The Transition Times

Congratulations to Kyol Brown!  Kyol received a Turnaround award last week!  The Turnaround Award Program is sponsored by Colleen Belotti that recognizes students from all over Eugene who have overcome great obstacles and achieve their goal.  Congratulations Kyol!  We are all very proud of you in Connections!  Way to go!

It is never too late for  you to start setting and working towards your goals!  What do you want to achieve?  A paid job? Your own apartment?  Success in college?  A active social life?  Pick a long term goal, and break down that long term goal into achievable steps, and keep track of your progress!  Remember, nothing happens overnight.  You will need to put in hard work and long hours to achieve your dream.  Stay positive, reflect on the progress you have made and keep pushing forward!

We are getting towards the end of the school year.  If you haven’t thought about your summer plans, start making plans today!  Summer is a great time to work on your goals!

Who wants to go to a great event on the morning of Friday, May 20?  Springfield CTP program is putting on a Talent Show at the Wildish Theater in Downtown Springfield Friday Morning!  CTP is Springfield School District’s Transition Program.  This will be a great opportunity to meet students from Springfield and Bethel and see their wonderful talent.  Oh yeah, and it is Free!

Heather will be going to this event with Connections Students.  Heather will be meeting students in front of Downtown LCC at 8:45 am to catch a LTD EmX Bus at 8:50 am.  If you are interested in attending with Heather, please contact Heather or Jasmin before the end of the school day on Thursday, May 19.

Are you interesting in Attending Lane Community College?  Have you taken the accuplacer test yet?  Jasmin will be completing another round of the accuplacer test on Wednesday, May 25.  For many students, it is much better to take the accuplacer in a quiet familiar environment (such as Building 2120) instead of LCC Main Campus.  Please see Jasmin if you are interested in taking the LCC accuplacer  on May 25!

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Yes, we do have a rule that you are allowed to eat in class… However, there are some hidden rules about when it is a good time to eat.  Let’s just state these hidden rules!

1. Some classes take place in the blue or green room and consist mostly of discussion.  It is likely that it is OK to eat during these classes.  Remember, if you choose to eat during these classes, you are still expected to participate in all class activities (discussion, written work, etc).  If you have trouble multitasking (studies show that most humans are unable to multitask), it might not be in your best interest to eat during class.
2. If you do choose to eat during class, you must eat quietly.  Please refrain from loud chewing, noisemaking and burping during class.  If drinking soda makes you burp, please do not drink soda during class.
3. If the class is going to be using the computer or iPad, it is not OK to eat during that time.
4. Some components of class will involve a playing a game, role playing, or physical activity.  If your class is doing an activity where you are not sitting at your desk, it is not OK to eat during that time.
5. It is never OK to eat during a work experience class or any other classes that have activites that place in the community.
6. If you ever have questions if it is OK to eat or not, ask the staff that is teaching the class.

Remember, all students have a 30-40 minute lunch in between classes each day.  You will have ample time to eat your food during your lunch break when you are not in class!  You do not need to eat your lunch during class.  If you are hungry during class time, it might be in your best interest to eat a snack instead of your entire lunch.

Couch to 5k Students… the workouts are now getting harder and harder each week.  Everyone has done a fantastic job of keeping up with their goals and documenting their progress on goal guide.  You all should be proud of the progress you are making!  Do not worry if you do not think you can complete this week’s workout.  Just go to the Couch to 5K website: HERE! and compete a workout from an earlier week.  Here is this week’s workout:

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Great News!  The Originals School Store is continuing the blow out sale!  Buy 1 item, get a second item of equal or lesser value for free!  This sale will continue through May 6!  Shop and support your friends at the Originals.  And enjoy the deal while it lasts!

We would like to acknowledge Davan for taking steps towards his goal of becoming a public speaker!  Last Friday, Davan spoke at the Breaking Barriers Conference in Redmond, Oregon!  Davan’s presentation was fantastic, and he got a lot of positive feedback from everyone who attended!  This was Davan’s third presentation at a conference this school year.  Congrats Davan!  Way to make major progress towards your goal!

What are your goals and dreams?  How can you make your goals and dreams a reality?  Remember, you are the one who is responsible for making progress toward your goals.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t have help and support!  Talk to your advocate, case manager, transition specalist, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and family and lets make those goals and dreams come true.  Davan is doing it!  We also know that many of you are making steps towards your goals as well!  Those of you that have not set goals, lets set some and see how far you can go!  Reach for the stars, follow through on your tasks and you can get there!

