Newsletter for November 10th, 2009
Quote of the Day
It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.
~Joyce Maynard
Help Center Announcements
Save the Dates:
Wednesday, November 18th: New Mom's Group
Noon to 2pm
The SPHC will be hosting a new group for expecting or new moms to children under the age of 18 months. During the group, expecting/new moms will learn about infant and toddler development in greater detail. Jan Merrel, Child Care Center Director and Family Educator, will be back to provide her professional knowledge and experience. The group will provide a safe place for individuals to bring up any questions or concerns they may have.
PASS Group (Parents as Student Support Group)
Pass meets on a weekly basis on Wednesdays from 12-2pm in Appleby Hall, Room 24. The group allows students to get to know other student parents, share the joys and frustrations of academics, learn about others’ experiences with parenting, and enjoy a FREE lunch with your SPHC peers.
PASS discussions are determined primarily by you, the student parents. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, you can share them openly with your friends at SPHC. By sharing your personal struggles and successes, you are helping others who may be experiencing similar situations. We hope that you can join us on a regular basis. You can come for part, or all of group, whatever your schedule allows. (Little ones are welcome!!!) What is ahead in PASS:
November 11th, 2009: McNair Scholars/Student Parent Success Stories Feature Group! Please join us to hear about the McNair Scholars Program and how you might be able to be a part of it. You will also hear from previous McNair Scholars who are also student parents. Hear about their McNair experience, how they balanced family/school/and the scholar program during the summer program, and learn about some of the research they did (and are doing) with their mentors and professors. Looking forward to having Bruce and Sharyn, the coordinators for the McNair program, and all of our current and former McNair Scholar student parents join us. Menu: Ordering In
November 18th, 2009: Check-in, Lunch, and group activity to follow. More details to come!!!
***There will be no PASS Group on Wednesday, November 23rd, due to Thanksgiving the next day. In the past, there has been low PASS Group attendance the day before the holiday due to students' traveling needs. Have a fun, and safe holiday!
Note: Please know that the SPHC staff does not want student parents to skip class in order to attend the weekly group meetings. Academics are considered student parent’s priority at the U. If there is a specific topic you are interested in and you are unable to attend group, please inform a staff member and we will be happy to provide information to you afterwards.
If you have suggestions for a specific topic or program, contact Jerri Clark Wagner, or Elise Niedermeier at sphc@umn.edu.
Please remember that the center is closed during group on Wednesdays from 12-2 for all other computer use and studying spaces. Please come back in around 2 PM and we will re-open the doors. If you are going to join us for lunch, please stay at least 1/2 hour and join in the group in order to respect the food budget of the HELP Center.
Flu Season:
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the birds are migrating south, and the person sitting next to you in class is sneezing and coughing. The Flu vaccine, which is free of charge, is being offered on campus. Go to http://www.bhs.umn.edu/services/fluclinics/#fluschedule to view the University’s vaccination schedule. The Flu vaccine is being offered on all three campuses to help accommodate students.
Certain groups of individuals are considered priority for receiving the H1N1 vaccination. For example women that are pregnant, children under five, and those providing child care should receive the vaccination. Talk to your care provider for more information.
Another way to help protect you and your family from the Flu is to be informed. The Center for Disease control developed a helpful brochure, listing information about the Flu and H1N1. You can access the brochure at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/2009-10/pdf/pan_flu_brochure.pdf for more information.
On Campus Events
Save the Dates:
November 11th, 2009: Veterans Appreciation Day
10am-4pm, Great Hall, Coffman Union
10am: Veterans Resource Fair opens, exhibits of veterans memorabilia from the Minnesota History Center, the Oral History Project, and a Vietnam veteran's art work
11am: Free lunch
12pm:Veterans from all major U.S. conflicts since WW II will be featured speakers
Share with each other
Student Parent Success Stories and Announcements
We would like to continue featuring personal success stories and announcements in our bi-weekly newsletter. If you will be graduating this fall, having a baby, buying a home, getting married, or are experiencing a related event, please let us know. You can send the announcements or stories to the SPHC e-mail address (sphc@umn.edu). We are proud of all of your accomplishments and upcoming events, and would love to share them with others.
