My son/daughter is sick....what do I do?

When your son/daughter isn't feeling well and they are away from home, it's probably as hard for them as it is for you! Not being able to take their temperature, make chicken soup or accurately gauge if this is a cold, flu virus or something more can be very hard for parents who have children away from home for the first time. But don't worry - there are lots of resources and people available to help your son/daughter.

Here are a few suggestions for when you get the text...."Mom, I'm not feeling well."

1 - First and foremost, assume that your son/daughter WILL get sick at least once during their academic year at college. Students who have roommates and are without mom or dad reminding them to wash their hands are notorious for spreading germs...and quickly! Thames faculty and staff know that as soon as the first student shows signs of sniffling and sneezing we bring out our PSPK (Personal Sickness Prevention Kit)....Airborne and Purell!

2 - Please don't overreact. Students develop a runny nose and may call home to inform you that they have the flu. Always ask about their symptoms and then make an informed decision using your mom or dad instincts.

3 - Encourage your son/daughter to go to the Heath & Wellness Office. This office is located in the Yarnall Athletic Center (gym building off of Dibiasi Drive). If your son/daughter is too sick to walk there, they can call Campus Safety who will drive to Thames Academy and pick up your student to bring them to Health & Wellness. The nurse practitioner is on duty weekdays from 9am-5pm and, if necessary, a physician will see students on campus on an as needed basis. If your son/daughter is sick in the evening hours, help them judge if their condition is mild enough to wait until the morning. In extreme cases, students may choose to be admitted to the Emergency Room at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital (one mile from campus on Montauk Ave).

4 - Please notify your student's academic advisor that he/she is not feeling well. The advisor can relay this information to instructors and residence life staff. Although, if your son/daughter has a roommate he/she will usually tell Thames staff and all of the other students that your son/daughter is not feeling well long before we receive an email from you. News of a student illness, similar to germs, spread very quickly in our building.

5 - Encourage your son/daughter, when feeling better, to contact his/her instructors and obtain any assignments or class notes that he/she may have missed. It is important for your son/daughter to realize that sick days in college are not free passes to avoid responsibility. As surprising as it may sound, some students believe the world stops when they do not feel well. Please reassure them that they will be fine in just a few hours (or days) and you are proud of them for taking care of themselves away from home!

Give yourself a pat on the back too for surviving your son/daughter's illness away from home!

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Article: Letting Your Child Make Mistakes

Thames Academy is a program for students in many different places on their educational journey. We hope that each student's journey is full of forward steps and great successes. However, sometimes students need a safe place to try new things, an academic and residential transitional year, to make mistakes or as we call them, 'teachable moments.'

The article, How Parents Can Help College Students Value Their Mistakes, has excellent suggestions for parents to help their son/daughter turn missteps into learning opportunities.

Check out some of the tips below. If you like these suggestions, click here to read more!

• Don’t jump in to rescue your student.  Let him make the mistake – even though you may see it coming.  Remember that this can be a positive experience.
• Help your student evaluate the experience.  Making a mistake can be helpful if it means that your next decision will be different.  What has he learned from this experience?  What will he do differently next time?
• Help your student remember that learning is a process of constantly making and correcting mistakes, and that she has done it all of her life.  How did she learn to walk, to ride a bike, to add 2+2?

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Grocery Shuttle Today at 1:30pm!

Please encourage your son/daughter to sign-up for the Thames Academy shuttle going to

 Stop and Shop TODAY!!

WEDNESDAY, September 21st @ 1:30pm

Meet in the Moorings lobby!

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Cracking the Code on Teen Netspeak

 The website, ParentFurther.com has a great resource for parents called, Cracking the Code on Teen Netspeak. This downloadable pdf lets you in on the "code" of text language and other abbreviations that you might find on popular websites.

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Game Night Tonight @ 8:00pm

Game Night Tonight!

8:00pm
Moorings Lobby

Come and play board games, card games, Magic the Gathering and have fun!!!

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"Mom, I Want To Come Home!"

Do you feel your stomach tighten up as soon as you read the text message from your son/daughter...."Mom, I'm homesick!" If so, you are not alone.

Mom I Want to Come Home is a helpful article published in 2011 in the Huffington Post and written by Brian Harke, Ed.D, Dean of Students at University of Southern California.

The article explains common times during a semester when students sound the alert and call home with feelings of homesickness. The author also offers 6 suggestions for how parents can respond to these panicked phone calls/emails including my personal favorite, Don't Try to Fix It (at least for 24 hours).

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Move-in Day: Right Around the Corner

We are so excited to welcome you to Thames Academy in just 24-48 hours!!

When you move in, you will be given a folder bursting with important information! This folder is given to each family - with both student and parent information inside.

