Get Involved!

I am exhausted, but happy.  Do you feel like this has been a long week?  It is probably the push to reach the November 1st college application deadline, but I am definitely ready for it to get here and yet also hoping time moves slow for those of you still trying to perfect your essays before the deadline.  :-)

Thank you to all of the junior students and parents who attended tonight's Junior College Information night!  And a HUGE thank you to Haley Carlson, one of my students, who so generously donated her time to speak as a part of the panel.  Haley, your insights and perspectives were so helpful and I appreciate your help very much!

One topic that wasn't covered at junior night, but is important for students of all ages is finding ways to get involved with various activities.At WKHS you are blessed to have a wide range of activities that you can choose to be involved with based upon your interests. Whether it is athletics, music groups, theater, clubs, or community service outreach opportunities, every student can find a place where they can contribute and belong. And, in the off chance that there is not a group that you are interested in, it is also possible that you can work with a staff member to establish your own group.

Sometimes students or parents will talk about their belief that colleges want to see students who are involved in a ton of activities. What is more important than just being a part of a lot of activities is that students find areas of passion and pursue those areas with focus and long term dedication.  Remember though, it is far more important that you are involved because it is meaningful to you rather than because it will "look good" on a college application!

E-mail Change

In Worthington schools they have been working on maximizing communication and technology resources for students and staff.  One of the changes that has been implemented is a switch from our e-mail addresses of @worthington.k12.oh.us accounts to the new @wscloud.org accounts which are gmail based accounts.

For the remainder of this year, the @worthington.k12.oh.us accounts will be forwarded to the @wscloud.org accounts, but it would be helpful if you could please adjust your address books to reflect our new email addresses.  This applies to me and all of the teachers.

So, for the record, my new email address is babbott@wscloud.org and your teachers e-mail's are the first initial of their first name followed by their last name @wscloud.org.

Junior Student & Parent College Information Night

On Wednesday, October 29th the WKHS Counseling department will be hosting a Junior Student and Parent College Information Night. Over the last few years, this program has received some of the best feedback out of all of the information nights we host. The students and parents who attended this meeting in the past have expressed how much this helped them get started and move forward with the college search process and developed a better understanding of what to expect along the way. The meeting is at 7:00pm in the auditorium. I hope you will plan to attend! And yes, I want you to bring your parents to this meeting and no, I don't want you to just send your parents instead... this is YOUR future and you are responsible for deciding what direction you will take.

Delaware Area Career Center

When students enter 9th grade, many are excited about the different choices and opportunities available in high school. Unfortunately, the reality is that the first two years of high school really don't have all that many choices. There is a great deal of flexibility though as students reach their junior and senior years. One of those options includes the possibility of attending the Delaware Area Career Center.

Today during English classes, all sophomores listened to a presentation about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and the programs that they have available for students. This is a great opportunity to earn your elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.

It was interesting to hear about all of the different programs that are available for students to explore. There are some unique experiences and opportunities available that can really stand out to colleges. 

Sophomores – if you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, please be sure to stop into the Counseling and Career Center to pick up a permission slip. The field trip will take place on Friday, November 21st.

Watch Your Deadlines

Deadlines are real! Often times I worry that the tendency we have in high school to set a deadline and then extend it or accept late materials creates a major problem when it comes to college applications and the rest of the world. The reality is that outside of high school, deadlines are real. If they say you need to have something done by a particular day, then it is essential that you have it done by that day.College applications fit into this strict rule so this is your friendly reminder to watch your deadlines!

It is really important that you stay organized and submit all application materials to colleges prior to their designated deadlines. There are several schools that have scholarship deadlines of November 1st. (This means that if you want to be considered for the maximum scholarship offering that you need to apply by November 1st.) Other schools have November 15th, December 1st, December 15th, or even later deadlines, but because every school is different it is really important that you stay on top of this and meet the requirements with plenty of time. If you have a college application with a November 1st deadline and you have not seen me already, please be sure to come in and see me this week!

