Academic Options- College Credit Plus & Credit Flex

In addition to the wide range of courses that we have available here at WKHS, there are other academic options available to our students.

The College Credit Plus (CC+) program is an opportunity for high school students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students have the option of completing courses on a college campus, online, or at WKHS.  

College classes at WKHS include both classes that are taught by WKHS teachers who are eligible to serve as adjunct faculty at colleges and classes where CSCC instructors are coming to Kilbourne to teach our students.

Classes being taught at WKHS by Kilbourne teachers include: Pre-Calculus, Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Intro to Business, and Intro to Programming Logic.

Classes anticipated being taught at WKHS by CSCC teachers include: English Composition 1, English Composition 2, Intro to Psychology, Intro to Sociology, Intro to American Government, Ethics, African American History, Classical Mythology, Physical Geology, and Art History 1.

There are a lot of details involved in participating in the CC+ program and students must complete and submit the paperwork before April 1st to indicate their intent to participate in the CC+ program in the following school year.  One new aspect about CC+ is the fact that students are now eligible to take classes during the summer in addition to during the school year.

In order to explain all of the details of the program and to provide you with the forms necessary, ALL students and parents interested in participating in this program must plan to attend the Academic Options night on Thursday, February 9th at 7:00pm in the WKHS auditorium.  This will be a joint meeting for all of the students and parents in Worthington.  Every college in a 30 mile radius was invited to participate in the meeting.  So far we have received confirmations that Columbus State Community College, the Ohio State University, Central Ohio Technical College, and Otterbein will attend to share the opportunities available through CC+ with their college.  Please see me if you are unable to attend this meeting as it is mandatory that you attend one and there are other options being provided at local colleges which you can attend if you can't make it to the Worthington meeting.

Credit Flexibility is another program we will highlight during the Academic Options night.  Credit flexibility allows students to earn credit based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of, or in combination with, completing hours of classroom instruction. Students are able to customize aspects of their learning around their interests and needs. It encourages student self-direction and motivates learners to develop new skills and fulfill their potential. Examples of credit flexibility opportunities include, but are not limited to, independent study, online learning, and demonstration of course proficiency.

If you have any interest in learning more about College Credit Plus and Credit Flexibility, please plan to join us on Thursday, February 9th!

Honors Diploma

For some students, earning an Honors Diploma is an important goal. I have to be honest, this is not a factor for the colleges because the honors diploma recognition isn't granted until you graduate so colleges are not considering it when making their admissions decisions. The requirements for the honors diploma listed below are established by the state department of education.

To receive an honors diploma you need to fulfill 7 of the following 8 criteria:

- English: 4 units
- Math: 4 units (CCSS Math 3 and another higher level course)
- Science: 4 units (including two advanced level sciences)
- Social Studies: 4 units
- Foreign Language: 3 units (including at least 2 units in each language studied)
- Fine Arts: 1 unit (during high school)
- Grade Point Average: 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
- ACT/ SAT Score (excluding scores from the writing sections): 27 ACT/ 1280 SAT

One of the areas that I have noticed as a trend of some students falling short of meeting the honors diploma requirements is in Social Studies since only 3 credits are required for graduation so students won't take the full 4th credit needed. The other area where students frequently don't meet the designated standard is with the 1 credit of Fine Art.  This is because many students rely on the fine art courses they took during middle school for their graduation requirements, but those courses do not equal high school credits.  (They count for graduation, but aren't actual credits earned.)  So students who want to have that requirement met for the honors diploma would need to complete the 1 credit of fine art during the high school years. 

Don't forget, it would still be possible to earn an honors diploma if you were missing one of these, but you will need to make sure you fulfill all of the remaining criterion.

Also, I wanted to point out that these are the requirements for the most common honors diploma, but there are also honors diploma available for students participating in the IB diploma program or in a Career Tech program at the Delaware Area Career Center and the state of Ohio just recently announced additional pathways to honors diploma including a new STEM Honors Diploma, an Arts Honors Diploma, and a Social Science & Civic Engagement Honors Diploma.

Registration Related Reminders

Have you entered your course requests for next year online?  If not, remember that you only have until Wednesday to do this.  So please, take a few minutes now and submit your requests!

