A divorce or the death of a spouse can create drastic changes in one's financial status and emotional stability. A stay-at-home mother, who suddenly needs to look for employment, often discovers that returning to the workforce can be a difficult and frightening undertaking. This year, several Jericho staff members have created a program to assist Jericho school community women transitioning back into the workforce after being divorced or widowed. The Jericho Project for the Advancement of Women (JPAW), created by Marie Salerno, Nancy Saviano, Leigh-Anne Dunckley and Michael Rubino, will offer a series of classes to make the transition easier.

The goal of JPAW is to identify the existing resources of participants and provide them with the skills and supports necessary to successfully obtain gainful employment. Classes in basic computer training, emotional support, personal finances, interpersonal skills development, résumé building, interview preparation and job hunting. There is no fee for the program; all instructors are generously volunteering their time.

The JPAW series will be divided into 12 one-hour classes, plus a session for graduation. A questionnaire will determine a meeting time that suits the majority of interested individuals. Classes include:

Introductions / ice breakers / explanation of goals and class itineraries. Divorce and death of a spouse are major life-changing events that can leave an individual feeling emotionally crippled. Suddenly alone to deal with issues such as money, children and career changes can seem overwhelming. Joanne Verdino, the Jericho Middle School social worker, will discuss stressors such as change in financial status, childcare, emotional needs of participants and their children, self-esteem and coping with the loss of a spouse. She will also help break down the many responsibilities and issues into manageable tasks. Dr. Joan Colvin, Jericho Schools' assistant superintendent of business affairs, will conduct a two-class workshop on Personal Finances-What happened to my paycheck?, checkbook mechanics, saving for larger purchases, how to use credit cards wisely, understanding benefits at work, how to invest wisely, budgeting basic and setting up a budget worksheet in Excel. This class is designed to introduce basic computer skills necessary for functioning in an office environment. This session will be divided into groups for beginner and intermediate level users. Those with working knowledge will get a refresher course on topics such as navigating the computer. Those with no knowledge of computers will receive a lecture/demonstration on the basics of computers, such as: working with a mouse, powering on a computer, navigating the desktop and working with icons. Class will cover Microsoft Word, which is essential in any office environment. The guidelines for the class will be based on research as to what administrators or temp agencies look for in support staff. Classes will focus on tasks such as: general typing strategies, saving, as well as "save as," printing, formatting (bold, italic, underline), font size and changes, typing up letters/labels/envelopes, alignment, margins, and the possibility of further growth for mail merge, etc. if time permits. This class will focus on the features of Outlook. Tasks such as sending and receiving e-mail, setting appointments in the calendar, attaching documents to an e-mail, as well as other options in the program will be covered. Guest speaker Dr. Ben Ciuffo, Jericho's Assistant Superintendent for Educational Operations and Human Resources, will be speaking about the interview process. The fundamentals of résumé building will be enforced at this session, including the type of information that should be included on a résumé. Basic interviewing skills will be covered, including how to answer common interview questions. This class will cover setting up and using a template in Microsoft Word for résumé building. After practicing on demonstration résumés, participants will use the template to construct their own résumé. There will also be a discussion of tools for finding a job, such as the Internet (checking the civil service website) and contacting temp agencies. This class will cover interpersonal skills in the workplace. Hands-on demonstrations and enactments will include answering phones, speaking with co-workers, and greeting clients or constituents. Appropriate dress, demeanor and attitude will be discussed.

Jericho Schools' Curriculum Associates Dr. Elaine Margarita and Helene Kriegstein will be conducting a workshop on challenging situations in the workplace. Women are faced with challenges that are specific to their gender, perspective, and life experiences. There are no "right answers" but there are ways to build a level of confidence in how one approaches some of these situations.

Applications for the program are available online at www.jerichoschools.org/jpaw. Please contact Marie Salerno at 203-3600, ext. 3269 or via email at jpaw@jerichoschools.org for further information.