I'd like to remind you that college applications is just 1 piece of my job as a high school counselor. I am more than happy to help you by writing recommendation letters if they are needed by your school, but you must give me at least 30 days notice before you need the letter! Being able to outline, draft, edit and revise each letter is important so that I can share all the great things you will bring to the college. 

Don't forget, it also takes us 3 days at WKHS to process your transcript release and get it submitted to the colleges you have selected. Some schools (like OSU) hold firm to the requirement that their deadline doesn't just mean that the application has been received by that date, but that all supporting documentation is also in their hands by that particular date. This means that they also need to have your transcript and official ACT/ SAT test scores prior to the deadline date.

If you are having trouble figuring out the deadlines, stop down to see me and we can look it up together.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up next week.  Conferences will be held on Monday, October 27^th from 3:30 - 7:30pm and on Wednesday, October 29^th from 5:00pm – 9:00pm.  Each conference will be scheduled in 20 minute time blocks.  Conferences allow parents the chance to learn about your student’s classroom performance from the teachers, it allows the opportunity for you to ask questions and they provide an opportunity to build a dialogue with the teachers regarding thoughts and concerns you might have.

Parents, if you are interested in arranging to meet with one of your son or daughter’s teachers during conferences, the online system is now up and running for you to register for a meeting time.  Conferences will be scheduled as people sign up for them, so if you want to make sure you have times that work well for you, I strongly encourage you to register right away.  

Please follow the steps below to register for a parent/ teacher conference:

- Go to http://ptcfast.com/schools/Worthington_Kilbourne_High_School.  This will take you to the conference scheduler.

-  Click on the teacher you would like to meet with for a conference.

-  Sign up by entering your child's last name, first name, your name and your e-mail address and then click Submit.

-  The next screen will direct you to check your e-mail inbox for a message with the subject "Select Date/ Team for Teacher Conference Now."

-  Open the e-mail and click on the link to select a conference time.  If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your junk/ spam folder.  Please note, you MUST follow the link in the e-mail in order to complete the sign-up process.

-  The link will take you to a Time Picker.  Available time slots will appear on this page.  If there are no available appointments that suit your schedule, please e-mail the teacher directly to set up an alternate meeting time.

-  After submitting your time slot, you will be prompted to finish, schedule another appointment for the same student or register another student.  Once you have completed your reservations, you will receive an e-mail confirming the date and time of your conferences and a link by which you can make changes to your date or time if you need to do so.

If you have any problems using the online conference registration system, please contact Julie Hammond at WKHS.  She can be reached by e-mail at jhammond@worthington.k12.oh.us or by phone at 450-6498.

Also, junior students and parents, don't forget that on Wednesday, October 29th at 7:00pm is the Junior Student and Parent College Night.  We schedule this meeting on conference night to try to help parents minimize the number of nights that you have to be at school, so if you'd like to take advantage of both opportunities on the same night, simply select teacher conferences before 7 and then come and attend the college night in the auditorium.

College Application Completion Workshop Reminder

Just a last minute reminder to all of the seniors that tomorrow morning at 7:45am we will be hosting a College Application Completion Workshop for all seniors to work on your applications.  All of the counselors will be in the drop in lab tomorrow morning to help you with your essays, to review your application forms, and to help you finish up your applications.  Ideally, you will be ready to submit some or even all of your applications before classes begin tomorrow!  Doesn't that sound exciting?!?  This will be a valuable use of your time and I look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow.  :-)

End of 1st Quarter

Do you feel like this school year is going unbelievably fast?  Today marked the end of the first quarter.  This is an important point for you to pause and reflect.  Remember, quarter grades are not included on your transcript - just semester grades.  This means that you have reached the half-way point in earning the grades that will be on your transcript.  Some of the questions you should ask yourself include: Are you where you want to be?  If you are not, what do you need to do different to turn things around?  If you need ideas for how you can improve your grades, I strongly encourage you to meet individually with your teacher.  You should also take advantage of the help available from the academic assistants in the Teaching and Learning Center (which is located in room 209).  You are also welcome to stop by and talk to me and we can try to brainstorm some ideas to help.  If you are happy with your current progress, congratulations!  Make sure you think about what you have done that has been helpful to your success and continue to put forward those same actions.

