaps heard me many times say, “It takes a village.” The

wonderful gift of choosing to educate your child in our Catholic School

system is that we are able to partner with you in helping your child develop into the

best version of themselves in accordance with God’s plan. The above statement is one

of our Middle School goals for this school year. For the early adolescent, one of the

hardest parts of fulfilling this goal is the daily awareness. Many times as they express

their newly found independence, they can act impulsively any time regardless of how

their behavior affects others around them. As parents and educators we need to help

them be aware of their surroundings and often times help them understand how their

behavior may hurt others’ feelings, be disrespectful to their peers and/or their teachers/

parents, or disrupt a situation or activity. In the school environment, we sometimes see

different behavior than what you as a parent see at home.

In a wonderful article by Therese Oneill entitled “11 Lessons Every Good Parent

Should Teach Their Kid”, the first lesson is to help instill in your child that respect is

the root of all good things. The article states...

“If there is basic human respect, so many other good character traits

follow suit. Respect for authority also shows obedience. Respect for

others covers kindness. Respect for oneself shows self-control and self-

worth. Things like teasing and bullying happen in the absence of respect.

Back-talk, disobedience, laziness, same thing, they just don't exist where

respect is found. Cleanliness, self-control, follow-through, and

determination also are the product of respect.”

As a parent have you tried to instill this important moral virtue in your child? If

you asked your child what does respect mean to them, would they be able to

verbalize some of these things? I encourage you to take some time with your

child and discuss this important moral virtue. If you are interested in the other

10 lessons, you can find them at the following web link:

http://theweek.com/articles/446231/11-lessons-every-good-parent-should-teach-

kid

As the primary educator of your child, we are excited to partner with you in this

important growth and development stage.

P A G E 6

First Lego League Club

STM MS First Lego League (FLL) had

their first training at SDSM&T, October

24th. They were excited to see other teams

and practice the programming they have

been working on this year. Thanks to

Coach Dianne Aultmann for the picture.

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P A G E 8

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ShopwithScrip.com

Hulu Plus- New ScripNow Retailer

Great news! We're pleased to announce that Hulu Plus 3-Month Subscription ScripNow® eCards are now

available for $23.97, with a 6% non-profit contribution. eCards come with a code that can be

redeemed at www.hulu.com.

Order your Gift cards on Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:00 in the SES office. Scrip Order your Gift cards on Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:00 in the SES office. Scrip

volunteers are available to ask questions, place orders, or get more information! volunteers are available to ask questions, place orders, or get more information!

How to Make Your Own Gift Card Holder:

A standard gift card measures 3.5 inches wide x 2 inches tall. Your gift card holder needs to be bigger than that !

1. Start by cutting a sheet of patterned paper to roughly 4.5 inches wide x 8 inches tall.

2. Then fold! Fold the bottom up ~1.5 to 2 inches from the top of the card. Then fold the top part down so that it over-laps.

3. Cut a strip of paper 1.5 to 2 inches wide and ~10 inches long. now fold the strip around the card holder. Adhere it together with strong adhesive and then trim off the excess. Now you have a little sleeve-thingy that you can slide on & off the gift card holder

But you still need to embellish this thing a little better to make it cuter! Add stickers, die cuts, flowers, punches, bling as desired to get the look you want. This is a good place to add a sentiment too!

Instructions can be found at:

http://bellablvd.typepad.com/bella_blvd/2011/05/make-your-own-gift-card-holder.html

WWW.SHOPWITHSCRIP.COMWWW.SHOPWITHSCRIP.COM

Gift Cards are perfect gifts,

Gift Card holders add the personal touch!

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Online Choices Even wonderful kids can make mistakes when faced with the massive temptations whirling about the web. What's a parent to do when they discover that their child or teen has been visiting sites containing sexual material, racist, cult, or terrorist propaganda, etc.? Safety first.

Before visiting with the child, remove or disable any devices you can. While we can't control every internet access point available to our kids, we must control what we can.

Protect yourself. Immediately report to the police any inappropriate content involving minors. Absolutely report any threats of violence. Parents who’ve tried to cover up or “smooth over” incidents of such nature have found themselves in legal hot water.

If empathy is impossible at the moment, delay the consequence. In an ideal world, a parent would respond with great empathy:

“This is so sad. Today I discovered that you were on a website…” In this less-than-ideal world, we may need another alternative:

“I am so angry that I can’t even think. We'll talk later when I'm calm.” When everyone is calmer, listen to your child’s heart.

In some situations, children’s hearts are filled with so much sadness, darkness, anxiety, or other forms of hurt that professional help is definitely necessary. In addition to providing healthy limits and loving consequences, the most effective parents look below the surface by asking sincere questions and listening without judgment:

“I really want to understand. What about this is interesting to you?” “Is this something that you are serious about or are you just kind of curious?” “Some kids get into that stuff because they are really hurting. Does that sound familiar to you?”

With great empathy, hand the problem back.

