Look Back and Ahead

The end of the year is always filled with reflections back on the past year... top songs, movies, shows, social media posts, and countless more.  But it is even more important for you to pause and look back on your own life.  What did you accomplish in the last year?  What were the areas where you pushed yourself to learn and grow?  Where are the areas where you bravely had the courage to try and fail? (Remember, failure is not bad - especially if you learn something!)  Where did you struggle and need to improve upon in the future?

Speaking of the future, the start of a new year is often filled with hope, excitement and opportunity.  This is your chance to start fresh, to make goals for yourself and for how you plan to make the most of the year ahead of you.

I hope you will find a few moments today or in the days ahead to pause and reflect by looking back and looking ahead.  But even more importantly, tonight, I hope you will be safe and make good choices as you celebrate the end of 2019 and the start of 2020. 

Perspective

The holidays are not always all that they are expected to be... we have these ideas that they should be full of joy, togetherness, food, family, friends, fun and more... always more.  Yet that is rarely how they actually turn out.  However, for some of our Kilbourne families, the holidays were far beyond just a disappointment.  They were filled with overwhelming sadness and heartache. 

We have had multiple WKHS students experience the death of a parent, grandparent, family member or friend during this holiday season.  The reality is that death at any time of year is difficult, but around the holidays, it feels even harsher.

Over the last few days I have received emails, text messages and phone calls from students and parents who are devastated by the sadness of these deaths.  And here is the hard part... nothing I (or you) can say or do will take away the sadness.  We can't magically make the pain disappear.  But we can help.  We can show up, be supportive, listen, try to understand, and help them in whatever ways they need. 

If you are grieving, you need to allow yourself the space and permission to feel sad, to miss them, to honor their memory, and to celebrate the important role they had in your life.

If you are not directly grieving a loss, remember, that this is a critical reminder of the importance of keeping perspective in your life.  This is a reminder to appreciate and validate those who you have in your life - to thank them for being a part of your world, for making your days better and your load a little lighter.  It is also a reminder to realize that what problems you do face today may not be true "problems."  I love this blog post - in fact, I have the words typed out and hanging on the bulletin board in my office so perhaps you have already read them at some point, but check it out again because it is worth reading and reflecting on how you are reacting to the problems which come your way.

Thank you to all of the individuals and families who are surrounding and supporting those in the Kilbourne community who are grieving and sad this holiday season.  Your care and compassion inspires me and makes me grateful to work in a place so dedicated to one another.  Please take care of yourself too - hug your families a little tighter and remember that the world is better because you are in it!

ACT and SAT

December ACT scores have now been released and many juniors are busy preparing for the upcoming February ACT that the school will be administering.  I am hopeful that you are using your many resources to help prepare you for the upcoming admissions tests.  Remember, your PSAT and PreACT scores as well as the free online resources are always a great starting spot.  I also want to remind students that you can take the SAT as well as the ACT.  The ACT is what we will be giving to students for free, but you can take both the ACT and the SAT if that is what you prefer.  Below is some information related to picking the test that seems to suit you best.

Use your PreACT, PSAT performance to choose a college entrance exam

ACT and SAT: How to decide which test to take

What’s a good SAT score?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! For those of you who are celebrating the  holiday today, I hope you had a wonderful day surrounded by your family and friends. I am fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with my sister's family and my niece and nephews have loved every minute of the holiday which makes it even more fun. At church we have been reminded about the importance of focusing on what is truly precious and to cherish those moments and memories. Today I have been working to remain present and focused on those special moments - the hugs, giggles, and love that have filled the day. I have also been thinking about the other precious gifts in my life and I want you to know that in addition to my family and friends, I am grateful for being able to work with each of you on a daily basis! You will never know how much it means to me that I am able to walk through this journey with you and how much joy you bring to my days. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Exploring Careers

Winter break can be a great time to to start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit for your future based on your strengths, needs, and interests.