Enjoy your long weekend!  Also, you have a late start day on Monday.  Except for the seniors - who will hopefully be coming to the application completion workshop!  :-) 

PSAT Reminders

Don't forget - tomorrow is the day when Kilbourne students, as well as many other students around the country, will take the PSAT.  

If you are one of the students who will be taking the PSAT, you will report directly to the gymnasiums when you arrive to school on Wednesday morning.  Check in begins at 7:15am and you will need to bring your student id with you in order to check in.  Please plan on leaving your book bag in your locker.

You will also need to bring number 2 pencils (no mechanical pencils allowed), a calculator, and I would recommend a watch. The test will begin promptly at 7:45 and you will finish testing at the start of 4th period.

As a reminder for all of the other students - I will be helping to administer the PSAT tomorrow, so I will not be available to meet with you.  Sorry.  (Hopefully things will run smooth and we will get the test process cleaned up and boxed to submit in time that I can be available to meet with you near the end of the day.)

There is no better time

I am frequently reminded of a phrase that Mr. Cooke (an English teacher who is now at TWHS) used to say to his students - There is no better time.  He is right.  There is no better time!

It is normal to tell ourselves that we will do an assignment, write an essay, or clean up our room later.  I suspect you are like me in telling yourself things like, "I have a lot of work to do tonight, I will work on it tomorrow" or "It's the weekend, I deserve to relax today, I will work on it tomorrow" or "It's for school, I will wait and do it during the week."  Whatever the phrases that you tell yourself, I encourage you to pause and really see this for what it is - a procrastination strategy.

Believe me, I do understand that this is common.  Unfortunately, I am seeing a great deal of it right now with students who are putting off school work required to finish the quarter strong and in seniors who need to be working on their college applications and especially with drafting their essays.  It becomes so easy to think that you will work on the it tomorrow or next weekend, but there really is no better time.  The moment when you have right now is the best time to begin working on your materials.  Something else will always come up - a paper, more homework, something fun that you want to do with your friends, spending time with your family, sleeping, and the list goes on and on.

So, this week focus on being productive.  And during this long weekend, while you have the extra time, please use it wisely. There is no better time than now.  It will be worth it in the long run!

Application Completion Workshop

It may seem scary how fast time flies and that college application deadlines are rapidly approaching.  I don't want you to be haunted by your applications!  Even though it may still be dark outside, on Monday, October 20th, from 7:45 - 9:10am, the counselors will be in the computer lab to assist you.  (This is during the late start time.)  The most important trick is to bring your information with you.  Sometimes the essays may seem spooky and common app can be ghastly, but do not be afraid - the counselors are here to help.  No costumes are required, but we will have some treats.  You don't want to boo hoo because you miss it.  :-)

Students are in very different places in their application process.  Some of you still haven't started and so this will be a great opportunity for you to get started on your applications with our support and assistance.  Most of you have started, but are struggling to get finished and so if you are needing help finalizing your essays or just finding the time to be able to work through your application and get it finished, this is the perfect opportunity to complete your applications.

While I understand that sleeping in is very appealing, the reality is that you are already used to getting up and coming to school in the morning.  By spending a few hours on focused application work, I am confident you will find the progress you make on your applications worth the sacrifice.  So, unless you have finished 100% of your applications, I hope you will join me and the rest of the counselors in the computer labs on Monday the 20th during the late start time to work on finishing them!

Homecoming

It has been a week full of fun activities to celebrate Homecoming weekend. The painted windows looked great and I enjoyed seeing the students dressed up in their interesting range of themed outfits each day. The football game last night was a solid victory in spite of the miserable rain.