Student Parent Pictures
Have any great family photos that you want to share with others? If so, please send them to us so that we can feature them in the newsletter. Please send us any pictures you want included in a newsletter to sphc@umn.edu as an e-mail attachment.
Scholarships
Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships
Deadline (YR.MM.DD): 2009.12 (Application deadlines are set by the clubs; expect deadlines as early as December 2009 for scholarships for 2011-12.)
Freshman Undergraduate Graduate Sophomore Junior Senior Abroad Experience After Graduation
The world's largest privately funded scholarship program for international education: hundreds of scholarships are awarded each year for students from nearly 100 host countries, including the U.S., to study abroad in other host countries. The purpose of the program is to further international understanding and friendly relations. At this time Ambassadorial Scholarships are offered only for one academic year abroad, in the amount of $25,000. Some destinations have language proficiency requirements. SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS, SENIORS, AND GRADUATES may apply. Must be citizen of a country with Rotary Clubs. Initial application is made through a Rotary Club in the applicant's hometown or place of current full-time study. Individual Clubs set their own application deadlines. Campus contact: Sally Lieberman, liebe001@umn.edu. For further information and application materials, visit the Rotary International website. Click here for recent recipients.
Parenting Information and Resources
Angry that your baby isn't Einstein?:
Then you are not alone. Thousands of parents that had purchased Walt Disney Company's "Baby Einstein" videos want a refund. The videos, although found to engage children with bright colors, fun music, and adorable puppets, has not been found to increase young children's intellect.
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?ex=1272340800&en=
92eeba605fba8e40&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=NYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-1028-L15
Storyline:
Feel like you have no free time for the little things? Story line is a hotline that parents can call to have a story read to their children. The stories are pre-recorded, and change every week. Storyline is available 24/7. Just call 952-352-1350
For more information:
info@storylinemn.org
http://www.storylinemn.org
Community Resources
Clothing Closets:
Ceap:
6840 78th Avenue N.
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
Phone: (763) 566-9600
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. AND 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
*Must show valid Minnesota picture ID to be allowed entrance
*Maximum two visits per month (this policy ensures all families have equal access to the Closet)
Sabathani Community Center:
310 E 38th St
Minneapolis, MN 55409-1300
(612) 827-5981
Hours: 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Room 129 – Intake
Lower Level – Food shelf, Clothing Boutique
Program Manager: Sandra Richardson, 612-821-2397
*Must conduct intake
Joseph’s Coat:
1107 7th St W
St Paul, MN 55102-3827
(651) 291-2472
Hours:
Monday/Wednesday: 9am - 4:30pm
2nd Saturday of the month: 9am - 1pm
Items Available:
Seasonal Clothing & Shoes
Cookware & Dishes
Small Appliances
Bed & Bath Linens
Personal Care Items
*No referral needed, just state id
Community Events and Activities
Family Friendly Activities in the Twin Cities!
Minnesota Children's Museum-Free 3rd Sundays
--November 15th (9am-5pm)--
10 West Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
651-225-6000
Presence of the Holidays
--November 14th (10am-5pm)--
Suburban World Theater
3022 Hennepin Ave.
MPLS, MN 55408
A unique shopping experience including: art, clothing, jewelry, and gift items. Tantalizing food & spirits. Live Jazz. Valet Parking
Wild Times
--Saturday, November 14th (1pm)--
Wild Rumpus
2720 W. 43rd St.
MPLS, MN 55410
Come read to dogs who are trained to listen! To celebrate National R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) Day on November 14, we'll host some of these special trained therapy dogs, who will be waiting at their stations throughout the store for you to read with them.
Childish Films: Movie Menageri
--November 21st (10:30am)--
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 630-6000
Come one and all for short animated and live-action short films featuring the antics and wisdom of animals. For preschool ages and older.
