November 2011 Parent E-Newsletter

Parent E-Newsletter – November 2011

• Welcome
• Greetings from the Parent Council
• PLNU Dates to Remember
• Chapel & Time-Out Schedule
• PLNU’s Gospel Choir Performance – Coming Soon
• Fall Festival Recap
• Offices of Strengths and Vocation
• Important Student Financial Information
• PLNU News Updates
• Study Tip of the Month
• Sweet Celebration Treat!

 

Welcome

Hello Parents,

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, but we have a lot going on at PLNU before we get to the end of the month! I hope that you enjoy your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving. As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to take some time and consider all that you are grateful for each day.

As always, we are here to answer any and all questions you may have.  So, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you have throughout the year.

Blessings,

Cristy Booher
Parent Connection Manager

Contact: parents@pointloma.edu

Greetings from the Parent Council

Dear Parents,

November is one of our favorite months, not only because our kids get to come home for a few days, but because during that time all of our loved ones sit at the same table and take turns saying what each is most thankful for, a tradition that goes back as long as we can remember in our family. Thankfulness seems to be such a simple charge, but why do we only purposely do it and share it with others once a year? 

Philippians 4:8 tells us to let our minds dwell on things that are true, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise. Shifting our minds daily from the negative to the positive aspects in our lives, and dwelling on them will definitely produce an attitude of thankfulness. 

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to stop, reflect, and remember to count your blessings. Give thanks and be grateful for all that we have.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family.

God Bless You,

Tom and Kim Brunson
Parent Council Members

 

PLNU Dates to Remember

November 1-5 – Solomon Theatre Presents: Euyridice
November 1-30 – Keller Gallery Presents: “100 World’s Project” Art Exhibit
November 2  – Purposeful Estate Planning Seminar
November 7 – Web Registration Begins
November 17-19 – Homecoming
November 23-25 – Thanksgiving Break
November 30 – Brewed Awakening, Slavery in Our Own Backyard

Look ahead to December:
December 2 & 3 – Cider Celebration (Christmas Show)
December 4 – Handel’s Messiah Performance

 

Chapel & Time-Out Schedule – All Things New

11/2 – Chapel: Vintage Faith
11/2 – Time-Out: Vintage Faith
11/4 – Chapel: Kerry Fulcher, Provost & Chief Academic Officer
11/7 – Chapel: Mary Paul, Vice President of Spiritual Development
11/9 – Chapel: Communion
11/9 – Time-Out: ASB Spiritual Life
11/11 – Chapel: Jeff Carr, Associate Vice President of Student Development/Chief Diversity Officer
11/14 – Chapel: Mark Carter, Chaplain
11/16 – Chapel: Faith Stories
11/16 – Time-Out: Josh Bloom, PLNU Senior
11/18 – Chapel: Homecoming Chapel
11/21 – Chapel: Re:Focus
11/23 – No Chapel
11/25 – No Chapel
11/28 – Chapel: Mary Paul, Vice President of Spiritual Development
11/30 – Chapel: Wes Hill, Guest Speaker
11/30 – Time-Out: Wes Hill, Guest Speaker

To view Chapel via the Live Stream, please visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/faith/spiritual-development/chapel/listen-online.

For more information about Chapel, please visit http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/faith/spiritual-development/chapel.

 

PLNU’s VIP Gospel Choir

PLNU's VIP Gospel Choir has 1 more performance this semester.  They have a significant amount of parent representation in the 110 voice choir this year! If you are in the area, come support the VIP Gospel Choir at their final performance this semester:

Sunday, November 20, 2011
San Diego Ministerial Alliance Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Day Concert
4:00pm at Bethel Baptist Church
1962 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 
*Admission is free (love offering /donations accepted)

 

Fall Festival Recap

On October 22nd, PLNU hosted our 8th Annual Fall Festival.  It was a fun filled day with carriage rides, a petting zoo, face painting, a pumpkin patch, food tastings from local restaurants, bounce houses, and an ice cream social!  It was a great day on campus with community members.  If you missed the event, here are some photos.

 

 

 

To see more photos, visit our Flickr site for the Week in Pictures for the week of October 15th.

 

Offices of Strengths and Vocation

Why are internships important?
Students preparing to graduate who have several paid or unpaid internships on their resume have a much better chance of finding full-time work. Students are doing internships starting their freshman year of college in hopes of having more experiences along with making increased contacts by the time they are at the end of their senior year. Seniors are even taking internships after graduation in hopes that it will lead to a permanent position.

With the economic downturn, employers are depending on interns to fill the gap with fewer resources available. Though many times these experiences are unpaid, they are offering opportunities to gain higher level work experiences that may not have been available a few years ago. 

Benefits of doing an internship:

• Internships look good on a resume
• The opportunity to check out a career (to see if it’s right for them)
• Opportunities to network
• Find mentors and build long lasting professional relationships
• Possible internship credit to meet class requirements
• An introduction to the field's culture and business protocol
• A Chance to learn new transferable skills
• Internships can lead to jobs

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), nearly 50% of employers would like to see an internship on a student’s resume
and nearly 36% of employers hired employees from their own internship program.

Many unpaid and paid internships are available on the Offices of Strengths and Vocation on-line job board that is accessible to all PLNU students through their portal. Students are also free to make an appointment with a staff member in OSV to further explore internship opportunities.