A special congratulations to one of "my" students, Brittany Ayers, who was crowned Homecoming Queen during yesterday's assembly.  Congratulations also to Steven Borchers as he was honored as a Senior Homecoming attendant and to  Sam Biglin and Ryleigh Bexfield who were honored as Freshmen Homecoming attendants.  Normally I'm able to get a picture of my students who make up the homecoming court, but I had a meeting during yesterday's assembly and the rain made it impossible to get a picture at the game.  :-(

I am looking forward to being a chaperon for the homecoming dance tonight because it is great to see all of you dressed up and having fun. I hope you enjoy your time with pictures, dinner, and the dance! Have fun and be safe!

Tomorrow's Schedule

Tomorrow we will have a modified bell schedule in order to have the homecoming assembly at the end of the day.  It is particularly important for students who have late arrival to know of the schedule so that you will be in class on time.

Here is the schedule for tomorrow:

1st Period:  7:34 - 8:30
2nd Period:  8:35 - 9:20
3rd Period: 9:25 - 10:18 (including announcements)
4th Period: 10:23 - 11:08
5th Period: 11:13 - 11:58
6th Period: 12:03 - 12:48
7th Period: 12:53 - 1:38
8th Period: 1:43 - 2:28
Assembly: 2:38 - 3:05

PSAT Reminder

Just a reminder - the PSAT is coming up on Wednesday, October 15th.

Juniors, hopefully you have already signed up to take the test. If you have not registered yet, please be sure to do so tomorrow as it is the last day to register!  Bring $15.00 cash or check made payable to WKHS to the secretaries in the Counseling and Career Center.

More on Campus Visits

I know that some of you are planning ahead for the upcoming long weekend and are planning to use the extra day off to make college visits.

During your campus visit, ask questions as you tour the school. After each visit, review the list to see if there are any other questions you might want to add. Remember, you are visiting campuses to get a feeling for the atmosphere of each place – something you can’t get from a brochure or website.

Questions to Ask During a Campus Visit:- What activities and services are available to help students get settled (academically and socially) during their first year?
- How big are the classes?
- (Ask students) How easy is it to meet with faculty?
- (Ask students) Are you able to register for the classes you want?
- What is the total cost of attending the college?
- What types of financial aid does the college offer and how do I apply?
- Are all freshmen assigned to an academic advisor?
- Where do most freshmen live?
- Can I take a tour?
- What activities are available for students?
- Who teaches the majority of the courses for first-year students?
- How successful are the college’s graduates in finding jobs?
- What services (such as transportation and shopping) are available locally?
- What is there to do on weekends? Do most students stay on campus or leave on weekends?
- Are the dorms spread throughout the campus or clustered in one area?
- Is there any kind of shuttle service between classroom areas, the library, the student union, and dorms? How late does it run?
- Is there a security system to bar outsiders from entering dorms?
- How large is the campus security police force? Does it patrol the campus regularly?
- What services are offered by the campus health center? How large is it?
- Does the student health center refer students to the local hospital? Is there a nearby hospital? How large is it?

Ask Students:
- How many of your courses are taught by a big-name professor and how many by a teaching assistant?
- Is the teaching innovative and project oriented or is it mostly lecture oriented?
- Do most freshmen class lectures take place in an amphitheater?
- What are the strong majors? What are the weak majors?
- How hard do you have to work for your grades?
- What’s the reputation of the ________ department?
- How adequate for your needs is the campus computer network?
- Do fraternities and sororities dominate the social life of the college?
- What do students do on weekends? Do most go home?
- How is the advisement system? Do you feel your professors really care?
- How helpful are the other students if you miss a class? (Are they willing to share a copy of their notes or review the information covered with you?)
- There are a lot of organizations on campus. Are they dominated by a few groups or is anyone welcome?
- How active is the ___________ (fill in the activity in which you are interested)?