Here are 2 websites with information about different careers that are great places to begin your exploration about career options available:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!

Enjoy Winter Break

One of the downsides of ending the semester with exams is that it impacts my ability to see as many of you before break as I would like.  I hope your final few exams went well and that you are ready to head into break with the chance to relax and enjoy some time with your family and friends.  Most of all, I hope that you will be safe over break and have fun!  

For what it is worth, I will only update the blog a few times over break just as a chance to check in, but it will not be as regular as normal as I will be trying to enjoy the time with my family as well... not to mention I have lots to do over break... shopping, wrapping gifts, writing Christmas cards, and sadly so much more, but I keep reminding myself that it is worth it.

Congratulations again on successfully completing exams and your first semester!

College Costs

College is expensive.  There is really no way to sugar-coat that fact.  It is definitely an investment in your future, but it requires students and families to plan ahead.  Being able to anticipate the costs is valuable.  But this is often made more challenging by families not realizing how much college costs have changed over the years.  Do you know what college cost when you were born?  Or when your parents were in college?  It is different than it is today.  I read this article about past college costs and I thought you might enjoy it too.

Here’s how much college cost the year you were born

Test Anxiety

How did the first day of exams go? Were you feeling anxious? Test Anxiety can be common for students - especially with exams since they have such a significant influence on your semester grades. The best strategy to prevent test anxiety is being prepared. It is much more likely that you will be anxious and struggle with feeling overwhelmed if you have not adequately studied and prepared for the test. Unfortunately, for some students, you can be well-prepared, but still struggle with anxiety.

There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety:

- Research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.”

- Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test.

- Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious.

- Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the test expecting the worst to happen. You can remind yourself that you have studied and know the material.

- Avoid distractions so that you can focus on the test and not on what other students are doing. Do not compare yourself with others and how they are doing on the test.

- Take a deep breath, relax, and do the best you can.

I should also mention that smart testing strategies like getting a good night of sleep, eating breakfast, having all of your required materials (pen, pencil, calculator, scratch paper, etc), getting regular exercise, and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test on time will also benefit you as a whole and in testing situations.

Good luck in the next two days of exams!

Good Luck on Exams!

I just wanted to wish all of you good luck on your exams tomorrow (and the rest of the week.) Good luck with your last minute studying, get a good night's sleep and then tomorrow, relax, eat a good breakfast, take a deep breath and do your best on each exam!  

Remember, you don't have to be THE best, as long as you do YOUR best!

As always, I will be anxious to hear how things go for you on your exams - so stop in, visit Lexi and say hi to share an update (and, of course, you can pick up a piece of candy too.) :-)

Senior Schedule Changes

Every year we have seniors come in asking to drop 2^nd semester classes from their schedules.  And every year when a senior approaches me with that request I encourage the student to stay in the class and if they really feel strongly that they want to make the change that they need to contact all of the colleges where they have applied to see if it will impact their admissions decision.  Students will frequently roll their eyes and think I am crazy for making that suggestion, but we consistently hear that message from colleges because it is so important.  This is from a college where many of our students apply and I am copying it for you just so you will realize that I'm not making this up:

"Because strength of curriculum is an important factor in our decision, we require students to notify us if they plan to change their senior year course schedule.  Please ask them to include the following information in the email: their current spring schedule as it appears on their original application, the change they would like to make, and the reason(s) for the change.  We will review and respond to all requests as promptly as possible.  If the student has already been offered admission, the Admissions Committee may choose to reconsider that offer based on the change of schedule.  If a student has been notified that his or her decision is being deferred, any course changes will be considered when the final admission decision is made."

So, as you can see, making changes at the semester – especially if you are looking to drop a class – is NOT a decision you should take lightly.

If you are struggling with your academic load and NEED to make a change, please come see me so we can talk about the options, but again, I strongly encourage you to maintain a rigorous schedule throughout your entire senior year.