Tomorrow night (Monday, January 30th) is also Curriculum Night and the 8th grade transition night.  In case any of you have siblings in 8th grade, they and their parents will start the evening at 6:45 and then all WKHS students and parents will be able to start visiting with the various departments and electives to learn more details about the specific course offerings starting at 7:30pm.  If you or your parents have questions about which classes to take that haven't already been addressed by your teachers in your classes then I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity so that you are confident in your course selection.

I also want to give you a heads up that you will need to plan ahead over the next few weeks because I am going to have very limited availability for drop-in meetings.  These few weeks are hectic with one-on-one meetings with every student on my entire caseload.  This week I will be completely full three days of the week  - Tuesday will be packed with junior meetings, Thursday will be freshmen students, and Friday will be sophomore students.  The following week I will be meeting with more juniors on Monday and Thursday and I will be out for a conference all day on Tuesday.  Please understand that your concerns and needs are very important to me so I will work to meet with you on the off-days. If you are in the midst of a crisis on one of the days when I am not available to meet, we will help find someone else that is able to meet with you.  Thanks for being flexible and understanding.

Again, don't forget to register online and I look forward to meeting with you each individually over these next few weeks!

IB Program and Blended Courses

I believe that one of the best aspects of academics at WKHS is the range of choices and opportunities available to our students.  There is truly an option available to try to meet the unique needs of every student.  Sometimes it is the approach to the learning which varies and that is the case with the IB program and with the blended learning courses.  I wanted to spend a few minutes giving you highlights related to these options so that you are aware as you are scheduling your classes.

One of the top factors colleges consider when evaluating applicants is the strength of the academic schedule students take on during high school.  (And, of course, that they do well in those classes.)  One of the options that students can consider for selecting a rigorous academic schedule that also has the benefit of providing students with a global perspective and integrated learning to make connections across courses, is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Students who are interested in completing the full IB diploma program will have specific IB courses to take along with completing the IB exams, an extended essay, and a community action service project along with a Theory of Knowledge course.  Even if students are not sure that they want to take on the full diploma program, you can still participate in IB courses!  You can take just a handful of classes (or even just 1) if that is what appeals to you.  For example, students interested in Psychology or History might elect to take just the IB Psychology course or just the IB History course.  And there is an IB partial program that you can explore if you fall somewhere in the middle.

As an IB World School, our students have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous group of classes to push themselves to learn and grow.  Students that are in the IB program are among the first to talk about how much they have enjoyed the program.  If you have questions about IB I definitely encourage you to talk with students in the IB program or to Mr. Cooke who is the IB program coordinator.  And, of course, you can always talk to me too.

The number of Blended Courses being offered next year is growing again.  In the blended format, students will meet with the teacher for more traditional instruction, full class discussions, and other learning activities a few days a week and then the other days out of the week students will have the flexibility to take more personal responsibility for their learning by completing online assignments, engaging in digital conversations, and meeting individually or in small groups to push their learning forward.  As you are probably aware, Digital Art is a course that is only offered in the blended format.  This year students had the choice of selecting between regular or blended courses for AP English Language and Contemporary Voices.   For next school year, these 3 classes will continue to be available in a blended format, but more classes are also being added to the blended options list.  Multimedia and Advanced Multimedia will be like Digital Art in that they will now only be offered in a blended format.  Science Fiction, English 3,  and Spanish 3 will have the option of regular format or blended format.  Blended Learning courses provide an exciting opportunity for many students, but it will not be right for all kids so please know that the traditional format for these classes will also still be available if that is what you prefer.  Please note that if you are choosing a class that is offered in a traditional format and a blended format the numbers are the same, but the blended course sections have a different ending to the course code so if you do want to enroll in one of the blended courses next year, be sure to select the proper code/ course.

Balance

One of the most important aspects I want you to keep in mind when registering for classes is the importance of BALANCE!  Yes, we want you to select courses that will be rigorous and help push you to learn and grow.  However, that needs to be balanced with what is reasonable.  

