Spring Registration Is Ongoing!

ADDITIONAL CLASS OFFERINGS: We are working on securing additional sessions for classes with large wait lists. If you are on the waitlist for an added class, you will receive an email with instructions to call the office to register. Members on the waiting list will have first priority to register. 

SPRING CATALOG UPDATES – Please be advised of the following important date changes (not in catalog):

• Walter Massie: Wireless Pioneer -The date has been changed to Monday, May 19,11:30AM-1:00PM
• Track Your Ancestors– Skip date of May 26, with final date of class June 9.

CLASS VIRTUAL PREVIEWS: Click here to check out the virtual previews for some of OLLI’s spring classes. 

OSHER ONLINE MEMBER ORIENTATION: If you are registered for an Osher Online course, you will receive an invitation to attend the Member Orientation on Tuesday, March 25, 2:00PM-3:00PM. Please make an effort to attend the session as details on logging in to your Osher account will be provided. If you are not able to attend the session, a recording will be available. All questions regarding Osher Online classes should be directed to Osher Online, 312-503-5555 or email osheronline@northwestern.edu.

ZOOM – If you have never Zoomed before and need assistance, please contact our office well in advance of your class. Call the office (401-874-4197) or email (olli@uri.edu).

SAVE THE DATE-THEWLIS LECTURE –Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics Presents: Optics of Aging: A Documentary Screening, Wed, March 26 4PM Reception 4:30-5:45 Screening followed by Q & A Edwards Hall Kingston Campus Join us for the 2025 Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics, featuring a screening of Michelle Le Brun’s documentary, Optics of Aging. Le Brun, a URI Harrington School of Communication and Media faculty member and the film’s producer, director, and cinematographer, will be on hand, along with cast members, for a discussion following the screening. In Optics of Aging, stereotypes of ageism are dissolved, and the beauty of aging is revealed through five elders who have shaped the landscape of Rhode Island and beyond. Their voices take flight against the backdrop of archival imagery that captures the vision of an earlier time. Click Here to Register

CLASS SPOTLIGHT – Register online or call 401-874-4197.

Beginning-Intermediate Italian…Continued- 8 Sessions with Dora Waters beginning 4/7  9:30AM-11:00AM- Prospective students and students from the fall 2024 semester must have a working knowledge of speaking, writing, listening, reading, and grammar, including present and past tenses. We’ll continue with further thematic vocabulary; learning/utilizing imperfect, future, and conditional verb tenses; commands; and readings for improved pronunciation and oral dialogs/presentations. Culture is always included. Student oral participation during the class and risk taking are important in learning and building confidence while having fun with La Bella Lingua!!! Click for more info or to register.

The 20th Century American Short Story II- 6 Sessions with Robert Weibezahl – on ZOOM starting 4/2/25- Join the exploration of the short story as we delve into The Best American Short Stories of the Century, selected by John Updike. Each week we will discuss three stories, covering the middle portion of the anthology, concentrating on stories from the mid-century (1940-1970) by both well-known and less-remembered writers. We will read the stories in advance, then discuss them within the context of their time, investigating American themes such as immigration, race, social progress, and individuality. Click for more info or to register.

Compassionate Conversations: Effective Communication with People Who Have Different Beliefs- 6 Sessions with Kathy Black starting 4/2 9:30AM-11:00AM- Especially in these post-election times, communicating with people who see things differently than we do can feel challenging or even impossible. How can we have conversations with those who disagree with most everything we believe in? Is it even possible to communicate with someone who just won’t listen to reason? In this class, students learn the four components of Compassionate Communication and how to use them successfully to communicate with anyone in any conversation. We’ll learn true empathetic listening & uncover behaviors that impede our ability to practice kindness & be present. And we’ll gain the confidence needed to speak our minds without being afraid of offending others. Click for more info or to register.

Friendship Tune-up- 6sessions with Marion Freiberg, starting 4/8. Friendship is an essential element of a happy and full life. In this experiential workshop we will explore fresh insights about friendship, assess our own friendship patterns and hopes, and refresh our friendship skills. This course mixes it up: expect part lecture, part pondering and self-inquiry, sharing, gaining useful insights, and maybe even some fun. Click for more info or to register.

