Blog 10/14-10/21

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:

University Foundations- Chapter 5  We discussed how to prepare for a class the night before and that morning. We worked on a to-do list and discussed assignments that were due this week. Some students are having trouble remembering to use the activity app every week. They do not get discussion board points if the app is not used. Also, Students are practicing using correct grammar in the discussion board.  Students are supposed to comment on someone else's discussion board for full credit. We talked about different ways to take notes for classes and while reading the text. Thursday was assigned new study groups for the test that is Tuesday. Students are expected to complete a handout about what they studied each day. With some students going home for the weekend, some are under the weather and others busy with activities I sent an email to everyone explaining they might have to create their own study groups with others and get back on track on Monday.

Daily Independent Living Skills -The DILS class is learning about work ethic, appropriate behaviors on the job, and we are on skills to add to thee skills sections of our basic resumes. They have been tasked with writing a paragraph about work ethic, and we've had class discussions about coping with stress and anxiety, which tend to be high around mid to the end of the semester. We talked about recognizing when others are under stress being patient with each other while we deal with our stressors. We also discussed how we need to also recognize that in a classroom setting we not only have a responsibility for how we deal with our stressors but also a responsibility to recognize how our reactions to stressors affect the others in the class. 

Technology Literacy-In Tech Literacy we completed their PowerPoint presentations successfully and are now working on a 3-paragraph essay on where they see themselves in the future. The students are learning the difference between realistic future goals and not so realistic ones in this paper. For instance, getting a degree and living on their own with a spouse and children vs founding their own city and government. While anything is possible, we are trying to keep our feet on the ground and our heads out of the clouds. This could be something they use to stay on target to achieve their realistic life goals.

Relationships class- We made a list of items a family would need to take care of a baby. We discussed all the needs an infant has and how having a baby will change a person's life and relationships.

Some of our first-year students in their Bowling and Adapt. PE classes:

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning I: We have been talking about “First Things First”.  What is the main priority for the week? For our students, it is getting their schoolwork/internships done.  Then the students will have time to socialize and go-to activities. We have suggested to the students to have “To-Do Lists”, use a planner and make sure they write down what they need to accomplish for the day/week.  This week will be discussing “Relationship Bank Account”.

Internship I: The students are realizing how important it is to do their best work at their internships.  The students’ internships are a big part of the THRIVE program and is part of their grade in the program.  They get graded by Dr. Manning and their supervisors during their internships. We talk about how important it is to show up on time, to make sure you know your work schedule and if the students can do more at their internship to show that initiative.  

Plato- Most students completed plato this week. Students were reminded on Monday to write down their time that is showing on each subject so they can keep track of how much they needed to complete this week.

THRIVE Activities: 

Mentor Activities: This past weekend’s activity Kim put together a Halloween themed Olympics.  I look forward to posting some pictures.

Important upcoming dates:

Down Syndrome Guild Walk: We’ve uploaded some of the pictures to our THRIVE Facebook page.  

Special Olympics group to be on UCM Campus:

The students participate in helping the Missouri Special Olympics this weekend.   Our students did guided tours during the day and then set up physical activities that night at the SRWC.

MIPSA Conference: 

On Monday, November 4th our staff, four students, and 2 mentors will be going to Springfield, MO for our Fall MIPSA conference.  MIPSA is a group that is made up of other Transition Programs that are similar to THRIVE. This group works on ways to assist families/students in finding out about our programs and helping with leadership opportunities for our students/staff.  The students that have THRIVE classes will have alternate assignments that day. The Dean’s office will be assisting with any student concerns during the day.

Fall Break / December Finals:

The week of November 25th will be our Fall Thanksgiving Break.  Students will need to be out of the dorms by Friday at 6 pm.  Then the dorms will open back up on Sunday at noon on the 1st.  

Finals for First-Year students will be the week following, Monday, December 2nd to Friday, December 6th.  First-Year students will be taking finals in their Elective and THRIVE classes this week.  We’ll have more specific information in later Blogs. The First-Year students will need to be out of the dorms by Friday the 6th or Saturday the 7th.  They will need to follow check-out procedures before they leave. The mentors and staff will go over the procedure the week before. If students don’t follow the procedures there can be a fee charged to their account.

Finals for Second-Year students will be during Finals week, December 9th through the 13th.  The Second-Year students will need to be out of the dorms by Friday the 13th at 6 pm.  They will need to follow the check-out procedures before they leave. The mentors and staff will go over the procedure the week before. If students don’t follow the procedures there can be a fee charged to their account.   For Second-Year students here is the link to when their finals are, then scroll down to Final Exam Schedule. You need to also get with your student as they may have to have a different time due to working with the OAS Office. This can help you plan when should be done with finals. The THRIVE staff would like for students to be picked up after their last final. That way the students that are left in the dorm can have some quiet time for studying for their finals.

Spring Dorms Open:

The dorms will open back up on January 12th at noon for returning students for the Spring Semester.  The students will need to be moved back into their dorm by Sunday night. There won’t be a study hall this Sunday.

"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 simply telling you what we plan to do in our program and using the blog to help spread what we are doing on a weekly basis."