You want to challenge yourself with courses that will help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that this is high school and you need to be realistic about your expectations of yourself. There is a balance that should be sought - between too many "easy" classes and too many "hard" classes. You know yourself best and what you can handle. So while it may feel good to have every teacher recommend you for honors, AP or IB classes it doesn't mean that it would be the ideal situation to load your schedule with 7 advanced classes. You have to keep in mind the rest of your commitments - what sports, clubs, music groups, part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments do you have?  There needs to be time for you to relax and breathe, spend time with your family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, still get a good night's sleep each night.  

Once again this year the Kilbourne staff created a Time Commitment Planning Calendar.  You can find copies on the Kilbourne Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com - or there are hard copies available in the counseling center.  A student helped by completing a sample calendar so that you can see what a completed one looks like and that is also on the Kilbourne Counselor website.  I strongly encourage you to consider your 2 busiest weeks and fill out the calendar to see what classes would be a good balance for you - being both rigorous (particularly in any area of passion) and reasonable.

If you are struggling to find that balance, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it too.

Number of Classes

"How many classes should I take?" It is a common question that students are asking and, in all honesty, the answer depends.

A general rule of thumb for students planning to attend college is that all freshman, sophomore, and junior students should plan to take at least 6 classes each semester. All seniors that are on track for meeting their graduation requirements can decrease the total number of courses each semester due to the demands of other requirements such as college and scholarship applications, but should still plan to take at least 5 classes each semester.

If students are behind on earning their credits, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes for a semester or the year.

In order to progress forward with your class, all freshman students must earn at least 5.0 credits to be classified as a sophomore. All sophomore students must earn at least 10.0 credits to be classified as a junior. And, to be classified as a senior, students must earn at least 15.0 credits. 

"But do I have to?" When we talk about the recommended courses, a lot of students will come back asking if they have to take 5 or 6 classes. The answer is no, but 5 classes is what it takes to be considered a full time student and so you will need your parents to sign off that they approve of you taking less than the recommended number of courses.

Additionally, for those of you who participate in anything that requirements co-curricular eligibility you need to be sure that you are selecting enough classes when picking out your courses.  Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible.  So this includes sports, band, choir groups, Mock trial, In the Know, Dance Team, etc.  You will need to PASS at least 5 half credit courses each quarter in order to be eligible.  If you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life class (Wellness for Life, Strength Training, or Flex and Tone), you need to be aware that these classes are only worth .25 credits so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility.  

If you have co-curricular eligibility questions, please stop by the Co-Curricular office or drop by to see me.

I have also had a few students asking for clarification to make sure that they are signing up for the right number of classes in the online system.  I realize that we tend to talk in credits and then in the online registration system it refers to things in "units."  Units represent how many quarters are filled with the classes you are selecting.  So 6 academic classes would equal 24 units.  When you have your lunches and academic prep or options added in to give you a full day it should equal out to being 32 total units.

Graduation Requirements

The first component you need to keep in mind when determining what classes you want to take would be what you need to fulfill your graduation requirements.  Below is a list of the courses required in order to graduate.  (In addition to these classes, you will also have the testing component to fulfill, but let's focus on classes for today.)

- 4 credits of English: the place where this can sometimes get confusing is senior year when students get to select what classes they want to take to fulfill this 4th credit requirement.  You can either take one of the year long classes (AP Literature, IB English, or Contemporary Voices) or if you are taking two electives then you will need to make sure the English elective classes that you select fall into two separate categories and that you get one which fulfills the English Reading component and one that fulfills the English Writing component.  They are marked on the course selection sheet for your reference.

- 4 credits of Math: this must include passing Math 3.  So, for some students that will be Math 1A, Math 1B, Math 2, and Math 3.  Others will fulfill the requirements by taking Math 1, Math 2, Math 3, and then their 4th credit of Math through Financial Algebra, Transitions to College Math or Pre-Calculus.

- 3 credits of Science

- 3 credits of Social Studies: this must include Government

- 1/2 credit of Health

- 1/2 credit of Physical Education: this can be met through 2 semesters of PE classes - each worth 1/4 credit or if students plan to use the PE waiver then this requirement can be substituted for 1/2 credit of any other elective.

- 5 credits of Elective: Any classes beyond those meeting the above requirements will fall into the category of meeting elective credits.  So, for example, if you take 4 credits of Science (which most of you should plan on doing) then the extra science credit will count as an elective credit.