Everything is Training for Something

I have long held the belief that all of your experiences in life will contribute together to help you in the future.  A while ago I saw Brian Kight represent that belief with the statement, "Everything is training for something."  It has a catchy phrase aspect to it that has stayed with me and resonates with my beliefs.

As a high school student, there are things that happen in your life that are preparing you for the future in so many ways.  Some of them are easier to see than others.  For example, when you are stuck in traffic you are learning patience.  When you are wrestling with a difficult math problem you are developing perseverance and logic.  When you are helping a friend through a difficult break-up, then perhaps you are also learning how it will feel when someone later breaks your heart.

I can look back now on my life and see how really big moments that I never wanted to have happen have helped to prepare me for a future I never imagined.  I will share one very obvious example with you... 10 years ago, I would go every day after school to help care for my dying grandfather and feed him dinner and visit with him.  As he was getting closer to the time of his death, I communicated LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY to all of my family, the medical staff, and anyone who would listen that no matter what I did NOT want to be there when he died.  But, that wasn't how it worked out.  You may know that I now work part-time as a bereavement counselor at the Kobacker House with OhioHealth hospice, but I can assure you that if I had never had my own experience of seeing death first-hand I wouldn't be as effective at what I do in that job.  When my grandfather died I had no idea where my life would take me in my future part-time job and there was NO part of me that was thinking, "well, at least this is training for something."  But the reality is, that is precisely what the experience was in my life. 

And you have these moments all the time too.  As you are going through them, you will not always realize or imagine how they will help you in building the skills you will need in the future.  Whenever possible, if you can lean into the experiences you are going through and learn from them, you will be able to have the skills you have developed accessible to you or those around you in the future.

I am in the lucky position that I often get to see students pulling on strategies that have helped them in the past or working to build new skills that will undoubtedly help them in the future.  Stressed about a test, but you learn how to calm your body and remain focused - that will translate to stressful experiences in a job interview or key presentation you will have to give some day.  Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if this is even worth it, but then finding the courage to speak your truth and get help - that will translate into having the courage to be present with others who are struggling and to provide hope in a way that your life story becomes a lighthouse representating a beacon of hope for others that are struggling.  Your parents are fighting non-stop and you constantly feel as if you must walk on egg-shells to navigate things at home - this can lead you to developing a different approach to how you will parent your own children and what you want to make your home environment life for your own family some day.  Truly, the examples are endless.

Everything is training for something.  You are worthy of the training presented to you and you are capable of overcoming any obstacle which comes your way... especially if you realize that one aspect of the training is reaching out for help when needed.  I believe in you.  I can't wait to see what all of this training is preparing you for in the future and how you will change the world for yourself and for others.

Application Deadline Reminders

I know many of you are still working on your college applications.  I wanted to remind you to please, watch your deadlines!  The December 1st deadline came during Thanksgiving break and I was sad by how many students I had contacting me or teachers (and your teachers then contacted me in a panic) on the day of the deadline asking for things at the last possible second.  If you are applying by Common App, I will answer the number one question I got last week - you can submit up until 11:59pm on the day of your deadline.  But really, you shouldn't push it until the last second!

If you are looking at a January 1st deadline you need to make sure that you have made arrangements with your teachers who will be writing your recommendation letters and provided them with all of the forms so that they can write your letter well before we leave for break. Remember, your teachers will be off enjoying their holiday break too so they won't be around to write a last-minute recommendation letter for you if you just "forgot."  And, in all sincerity, there is no such thing as a last-minute recommendation letter!  Your teachers put in a lot of time, energy and effort to write a strong letter on your behalf.  It is important to give them an adequate amount of time to successfully advocate for you as a student.  (Your goal should be to give them at least 30 days which has already passed for January deadlines...)  

Also, don't forget that you need to complete your transcript release form and invite me through Common App to submit your transcript and this should be done no later than this Friday in order to make sure I can get it taken care of before break.  Like you and your teachers, I will not be here during winter break to get a transcript for you so you must plan ahead.  