Quick and Easy Recipes
PASS Corn Chowder
Corn Chowder
8 cups milk
8 cans (16 oz) whole kernel corn
celery
4 cans (16 oz) potatoes
2 sticks butter
8 cups vegetable broth
3 onions
4 cans (16 oz) creamed corn
Directions:
In a skillet, melt butter. Add onion and celery. Cook till tender. Add in remaining vegetables and milk. Heat until warmed. Make sure to stir on a regular basis.
Serve with fruit and a salad.
E-mail us at sphc@umn.edu, and we will feature your recipe in an upcoming newsletter.
Who’s Who at SPHC:
Susan Warfield, MSW, LICSW
As the Director of the SPHC, I am responsible for overseeing all programs of the Student Parent HELP Center, managing our child care grants and supervising SPHC staff. This has meant that I have had to step back from having the degree of direct contact with students I have always enjoyed having in the past. This has been a difficult but necessary step for me to take in order to meet the needs of our growing program. If you have an issue that absolutely cannot be addressed by another SPHC staff member, you may schedule an appointment with me. These appointments should be booked through the SPHC front desk at 612-626-6015. Intakes and basic questions about services offered should be directed to Jerri Clark Wagner, Chanee Rudolph or our Graduate Social Work Interns. I am entering my 10th year with the HELP Center and during this journey have moved from on-line staff, to Coordinator and now Director. With this evolution has come an increase in responsibilities and duties. Please know that even though you may not see as much of me in the actual Center as you may have in the past, I continue to work each and every day to bring you the programming, funding and visibility on campus that student parents need to have a successful experience at the U of MN. It has been fun to get a chance to meet and greet our new students and to hang out with our new and on-going students. Rest assured I am always right next door and will always be working hard to bring you the services and funding needed to assure that each and every SPHC student parent has what they need to succeed at the U!
Jerri Clark Wagner, MSW, LGSW
I am the Direct Service Program Coordinator for the Student Parent HELP Center. Originally from New York State, I graduated from Syracuse University in 2000 with an undergraduate degree in theatre, with minors in sociology and women’s studies. After undergrad, I was an AmeriCorps volunteer for one year in Chicago, teaching arts integration on the west side in a Chicago Public School. In June of 2003, I graduated with my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago. While in graduate school, I served as a therapist with Chicago’s Metropolitan YWCA, working with survivors of sexual assault and their families. From 2003-2006, I coordinated two statewide youth violence prevention programs for the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention in Chicago. Prior to relocating to Minneapolis, I spent March-June of 2006 traveling and learning abroad in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. I would love to talk about any of these varied experiences with you and really look forward to working with such an amazing and resilient population at the SPHC!
Elise Niedermeier
Hi everyone! I’m one of the Graduate Social Work Interns this year. I’m a first year community practice student, and I’m also working on a dual master’s in Public Health here at the U. I am pumped to be working with the Student Parent HELP Center this year! I received my undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies, Social Welfare, and LGBT Studies from UW Madison and moved to Chicago after graduating to work as an HIV test counselor with AmeriCorps and the National AIDS Fund. I’m excited to get to know you and your families throughout the year, so be sure to stop by to say hi!
Tannie Bemis-Wiegert
Hey everyone! I am one of the Graduate Social Work Interns for the 09-10 school year. I am a second year direct practice graduate transfer student. I recently moved here from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. I majored in Psychology, and minored in Sociology. During my first year of graduate school in Milwaukee I joined AmeriCorps, where I served as an Early Literacy Tutor for at risk students in kindergarten through the third grade. I am extremely excited to be working with the Student Parent Help Center this year. I look forward to getting to know each of you, and your families. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask!
Chanee Rudolph
Hello!! I am the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UGTA) here at the Student Parent HELP Center. This is now my second year working here at the Student Parent HELP Center, but like many of you I am still learning a lot of new and exciting things. My job here is to assist you with anything you need as well as make you feel comfortable and welcomed, so please don't hesitate to ask me for anything if you have questions. I am currently my fourth year here at the University and I am a Family and Social Science major with a minor in Family Violence Prevention. So far, I have enjoyed myself more than any of you know and I am looking forward to many more memorable moments to come!