Over time…perhaps plenty of it…the child or teen must take real action steps to develop and maintain a plan for making healthier decisions. Depending on their heart condition, this may involve conscientious participation in therapy, demonstrating greater respect and responsibility in other areas of their life, agreeing to keep parental monitoring software on their devices, etc. Until the parent feels thrilled with the youngster’s plan and their overall attitude about it, no devices are provided.

Learn more techniques to lead your child to responsible decision making, in my new book Technology and Kids. Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend. Dr. Charles Fay

Cavalier Corner brings in

handmade Beanies!

The RCCSS Facebook page

will keep you posted on when

& where you can purchase the

latest Cavalier Nation Fan

gear!

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LUNCH

Scholarship and Financial Aid News from the School Counselor

Please See Mrs. Strand For More Details Just a reminder: Juniors and Seniors feel free to take any information about scholarships and college information off the bulletin boards and brochure rack next to Mrs. Strand’s room.

ACT and SAT test dates are posted in several places in the building and free student guides are available outside Mrs. Strand’s room.

Be sure to request that the ACT/SAT test scores be sent to the colleges that you are interested in attending. SCHOOL CODE IS 421

-245

School Soup!!! You may go to this website, http://www.schoolsoup.com/scholarship-directory and complete a profile. This site will

provide you with scholarship opportunities based on the following: City, Colleges, Special Situations, Race/Minority, Major,

Activities, Religious Affiliation, and more!!!

QuestBridge College Match Program and Scholarship connects outstanding students from low-income backgrounds with

admission and full four-year scholarships to the nation's best colleges. For more information and to see what schools partner with this

program please visit http://www.questbridge.org/

South Dakota Farmers Union Foundation Scholarship Program 3 - $500 scholarships. Deadline: December 1, 2015 Go to:

http://www.sdfu.org/

USD School of Education - Bush Foundation Teacher Scholarship Application Deadline: December 1, 2015 Award Amount:

$1000 each year for four years as long as the candidate maintains eligibility as determined by the School of Education. Visit

www.usd.edu/financial-aid/scholarships

BLACK HILLS Stock Show Foundation Scholarships The deadline is December 15, 2015. The BHSSF Scholarship Program

annually offers 6 - $2000 scholarships (renewable one-time) to spring graduating high school seniors anticipating an ag related or ag

community supporting career. Application and qualification requirements are available at foundation@bhssf.com or leave a message

on the message line at 605-718-0810 or contact Lorretta Hill at 390-3453 or landlranch.sd@gmail.com

FIDM Creative Careers Scholarship FIDM is an accredited college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Associate

of Arts Degree Program. Each year, FIDM awards over $300,000 in scholarships through our National Scholarship Competition. For

more information about this additional FIDM scholarship programs, go to

http://fidm.edu/en/admissions/financial+aid+scholarships/fidm+scholarships/

The AXA Achievement Scholarship is awarded to 52 students nationwide – one selected from each state, Washington, D.C. and

Puerto Rico. The application period for the 2016 program is now open. Go to: https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/axa-

achievement/at AXA Achievement Scholarship. The application deadline is December 15, 2015, but only the first 10,000

applications will be accepted.

South Dakota Elks Scholarship Programs. Please visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars for more information. Applications are also

available in the STM Guidance Office.

2016 SD JCI Senate Scholarship form is now available. Deadline is December 15, 2015. Information available in the STM

Guidance Office.

The RiSE Scholarship Foundation, Inc. is to recognize and reward students with learning disabilities that have overcome learning

challenges, achieved academic success in their formative school years and will continue their educational journey by pursuing an

undergraduate degree at a college or university. Applications may be found at www.riseschholarshipfoundation.org

2016 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program. In honor of the legacy and character of President Ronald Reagan, this

program annually rewards up to 20 college-bound students who demonstrate exemplary leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship

with $10,000 renewable scholarships (up to $40,000 per recipient). Deadline is Jan 7th.

Gates Millennium Scholars Program- This is a renewable, need-based scholarship that provides financial support throughout

undergraduate study and into graduate school. Deadline: Completed applications must be submitted online by January 13, 2016

Please visit http://www.gmsp.org/

BankWest now has scholarship information available at https://www.bankwest-sd.com/ Deadline is Feb. 7th

As a reminder, we are giving away $50,000 in scholarships to high school and college students. Through February 29, 2016, students

are automatically entered to win a $2,500 scholarship when they sign up to receive helpful tips on planning and paying for college at

CollegeCovered.com. More winners will be chosen later this year. No purchase or student loan necessary for students to enter or

win. To learn more about our scholarship, visit DiscoverStudentLoans.com/Scholarship.

The Build Dakota Scholarship is open to in-state and out-of-state students planning to attend a Technical Post-Secondary School in

South Dakota. The vision of the Build Dakota Scholarship is to create a skilled workforce in South Dakota.

www.builddakotascholarships.com

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