The Transition Times

We had an amazing first week in Connections! Attendance was phenomenal, student participation was amazing, and we can already see progress being made!  Remember, you are responsible for your schedule.  Please make sure you know the location and times of each class.  Most seminars on Monday, Wednesday and Friday take place in Building 2120.  Most seminars on Tuesday and Thursday take place at LCC Downtown Center.

Your attendance is very important to us.  However, we do understand that sometimes you might need to be absent from class.  You might become ill, have a doctor’s appointment, have a circumstance where you might be out of town, or be abducted by aliens.  If you are late or absent, please contact the Connections Staff who is teaching your class.   Do not send a message with a friend to tell us, we need to hear from you directly.  Below are the phone numbers you need to know:

Anders: (541) 912-3618    Jasmin (541) 954-7133  Lori (541) 915-8493

Heather (541) 954-3162   Amy: (541) 953-8768

If you need to make adjustments to your Connections schedule or you have changes to your LCC schedule, please contact your case manager and let them know.

Since LCC Downtown building is closed on Thursday 9/21 we will be holding seminars at the library. We have reserved a group study room on the 2nd floor between 10:00am and 12pm, and then 12:30pm to 2:30pm. If you take the elevator the the 2nd floor, walk towards the librarian desk, look to you right and you should see the room.  There will be Connections staff in front of LCC and the library to help students find their way. Thanks for being flexible and this should be the only time this year that this happens.

The library opens it’s doors at 10:00am so make sure you dress for the weather if you arrive early.

It was so great to meet with our new and returning Connection students over this past week! If you still want to participate and you didn’t get a registration time, no need to worry. Simply contact Anders or Jasmin and we will arrange a time to meet and see how Connections can help you reach your goals.

Connections Seminars, Advocates, Tutorials and Work Experience classes begin on Monday!   Please make sure you are prepared for class. Every Connections Student needs to bring a three ring binder, pens and/or pencils, a calculator and a planner to class each day. Your planner does not have to be a traditional planner. It can be a cell phone, sticky notes, or something more creative. Find a system that works for you! If you can not bring these items, please talk to Connections Staff. We can help you!

NEWS FLASH: Lane Community College is closed on Thursday, September 21. MARK YOUR PLANNER: All Connections Seminars will take place in The Eugene Public Library on Thursday, September 21! We will be reserving study rooms and we will have a Connections staff near LCC/Downtown Library to help guide you.  Check the website again on Wednesday in case there are any last minute changes. Advocates may take place downtown or may take place in Building 2120.  Please check with your Advocate to see where your session will take place on Thursday.

All activities next week will take place at the transition building in the Churchill Region (Building 2120 Bailey Hill Rd)

Monday :11:00am-2:00pm
Group activities, Connection expectations, Vision Board activity

Tuesday: 11:00am-2:00pm
Barbque and frisbee golf

Wednesday: by appointment
Each student who attends orientation will schedule a 45 minute appointment with a Connections staff to create their Fall schedule. Family is welcome to attend if a student agrees to their participation. The appointments will be scheduled during orientation on Monday and Tuesday.

Thursday: by appointment                                                                                                                                                If you cannot make the Monday or Tuesday orientation simply contact a Connections staff and schedule a make up orientation/registration time.

The Connections Fall offerings are posted on the link above.  There is a grid with the times and locations of the seminars and an additional sheet with course descriptions.

If you are interested in attending Adult Basic Secondary Education at LCC they are having an orientation on Tuesday morning 9am.  Please talk to Connections staff if you need more information.

I look forward to the school year and working with all of you!

Hope you had a productive and fun summer!

The Connections staff are thrilled to start the 2017-18 school year. I’d like to welcome Anders and Wayne to the Connections team and look forward to the wonderful new ideas they will bring to the program.

We are hosting informational sessions on Wednesday September 6th at 3:30pm at 2120 Bailey Hill Rd,Eugen and will be repeated on Thursday September 7th from 6:30-7:30pm.  Letters were sent out to eligible students on last Friday with detailed information.  If you did not receive a letter and believe you are eligible call or email us and lets talk!  Contact information can be found on the link at the top of the page.

Students who wish to enroll in Connections are encouraged to attend our orientation activities which take place on Monday September 11th, Tuesday September 12th and Wednesday September 13th. Make up orientation will be scheduled by appointment on  Thursday September 14th and Friday September 15th. You will schedule to meet with your case manager individually during your orientation to review Connections classes and register. Connections seminars and advocates will begin on September 18th.

I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe summer!  Thank you for a fantastic school year.  All of us at Connections were very proud of the growth in each and every one of you.  You all should be proud of yourself.

Just because it is summer, doesn’t mean you can’t work on your goals!  Cook a meal, go out and exercise, volunteer at a business, participate in an activity with Eugene Recreation, improve your academics!  The more you practice, the better you will be and the sooner you will reach your goals!

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for a great 11 years in Connections.  I hope to keep in touch with all of you in the Connections Community as I venture off to my new adventure.  I am looking forward to hearing about all your amazing accomplishments!

I would like to thank everyone for a fantastic Moving On Ceremony on Friday.  Congrats to all the students who are moving on at the end of the School Year.  You have all worked very hard and should be very proud of your accomplishments!  Please keep in touch with Connections staff, we would love to hear about all your adventures!

