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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.

Spring Break is coming…

Helly families, the students will have Spring Break from March 4th - March 12th.  The students will need to be out of the dorms by 6 pm on Friday the fourth, then the dorms will open back up at noon on March 12th.  If you have any needs please email Mr. Brunkhorst.

Classes for Fall Semester:

Students in the first year of our program will be asked soon what their top 5 classes are that they would like to take next year. So it will be a good time to talk to them over the next week or so. Any students staying for a 3rd- or 4th-year will also be asked what classes they would like to take.

Roommates for Fall Semester (1st-year students only):

I'll be sending out a Google form in the next couple of days to the first-year students. It will be asking them who they would like to have as a roommate next fall. If they like the roommate that they have now and they are also a first-year student they can check that box. Otherwise, they will be asked to give their top five choices so we can help get roommates lined up for next fall. They will also have the choice to choose to be with a new first-year student.

First-Year Students:

Learning Strategies: Debra Southard  

Mr. Brunkhorst ​​surprised students Monday morning. He taught the class. Students were to upload Chapter 2 to notability on to their iPads. The new topic is Time Management and how it relates to students in the spring semester. 

Workplace & Community Skills:  Gary Manning

Job skills were discussed and an individual body language on how other people perceive that body language.  We also discussed Thank you letters. Students will be asked to write for each job shadowing experience they complete. The plan is for each student to complete 3 job shadowing experiences each in different locations this semester. 

Daily & Independent Living Skills (DILS):  Joni Shelton

This past week students were excited to discuss Stress management. We also talked about anxiety and depression. We focused on coping techniques to use when we are feeling overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and depression. We talked about the importance of having someone to talk to, and if too overwhelming, a professional. I shared with students grounding techniques using a Stress tool kit, which included items such as stress balls, worry stones, mints, lavender essential oils, and sounds of the ocean app on my phone. This week we will focus on breathing techniques, mindfulness, and staying focused on the task at hand as they prepare to go out into the workplace.

One student shared with me the stress tool kit that he created after our class. Thank you for sharing Preston.

A little studying going on outside the collaboration Zone…

Second-Year Students:

Notes from the Director:

Hello second-year families, just a reminder that if you are planning on returning to UCM for our optional third year, please send a letter of intent to me.  This helps us know how to plan for next year.  Also, you’ll want to make sure your student goes into their MyCentral page and fills out the housing agreement for Fall of 2023 and if they are in an apartment do their new lease agreement.  They can call Housing if they have questions at 660-543-4515.  It’s important that you do this so that your student can have a chance at their top choice. If you change your mind the deposit can be returned to you.   If you aren’t planning on coming back for a third year please email me so I can also update our list.  We’ve already started to receive our letters of intent.  Please get yours in so we know what to plan…

Transition Planning II: Gary Manning

 The students are working on self-reflection assignments.  On this particular assignment, the students have to write about what they have accomplished over their year and a half being on campus.  They have to discuss their goals for this semester and what they are planning on doing after graduation on May 6th, 2023.  

 Internship II: Gary Manning

The students are updating their resumes and working with the UCM Career Service Office on their resumes.  The students also have to write about their internships.  They have to write about what they have learned at their internship and what is challenging for them at their internship.  

Personal Finance II: Mrs. Garnier

We have had a busy week learning about taxes. We covered W-2s, W-4s, how to read a pay stub, the difference between gross income and net income, and all the different types of tax forms. I showed them a checklist of documents needed to file taxes and talked about paper filing, using software to e-file, and using a tax professional. It was a fun week!

Plato: Debra Southard

Students are getting better at completing the time on plato. One way to improve is to work on slowing down and increasing mastery. 

Third-Year Students:

Notes from the Director:

Hello third-year families, just a reminder that if you are planning on returning to UCM for a fourth year, please send a letter of intent to me.  This helps us know how to plan for next year.  Also, you’ll want to make sure your student goes into their MyCentral page and fills out the housing agreement for Fall of 2023 and if they are in an apartment do their new lease agreement.  They can call Housing if they have questions at 660-543-4515.  It’s important that you do this so that your student can have a chance at their top choice.  If you aren’t planning on coming back please email me so I can also update our list.  We’ve already started to receive our letters of intent.  Please get yours in so we know what to plan…

Transition Planning IV: Mrs. Garnier

We talked about real-life budgeting this week. I broke down the monthly cost of their meal plans and their apartments on campus. They were stunned to realize that the monthly “rent” for their campus housing is anywhere from $631 and $924 depending on where they live on campus. I equated their unlimited meal plan to a monthly grocery budget and dining dollars to a dining-out budget. Again, they were shocked. The budget we used was based on a 40 hr/wk job at the Missouri minimum wage of $12/hour. What we discovered is that if they had to pay for everything out of their own pockets, they could not survive on minimum wage. We will talk about how they can realistically live on their own and pay their own bills next week.

Internship IV: Mrs. Garnier

I continue to be pleased with the performance of my 3rd-year students. Their supervisors all have good things to say about them and they are doing well. The first internship summary paper is due by Feb. 12th, and I look forward to their insights into their work.

Foods & Nutrition II: Mrs. Southard

We had a fun week. Students make mashed potatoes. A few students had never used a hand mixer before. But everyone got to try it out. All students did well. One student said I liked this better than the other things we made! I can tell the students are improving their cleaning skills. Great job everyone!

THRIVE Activities:

Mentor Activities: This past weekend the students did chocolate-covered strawberries with Taylor and Shane.  Looks yummy…

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

Important upcoming dates: 

Next Mentor Activity:  The next Mentor Activity will be watching the Jennies continue their run to the MIAA tournament…

"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."