Probably the biggest challenge I have seen students struggling with over this application season is not inviting me through Common App to complete your school forms which is how I submit your transcript.  We talked about this in depth during the senior English class presentations and at the senior college night presentation, but in the recommendation section, you will need to select me as your counselor and submit my email address.  Please be sure that you spell my name right.  I am 100% current on all of the transcript requests I have received so far so if you log into Common App and you see that I haven't uploaded your transcript yet then you need to invite me to submit your transcript or if you think you have already done that then you need to come see me ASAP because there is a problem with your request!

If you have any questions about your upcoming deadlines or where you stand in your application process, please stop by to see me!  And can I say it again - please, do not procrastinate on your applications!  

Stressed?!?

How are you holding up?  Are you feeling tired, stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, worried or frustrated?  This time of year often brings a range of stress-related feelings.  The holidays can be stressful.  Exams can be stressful.  High school life can be stressful.

Obviously, if you are struggling, I want to talk to you!  I want to problem-solve with you and help develop a plan for managing the feelings and experiences you are going through. 

Stress comes from a range of events and life circumstances. When positive things happen such as getting a new job, dating someone new, or graduating from high school, stress levels increase. And, obviously, stress levels are higher when negative things take place like failing a test, fighting with family or friends, or having a lot to do in a limited amount of time. Quite simply, the reality is that stress is a part of life and it cannot be escaped, but it is important to learn strategies for dealing with stress.

Holidays can also create stress because expectations tend to be higher during holidays. Families are often together and sometimes that can be difficult or it could mean that siblings who are off to college are home and the change in routine can cause challenges. Students whose parents are divorced are often juggling multiple holidays and trying to be in several places at once which is never easy. Whatever the circumstances are for your family, try to remember that even though the holiday will not be the picture of perfection that you might see portrayed on movies or TV shows, it can still be enjoyable - even if it is stressful.

Finding the stress relievers that are effective in your own life is important not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. Talking to friends, journaling, drawing, reading, listening to music, running, coloring, playing sports, spending time with your pets, taking a walk, dancing, exercising, watching a funny movie, or helping someone less fortunate are all examples of some simple stress relievers that might be ideas you can consider utilizing.

Remember, I am here for you and I want to talk with you... especially if you are feeling stressed!

On a separate note, I loved being able to see all of the incredible gifts purchased with your generosity as you were wrapping gifts today.  Tomorrow we celebrate the holiday season with an assembly and a 3A/3B bell schedule.

Hope and Expectations

College admissions decisions have already arrived for many students that applied to schools with rolling admissions decisions.  Soon many students from across the country (and at WKHS) who applied to colleges under the Early Decision and Early Action plans will be receiving their admissions decisions. This can be both very stressful and very exciting so I wanted to remind you that it is important to find a balance between hopes and expectations. 

Remember, for many of the highly selective colleges, there is no question that you would be successful at their school, but they can't accept everyone.  You never know what factors the college is prioritizing.  So, I encourage you to remember that if you don't get accepted it is NOT a reflection of your worth, your potential, or your ability to be successful... it just means that the college felt someone else was a better fit this year.

Not only is this important when you are waiting for your own admissions decisions, but it is also essential that you keep in mind that your friends are facing the same worries. While it is normal to be curious to find out if someone in your class was accepted to a particular college, please remember that it could be very hard for your friend to announce to everyone that they had not been accepted. As a general rule, allow your friends and classmates to inform you of their admissions decisions on their own. Trust me, if they receive acceptances they will share the good news.

If you are struggling during this wait for your admission decision to arrive to balance the hope and expectations, please come and see me!

Studying (Part 2)

Studying for exams can be daunting - especially if you are someone who doesn't know *how* to study. And, while, the week before exams isn't the ideal time to figure out what study strategies tend to work best for you, it is better late than never. The one lesson that I have learned (from both experience and from other students) is that just reading your notes is NOT studying. You really need to be doing something in order to effectively study for exams. And yes, I am aware that for some of you and for some classes reading through your notes is sufficient, but in general as you sit there reading your notes it is common for your mind to wander. Then, as you are taking the test, you realize that all of the information you thought you knew was actually just familiar.

