Newsletter for December 15, 2006
HELP Center Announcements
Save the Dates: Wednesdays 12:00 – 2:00
The Student Parent HELP Center meets weekly on Wednesdays from 12-2 in Room 24, Appleby Hall. We provide a nice lunch for FREE for those folks who can attend for the majority of the session.
Wednesday, December 6, 12-2: Join us for a Holiday Potluck...feel free to bring a dish to share or just come to celebrate the season with fellow student parents!
Wednesday, December 13, 12-2: Stress Free Day! Massage therapists from Centerpoint School of Massage will be coming in to offer a special treat of relaxation and wellness going into finals --- a reward to you for getting through the semester!
| With the end of the semester quickly approaching we would appreciate your help in completing our group evaluation survey. If you have attended group at least one time, the evaluation will be mailed to your home address on Wednesday, November 29th. Also, evaluations will be made available during group, along with a confidential return box for completed evaluations. Please take the time to provide us with your feedback. This crucial information is important to making group a positive and beneficial asset to our program. Thank you in advance for your help! |
Volunteer Opportunity for Student Parents...
The Student Parent HELP Center, along with Student Parent Association, is planning another Student Parent Visibility Day. We will need volunteers, from a variety of academic majors, to share your experience with teen parents visiting the U of M from three different teen parenting programs in the metro area. Mark your calendars for May 1, 2007, from 11:00 – 1:00, outside of Morrill Hall. If you are interested please let us know, there will be free food!!!
Student Parent Success Stories
We love featuring announcements of student and family successes as regular newsletter items. If you will be graduating at the end of fall term, are welcoming a new child, purchasing a new home, getting married or experiencing any related event that you would like to have us post in the newsletter, please send the details to the SPHC email address, spch@umn.edu. We would be proud and honored to share in celebrating these wonderful life transitions with you and your families.
Congratulations To:
Nancy Kinara, who gave birth to a son named Jayden Samson Waste on November 18th at 11:11 am! He was a healthy 7 lbs, 7 oz!
May Kau Yang, who gave birth to a daughter named Lillian who was 5 lbs., 10 oz.!
Congratulations to July Vang who gave birth to her second child, a girl named Ntsab Iab Yang on October 11, 2006!
Holiday Events
Toys for TotsPlease follow the directions provided at the link below to access the Toys for Tots distribution site in your area:
http://www.toysfortotstwincities.org/local-organizations.php
Holidazzle ParadeEnjoy the city and take in this fun family event. The parade route follows Nicollet Mall every Wednesday-Sunday starting at November 24th – December 23rd. The parade starts at 6:30 pm and last about ½ hour. Visit the website below for more details:
Macy’s Holiday DisplayEvery year the downtown Macy’s chooses a theme for their holiday display. From 11/11/06-12/31/06 enjoy this year’s free event entitled, “Up, Up, and Away, The Magic of Mary Poppins”!
Kwanzaa CelebrationsThe Minnesota Historical Society sponsors a free Kwanzaa celebration for families on December 30th from 12:00-4:00.
http://events.mnhs.org/calendar/Results.cfm
Official Kwanzaa Website:
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
Chanukah CelebrationsU of M Protocol
For students who are looking to take a semester off, or need to withdraw from a class, please remember to familiarize yourself with University of Minnesota’s policies around these issues. Your academic advisors must be notified, and also please inform the Student Parent HELP Center, as this may affect your childcare grants and other SPHC resources. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Parent HELP Center for assistance.
Cool Web Link:
63 gifts for under $10…great Holiday giving ideas!
http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/money/63giftsunder10dollars.htm
Grants Update
The lists for both the CCAMPIS Grant and the Post Secondary Child Care Grant CCAMPIS Grant are closed, there is no other funding available at this time..
All programs of the SPHC are available to undergraduates only
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 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. 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. Intakes and basic questions about services offered should be directed to Jerri Wagner, Melissa Schmidt, Ali Cain, or Zer Xiong. I am entering my 7th year with the HELP Center and during this journey have moved from 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. We are experiencing a bit of a crisis on the private child care funding side and I really need to devote most of my attention this year to finding more child care assistance and emergency grant funding in order to keep up with demand. Have no fear; you will continue to hear my raucous laughter echoing through the SPHC!
Jerri Wagner, MSW, LGSW
I am the new 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!
Melissa Schmidt
Hello, I am one of two social work interns at the HELP Center this year. I am in the Masters of Social Work program here at the University and am really excited to be involved in the HELP Center this year. Along with graduate school, I am also an employee at The Aurora Center here on campus. I have one son, Aiden, who was born 10/5/05. I am excited to celebrate his first birthday next month!
Ali Cain
I am pleased to be completing an internship at the Student Parent HELP Center. I am in my last year of the Masters of Social Work program at the U of M, where I also completed my undergraduate degree in Family Social Science. I have worked at a large family homeless shelter for the past five years. I am looking forward to an exciting year, working on campus alongside a great staff and motivated student parents!
Zer Xiong
Hi! It is my pleasure to be the undergraduate teaching assistant (UGTA) for the Student Parent Help Center. I am also a student parent myself. I have a son who was born on 11/27/06. Currently, I am pursuing a bachelor of arts in the Inter-College Program in the following three areas: Sociology, Family Social Science, and Public Health. Feel free to ask me any questions if you need help in the Student Parent Help Center.
Comments, questions or ideas about useful information for this newsletter can be directed to Ali Cain at sphc@umn.edu.