Let’s end the year strong!  We have a regular schedule for Monday, June 19 and Tuesday June 20.  All Connections Advocates, Seminars and Work Experience will take place as scheduled.  See you in the Building 2120 or Downtown LCC!

ORIGINALS SCHOOL STORE SALE!  ALL ITEMS 1/2 OFF! EVERYTHING MUST GO!

And now for the Fun!

Wednesday, June 21: Alumni Afternoon!

Location: Building 2120  12:30 pm

Alumni Afternoon will take place from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm on Wednesday June 21.  The Alumni Afternoon will feature food, board games, video games and movies.  Spread the word, All Connections Current Students and Alumni are welcome!  Should be an amazing time!  And as always, we will sell you the whole seat but you will only need the Edge!

Thursday, June 22: Connections Goes To Putters!

Meeting Location: Meet at Downtown LCC Lobby at 12:00 pm

Last year, we had our first end of year celebration at Putters.  We played Laser Tag and had a great time.  We are going to back to Putters on Thursday!  Connections will pay for 1 game of Laser Tag or 1 game of Mini Golf!  Please bring some pocket money if you would like to buy food or play video games. 

The Plan:

12:00 pm: Meet Connections Staff at Downtown LCC Lobby.

12:27 pm: Get on Bus 41 (Bay F)

12:57 pm: Arrive at Putters

1:30 pm: Play Laser Tag!

The Moving On Celebration will take place on 1 pm Friday, June 16 at Echo Hollow Pool!  This year’s Moving On Ceremony will feature a ceremony honoring this year’s graduating class, free pizza, and swimming at Echo Hollow Pool!  Who doesn’t like free pizza?  It is going to be electrifying!

We would like to encourage all students to attend this year’s Moving On Celebration.  This year, we will be celebrating 12 Connections students who will be moving on to their next great adventure, and it would be wonderful to have all our students come to Echo Hollow to support them.  Josh Barbour will also be moving on with this year’s class.  Josh has accepted a job as a Transition Network Facilitator next school year; he will be working with school district  and colleges in Lane, Linn, Benton and Lincoln county helping students make successful transitions to meet their goals.  It was a very hard decision for Josh to make, and he will greatly miss all of you.

It’s official, the last Seminar and Advocate for the Spring term will be Tuesday June 20!  We will also have 2 special events on June 21 and June 22.  Below is our schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Please remember, school is not over yet!  We still have a few weeks to go.  Keep on working towards your goals, keep on working towards your dream.  Make every day count and you will surprise yourself of how much you can achieve!

June 5 to June 9: Normal Schedule: All seminars, advocates, work experience will take place as scheduled.  Note: Thursday, June 8: Oregon Track Club Series #4 5K 6 pm Day Island Park in Springfield!

June 12 to June 16: Normal Schedule: All seminars, advocates, work experience will take place as scheduled.  Note: There will be no Afternoon classes on Friday, June 16.  All students are encouraged to attend the Moving On Celebration on June 16!

June 19 and June 20:  Normal Schedule: All seminars, advocates, work experience will take place as scheduled.

June 21:  Alumni Afternoon!  The Alumni Afternoon will take place in Building 2120.  Join us for Movies, Games, Video Games, Food and Fun, Alumni Invited!  

June 22: Fun Last Day Event To Be Announced!  More info on how to sign up for this trip to come!

Reminder: All 4J schools will be closed on Monday May 29 in observance of Memorial Day.  All LCC Classes are closed as well. Have a happy 3-day weekend!  What will you do?  The weather is going to be beautiful, so put down that controller and go outside!  

Alumni Afternoon is back!  That’s right, Alumni Afternoon is back and scheduled for Wednesday, June 21 from 12:30 pm to 3 pm.  Alumni Afternoon will take place in the Connections building.  We will have food, games, video games, movie and fun.  Tell the Alumni, and bring them back home to Connections!  It will be electrifying!

A few weeks ago, you were challenged to set some goals for the end of the school year.  If you haven’t set a goal, let’s set one now!  There is still plenty of time for you to earn your goal!

Remember, the Origninals school store is open each Monday and Wednesday from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm.  Don’t go to class hangry.  What is hangry… watch the Commercial below!

Believe it or not, we have about 6 more weeks of school before the end of the school year.  What will you accomplish in the next 6 weeks?  Think about it… 6 weeks is plenty of time to set a great goal and work towards that goal!  Talk to your advocate this week, what goal will you set before the end of school?  Here are some ideas:

• If you have a goal to attend college classes, set a goal to be more organized.  You can track how much homework you are completing in Connections.  You can track how often you are asking for accommodations in Connections seminars.  
• If you have a goal to get paid employment, set a goal to work on soft skills.  Track how often you arrive to class on time.  Track how often you meet your supervisor’s expectations during work crew.  Track how much you take initiative on the job site.  
• If you have a goal to practice for job interviews… practice sharing your portfolio with someone from your support team.  Set a goal that you will share your portfolio/goal progress with at least 2 people per week.  You will gain practice talking about yourself and your accomplishments, and that will go a long way!
• If you have a goal to live independently, set a goal to practice organization… Set a goal around checking and using a calendar/planner to complete your homework (this will simulate paying your bills).  Set a goal to practice keeping track of your budget.

There are so many ways you can work on your goals!  Talk to your advocate this week and start setting/tracking your goals today!