Week before Spring Break. Have a great week with your family.

THRIVE Director Notes

Posts on this Blog will be directed to help families see what is going on in our THRIVE Program.  Items discussed on the Blog have already occurred. To keep updated on what’s coming up, please refer to the THRIVE activity calendar or UCM activity calendar.

First-Year Students:

Workplace & Community Skills:

This week’s class topic was stress. Students took a stress test to determine how much stress each student was experiencing. We discussed the many sources of stress and ways to release it. Dr. Manning shared a personal story about stress and its effects. We shared different scenarios at work, the possibility of stress on the job and how to deal with it. On Wednesday students got personal experience with being overwhelmed. Dr. Manning and Mrs. Southard assigned a five-page paper for the students to work on during the break. Instructors explained how we were behind due to snow days and gave a due date of April 1st.  Students began to look around at each other with blank stares; one student got out her stress ball.  Students begin to experience some of the physical characterizes we had been covering. The instructors pointed out how each student was feeling. Then it was explained this was just an exercise. Students were immensely relieved to hear that is was just a demonstration of how quickly and unexpected a stressful situation can happen.

Here are a few of our students after taking their Learning Strategies test on Friday before the break.  

Learning Strategies:

Time management was the theme this week. We worked on a prospective-retrospective schedule. The student talked about the different ways they manage their time. On Monday students completed an on-line Kahoots quiz. On Wednesday students were asked to get in their study groups and study for the test. They had made flash cards and worked on the textbook web site answering some questions. Friday student took the test on Chapter 3.

Personal Math:

The Personal Math students have been preparing for Ch. 2 assessment. They have been working with partners, and a large group to practice the math skills necessary to be successful on the Ch. 2 assessment.

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning II:

The students have continued to discuss what their goals are once they graduate from the UCM Thrive program.  That discussion revolves around utilizing their immediate resources and resources in the future to help with the independent living and the transition from being a college student to what their goals are.  I have asked the students to continue to have discussions with their families about the transition and their goals. These discussions continue to be hard for the students to have. The students are nervous, scared, excited and overwhelmed at times with the transition and change.

Internship II:

Over spring break the students have an assignment to look and fill out job applications in their career goal areas and in the area where they may be living at in the near future.  The students should visit the vocational rehab office in their field and other resources that are available to them to help them find positions/jobs. The objective is for the student to find a job after they graduate from the UCM Thrive program in May.

PLATO:

Many students really worked hard on Plato last week. Great job students!

Study Time:

The students are still doing a great job of coming in and doing homework in a quiet place.  Sometimes Nash needs to give some pointers…

THRIVE Activities:

This weekend’s activity was the students moving out of the dorms for their Spring Break.  I tried to get a few pictures of their sad faces leaving our campus for a week… not. It looked like many were excited to go home and see family.  I heard some just wanted to sleep in… Here’s a few of them having their last lunch before they headed home. Yes, Kesse I was able to get you before you left.

Important upcoming dates:

Graduation items: Yes, I’ll be getting details and dates put together over the next month for our THRIVE graduates and families.  The Commencement date is May 11th from 10-12. We’ll then have a THRIVE Reception and presentation of THRIVE Certificates of Success to the new Graduates, from 12:30 - 3:30.  This is an exciting time, and Mr. Brunkhorst will be sending out emails to 2nd-year students and their families in the coming weeks to start getting a count of how many will be attending.  I’ll have more information I’ll email 2nd-year families closer to the date.

Athletics to watch:  Men’s and Women’s Basketball games are completed, the Jennies should be playing in the post-season, so the students should be able to listen to games.   Towards the middle of March, the Baseball team will also start their games.

Also, the students can participate in Intramural Athletics:

• We had enough students to have a Spring Softball team.  I’ll keep you updated on the dates of the games.
• The students can also look to their Spring Student Activities calendar that was left for them the first week.  We also have copies in the THRIVE Classroom.

"This blog is a programming blog written by the director and staff of the THRIVE Program on the University of Central Missouri campus.  This blog doesn't accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions.

The views and ideas expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners.  This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.  We are merely telling you what we plan to do in our program and using the blog to help spread what we are doing every week."