So, perhaps in addition to reading through your notes you could try some other ideas. Here are some examples, but again, it is about finding a strategy that will work for you. Remember, this will be different for each student and, typically, it also varies by different subject areas.

• Re-write or type your notes instead of just reading them.

• Make flashcards and review the content.

• Have someone else question you from your notes, study guide, or text book.

• Another great strategy is to go through and review your old tests - paying particular attention to questions that you answered incorrectly.

• Make your own practice tests. You can use homework questions, sample problems from your classroom notes, or questions from your book or tests and put them together into one test just like your teacher would do. Give yourself a day or two away from looking at it (or at least a few hours of working on a different subject) and then go back and put yourself into a similar test environment and take the test. Practice going straight through the whole test without a break, without distractions, and without stopping to look at your notes or book just as you will have to do in the actual exam. When you have completed the test, check your answers and see how you did. You can then identify areas where you need more practice and review. It may also help you identify concepts that you need to seek help from your teachers or academic assistants on to help make sure you better understand the material.

• Spending time reviewing old learning targets, homework assignments and worksheets and working through the study guides your teachers provided (if they gave you one) is also an effective strategy.

• It can be very helpful to enhance your notes by adding supplemental information such as what you have learned in the textbook or on other assignment sheets.

• Create a concept map to help illustrate how all the points are connected and what areas are different or unique.

• Another helpful strategy is to teach someone else. Sometimes this involves teaching a fellow student who is struggling to grasp the concepts, but it can just as easily be your parents, siblings, or a grandparent. By having to explain the information you know, you are reinforcing the concepts in your own mind and seeking useful ways to help someone else to understand the information and why it matters.

• Try to recall as much information from memory as possible. So, think back on the class and try to remember all of the key points and pieces of information that you think you are going to have to know for the test and write them all down. Then compare that list to what you actually are responsible for knowing. What information did you forget about completely? What areas were you unable to recall enough information details? Briefly review that information and then move on to studying for another subject and then later come back and try to recall everything that you will need to know again. Were you able to do better this time? This strategy is effective because it forces you to figure out what you can recall at a certain time - just as you will have to do on your exams.  (I realize you didn't ask for my opinion, but this is truly one of the best strategies!)

• And last, but certainly not least, take advantage of the opportunity to seek extra help from your teachers. Some teachers offer review sessions, others will meet with students individually or in small groups to answer questions. And other teachers are willing to respond to e-mails to help clarify questions you might have. Remember, they know what is on the test (they created it!) and so they are your best resources for help, yet the work must be done by you to make certain that you truly know the concepts being covered in class.

Good luck and Happy Studying!

PreACT and PSAT Results

Your scores are in!  

Students who took the PreACT - we have your results available to pick up in the counseling center.  Please stop in and see one of the secretaries to be given your results and test booklet.

PSAT scores will be released to students beginning tomorrow morning. The PSAT scores are being offered electronically.  This means that you will log into your CollegeBoard account to view and download your scores.  (Which is what you will do in the future when you take your SAT as well.)

You should receive an e-mail from CollegeBoard notifying you that your scores are accessible online sometime after tomorrow.  Even if you didn't receive an e-mail from CollegeBoard you can still access your scores. 

Go to the CollegeBoard website and select "PSAT/ NMSQT" from the choices across the top.  https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ 

Once you are on the website in the middle of the page it will have an area for getting your scores.  If you already have an account, you can sign in using your username and password.  For many of you, you may not have an account yet so you will need to create one.  Next to the "Sign In" button there is a "Sign Up" spot - select that and then create your account.

After doing that you will be able to access your scores.

