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| Delightful December | |
Spending time with people you care about is a holiday tradition crossing ethnic, religious, and cultural lines. Spend a little time discussing holiday traditions with your mentee. You may find something you'd like to try at your own holiday gathering.
Make greeting cards, thank you notes, and other holiday decorations. All you'll need is heavy paper like card stock or construction paper, colorful markers, and imagination!
Help your mentee create fun and easy gifts for family members. Picture frames, potpourri, cookie-in-a-jar kits, and chocolate/candy dipped goodies are fun and easy to make. Check out www.kaboose.com and www.familyfun.go.com for activities and craft ideas
Spend some time outside! Bundle up on those blustery days and head outside to play. Take a walk with your mentee, even if it's a short one. Show your mentee tips on getting the outside of a house ready for winter. Play frisbee or catch. Ride bikes on the bike trail or hike at Oakland Mills. Lots of activities can be done in the late autumn chill. When you're done be sure to head inside and warm up with a mug of hot chocolate.
Remember to take time to relax during this busy and sometimes stressful season. You and your mentee can practice deep breathing exercises, do some yoga, meditate, or just listen to music and talk.
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December Birthdays!
Happy Birthday Mentees!
Jeremy, Salem, Lanni, Megan, Kilee
Happy Birthday Mentors!
Bryan, Cody, Megan
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Greetings!
Wow, what an exciting time! As we prepare to usher in the new year, here's a look back at the last couple of months: Since September 1st - We've started Club M Wednesdays in Mt. Pleasant and New London and have matched 72 kids with mentors
- We've matched 13 kids with high school peer mentors in the Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District
- We've matched 3 new community mentors with kids in Mt. Pleasant
- We have 21 kids on the waiting list for Club M and we hope to get them matched when Club M returns on January 11th.
Thank You to the Mt. Pleasant Middle School and New London Clark Elementary School for use of their facilities for weekly Club M meetings. Thank You to the administration and staff members in the Winfield-Mt. Union, Mt. Pleasant, and New London community school districts for all the continuing support. Thank You to Dr. Walljasper and the Developmental Psychology class at Iowa Wesleyan College. What a wonderful partnership! From the mentors who come to Club M week after week to the committee who planned Mentor for a Day the Rec Center, we couldn't do it without all of you. Thank you so much! |
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Brain Development in Traumatized Children & Adolescents
Important Facts for Mentors, Part 2 | |
Reach back in your mind to the November newsletter, here are items six through ten of the Facts for Mentors:
6) The brain organizes from the bottom up: lower parts of the brain develop earlier with the final developmental processes much later in life. Major changes can take place as late as early adulthood
7) Mentoring can help heal a traumatized brain: Predictable, stable, and consistent relationships with safe adults create positive brain experiences
8) Mentors provide those positive brain experiences: fair boundaries and rules and clear expectations help traumatized kids inhibit their impulsive and disorganized behaviors
9) Mentors are patient: mentoring can provide the slow introduction of new experiences and stimuli to replace traumatic experiences
10) Practice, Practice, Practice: Positive, consistent repetition of new and safe experiences creates positive brain change for traumatized children and adolescents
Bonus # 11) You have a tremendous impact of the life of your mentee just by showing up and showing you care! |
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Thank you Mentors for a Day!  Club M's annual Mentor for a Day event was held at the Mt. Pleasant Rec Center on Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Twenty seven mentors and 32 kids attended. Everyone had a blast playing games and hanging out with their very own Mentor for a Day! Thank you so much to Dr. Wawlljasper's Developmental Psych class planning committee for planning out the games and activities and thank you to all the mentors and kids who attended. A special Thanks goes out to the Mt. Pleasant Rec Center for the use of the meeting room, gymnasium, and pool (a big hit!) for the whole day.
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Happy Holidays from Club M
Season's Greetings to all our Mentors, Mentees, and Community Partners. We want to take this opportunity to let you know how much you are appreciated. Wishing you and your loved ones peace, health, happiness and prosperity in the coming New Year.
Sincerely,
Cassie Gerst & Carrie Brown
Club M: Henry County Mentoring Program |
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