- When planning your classes you need to be sure that you have fulfilled your other course requirements related to Fine Art and Financial Literacy.  The fine art requirement can be met between the grades of 7-12 and all students must pass 1 full year of fine art courses.  (This can include art, music, or theater.)  For the Financial Literacy requirement, students can meet this component through Personal Financial Management (a business elective course), Economics & Financial Literacy (a Social Studies elective course), Financial Algebra (a 4th year math course), or through the IB History courses.

To help you in keeping these requirements straight, we provided you with a check sheet with today's registration packet.  One side of the sheet allows you to check off the classes you have already passed.  I also put a dot in the places where students are currently taking classes so that I know those requirements will be met this semester.  And then it helps you to see what the remaining requirements are for you.  Once you know what your remaining graduation requirements are you can use the other side of the paper to plan out how you will be filling the 8 periods of your day each year.  (And for those of you who are older and don't have that many years left you can just leave the extra years blank or you can use it to experiment between different options of what you are considering.)

Registering for 2017-2018 School Year

Tomorrow kicks off the process for registering for classes for next school year.  You will be on an extended homeroom schedule.  (Seniors will have a class meeting since you won’t be picking HS classes for next year!)  

Here is tomorrow's bell schedule:

1st period- 7:45 - 8:31
2nd period- 8:36 - 9:22
Homeroom- 9:27 - 9:59
3rd period- 10:05 - 10:51
4th period- 10:56 - 11:42
5th period- 11:47 - 12:33
6th period- 12:38 - 1:24
7th period- 1:29 - 2:15
8th period- 2:19 - 3:05

I recognize that it feels like it is too early to be making these decisions when you have just gotten into the swing of things with this semester, but the time it takes to be able to take your requests and then build a master schedule that will meet your needs is very complex.

One of the most common reactions for students (and parents) as soon as they hear that it is registration time is to panic.  So please, right now, before you even receive your registration information, pause, take a deep breath and relax!  Thinking about the future can feel overwhelming, but I promise that I will help you through it.  This is a very hectic time of year for me dealing with far more than registration, but I want to reassure you that I am aware of the anxiety and we will get through it together.

So, let me give you a quick glimpse of what these next few weeks will include.  Tomorrow will be homeroom where you’ll get the details of what you need to do to register for your classes.  You will submit your course selections online through Infinite Campus in the next week.  The deadline to submit your requests is Wednesday, February 1^st.  I will meet with every student individually to review your requests.  We will still be able to make adjustments to your requests at that time so if you are uncertain about something, go ahead and make your best guess on what you are thinking and then we will talk about it when we meet together.

Here are some of the key dates you’ll need to know about:

-          Wednesday, January 25^th: Registration materials distributed and online registration begins

-          Monday, January 30^th: Curriculum Night at 7:00pm – you and your parents can come to talk with the teachers and learn more about the different options available to you

-          Tuesday, January 31^st: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-          Wednesday, February 1^st: Deadline to submit online course requests

-          Thursday, February 2^nd: Individual meetings with all freshmen students

-          Friday, February 3^rd: Individual meetings with all sophomore students

-          Monday, February 6^th: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-          Thursday, February 9^th: Academic Options Night at 7:00pm – you and your parents MUST attend this information to learn about College Credit Plus if you want to be able to take college classes next year while still in high school

-          Friday, February 17^th: My deadline to be able to make any adjustments in the online system

We are no longer requiring that you obtain a signed teacher recommendation and return that information to us, but getting in put from your teachers about what they would suggest for you to take is still one of the most valuable and important steps you can take.  Over the next few days, during classes, your teachers will be reviewing the different classes offered within their departments as well as talking with you individually about the courses they would recommend for you to take next year.  You will have a course selection sheet to help guide you in the different options available and you can use that sheet to make notes about your thoughts on what interests you and then you can highlight to help select your classes that you will then enter online.  If you would like to hear more in depth information directly from the teachers who teach particular courses, please set up a time to talk to the teacher.  Let me know if you need help finding a teacher during one of their off periods.