Speaking of goals, the Oregon Track Series #4 5K is coming up on June 9!  Remember, if you are keeping up with your workout goals, Connections will pay for your entrance fee.  This will be a great event that is guaranteed to be a great time!  Here is your work out this week!  Remember, we will be doing workout #2 on Wednesday, you are responsible for completing workouts #1 and #3 on your own.  Don’t forget to update Goal Guide when you do!

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Good News!  The Originals School Store is having a sale this week!  Buy 1 item, get a second item of equal or lesser value for free!  This sale is only this week.  The promotion ends on April 29!

What are your goals?  Do you have a goal of attending college credit level classes?  Do you have a career goal that requires an associates degree or a bachelors degree?  Student that attend Lane Community College must pass the Accuplacer test.  The Accuplacer test will assess your reading, writing and math level.  If you are thinking about attending LCC, it is a great idea to take this test and see what you need to work on!

Great news!  You do not have to go to LCC to take this test!  Jasmin can give you this test in Building 2120!  Several students will be taking the accuplacer 1:30 pm Wednesday, April 27 in Building 2120!  If you are interested in taking the Accuplacer, please make an appointment with Jasmin.  If you can not make it on April 27, please see Jasmin; she will be able to offer the test later in the year as well.

Couch T0 5K:  Our workouts are getting a little more difficult each week!  Below are the workouts for Week 3.  If you have a smart phone, Couch To 5K has a great free app!  Just type in Couch to 5K to the Apple Store or Droid store and you should be able to get it for free!  Downloading the app makes it much easier to track the intervals in this week’s work out.  Here are the workouts below:

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Can you believe how fast the year is going by?  We are already in the middle of April, and soon it will be May… before you know it, it will be June, and Summer break will begin!  Do yourself a favor, start thinking about your summer plans now.  If you start planning now, you are guaranteed to have an amazing summer.  Start putting in applications for that summer job, plan on taking classes at LCC (summer is a great time to start because the classes will be smaller), take a class with Eugene Parks and Rec, or save money to take a trip.  Talk about your plans in advocate this week.  Tell me what you are thinking, and lets get a big list of plans on this website!

Friendly Reminder: Friday, April 22 is the last day for Spring Term Schedule Changes.  Your Schedule may not be perfect.  If you feel you would like to drop or add a Connections seminar, please make the change before Friday.  To make changes to your schedule, please follow the steps on the Drop/Add form in the student lounge!

Couch To 5K Students: We will be repeating week 2 work out this week. Remember, you are responsible for completing 2 workouts a week on your own and updating your Goal Guide.   You can do it!  You will feel great when you do!  Here is week 2 workout:

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We would like to congratulate Yuldina for winning 2 coupons for free items at the Originals School Store!  Yulinda took a picture of herself cutting an apple after she watched the knife skills video on the Cooking In Connections Website.  She then posted her picture to her my life account.  Yup, that’s right, all you have to do is follow the posted videos and you too can win a coupon for a free item.  Brand new items at the school store this week!  Get them before they sell out!  We have extended our offer of a free item for taking pictures of your knife cooking skills until April 15!

Did you know that the Center for Disease Control recommends that you get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week?  You don’t have to do 150 minutes all at once… just exercise 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time.  What is aerobic exercise you ask?  Aerobic exercise (also called cardio) is anything that can make your heart beat faster or make you breath heavier.  It could be going on a brisk walk, walking up stairs, riding your bike, dancing, etc.  We have had some very nice days in Eugene… get outside and have some fun!  For more information join the Over The Hills and Through The Woods on Monday at 12:30 pm and/or Couch To 5K on Wednesdays at 1:30 pm.  The Center for Disease Control also has a fantastic website: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html  Put down that controller and get outside!

If you attend Couch To 5K… remember your challenge is to complete Week 2 Workouts 1 and 3 on your own.  Week 2 workouts consists of a Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternating 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  Please update goal guide after you complete your workout!

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Who wants a free item at the Originals?  All you need to do is to use the cooking skills we are teaching in our cooking classes at home, and you will earn a coupon for a free item at the Student Store.  This week, the Ace Of Steel, Sizzle and Simmer practice chopping, dicing and mincing skills.  To earn the coupon please follow the following steps:

1. Watch the knife skills videos posted on the Cooking In Connections Website: https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/connectionscooking/  You will find a basic Knife Skills Video, Seeding and dicing a tomato video, chopping and onion video, and mincing garlic video.
2. Follow the directions you see in the video. You do not have to chop dice or mince a tomato, onions or garlic… chop/dice/mince what ever food you want!
3. Take a picture (or better, take a video) of you demonstrating the skill the way it is done in the videos posted on the site.
4. Show Josh the picture or video.  Note: You will earn an additional coupon if your picture or video is posted on your My Life portfolio when you show Josh.