Some of the information in the folder you  have already received during April Accepted Students Day and some of it will be new to you. But it is all important!

Here is a sneak peek at what is inside:

Student & Parent Orientation schedule
List of nearby banks
List of nearby shopping centers, stores
Technology information sheet
School supplies list
Executive functioning supplies list
Thames Parent Blog postcard
Information on the Navigate program

We can't wait to meet you! Drive/fly safely!

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You've Got Mail!

If you are going to be sending mail to your son/daughter this year "the OLD FASHIONED way," here is the mailing address you need:

Student's Name
Thames Academy
437 Pequot Ave.
New London, CT 06320 

All mail is received and held in the mail room on Mitchell College campus. The mail room is a small white building located between Nathan Hale and Bingham Hall brick classroom buildings. 

Students will be given a mailbox number and a lock combination. If a student receives a package, a small slip of paper will be put in their mailbox indicating that a package is being held behind the mailroom window.

The mail room is open on weekdays from 9-5pm and is closed on weekends.

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Thames Annual End of the Year BBQ Today!!

Thames Academy will host our annual 

End of the Year BBQ 

Today, May 6th
Location: Thames Academy 

@ 2:00pm!

 This annual event will include traditional bbq food and dessert! We will also be playing many fun games!! Join us at the Thames BBQ and find out what fun we have planned for our graduating students!!

          

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Think of Warmer Weather (lots of pics)

The weather might be cold outside but let's take a walk down memory lane........

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Students Return to Thames Academy: Wed., January 20

Thames Academy faculty and staff are eagerly waiting for students to return to Thames Academy. The Thames Academy building will be open for students to return on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 at NOON.

Students should not move back into the Thames dorm before this time as there will not be residence life supervision prior to January 20.

Spring semester classes begin on Thursday, January 21,

*Students who have registered for a spring Mitchell College class will also begin that class on Thursday, January 21. Students taking a Mitchell class should see their Thames Academy academic advisor when they return on Wed/Thurs.

If you have any questions, please email or call your son/daughter's academic advisor.

We will see you soon!

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Late Night Breakfast!! Thursday 12/10 @ 11:00pm

Encourage your son/daughter to join us for Late Night Breakfast 

on Thursday, December 10th!

10:00pm

Milner Dining Hall

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8 Local Hikes You Have to Try! Guest blogger: Chris Scott

Local Hike Guide

Although not known for its outdoors, Connecticut has plenty of options for those willing to look. 

Bluff Point State Park

Bluff Point State Park

Distance from Thames: 10-15 minutes

Address: Depot Road, Groton, CT 06340

Description:  Bluff Point State Park offers a scenic walk around the Connecticut shoreline. The main loop is about three miles long and runs through the woods and right on the shore. Elevation gain is minimal which makes this hike great for all ages. Wonderful vista views of the Long Island Sound, a beach and great aviation watching as the Groton-New London Airport is nearby. This trail is also a popular horseback riding trail so be on the lookout for horses. 

Things to do nearby: The free Submarine Force Museum location at the Groton Sub Base is a wonderful attraction.  Mystic is also close by and offers a great array of dining and recreation options. 

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Executive Functioning Strategies - Used inside & outside the classroom (w/pics)

"Seeing My Time," the executive functioning program used by Thames Academy to teach students how to "see" their time by providing strategies for organization and improved metacognition, is not only a program and theory taught in small workshops but becomes "hands on" during class time!

Thames Academy instructors incorporate the language and strategies discussed in weekly executive functioning workshops into their courses. The picture below is a sample of a study schedule that was created in a 3 credit college-level course offered at Thames Academy. The strategy was introduced in a weekly, small group setting and reinforced by the instructor as a study strategy for the upcoming exam.

This studyguide was used as a model as students created their own personalized study plan using mini post it notes and the "Planning Backward" template found in the "Seeing My Time" workbook.

Prior to move-in, students and parents are given a list of "Executive Functioning Supplies" to purchase for the fall semester. These supplies include an analog clock, weekly wall calendar, dry erase markers and digital timer. Through the "Seeing My Time" program, Thames Academy academic advisors teach students the value of these time management tools and reinforce their use for academic as well as social tasks. Below are some pictures of actual students' executive functioning tools in use.

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Trip to Six Flags Fright Fest on Sat. 10/31

If your son/daughter loves Halloween or loves to be frightened then encourage them to attend the trip to Six Flags Fright Fest on Saturday, October 31st! This trip is sponsored by the Campus Life office at Mitchell College.

Transportation will be provided and leaves uppercampus at 4:00pm. Students will return to campus around 1:00am.

Sign-up at the Campus Life Office in the Student Center on uppercampus.

Are you ready to be frightened?