After you have determined which courses you would like to take, please talk it over with your parents and then login and register on Infinite Campus.  When you submit your course requests on Infinite Campus they will be saved automatically.  You will need to be sure to submit 3 alternates.  I will only use those to replace classes if your first choice selections are absolutely not possible.  After you have submitted your requests online, you will print out your request summary sheet and have your parents sign it.  You MUST bring this signed form back with you to our individual meeting.

Freshmen and sophomores will be meeting with me individually during your academic prep or learning center periods.  If you do not have an off period then I will be sending a pass to meet with you during your lunch period.  I will be honest, there are some periods when I have WAY too many students to meet with during your off period.  So, as a result, I will have to bump some of your meetings to the week of February 13^th, but I will also be trying to send some passes to get some of you to come during your lunch periods because several of the lunch periods are by far the smallest periods of how many kids I need to see during the day.  Unless you receive a pass from me indicating a different date or time, please anticipate that you will come during your prep period.  As a reminder, freshmen, you will come on Thursday, February 2^nd and sophomores, you will meet with me on Friday, February 3^rd.  Juniors, you will have individual meeting times assigned to you.  I will be distributing passes for when your assigned time is tomorrow during homeroom.  This will be your only reminder so please don’t lose your appointment slip because this will be your only reminder and your pass if you need to leave class.  Please be aware that some of your appointments will be before the online registration window closes, but you must submit your requests online before our meeting!

Also, just in case you lose any of your forms, we will have extra copies posted along with the video from tomorrow’s presentation, the powerpoint, and the Course Planning Handbook all available for students and parents to access on the Kilbourne Counselor website – www.wkhscounselors.com – and as of tomorrow we will have it on the home page for your convenience.

Once again, I am here to help you, but I do beg for you to try to be patient with me as having more than 350 students makes it hard to get to everyone all at the same time.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences (and Sr. Reminders)

Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up soon.  Conferences will be held on Monday, February 6^th from 3:30 - 7:30pm and Thursday, February 9^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 any 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, you will be able to sign up beginning on Wednesday.  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 email 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.

Seniors, a few key dates you need to be paying attention to... next Tuesday, January 31st is the deadline to order your cap and gown and it is also the deadline to submit your senior picture to Mrs. Mullen so that you can be included in the yearbook!  You don't want to miss out on these opportunities.  If you have questions about either, come see me this week!

Articles of Interest

I have been compiling articles... LOTS of articles!  I keep finding them on twitter or the blogs I follow or the college resources I receive and each time I read one that I think could be helpful for you I stick it in a folder in my email box.  Today I opened that folder and realized I had articles from last summer.  Oops!  That doesn't always help because if they are in my email and not out here on my blog then they don't do you a bit of good.  So, I decided that I would get organized and save some articles to go along with future posts that I will write soon, but that I would get a bunch of articles out here for you.  (And, don't worry, I decided some weren't timely any more and so I ditched those articles or else you'd need more than a little time to read them all.)  Sit back, relax and enjoy reading...

Ok, so the first article isn't one I have been saving... it is the Columbus Dispatch Going to School article featuring our own, Abby Souder


College Related:

Regroup after an early admission college rejection

How to deal with rejection from your dream school

When you don’t get in

Surviving the campaign for college admissions: the college application

What colleges look for in your application

College connection: six strategies for acing your applications

5 mistakes students make when picking a college

Students with disabilities can thrive on college campuses

Put the personal back in the college essay

What college admissions officers say they want in a candidate

8 things juniors should be doing now to get into their dream college

Benefits of large schools

5 myths about state schools you shouldn’t believe

College admissions: Is a big-city school right for you?