Pay Attention to/ Take note of:- Are the dorms quiet or noisy? Do they seem crowded?
- How large are the dorm rooms? Is there adequate space and light to study?
- Does each dorm room have access to the internet and the campus LAN?
- What’s advertised on dorm and classroom bulletin boards? What does this tell me about campus life?
- How good is the lighting around each dorm, classroom, and lab buildings?
- Do the buildings and grounds look well cared for or do they need painting and general repair work?
- Is the grass cut and are the grounds landscaped?
- What’s the condition of the playing fields and the sports equipment?
- How is the quality of the food in the cafeteria or dining hall? How are the sizes of the portions? Is it healthy or fast food? Are there meal plans?
- Does it look like there is much to do outside of campus?
- How easy is it to get to places off campus?
- Are there places within walking distance?
- Are there places to get extra furniture, like bookcases, for your dorm room?
- Is there a supermarket nearby to stock up on snacks and soda?
- If you move out of a dorm after freshman year, what are the options in apartment complexes or buildings?

Things to Ask Yourself:
- While waiting how did the staff members that you observed interact with students? Were they friendly or did they approach students – both potential freshmen like you and enrolled students – as if they were interfering with the staff members jobs?
- Was the Admissions office a friendly and inviting place with a great deal of information about the school or was it cold and sterile with little information to pick up?
- What did your parents find out about the career planning services offered to graduating seniors and to graduates? What do the services include?
- Do most of the students seem to be like you or are they completely different? Can you imagine being friends with the people you see on campus?
- How would you feel being in a classroom full of these students? Sharing a dorm with them?
- Do the students try to make you feel at home? Are they happy to answer your questions or do they make you feel like you’re intruding? How do they interact with one another?
- Does the campus seem too big or too small?
- Do freshmen live in their own dorms? How do I feel about living in a single-sex or coed dorm?
- Do you feel comfortable and safe?
- Think about the kind of person you are. Are you a self-starter or do you need someone to motivate you? Do you like being part of a crowd or would you rather be alone or in a small group? How important is it to be near your family? How comfortable are you with challenging courses?
- Compare your offers – financially and what the school has to offer. Make a list of pros and cons of each school and the key reasons for your decisions. Remember some factors may be more important to you than others.

After the Visit/ Interview:
- Write thank you notes to your interviewer and anyone else you met with formally, such as a coach or a professor.
- If you spoke with any students and traded e-mail addresses, send an e-mail thank you.

And, of course, by now it should hopefully go without saying, please don’t forget to take a picture of you on campus to bring back for the “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” display! :-)

Making College Visits

This weekend, as my sister and I cheered on UK's victory, I started thinking about all of the different college campuses that I have been on in my life. You will notice that I said “been on” and not “visited” because those are very different totals!

During my time in college I traveled often to LOTS of different college campuses, but my visits to each campus was short and basically consisted of the training rooms, football stadiums, tennis courts, or gyms. I know enough to remember that if I never see the color orange and hear the song Rocky Top again it will be too soon (University of Tennessee) and that everywhere you turn at the University of Arkansas you will see the image of the Razorback which is this bizarre pig like looking creature, but truthfully I cannot tell you much about either campus and the academic offerings at those or most of the schools that I recall traveling to in the past.

So when you are making your college visits – pay attention to the details around you and all that there is to learn about the school.

Try to keep in mind that there are a lot of outside factors that can influence the quality of your visit – positively or negatively. For example, the weather… if it is a gorgeous sunny day with perfect temperatures you may think it is the most beautiful school and if it cold, rainy, or dreary you may think it is miserable, but try to remember that the weather changes from day to day and judge the school without being overly influenced by the weather. (Please also remember that if you are traveling to areas in different climates than Ohio that weather may be a factor, so I am not making a blanket statement to always ignore the weather.)

Tour guides also form a huge impression of the school that you visit. Most colleges know that and will try to find outgoing, positive, energetic students to take you through the campus. Ideally the guides will try to get to know something about you or your interests to help point those aspects of the school out to you, but the reality is the students serving as tour guides are not always great and, let’s be honest here, we all have bad days so even some of the good ones can have off days where they won’t be impressive on the visit. I know it can be hard, but try to separate the guide from the school.