One of the best parts about the PSAT is that CollegeBoard has partnered with Khan Academy to use your scores to make a personalized practice plan.  This is a fantastic option and I strongly encourage you to use it.  If you have questions about this FREE option you can visit the Khan Academy website at: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

For what it is worth, I remember that in the past it took some students and parents multiple attempts of accessing the website to be able to see the scores - for example some said that it said no scores were available, but after refreshing a few times the scores eventually showed up.  CollegeBoard was having some technical issues due to the high demand of people trying to view their scores.  Hopefully that won't be an issue this year, but I figured I would mention it in case you run into any problems.  

Once you have your scores, you may be wondering what they mean.  The score sheets from both PSAT and Pre-ACT provide a wealth of information so it can take some time to digest it all, but if interested, please know that the counselor website can help give you additional information, tips and links to better understand your scores.   http://www.wkhscounselors.com/. 

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on your college admissions tests and you can use your results to help guide you in preparing to achieve college readiness.

I hope your scores were what you were expecting (or perhaps even better).  If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Cocoa and Cram

Over the next 3 days all freshman students are invited to participate in "Cocoa and Cram" sessions during your lunch periods.  This study strategy session is being provided in Room 120 (counseling center conference room) by the Link Leaders and will be a great opportunity for students to get a jump start on effectively preparing for exams. The feedback I have heard about these "Cocoa and Cram" sessions in past years is that they are incredibly helpful.  They are targeting specific strategies and information each day so it will be new and valuable to participate each of the days.  I sincerely hope you will take advantage of their willingness to help you prepare!

You (now) have just 7 school days of classes left to not only learn and master everything you are currently covering in class, but also to go back and study to refresh the material you have covered since August when we returned to school.  You *CAN* do this!  Just start taking it a day at a time and put forth time and energy to achieve your goals.  By studying for 30 minutes to an hour every day now you will be in much better shape next week.

Impressive Students

Yesterday morning 18 students were honored as December's Students of the Month! Students can only earn this recognition once during their high school career.  

A special congratulations to "my" students who were honored as Students of the Month!  They included (L to R): Kelly Eden, Ethan Bartram, Logan Evans, Emmalee Browning, Bilal Chaudhry, and James Bell.

Last night I also had the chance to see one of the Charlie Brown Christmas shows and it was OUTSTANDING!  I was so impressed by the cast and crew and all of the work they put into creating a captivating show that enthralled all of the little kids (and adults too).  Because they had 6 shows in 3 days there were 2 different casts for the show and unfortunately I didn't get to go twice to see both sets, but I heard that the other group was outstanding as well.  Congratulations to "my" students who were involved with the shows including: Joclyn Blake, Jacob Fisher, Gavin Crozier, Kya Angle, AJ D'Angelo, Ella Blanton, Stella Bixler, Alyssa Berger, Shawn Coon, Andrew Chidester, Mason Delk, and NyJerri Doughty.

I am proud of you all! Thank you for representing the best of Worthington Kilbourne High School.

What am I supposed to say to that?

I have talked with several students this week and heard about the random questions from extended family members or friends which were brought up during Thanksgiving.  Many more of you will likely come into contact with people who could ask lots of questions over winter break.

The types of questions I am referring to include:
- What colleges are you applying to?
- Where are you going to go to college?
- What are you going to study?
- What do you want to do when you grow up?

So what can you say to these questions?  Well, the truth is a great place to start.  But, I acknowledge that for some of you these questions create a great deal of anxiety because you aren't sure about what those answers might be yet.

The good news is that "yet" is a key part of the answer.  There are lots of ways that you can respond if you are not sure or are not comfortable in sharing your answer.  You can say, "I am not sure yet."  Or "I am still trying to decide."  But be aware that sometimes those answers can feel like permission to well-meaning relatives or friends who suggest that you do whatever they want at whichever colleges they feel would be a good fit.

