11/12 Blog posting

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:

Students turned in their big paper they had been working on. Students also worked this week on a one page paper 
about reflecting on where they want to be in 10 to 20 years. Some students are going to the writing lab over in the 
library. I have requested that they all go over there.  The last Chapter for this semester is about people skills. This is 
information that will transition into the next semester. Students shared some experiences they have had dealing 
with customers. We began to talk about interview skills as well. We discussed how to study for finals. Students take 
the final for this class Friday, November 30th It is important when a THRIVE students make an appointment over in 
OAS that they keep that appointment time.

Daily & Independent Living Skills:

Getting ready for upcoming final presentation.

Technology Literacy:

We continued working on iMovie trailers in tech lit. There are some future Oscar Nominees in mix. Can't 
wait for the screening the week after Thanksgiving.

Some study time between University Foundations and Relationships 101 on the Friday before Thanksgiving 
break.  Great job, Students!!

Relationships 101:

We took a Kahoot quiz in class. It took all class hour to complete. The questions on the Kahoot test will be the same 
ones on the final. Students take the final for this class on Thursday, November 29th. I also gave a review sheet to help 
study for the final.  

Friday’s class looks like they are excited to be leaving for Thanksgiving Break.  Have a great break…

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning I:

The students have finished Habit 6 and are working on Habit 7.  Habit 7 will conclude our book study for the 
semester. The students received a study guide for their final in this class.  The final will be over our book 
study.

Internship I:

The students are preparing for their final which is a mock interview during finals week.  The students have 
a rubric on how they will be graded. The students will be meeting with the UCM Career Services on Novem-
ber 28th.  This meeting will give the students an idea on what the career services department can help with 
as the students start looking for a position in their career.

PLATO:

students took new November Assessments. Most students are completing the assessments too fast which does not 
give an accurate picture of the students’ abilities. Students will not be required to work on PLATO the week of Thank-
sgiving break. Students should use that time to prepare for finals.

THRIVE Activities:

Fall Finals:

The first-year students should be spending some time studying this week.  They will have their final tests or 
projects due the week they get back. Just a bit of studying each day should help them be prepared for their 
classes.  Some already had a plan ready. The students should know when their last finals are and when 
they can leave. We have a list of items that will need to be done for Winter Checkout.  It’s a bit different.

Spring Semester Classes:

The Spring Semester classes will start on January 14th.  The residence halls will open for students on 
January 13th at noon.  Please make sure the students have paper, pencils, backpacks, chargers for their 
phones/computers.  We will have the students’ books in the THRIVE Suite and the students will need to 
pick them up on Monday morning.  Please make sure they have appropriate winter clothing with them on 
their return in January.

No Weekend Activity this week:

We hope that all our students and families are enjoying some time together.  We wish everyone a happy 
and safe Thanksgiving week. Just a reminder that first-year students will have finals the week they get 
back, so they should be spending some time studying.  The first-year students will have their finals the 
following week during Finals week on Campus. All students may also have some final projects/papers to 
finish up.

Important upcoming dates:

End of Semester:

The students will need to be back on campus on November 25th, so that they can be in classes on the 
26th.  There will be a Sunday afternoon study hall. First-year students have finals and 2nd-year students 
will have projects or assignments they may need to finish up.  Please read the next section about students 
finals and end of the semester thoughts. You’ll want to get with your student on when they have their finals 
set up through OAS.  Then We’ll see them next semester on Sunday the 13th back to the dorms.

First-Year students:

First-Year students will have classes as normal, but will also have their end of semester finals during 
this week.  The finals will be as follows:

    University Foundations will be on Friday.

    DILS class will be on Thursday

    Technology will be throughout the week

    Bowling/Valuing Differences will be scheduled by their UCM instructor during this

week.

They will need to be picked up by the evening of November 30th.  They will have some items to do in 
order to prepare their room for them being gone for a month.  Please make sure they do this. All 
THRIVE Ipads and chargers will be returned to Debra Southard before the students leave.  We will 
make sure they are updated and ready to go for Spring.

Second-Year students:

Second-Year students will have Finals during finals week, December 3rd - 7th.  You will want to talk 
to your student to see when their last final is taken. They may also have their internship during this 
time.  We’ll be getting with these students the week before Thanksgiving Break to make sure they 
have a plan in place and have set up OAS appointments for finals.  Since each student will set up 
their finals with OAS, some students may be able to go home earlier, depending on internship hours.

The second-year students will need to be picked up by 6 pm on the 7th.  They will also need to make 
sure that their rooms are prepared for their absence for a month.  They will have a list of things to do. 
All THRIVE Ipads and chargers will be returned to Dr. Manning before the students leave.  We will 
make sure they are updated and ready to go for Spring.

Athletics to watch: Men’s and Women’s Basketball will be starting soon as women's Volleyball, Cross-
Country, and Mules Football comes to a close.

"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."