Blog 2/20

 

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.  The students will have a list of things to check off before they leave.  Teachers will review this list later this week and also next week will give a reminder.   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. 

A few pictures before PE Class:  

First-Year Students:

Learning Strategies: Debra Southard  

Students practiced working with their groups answering questions about time management. I verbally quizzed students at random and they did well.  Wednesday speakers came to class and discussed the Care to Act presentation. Friday Kahoots was the name of the game. We also discussed the procedures involved in leaving for spring break. 

Care To Act is a new part of UCM that helps to discuss various situations that they might be around on campus, they took the place of what used to be called Green Dot”.  They came and presented to our first-year students on Wednesday.  The students were really engaged in their discussions.  We will continue to have them give refresher sessions each semester.

Workplace & Community Skills:  Gary Manning

Students shared their job shadowing experiences. Ethics was the topic this week. Several scenarios were discussed and how to handle each. Students were to write thank you letters to the place they did their first job shadowing. Also due this week was a neatly typed page about their experiences at their job shadowing. Students are always encouraged to use their resources available to get help writing their papers.  

Daily & Independent Living Skills (DILS):  Joni Shelton

We are getting ready for the mid-term exam by reviewing the 8 Healthy Habits for Daily Living and the impact those habits have on overall wellness. Students completed notes on the whiteboard and then worked individually or in pairs to create a collage showing the 8 Habits. Students then presented their collages, and pictures are shown below. This coming week, we have a few more presentations, and the mid-term exam, and students will get a preview of our next unit with work ethics and workplace expectations.

It looks like we worked the first-year students so hard, one of them had to have some cold refreshment…

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

We continue to discuss working with Vocational Rehab and other agencies to help find jobs/summer jobs.  Further, we continue to discuss the next process/challenge in their lives with graduation coming up in May.  

 Internship II: Gary Manning

The students did a workshop at the UCM Career Service Office.  This partnership that we developed with each other has benefited our students.  The students will begin utilizing the resources at the Career Service Office.  Those resources include interview skills, resume building, mock interviews, and professional dress attire. We appreciate Sydney and Jessicahosting these workshops for us.  

Personal Finance II: Mrs. Garnier

I can’t tell you how much fun this class is! We started our unit on insurance this week, and they are way more into it than they were the unit on taxes (I can’t say I blame them. No one likes taxes). So far, we have learned about insurance basics like premiums, deductibles, and limits, as well as the differences between renter's and homeowners' insurance. They were very interested in the lesson on renters insurance and were astonished at the difference between the costs of renters insurance and homeowners insurance. They have all decided that if and when they rent an apartment of their own, they definitely want renters insurance as the monthly cost (around $10/month) far outweighs the risks of not having it.

Plato: Debra Southard

Students are doing well completing their topics.

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 on…

Transition Planning IV: Mrs. Garnier

We are working on an independent living project that includes a realistic budget based on the amount parents are paying for their housing and meal plans on campus. They were astonished at how much money is being spent each month on “rent” and meal plans. Now we have started looking at real jobs that they are qualified for, in their home area. They are using their budgets to see what jobs pay enough for them to make ends meet.

Internship IV: Mrs. Garnier

Mid-term internship evaluations are coming in. Overall, supervisors are saying good things as well as offering some great suggestions on how to improve job performance. I’ll be discussing these in detail with each student next week.

Foods & Nutrition II: Mrs. Southard

Tuesday students finished making potato skins using the air fryers. Thursday we meet in Lovinger and went over the questions they worked on earlier and discussed making taco salad. 

THRIVE Activities:

Mentor Activities: This past weekend the students made Walking Tacos.  They look 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 after Spring Break…

"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."