3/2 Blog Post

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 your students or UCM activity calendar.

First-Year Students:

Workplace & Community Skills (Mrs. Southard & Dr. Manning): 

Some of this week's discussion was the students ' last job shadowing experience. Students used some of the class time as an opportunity to get some assignments completed. Wednesday we discussed what it means to be dependability. Dr. Manning explained situations at work that could use creativity to solve. A lesson centered around problem-solving skills. 

In Workplace and Community Skills they have some added lessons coming in on Fridays.  Here is a picture of Mel giving the students some helpful hints.

Learning Strategies (Mrs. Southard): 

Monday we discussed how time management and stress are related. Students took notes using notability. Dovetailing was defined. Several assignments have been open all week but will be due on Friday. Wednesday each assignment that was open was explained. Friday we continued to use notability to take notes. 

Personal Math (Mrs. Garnier): Tuesday we learned about different kinds of bank accounts and completed a practice application for a checking account. Thursday we learned about check registers and how to record deposits and withdrawals. We practiced recording transactions and keeping a running balance. 

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning II (Dr. Manning):  On Tuesday we started filling out job applications.  The students need to apply for at least three jobs in their surrounding area.  The students were excited about applying for jobs but also nervous and had some anxiety/stress.  

Mel Stockwell (counselor in training) presented to the class on using coping skills when an individual has stress/anxiety in their lives. As we get closer to graduation date and students have that transition from being a college student to joining the workforce, the students are having stress/anxiety.     

Getting ready for Dr. Manning’s class this morning.  Nash was getting some needed attention but knew he needed to leave before class started…

Internship II (Dr. Manning): The students’ mid-term progress reports from their supervisors are being discussed.  The students had to do a self-reflection on how they think they are doing at their internship compared to what their supervisors are noticing. This can be a difficult discussion with the students.  However, we all have skills that we need to improve on.

We are also discussing how important it is to be accountable and to show initiative at your internships, jobs, and classes.  These two traits are the two traits that our students struggle with during their internships.  

The picture below is Nathan and Ben working with Bob Jackson at a UCM Mules baseball game.  

PLATO (Mrs. Southard): 

Students had new assessments this week. Monday everyone completed the writing assignment on time! Several students are rushing through the assessments which do not give an accurate reading of the students’ abilities. 

THRIVE Activities:

This weekend Kim had planned a dance activity to get the students prepared for our upcoming formal being put on by the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, however, her instructor was sick.  Kim will be looking at rescheduling this for a later date. The theme the students decided on for the THRIVE Formal was Candy Land.  

Important upcoming dates:

THRIVE Spring Softball games: This semester we are again having a softball team.  We will play on Monday nights. Due to wet fields, they have postponed the start dates to after Spring Break.  When they are posted I will make sure and share the games and times. The students started practicing last Sunday afternoon.  I’m sure they will have more practices in the coming weeks.

THRIVE Formal Dance- We are excited to announce that the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority is again putting on a THRIVE Formal.  This formal will be on April 8th from 6-8 at the Panhellenic building. This is a student only dance, sorry staff members are not invited, but I’m sure the mentors will have pictures posted.

Interviews for next year’s cohort of 2022:  We’ve started inviting students to be a member of the Class of 2022.  We have a few more seats, but they are filling up.  

2nd-year Families:  In the coming weeks we’ll have some updates for 2nd-year graduation and activities.  Please monitor your emails.

Athletics to watch:  The Jennie’s are still playing in the tournament.  They are MIAA Champions and UCM will be hosting some of the first tournament games coming up on Friday.  GO JENNIES!! UCM Mules Wrestling also has some matches in the coming weeks. The Mules and Jennies baseball and softball teams are playing so watch for upcoming activities.   I’ve also copied activities to the students’ 2019 Activity Calendar (Google) that they can access and prepare for.

In addition, the students can participate in Intramural Athletics: Students will need to watch the back table for any upcoming activities.

"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."