4 tips for writing a college essay that really shines

The GPA that will double your chances of qualifying for scholarships

College admissions deans, counselors talk how to get in

College application tips and advice from admissions officers

Pros, cons of high school jobs for college applications

4 questions about undergraduate majors for medical school

How to prepare for college when you have a disability

A liberal arts degree is more important than ever

A former Harvard admissions interviewer shares the 5 questions she asked almost every applicant

Financial Related:

Paying attention to college prices

What you need to know about college financial aid offers this year

How the debt load figures into picking a college

The truth about your EFC

Personal/ Social:

Mental health treatment associated with fewer depressive symptoms in teens

In teens, strong friendships may mitigate depression associated with excessive video gaming

Teens shunning alcohol, tobacco, drugs

10 best ways to manage junior year stress

Lots of teen screen time tied to obesity

Why some teens won’t talk to their doctor about sexual health issues

6 ways to protect teens from impaired driving

Plan to tackle high school stress, now

Very promising findings on what helps teens with depression

Teen depression on rise in the US

Teen dating violence resources

Opioid overdoses nearly triple among kids, teens

PE Waiver

The PE waiver provides the opportunity for students to waive having PE as a required class for graduation.  This option is available to students participating in high school athletics including cheerleading and marching band.  (For ease of explaining and writing this, when I refer to sports or athletics throughout this post, please know that it also includes marching band.)  All students must still earn the full 20 credits to graduate from high school, this waiver would simply mean that what has typically been required (1/2 credit of Physical Education) would not need to be included in the 20 credits earned.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to any current student (as well as all future, incoming Kilbourne students).  Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does not count toward the waiver.

In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics.  This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year.  So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.

In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport.  This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility.  Also, dance team and the competition cheer team are all club teams and not high school sponsored athletics and so they are not eligible for the waiver option.  Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.

Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet.  If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement.  If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director concede that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.

Many students asked if it could be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match.  If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver.  The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and can apply for the waiver (therefore doesn't need PE classes).

The PE Waiver application is available in the Co-Curricular Office and on the WKHS Counselor Website.  When you finish your season of participation, you will get a signature on the form by your coach.  After you have completed two seasons (and have both signatures on the form) you will submit the waiver form to Mr. Todd and he will verify your completion.  Mr. Todd will turn the forms into me (or he will have you bring it to me) and we will then you will have fulfilled the PE requirement.  

As I have been reviewing student's credit checks I noticed that there are a lot of students who are waiver eligible, but have not turned in their waiver application.  Please, make sure you get the form, get it signed by your coaches, get it approved by Mr. Todd and bring it to me as soon as possible!

More Career Exploration

At the beginning of last week I talked about a few tests you could take to explore careers and I have a few more career related resources to share with you today.  

There is an app called PathSource that could interest you in exploring possible careers and how they might impact your future.  One of the cool aspects that I like about it the app is that there are over 2800 informational videos from career professionals who share insights about their jobs and what they like or don’t like about their jobs.  It also includes career assessments, job opportunities, salary and budgeting and more.

Another great free career and major search is on the website MyMajors.com.  If you want to try to reflect on your academic history, what you like and dislike, this is a great resource to use.  I would suggest that you use this worksheet first and then take the quiz and see how the results play out.  I would love to have you come and share your career insights when you have used them - no matter what site you are using to explore.

Have fun exploring careers!

Please Be Sensitive...

Over the past few weeks as more and more college admissions decisions have been arriving, I have noticed that students will sometimes forget that others are around and start announcing where they were accepted and their feelings about different schools. 

When you have been accepted to a school, it is wonderful news and completely understandable that you want to shout it from the roof-tops, but it is also important to try to be sensitive to those around you and to remember that some of your friends and classmates are NOT being accepted into the very same colleges. 

While receiving a college rejection letter is hard, it is even more hurtful to hear someone else say something such as, "Oh, I was accepted to ___ (insert name of college) but I would never actually go there." Particularly if the school mentioned was the one where a student was recently rejected and had been their top choice college. 

So, go ahead and share your excitement, but please be sensitive to what you say about other schools and how you "rate" your own schools. No one school is perfect for every student and every student is not perfect for every school - it is important to find the right balance and I sincerely believe that every student will be able to find the college that is right for them.

It Is All of Our Responsibility

Have you seen the video about the boy in the library who writes a note on the desk?  If you haven't, stop now and watch it.

Here is the link.

What did you think?  Scary... chilling... overwhelming... For me it was all of these things.  But I think most of all, for me, it was a reminder of the fact that people around us may be hurting, scared or thinking about violence and we ALL have a responsibility to try to help them and to help keep our school safe.

So, here are the two most important reminders...