Say you “Like” us on the OSV Facebook page and check out all the photos from our events!
Facebook: facebook.com/OSVatPLNU
Twitter: @OSVatPLNU

 

Important Student Financial Information

IS YOUR STUDENT ON HOLD?
If there is currently a balance owing on your student’s account, your student is likely on Financial Hold and will not be able to register for spring classes until the hold is resolved (registration opens on November 7th).  Please contact the Student Financial Services Office to let us know how you plan to resolve the balance. We can help you work through your options.  If you haven’t already, you may want to apply for a Parent PLUS loan at www.studentloans.gov, or have your student apply for a Private loan with a co-signer at www.elmselect.com .

Your student will be able to register for classes as soon as the balance is paid in full. Please be aware that students have a better chance of getting into the classes they need (or want) if they register early.  This is especially important for seniors, who need specific classes in order to graduate. If the balance has not been paid by the end of the fall semester, your student may face de-enrollment from the university.

TUITION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
If you currently have a TMS payment plan, please make sure that your contract amount covers the amount due on your student account and that your TMS payments are made on time.  Delinquent TMS contracts will be cancelled and returned to PLNU, which will cause your student’s account to be delinquent and will prevent class registration.

ACCEPTING AID
If there is still aid showing as “Pending” on the student account, please remind your student to complete all necessary steps for the aid to post.  Your student has been sent reminders such as the following:
1. Accept your aid (my.pointloma.edu)
2. Sign a Master Promissory Note (www.studentloans.gov)
3. Complete Entrance Counseling if you are a new loan borrower  (www.studentloans.gov)
4. Submit all required documentation.  Visit the Financial Services > Financial Aid Awards section of your portal and click on “Documents” in the window that pops up.  Note if any additional documentation is required in order to receive your awards.
5. Contact any organizations that are sending scholarship funds on your behalf.

HAVE YOU SET UP YOUR PARENT PORTAL?
If you haven’t already, please obtain your PLNU ID number from your student or from PLNU staff.  (Your student will see your ID number next to your name in the “Information Releases” section of his/her portal.) You’ll use this number to create your own username and password while setting up a parent portal at my.pointloma.edu.  If your student has given you financial information releases, you will be able to see his/her student account through your portal.  If you need assistance setting up your portal, please contact our office or the IT Support Staff at 619-849-2222 or studenthelpdesk@pointloma.edu. 

ONLINE BILLING
If your student has given you financial permission, you will receive a postcard notification each month that there is a balance owing on the account to let you know that the bill is ready to be viewed online.  You can choose to receive notification by email instead, or you can choose to not be notified at all, if someone else is handling the account.

To view your student’s bill online and/or to change your bill notification preferences, simply log in to your portal at my.pointloma.edu and click on PARENTS at the top of the page.  Then click on “Financial Services” in the column on the left side of the webpage and click on “Statement of Account”.  At the top of the page is a link entitled “Change My Bill Notification Preferences”.  Below that, you will see an account summary for any student who has given you financial permission. 

To see the most recent detailed statement, click on “View Bills”.  You will see a list of all Official School Statements and a list of any statements that have been generated by you or by your student.

You also have the ability to generate your own online statement at any time in order to see up-to-the-minute posted transactions.  NOTE: You will need a PDF viewer to view the statement.  You likely already have this on your computer, but you will be able to install a free Adobe Reader from our website if necessary.  If you have any difficulties in viewing the statement, please contact our support staff at 619-849-7378 or studenthelpdesk@pointloma.edu.

If you have any questions regarding your student’s statement of account, please feel free to contact the Student Financial Services Office at 619.849.2538, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM or 8:30 AM-4:30 PM on Friday.  You can also email us at sfs@pointloma.edu.  We are here to serve you!

 

PLNU News Update

Stay up to date by visiting the PLNU website.  You can always find recent information about what is going on around campus HERE. 

Study Tip for the Month

 Keys to Testing Success
1. Read questions and directions carefully; read directions twice.
2. Answer easy questions first and plan time to come back to the more difficult ones.
3. Pay attention to the wording of questions, especially qualifiers such as “if,” “except,” “always,” “never,” “most,” “least” or words that create a negative statement.
4. Choose the best possible answer.
5. Re-read each question after answering it.
6. Only change an answer if you realize that you misunderstood the question, miswrote, or omitted important information.
7. Answer every question and write legibly.
8. Plan your time for essay exams to allow some time for proofreading.
9. Know how much you can write; make a brief outline or list of information to help you organize your essay answers.
10. Compose each essay paragraph with a clear topic sentence and supporting details.
11. After you finish writing, re-read the essay question and your answer to make sure your answer clearly responds to the full question.
 

Send a Celebration Treat!  

Would you like to send your student some homemade desserts? For a $25 donation, the Women’s Auxiliary of PLNU will lovingly bake homemade cakes, cookies, or brownies and have them delivered right to your student’s residence hall!

You can order and pay online at www.pointloma.edu/cake.
Proceeds from this fundraiser are going toward Women’s Auxiliary’s NEW fundraising efforts to update the resident halls’ lounges. So, it is a double benefit for your student!
Please note:  Two weeks advanced notice is appreciated.