Week 3/28 Blog

 

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.

Notes from the Director:

Our team is starting to gear up for next year.  Dr. Manning is getting your student enrolled in classes.  They were asked to pick 5 classes that they’d like to take from the catalog and put them in order of preference.   

New happenings may be coming to Ellis Dining Hall.  The students may have received the information but I wanted to make sure that the families were aware.  They might be remodeling Ellis Dining Hall in January of 2023.  They are waiting on final approval.  The students will still be staying in the same hall with our mentors during this remodel.  I’ll let families and students know of any new information on an alternate dining hall location.  I hope to have updated information soon.

First-Year Students:

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

Students printed and turned in their resumes to Dr. Manning. He had tutorials with each student and discussed ways to update and improve them. Students are completing their second job shadowing this week and will have a couple of paragraphs due about the experience next week. Students completed playing Kahoots as a reminder of skills discussed in class. 

Learning Strategies- (Mrs. Southard)

We are discussing chapter 8 how to mark your textbook. Students had three assignments due this week. On Friday students were assigned to show Mrs. Southard their own personal to-do list. We also played Kahoots as a way to review for the test coming next week. Mrs. Southard explained the test wording will not be the same as the Kahoots questions. So it is important for students to study. We are continuing to work on our writing skills. 

Daily & Independent Living Skills (DILS)-  (Mrs. Garnier)

This week we learned about checking accounts and savings accounts. We talked about why banks are important to protect our money, what bank accounts are and how they work, and how to deposit and withdraw money. I emphasized that every time a debit card is used, real money leaves the bank. I also reminded them that every time they use their student ID to make a purchase, it’s mom and dad's real money they are spending. It’s always an enlightening lesson for them.

Just a bit of Exercising…

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning II: (Dr. Manning)

During class, we have been discussing what the next six weeks will look like until the end of the semester and graduation.  Usually this time of the year the students get stressed. overwhelmed, sad and excited. We discuss these emotions during class and with the THRIVE counselor in training.  

Further, during class and weekly meetings, the discussions involve what the student is going to be doing after graduation.  If the student is coming back for the third year we are discussing classes in the fall and internships in the fall semester.  If the student is choosing to not come back for the 3rd year program we are discussing applying for jobs and having discussions with families about what may be next.   

Internship II:  (Dr. Manning)

The students have been working on cover letters and YouTube video assignments.  The YouTube assignment consists of the student researching a real job that the student may want to pursue after THRIVE graduation or for a summer job.  The students are surprised at what they find out when researching a certain job.  The student has to write a one-page paper on their findings on that particular job.     

Plato- (Mrs. Southard)  Students did well last week completing plato. Mrs. Southard asked all students to slow down and read the question a couple of times. This will help increase their mastery and understanding of the material. Plato is used for many reasons, one being it can help students develop critical thinking skills. 

THRIVE Activities: 

We hopefully will have our first softball game tonight.  I’ll keep you posted on Facebook if things change.  I’ll also try to get pictures online in a couple of days after the game.

Mentor Activities: 

The next mentor activity will be this Saturday.  Katie has planned a Picnic and then the group will go to watch the Mules play baseball.  Pictures below…

Just a reminder that the pictures posted on the blog are typically just a sample of what is on Facebook.  So, if you want to see more and keep more updated, please go to our Facebook page - UCM-THRIVE.

Important upcoming dates:

Softball will be starting up soon.  Once I receive the dates and times I’ll post them here.

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

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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."