THRIVE Blog 2/3

 

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.

We had our Spring Open House on Monday.  We had about 80-90 people that came to learn more about our program.  Our students did well at introducing themselves.

First-Year Students:

Families, please talk with your student about the 2nd-year of our program.  We are currently asking for Letters of intent.  This does not mean you are locked into coming but does let us know what students we should be expecting.  This helps us with housing and class size for next fall.  If you have any questions please email me.  The letter of intent can simply be an email from the family or student saying that you intend on coming for the 2nd year of our program.  Students will also want to complete their Housing agreement for next Fall/Spring school year.  It's located on their MyCentral page.  We hope to hear from you soon.  

Learning Strategies: Debra Southard  

This week we are finishing up chapter one. Monday was our open house, and Wednesday we played Kahoots for review. Students were asked this week as an assignment to have their computers read the textbook to them. They were encouraged to go to the accessibility office for help. Each computer is different. I know they did this first semester. So my hope is it would not be too hard to figure out again. Friday we took a test that was on Blackboard. It is important that students get to classes before the time their class starts. They need time to get their computer out of their bag, log on, read the board for messages, check email and respond, and check grades in all classes. 

Test time in Mrs. Southard’s class… Nash had to assist with some help with test anxiety…  Not sure he gave many good answers.

Workplace & Community Skills:  Gary Manning

This week we discussed transportation and how to get around their home area without using their family/friends.  The students had to find four different ways to use transportation.  This transportation can consist of getting their license, taxi/uber, bus services (OATS), street car, etc.  

Daily & Independent Living Skills (DILS):  Joni Shelton

As we continue our Daily Healthy Habits students kept a Personal Care chart for the week prior, and on Thursday they reviewed their charts and created a Personal Care SMART goal. Our focus then turned to avoiding drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. We focused on the impact substance use can have on our health and wellness. This coming week we will focus on healthy ways to cope with stress and anxiety with mindfulness, positive thinking, and breathing techniques.

Second-Year Students:

Notes from the Director:

Hello second-year families, thank you for getting your letters 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. 

Transition Planning II: Gary Manning

This week we discussed transportation and how to get around their home area without using their family/friends.  The students had to find four different ways to use transportation.  This transportation can consist of getting their license, taxi/uber, bus services (OATS), street car, etc.  Further, we discussed how transportation will affect your monthly budget and what an individual may have to pay throughout the month for transportation.  

 Internship II: Gary Manning

 The students are doing a wonderful job at their internship.  They are staying very busy between internships, classes, meetings, and schoolwork.  Sometimes we have to have a discussion about time management and having balance in our lives.  Further, we have to have discussions on expectations from having an internship/job and what those expectations are.  We may not like some of our duties at our internships but the expectation is that we will work to our best ability and not complain

Personal Finance II: Mrs. Garnier

We finished up our unit on Credit (loans & credit cards). The last thing we covered was predatory lending and fast cash/payday loans. You’ll all be pleased to know that every student was appalled that these kinds of lending practices exist, and each and every one of them has sworn to never use those services. They learned the difference between a 6% interest car loan and a 400% interest quick cash loan pretty quickly. I’m pretty proud of how involved they were in this unit, I feel like they really took the lessons to hear. Now, we move on to the unit on taxes…how timely.

Plato: Debra Southard

Most students completed plato last week. Much better than the previous week. 

Third-Year Students:

Notes from the Director:

Hello third-year families, thank you for getting your letter of intent to me.  This helps us know how to plan for next year.  It also looks like you have completed your housing requests for next year.

Transition Planning IV: Mrs. Garnier

We are transitioning from time management to budgeting. So far, I’ve shown them a sample budget that I worked out using the cost of their campus housing and meal plans along with other common expenses of the “real world” like utilities, renters insurance, medications, cell phone, internet, and cable/streaming services. I used the Missouri minimum wage of $12/hr and broke everything down to monthly costs over a 4 month semester. Students were stunned to see that in my scenario, they would end up with about $50 left over after expenses each month. I’m excited to see them create their own budgets based on real expenses currently being paid by parents or student loans.

Talking about Scheduling and time-management planning…

Internship IV: Mrs. Garnier

Everyone has started their internships and supervisors are pleased so far. Students are getting the hang of the new timesheet/internship format we are using this semester and it seems to be working better than what we did last semester. 

Foods & Nutrition II: Mrs. Southard

Tuesday we focused on nutrients and the importance of eating a variety of foods. Thursday we discussed how to plan a meal. Students were assigned a cooking activity for their apartments. They are to help each other but everyone makes their own recipe. Recipes have to be preapproved. The assignment is to be recorded using their iPads. Students have until February 9th but it can be extended if necessary. The recipe can be something they make often (like their specialty) or something new. Thursday we discussed meal planning. 

Students last week practiced peeling, grating, julienning, and more…

THRIVE Activities:

Mentor Activities: This past weekend the mentors had the students go to the Jennie's basketball game.  The Jennies are ranked #7 this week, with only 1 loss.

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 Chocolate-Covered Strawberries…

"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."