Blog 10/3

 

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:

Director Notes:

FAFSA becomes available online at fafsa.gov for next year.  I know many of you will wait until current tax information comes out but wanted to let families know.  

Homecoming is the weekend of October 14-15th.  There is Volleyball on Friday night, a Football game on Saturday, and then another Volleyball game on Saturday night.  We will also be in the Homecoming Parade, Saturday morning, so we hope to see everyone there.

Spring Semester notes:

First-Year Students:

Our first-year students will be asked in the next few weeks to give 5 classes that they might like to take in the Spring Semester.  Then staff will look over their choices to help narrow it down to the class that fits in their schedule and gets back to the students on the final class options.

Second-Year Students:

The second-year students will be asked over the next few weeks to give 5 classes that they might like to take in the Spring Semester.  Then staff will look over their choices to help narrow it down to the class that fits in their schedule and gets back to the students on the final class options.  They will also be asked what internships they would like to have in the Spring.  We change their internships each semester so that they will have more experience and gain more skills.  In some instances, if students are in a paid position, we give the students a chance to stay at that internship as long as they can continue to learn new skills to help them in their future.

Spring Roommate Changes…. Maybe maybe not… First- & Second-Year students…

Also, in Late October the first-year students and second-year students are asked about spring roommates.  The students can stay with the same roommate or if they want to switch roommates they can let us know their top 5 roommates and a couple of other questions.  This helps staff look at what roommates want to move and which students don’t.  Then staff look over their choices and make the best decision they can.  Any student moves are then done the week after Thanksgiving break.  This helps the students be ready for the Spring semester.  No families are asked to come back to help move.  THRIVE staff helps the students swap rooms and help get with Housing on any paperwork.

Third-Year Students: 

The third-year students will be asked over the next few weeks to give 5 classes that they might like to take in the Spring Semester.  Then staff will look over their choices to help narrow it down to the class that fits in their schedule and gets back to the students on the final class options.  They will also be asked what internships they would like to have in the Spring.  We change their internships each semester so that they will have more experience and gain more skills.  In some instances, if students are in a paid position, we give the students a chance to stay at that internship as long as they can continue to learn new skills to help them in their future.

University Foundations: Debra Southard  

This week we took our second test online. Students are reminded every week to complete their discussion board and use the activity app. An assignment was turned in on Monday. Students were asked to write a one-page paper on how they think they have grown during the first semester. Some students are having a hard time remembering to put their phones in their backpacks during class. We started a movie that is a true story called “Door to Door”. 

Students studying before class, great job!

Individual Relationships and Health:  Joni Shelton

This week we discussed the Male and Female Reproductive system's anatomy and physiology. We talked about hormones, puberty, concerns about the reproductive system, and caring for the reproductive system. We then moved on to the decision to become engaged and marry. We discussed important things to consider when making the decision to marry and to discuss with the potential spouse prior to taking the big step. Next week we will talk about the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Students will have a mid-term review for a homework assignment and then a Midterm exam.

Technology Literacy:  Victoria O’Reilly

First-year students have been working so hard over the last week to create and complete their “About Me” presentations using Google Slides. This is the first phase of their midterm for the Fall 2022 semester. I am thrilled with the work I’ve seen so far and am excited to watch each student present their slideshow next week. Everyone has been working diligently to polish up the technology skills needed to succeed in the THRIVE Program. 

Career Exploration: Gary Manning

We also discussed how their first two Missouri Connections assessment data can help them look for potential job opportunities.  The students were able to see what jobs/careers matched both of the assessments and then they were asked to circle any additional jobs they thought were interesting. 

Learning about Attitude and the job…

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 A little studying going on…

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning I: Gary Manning

We are in the process of selecting courses for the spring semester.  The students need to select five courses that they may be interested in taking.  The courses need to be face-to-face courses and a course that may help them in their future plans.  Students may take more than one elective course if the student would like to.   I have suggested the students talk to their families about the course selection.  

Internship I: Gary Manning

The students are in the process of selecting their spring internship.  The students need to submit three to five locations they are interested in.  We suggest the students select locations that will help them get a job in their local community.  The students may do more than one internship if they would like to.  We would just split the hours to 6-8 hours per week for both internships.  The students may stay at their current internship if we can get that worked out with that particular location.  However, we want students to gain experience in different job skills and work environments.  Therefore, if that student stays at their current internship we ask their supervisors to have them do different tasks than they have previous.  Please talk to your students about their spring internships.    

Personal Finance I: Lisa Garnier

We are wrapping up our unit on banking. Students have learned about different types of payment methods (checks, debit/prepaid cards, cash, and peer-to-peer payment apps (PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay Cash, and others). We talked about the benefits and risks of the different payment methods and which is best in specific situations. We discussed different scenarios and students were asked to explain which payment method would be best in each scenario. We also discussed the safety of online banking and how to make sure whatever method of payment or banking they use offers multiple security features for their money and their account information.

Using the Rec Center during the day to unwind…  Great job!

Third-Year Students:

Transition Planning III: Lisa Garnier

Students have been busy creating a work view and a life view to help them understand the importance of work/life balance. The idea is that understanding how they feel about and approach work and how they feel about and approach life can help them figure out what work they want to do and the kind of life they want to cultivate.

Internship III: Lisa Garnier

I’m getting good reports on internship performance. Students are in the process of picking 5 potential classes for the Spring semester as well as identifying potential internship sites for the spring. I’ve encouraged them to discuss their options with their parents. Some have expressed a desire to continue in their current internships while others are open to change. Internship placement is affected by coursework and vice versa, so we’ll be continuing to discuss all our options and try to come up with what is best for the individual students. 

Foods and Nutrition: Debra Southard

This week we met in the THRIVE classroom. We discussed several eating disorders and played Kahoots to see what each student already knew about the topic. Students had a homework assignment to make homemade macaroni and cheese. They were to videotape themselves. Friday we watched the videos in class. Students did a great job with this assignment. As we watched the videos the students made comments about preparation. 

A little studying and coffee time in the Union…

Plato: Debra Southard

All students will continue working on reading, writing, and math skills. Plato continues to add many other topics. This week I have asked students to let me know some other topics that might interest them. There are too many topics to list. At some point, I will switch students' other two topics to something they have selected. 

THRIVE Activities: 

THRIVE Softball pictures.  Don’t forget there are more pictures on our Facebook page (UCM - THRIVE)...

Great game everyone! There are more pictures on our UCM-THRIVE Facebook page.

Mentor Activities: This weekend with Family weekend there weren’t any Mentor activities.  They helped with the Float decorating.  Thank you to all the families that were able to come down and see their students.  I know we had many of them that were excited to see you.  Here are some pictures from the Meet N Greet and the THRIVE Float decorating time…

There will be more on Facebook soon.

Great Job Everyone!!  For more pictures please join our THRIVE Facebook and/or Instagram pages.

Important upcoming dates: 

Next Mentor Activity:  Siarah has a great event planned for the students…

UCM Athletics:

The THRIVE Softball team had their last game Monday night. 

Some students have signed up for Ping Pong, we’ll try to have pictures up for that in the coming weeks.

There are lots more pictures on our Facebook page.  

There are also three other activities that students said they’d be interested in that are on the back counter.  Badminton, 3 on 3 Basketball, and Pickleball Tournament.  I’ll update you as they get closer to the time.

"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."