- If you hear someone making a threat or someone writing a threat, report it to an adult. (See something or hear something then SAY something!)
- Remember that one warning sign may not mean that something is wrong, but if it doesn't feel right, then it is always better to reach out to an adult to try to make sure that they receive the support they need/ deserve.

What are warning signs of people at risk of hurting themselves or others?  These are just a few that people may observe:
- Fascination or obsession with firearms and/ or mass shootings
- Difficulty controlling anger or regulating emotions may appear as over-reactions or aggressive behavior for seemingly minor reasons
- Sudden change in academic performance, withdrawing from family or friends, and/or disinterest in areas that they used to enjoy
- Victims of bullying or feeling picked on or persecuted by others
- Isolation or social withdrawal
- Access to firearms
- Making threats of violence
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Previous suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, or self-harm
- Major changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Dramatic changes in physical appearance
- Giving away possessions
- Severe destruction of property
- Access/ use and prevalence of drugs and alcohol/ substance abuse

Again, because it bears repeating... if it doesn't seem right, say something!  80% of school shooters told someone of their violent plans prior to the event.  70% of people who complete suicide told someone of their plans or gave some type of warning or indication.

Delaware Area Career Center Open House

I wanted to make you aware that on Thursday, January 19th the Delaware Area Career Center will be hosting an Open House. The open house will run from 5:00 - 7:00pm. Any students (and their parents) that are interested in learning more about the range of opportunities available at the career center should consider the opportunity to visit the career center. Being able to see the labs first hand, talk to the instructors, and meet students who are currently attending the Delaware Area Career Center, is truly the best way to decide if earning your elective credits at the career center is a good option for your future. I hope you will take advantage of this open house opportunity if you are interested!

College Response Terms

As more and more students are hearing back from colleges I thought it might be helpful to review some of the most common terms you will see in the response letters from colleges. Below are some of the more common college related terms/ phrases for admissions decisions. 

- Accepted: Congratulations - they are inviting you to join and be a part of their college/ university

- Declined/ Rejected/ Not Accepted: For whatever reason the college did not feel that you would be a good fit. While it is understandably disappointing, please remember that there are lots of colleges and universities out there so don’t give up on finding a good match.

- Decision Deferred: The college is not sure yet… usually they will tell you what additional data/ information they are interested in receiving to help them make their decision. The most common piece of data they will look for are senior year grades at the semester time.

- Wait List: The wait list is not a denial, but it is not an acceptance either. Colleges use wait lists as insurance to make sure that their freshman class will be the appropriate size. If enough students decide to attend, the college will not accept anyone off of their wait-list.

Also, don't forget that tomorrow as we return to school it will be the first day for Columbus State classes that are taught at WKHS through CC+.

Test Prep Opportunities

Preparing for the ACT and SAT can feel daunting at times.  The reality is that every day, with every class you take, you are preparing for these exams.  However, that doesn’t mean that additional preparation wouldn’t be helpful.

Juniors, as you have heard, you should take the ACT/ SAT at least once (preferably twice) this semester.  Plus, you will all be taking the ACT on March 21^st during the school day for free as a part of the state’s focus on college/ career readiness.

In order to best help you prepare for the spring tests, there are a couple of great opportunities coming up that you can consider.

There is a FREE opportunity for students to focus on preparing for the Math sections of the ACT and SAT.  This 4 week “Mastering the Math” course will be held in the WKHS library on 4 consecutive Sunday’s from 11:00 – 1:30pm.  The class begins on February 12^th and runs through March 5^th.  Register for this by signing up in the WKHS Counseling Center.  (The sign-up sheet is on the center island in the front of the counseling center – just add your name and contact information to register.)

Additionally, many students are interested in test strategies and so once again this year we have partnered with ZAPS, a test prep company, who provides practice tests and a study guide to help students prepare for the ACT.  ZAPS will be conducting a webinar open only to WKHS students on Sunday and Monday, February 19^th and 20^th from 6:30 – 9:00pm.  There is a cost of $79.99 if you would like to take this live webinar and receive the testing resources.  You will need to register for this test prep course online at http://register.doorwaytocollege.com/webinars and you must register no later than February 13^th.

Juniors, I hope you take advantage of one or both of these test prep opportunities!