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Medication Management: An Important Skill for College Students

Many college freshman are learning, for the first time, how to independently manage and administer their daily medication  We recommend that you help your son/daughter acquire and practice this skill before he/she arrives at Thames Academy. Thames Academy staff are not allowed to administer medication, but do help students gain independence with this skill throughout our year-long program.

An interesting and important post on the website of the University of Michigan called, Tips for Managing Your Medication, contains many helpful tips and strategies for managing medication while away at college.

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Doing Laundry At College

If your son/daughter has visited home recently, he/she may be bringing home more than just their textbooks and summer clothes. Most college students bring home large piles of dirty laundry and rely on mom or dad's help during the long weekends and semester breaks.

The article A Load of Laundry Tips includes suggestions and advice for students who are learning to do their laundry for the first time. .....feel free to send the article link in your next email or text to your college freshman!

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Faculty perspective: 4 benefits of teaching the same students all year long

by Jennifer Sullivan

The article by James Lang, Lessons From a Freshman Year, echos the reasons why I love and have continued to teach at Thames Academy for 10 years. The author explains 4 main benefits he received when he taught a freshman course and was able to work with the same group of students all year long.

 * Closeness to students
Working at Thames Academy allows me to know more about my students' lives than a typical instructor, sometimes, more than I care to know. However, I trust the Thames students and over the past 10 years I have brought both of my daughters to visit Thames and the students I was teaching that year.  My oldest daughter is 10 years old and she first visited Thames before she was 1 year old. The Thames students have been so kind and accepting of my daughters. My daughters have grown up at Thames Academy and I wouldn't have it any other way.

• Shifting perceptions

Teaching students foundation skills in the fall semester allows me to challenge them in the spring beyond what I know they have already learned. I build on past successes and expect more of them throughout the year. I can bring humor and challenge into my classroom because the students know I am on their side. I talk to the students as young adults, not children, and respect their personal journey during their year at Thames. I am able to see their growth and development from day 1 until graduation day and they constantly amaze me.

• Campus events

Many former Thames students now attend Mitchell College and most are involved in campus extracurricular clubs. Attending the Drama Society productions, hosting a booth at Fresh Check Day, and participating in the 'Penguin Plunge' in January are ways I like to stay connected to students in their lives outside of the classroom. Thames Academy also does a terrific job of planning activities around our students' interests. The plethora of Thames trips gives me lots of opportunities to be involved with our students....in fact, I live in New London  and often surprise the students when we run into each other at Target or the mall!

• Learning about residential life

Teaching at Thames is so much more than teaching just academic content. Working where the students live is a very interesting window into their personal lives.....
At Thames I teach students:

• to be kind to those who learn differently
• patience to the student who can't open his mailbox
• that instructors aren't perfect
• that Dr. Seuss' Yertle the Turtle can help them understand sociologist Stanley Milgrim
• that my name is Mrs. Sullivan, not "Yo miss"
• that wearing your pajamas to class isn't the impression you want to give to your teacher
• how to make a train reservation online when they miss their sister and want to go home
• how to tell a boy "I'm just not that into you"
• how to console a student whose grandparent recently passed
• that my heart is big enough to care about 40 students

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Thames Advisors: On the Front Lines

In the next 24 hours you will receive the name of your son/daughter's advisor at Thames Academy. Some families may have received this name via email already. The Thames advisor will be your primary point of contact this year. If you don't  know the name of your student's advisor, it will be 1 of the 6 names listed below:

Donna Ogle
Ron Samul
Christopher Scott
Melissa Shafner
Jennifer Sullivan
Elizabeth Emanuelson

The role of the academic advisor is to oversee the holistic growth and development of your son/daughter during their experience at Thames Academy.  The advisor will be most knowledgeable about your son/daughter's personal strengths, weaknesses and learning style, academic course progress and extracurricular involvement.  Academic advisors are "on the front lines" and will interact with your son/daughter on a daily basis. When appropriate, the advisor will utilize the resources of the Director of Thames Academy, Jacquie Jewett,  Associate Director of Student Engagament, Christopher Scott, and Case Manager, Patty Callis, when specific supports and services are needed. All Thames Academy staff communicate on a daily basis with each other about student needs and work collaboratively as a team to support students' success.

We hope that you will say hello and seek out your son/daughter's advisor on move-in day! Feel free to introduce yourself and ask any last minute questions you might have.

Again, we look forward to meeting you very soon! Welcome to Thames Academy!

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Thames Annual End of the Year BBQ! (w/pics)

Check out how Thames Academy students (past & present) celebrated their last week of classes at the annual end-of-the-year BBQ! There was a life-size hamster ball (pic below), BBQ food, video game truck, water fight and more! Watch for more pictures coming soon....

                                           

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