If you can spare the time – stop and sit on a bench and just “people watch.” Are these people that you can imagine being your friends in the future? Remember, you are hoping that in the near future that you will be able to make friends with them and others like them on campus. Think about how you are feeling on the campus – can you imagine yourself being there and being both happy and successful at this school?

And, while you are enduring the weather, on your tour, or sitting on the bench thinking – please don’t forget that I would REALLY like you to take a picture for the “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” display.

October Students of the Month

On Friday morning there was a ceremony to honor the October Students of the Month. The recognition as a Student of the Month can only be earned once during a student's high school career. 5 of the students selected for this month's recognition were "my" students.

Congratulations to (pictured left to right): Gabe Brea, Hana Estice, Alex Craig, Claire Chilcoat and Joe Davis. I am proud of you all!

Grade Point Averages

I recently realized that some students might not know how grade point averages are computed.  Your transcript consists of every high school class you have ever taken and the grade you earned in that class. 

The "easy" explanation for how your GPA is calculated is that every class you take at WKHS taught by a Kilbourne teacher with traditional grading is computed into your GPA.  Some students begin taking high school courses while still in middle school.  Those grades will appear on your transcript, but they are not calculated into your GPA.  This is done to assist you because many times middle school students haven't recognized the impact that their grades have on their high school GPA and the long-term impact on their future college applications.  Additionally, any classes that you pass that were taken as pass/ fail appear on your transcript but will not be calculated in your GPA (unless you failed the class).

All regular and honors classes are unweighted which means that they are all based on a 4.0 scale.  AP and IB courses are weighted on a scale of 1.25.  Below is a chart that shows how GPA is calculated.

Letter Grades	Percentage	GPA Scale	AP/ IB Weighted Calculation	AP/ IB Weighted GPA
A	90 – 100%	4.0	4.0 x 1.25	5.00
B	80 – 89%	3.0	3.0 x 1.25	3.75
C	70 – 79%	2.0	2.0 x 1.25	2.50
D	60 – 69%	1.0	1.0 x 1.25	1.25
F	0 – 59%
S	Satisfactory
P	Passing

All classes are granted credit based upon the semester.  This means that when you pass the 1st semester you have earned that credit and it is computed into your grade point average.  Each semester class is worth 1/2 a credit excluding physical education courses which are worth 1/4 a credit.  So, if you earn a B in the first semester of English 1 and a C in the first semester of Physical Science, then your GPA for these two semesters of classes would equal a 2.5.  Plusses and Minuses in your grades are still calculated using the base grade as we don't have different GPA weights for a B+ vs a B or B-.

It is important to know that some students have taken classes at other schools and are transferring their credit to WKHS.  Those classes will also appear on your transcript with the grades, but they are not computed into your GPA.  This is because your Kilbourne GPA will just reflect your Kilbourne classes - any classes you took somewhere else will have the GPA that you earned at that school.  So, for example, if you transferred to WKHS from a surrounding district, your classes and grades will be transferred over to Kilbourne, but they won't be included in your GPA.  This means that students will not have a grade point average until after a semester at WKHS.  The reason that this is important is that some students have transferred from schools that have different grading scales and it doesn't allow equitable comparisons.  When students are applying to college you will submit both of your transcripts so that they have the complete picture of your grade point average.

You can see a copy of your transcript on Infinite Campus and it also shows your grade point average.  If you have any questions about your GPA, stop by and see me.

College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities

One week from tonight, October 8th, is the College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities. This event is free and open to the public and will allow students and parents to meet with representatives from schools in Ohio and around the country to compare the range of accommodations available. The event will be held at Gahanna Lincoln High School in the cafeteria from 6:30 - 8:00pm. (Address is 140 South Hamilton Rd., Gahanna).  If you are on an IEP or a 504 plan, this is a great opportunity to meet with admissions officers and representatives from the offices of disability services!