Note: You do not have to be a student in Ace of Steel, Sizzle Or Simmer to take this challenge!  Anyone in Connections can watch a video, take a picture and show Josh!  Contest ends on Friday, April 8.

Couch To 5k students:  Outstanding Job on Wednesday!  Sunday, April 3 marks the first week of the Couch to 5k training program.  Remember, you are responsible for completing 2 workouts a week on your own (we will complete the 3rd work out together in class on Wednesdays).  Remember to update your goal guide goal when you complete your workout.  Couch 2 5K has a great app for your smartphone that will tell you when to run and when to walk.  If you need assistance downloading the free app, please make an appointment to see Josh.

Below are the workouts for week 1.  You can find the entire program on the Couch To 5K site: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

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We are back and ready for an electrifying Connections Spring Term!  Remember to be prepared for seminars… Don’t forget to bring your 3-ring binder, pencil/pen, calculator and planner!  Please make sure you dress appropriately for your seminar’s activities.  The following seminars might have special dress requirements. Please check in with the following teachers if you are enrolled in any of these seminars:

Couch to 5K: Josh

Green Thumb Work Experience: Jasmin

Next Step Recycling Work Experience: Heather

Over The Hill And Through The Woods: Jasmin

Restore Work Experience: Amy

Daycare Work Experience: Heather and Lori

Remember, your attendance is very important.  As adults, you are expected to know your schedule and attend all of your classes.  We understand that life happens and sometimes you are running late or will be absent.  If you are late or absent, please contact the Connections Staff who is teaching your class.  If you have more than one class, you might have to make more than one phone call.  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:

Josh: (541) 912-3618        Lori (541) 915-8493     Heather (541) 954-3162

Jasmin (541) 954-7133   Amy (541) 953-8768

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The Connections staff would like to thank everyone for a fantastic Winter Term.  Everyone made phenomenal progress toward their goals.  We would also like to thank everyone who attended Alumni Afternoon today.  Everyone had a great time at Prince Pucklers and Smith Family Books!

Spring Break has officially begun!  Connections will resume on Monday, March 28, when our Spring Term begins!  The Connections staff will be back to work on March 28 as well.  If you have any questions before March 28, please email barbour@4j.lane.edu.

Now you are on Spring Break…what will you do? Think about your goals, and try to work on your goals while you are not in school!  What can you do on your own that will get you closer to reaching your big picture?

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Can You believe it is almost the end of the Winter Term!?!  What better way to celebrate the end of the term than to hang out at Prince Pucklers!  Prince Pucklers is a local ice cream shop that makes their own delicious ice cream.  Just ask President Obama, who enjoyed ice cream at Prince Pucklers in 2008!  Check out their menu here, and try not to drool on your keyboard.

Budget your money this week… students are responsible for buying their own ice cream at Prince Pucklers.  Here are Prince Puckler’s Prices: Mini Scoop: $2.40 | Single Scoop: $3.25 | Double Mini Scoop: $4.25 | Double Scoop: $5.25.  But don’t feel you have to buy Ice Cream to come to Alumni Afternoon.  Hanging out is free and always fun!  Here is Friday’s Schedule:

Alumni Afternoon: Friday, March 18.  12 pm to 3 pm

12:00 pm meet at Downtown LCC

12:20 pm get on Bus 27 (bay L)

12:35 pm get off bus at 19^th and Agate Streets

12:35 pm-1:15 pm eat at Prince Pucklers

1:15 pm-1:30 pm walk to 13^th Street

1:30 pm- 2:20 pm hang out at UO bookstore/Smith Family Books

2:27 pm Get on Bus 78 at UO Station Bay E

2:32 pm Arrive at Eugene Station

2:32-3:00 pm: Downtown Adventure!

3:00 pm: Dismissed!

Remember, Spring Term scheduling meetings will take place on Thursday, March 17 at Building 2120.  Remember to sign up for a scheduling time if you do not have one already.  The Spring Term schedule is posted on this website here and you can find paper copies in the student lounge.  Come prepared to your scheduling meeting.  Think about your post school goals.  Pick seminars, work experiences, activities that will help reach your post school goals.  Make the spring term meaningful!

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