CYBER SENIORS HOURS: 

Stop by the lobby to get help with all your technology questions starting again Tues, March 18. No appointment necessary.

• Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00AM-12:00PM Shuno (Click to meet Shuno)
• Thursdays, 2:00PM-4:00PM  Isabella (Click to meet Isabella)

RHODY OUTPOST– Click here to view the updated list of all urgently needed items. You can also purchase items directly from Amazon on the Rhody Outpost Wish List. 

THIS WEEK AT OLLI

Monday

• 10:00AM The Perry Grist Mill: History in Action (OFF SITE)

Tuesday

• 2:00PM Osher Online Orientation (Zoom)

Wednesday

• 10:00AM The Tempest
• 12:30PM Bowling
• 1:00PM Hiking Group
• 4:00PM Thewlis Lecture

Thursday

• 11:00AM Current Events
• 1:00PM Mah Jongg
• 3:00PM Program Committee

TEDxURI VOLUNTEER USHERS NEEDED- Sunday, April 6, 2PM-4PM Edward Auditorium, 5-10 Volunteer Ushers are needed and will be able to sit and enjoy the show in exchange for their assistance (Tickets Normally $30) TEDxURI brings people together around a theme – a common thread between speakers and a catalyst that helps shape the conversations for the day. The theme for 2025 is Finding Truth. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Gavin DiFranco (House Manager) difrancogavin717@gmail.com.  To purchaseTEDxURI tickets click HERE.

TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT STUDY: The URI Physical Therapy Department is currently running a study that evaluates movement and its relation to function in individuals that have had total knee replacement. They are actively recruiting adults aged 50-80 years old who have had a total knee replacement for this study. Contact davidornstein@uri.edu if you’d like more information or to register. Click here for the flyer.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION COOKING SERIES: The Southern Rhode Island Conservation District is offering a five-session community education series called “Cooking with Seafood.” All sessions will be led by local fisherman Josiah Dodge at the Fresh Harvest Kitchen, 9 East Ave. in Westerly. The cost for each session is $40. Sessions are: March 27, 5–7 p.m., How to filet fish (includes filet knife and glove); April 10, 5–7 p.m., Preparing whole fish; April 24, 5–7 p.m., Cooking with skate fish; May 8, 5-7 p.m., Preparing clams casino (includes clamming knife and glove); and May 22, 5–7 p.m., Cooking with littleneck clams. To register, click here.

URI STEEP LAUNCHES 2025 WEBINAR SERIES: The STEEP Superfund Research Program at the University of Rhode Island is launching a five-part webinar series to help Cape Cod residents and other communities better understand and respond to PFAS contamination. STEEP—Sources, Transport, Exposure & Effects of PFAS—is a URI-led science effort to address the ubiquitous human health impacts of PFAS in our everyday lives. The first webinar on household exposures and community solutions set for March 20. Click here to register online.

SMITH’S CASTLE IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS interested in becoming docents or greeters for tours at the Castle. Group training sessions will start Saturday, March 29, and continue for the two following Saturdays, 12-2:00PM at Smith’s Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown 02852.  Please see their website at http://www.smithscastle.org for more information and to register for the training. Click to view the flyer.

NEWPORT PRESERVATION SOCIETY PRESENTS – WALZ INTO THE PAST – Friday March 28, 6PM-8:30PM. Learn to waltz at Rosecliff in Newport’s largest ballroom! No partner or dance experience is necessary. Professional instructors from The Dancing Feeling: Rhode Island’s Premier Dance Studio will provide an introductory waltz lesson followed by the instructors performing a choreographed showcase dance. Guests can then take to the floor to practice their new moves and enjoy the ballroom as it was intended to be used. Modern ballroom dance has its roots in developments during the Gilded Age, so come experience this ever-evolving traditional art in its historical setting. Ticket includes one glass of wine and light hors d’œuvres. Members/$40 Non-Members/$50 Advance Registration is required. 

UNIQUE INVITATION FROM OLLI IN DELAWARE: OLLI at the University of Delaware invites you to attend University of Delaware by the Sea – a four day OLLI event on the boardwalk in beautiful, historic Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Explore one of eight distinctive tracks of study! For more information and to register visit https://www.olli.udel.edu/ud-by-the-sea/ Questions? Contact Tracey Marino at olli-kent-sussex@udel.edu.