The ELI Weekly
Summer in Gainesville
You may have noticed that our days are becoming increasingly hot and humid! Summer weather in Gainesville usually starts in mid-May and lasts through September. Because of the combination of high temperatures and high humidity, thunderstorms are very common in the summer months, particularly in the late afternoon. These storms can be intense but are typically brief and provide a bit of relief from the hot, humid weather.
Mornings are generally cooler, with lower humidity levels. If you need to be outside, plan your activities for the early morning or later in the evening, once the sun has gone down.
Here is some advice for dealing with summer in Gainesville:
- Stay hydrated: Carry water to combat the heat and humidity.
- Use sun protection: Apply sunscreen and wear protective clothing to shield against UV rays.
- Plan on rain: Keep an umbrella or raincoat handy for sudden afternoon showers.
- Monitor weather forecasts: Stay informed about potential thunderstorms or tropical storm developments.
- Grab a sweater/sweatshirt: Be prepared to walk into cool air-conditioned classrooms, restaurants, grocery stores, and other indoor areas. Some people find the AC too cold!
But the most important advice is stay safe during summer storms! Florida is nicknamed the “lightning capital of the country” and it’s not hard to see why! If it looks like it’s going to storm, you should go inside as soon as possible. A car is also a safe place. DO NOT stand under a tree or near anything that might be the tallest thing in the area and don’t use a metal-tipped umbrella.
Occasionally, there are tornado watches or tornado warnings. A warning is more serious. If there is a tornado warning, you should go inside. DO NOT ride your bike, wait for the bus, or even drive a car.
Another thing that you should prepare for is hurricanes. You can go to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ to keep informed of hurricane activity, and they also have some excellent preparation and planning tips. Also, of course, if there is any hurricane threatening Gainesville, we here at the ELI will keep you informed and make sure you know what to do and where to go.
Finally, you should download the Gatorsafe App on your phone so you can get notifications about storms or other dangerous weather near campus.
Weekend Event
Join us as we help our local community with various service opportunities! You may only sign up for one activity of the three and you must sign up to attend.
Saturday, June 7th
- Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs – 9:00am – 12:30pm – Meet at Norman Parking Garage
Go to a facility for medical service dogs in training and play with puppies to help them with exposure to strangers!
- Project Downtown Gainesville – 12:30pm – 1:45pm – Meet in front of City Hall Downtown
Help serve food to the unsheltered community of Gainesville with friends! Meet at 200 E University Ave. Take bus 1 or 5.
Sunday, June 8th
- Mill Creek Horse Farm – 9:15am-1:30pm – Meet at Norman Parking Garage
Come help this retirement home for horses! They will have a project to help improve their farm and we will get a chance to see the horses!
Sign up for ONE volunteer event: sign up here!
CIP Weekday Activities
CIP Photo of the Week: Game Night
Other CIP Reminders
Conversation Partners
Want to meet with a fluent English speaker and make a new friend? Sign up for a CP! If you choose to sign up, you must meet with your partner for one hour a week. It can take up to two weeks to get a partner from when you sign up. Please sign up here!
Please email Joey at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passports
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders at the event (not after). We don’t hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift, a photo for the ELI Instagram, and your name published in the ELI weekly!
Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office!
Find the Pineapple
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Notes from the Office
Class Attendance: Your attendance is important. Your teachers are taking note of both your absences and your tardies in every class every day. Please remember that this also includes time spent in the hallway instead of the classroom.
Lost and Found: Have you lost your car keys, student ID card, driver’s license, wallet, or some other important item? Many times, when people find an item, they bring it to the office for safe keeping. When you lose something, please come by the ELI Main Office (MAT223) and see if it is in the lost and found.
**Special note: to the student who left his sunglasses on the bench in the hallway during check in week—the office found them! 😊Please see Heidy.
Hallways: Many UF faculty and staff have offices in classroom buildings, just like Matherly Hall. Please remember to speak softly in the buildings. Please do not block the hallways or staircases by sitting in them.
Instructor Workday: A reminder than Monday, June 9th is an instructor workday at the ELI. The office will be open, but there will be no ELI classes that day.
Beware of scams: Be careful of scam emails, text messages, and phone calls from people asking for bank account information, gift cards, credit card information, etc, even if they say they are from the police, ICE, or IRS. These messages often claim they need immediate payment or there will be some terrible result for you. These are scams meant to scare you into giving them money. If you ever get a text or call and you aren’t sure if it is a scam, come talk to Christine for help.
Keep your I-94 with you: As a reminder, all people in the US on a visa should always have their I-94 with them. The I-94 is proof that you are a registered alien in the US and shows that you are here on a non-immigrant visa. You can access your I-94 at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home. Contact Daryl if you cannot access your I-94. Also, have access to copies of other important documents, like your I-20, visa, passport, letter from USCIS, or other government issued documents related to your status in the U.S.
Special Note
Please keep the bathrooms clean!
It has come to our attention that the bathrooms need a little more care. Many students, faculty, and staff use the bathrooms at UF every day. Please help keep the bathrooms clean by flushing toilet paper in the toilet, putting brown paper towels in the compost bin, taking your trash to the trashcan in the hall, and keeping the floors clean and dry. Used toilet paper should be flushed in the toilet, not placed in the bins. Do your best not to make a mess in and around the area. Thank you!
Birthdays!
| Students | Staff | ||
| Ayah Zatari | June 2 | None | |
| Tariq Alzaid | June 9 | ||
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Grammar
Q: What’s the difference between ‘figure out’ and ‘find out’—are they the same?
A: They are similar in meaning but not exactly the same!
Find out means to learn something new using an outside source of information—like somebody told you or you read/saw it somewhere.
Examples:
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- “I found out that the meeting was canceled.”
- “She found out about the surprise party from a friend.”
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Figure out usually is used when we solve a problem or situation using logic, reasoning, or analysis.
Examples:
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- “He figured out how to fix the leaky faucet.”
- “I finally figured out why my computer was running slow.”
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Joke of the Week
Q: What do you call an alligator who’s good at giving directions?
A: a navi-gator!
Notes from the Editor
| I need students, LAs, instructors, staff, and administrators to help me write the Weekly!
Write a paragraph about your experiences this semester. You could write about an ELI activity, a Gainesville event, a fabulous local restaurant, or tell us about a place or event in your country that we should visit. Send me grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly. Send me manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly. Send me jokes to put in the Weekly. |
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.