End of 1st Quarter

I don't know about you, but I have been looking forward to this long weekend for weeks.  I hope you are excited about the extra time to yourself.  But I also hope you are equally excited about the fact that you have successfully completed the first quarter of the school year.

By the middle of next week your quarter grades will all be updated in Infinite Campus so that you and your parents can review your progress so far.  Remember, quarter grades are not reported on your transcript so these grades don't directly change your GPA.  However, your first quarter grade, second quarter grade, and exam grade will all be combined together to create your semester grade which will then be added to your transcript.

Now that you have completed your first quarter, it is important that you spend a few minutes reflecting on how the quarter went.  Are your grades where you want them to be?  If so, that is great!  Congratulations!  Keep up the great work.  If they are not, it is time to figure out what needs to change.  You have to do something different if you want a different result.  So many times when I am having this conversation with students they will tell me that they are going to work harder.  While I appreciate the sentiment, I have to be honest, I don't think it is about working harder... I'd rather you work smarter.  What are small adjustments you can make that will have a big impact?

Some ideas of small things that can result in big changes would include:
- Working with the academic assistants in the Teaching and Learning Center (Room 209) to get more help in reviewing your homework assignments and studying for your tests.
- Asking teachers for help when you don't understand a concept rather than just trying to figure it out on your own.
- Spending 10 minutes every day to review the notes you took in class that day.
- Actually studying for tests and quizzes.  (If you don't know how to study, you are not alone... there are lots of test strategies available for review on the WKHS Counselor website.)
- If you are struggling to stay focused in class, find ways to focus better - that might be asking to switch where you sit, it might mean getting more sleep so that you are awake enough to focus, or it could mean you need to get rid of the distractions (your phone, the stress that is happening somewhere else in your life, etc.).
- Improve your note taking and focus on making sure you are getting all of the key points.  (If you aren't sure if you have been taking good notes or not, look at a recent test and then look back at your notes - were the concepts that were covered on the test included in the information you wrote down as notes - if so, great, if not, your note taking probably needs to improve.)
- Do your homework every day.  This is practice that your teachers want you to do to help prepare for the tests.

If you are going to make college visits during the long weekend, please be sure to take a picture on campus for us to post on the Oh The Place's You'll go board.

And for all of you, no matter if you are staying home or will travel during the weekend, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time.