As a result, a great idea would be to work on developing truthful answers to the questions.  You have a few weeks to prepare yourself for the visits that would bring up these questions.  So use some of the time to consider your future.  For possible careers and majors, I encourage you to take the YouScience assessments.  (If you haven't already asked for a YouScience code, please stop by the Counseling Center and ask Mrs. Dominach to give you your code.)  After you get your results, I can walk you through the different areas to help you understand what they all mean.  And then, for colleges that you are considering, use the WKHS counselor website to explore colleges and to figure out what schools might be a good fit for you.

Most of all, I want to remind you that you do not owe answers to anyone, but the people who are asking you these questions care about you and want the best for you.  So when it feels comfortable, please listen to their ideas and input and if it feels awkward or unhelpful, feel free to say, things such as "I am still trying to decide, but I am enjoying taking a few weeks off from the stress of thinking about all of this so let's change the topic for tonight."  (And you might want to have a great other topic in mind as well.)

Good luck in figuring out what you want to say to those who ask you about the future.  Feel free to come and see me if you want to brainstorm more for your specific situation!

Studying for Exams (Part 1)

I keep talking about studying for exams and I'd like to point out that you don't need to panic about exams, but you do need to prepare for them!  Exams play a significant role in your final grade for the semester of each course (and remember, because we grant credits based on the semester this is really important to you!) Most of your classes will follow the structure that your 1st quarter grades are worth 40% of your final semester grade, the 2nd quarter grade that you are currently wrapping up now will make up another 40% and then your exam grade is worth 20% of your final semester grade.

20% is a really big deal...Think about it, if you had a 57% the first quarter and end up with a 60% this quarter then you can still pass the class as long as you earn a 66% or higher on the exam. On the other side, if you are trying to make sure that you earn an A in a course and you had a 95% first quarter and an 88% this quarter than you need to earn an 85% or higher on the exam to reach your goal.

Clearly, exams are an important part of your grade, but more importantly, they provide you the opportunity to practice a more realistic glimpse of what testing will be like in college and helps you to showcase your semester's worth of knowledge.

Interestingly, for many high school students you don't yet know how to study.  The challenging part of studying is that what works best for one person may not be what works best for someone else. And, even if you figure out what works best for you in one particular subject area, that still doesn't mean that this particular strategy will be most effective for a different subject.

The best news is that there are lots of different ideas and strategies that you can use to develop a study strategy that works best for you! For what it is worth, think of learning to study like you think of learning to run. You already know some skills that have helped you to know how to study and to be successful - just like you already know how to run, but if you practice and really train at running, you can improve significantly and studying will work just the same. Keep working at your study strategies, practice and continue refining your technique until you find the perfect combination that works for you.

If you are struggling to find strategies to try out, I encourage you to visit the WKHS Counselor website as we have lots of examples there.  You can also work with your teachers and the Academic Assistant's in the Teaching and Learning Center (Room 209) as they have a wealth of knowledge and helpful tips for study strategies that can help you in their particular subject areas as well as studying overall.  And, last, but not least, you can also stop in and see me and I can help brainstorm ideas that you could try.

Exam Schedule

Just before Thanksgiving I mentioned that semester exams are rapidly approaching.  I wanted to share with you the exam schedule so that you can plan ahead and know what to expect each day.

Below is the schedule for the semester exams:

Day One - Wednesday, December 18th:

7:45 - 9:45: 2nd period exam
10:00 - 12:00: 5th period exam
12:00 - 1:00: Lunch
1:05 - 3:05: 8th period exam

Day Two - Thursday, December 19th:
7:45 - 9:45: 1st period exam

10:00 - 12:00: 6th period exam

12:00 - 1:00: Lunch

1:05 - 3:05: 7th period exam

Day Three - Friday, December 20th:
7:45 - 9:45: 3rd period exam

10:00 - 12:00: 4th period exam

12:00 - 1:00: NO Lunch Provided!

1:05 - 3:05: Make-Up Exams

A couple of questions that tend to come up at exam time...

Yes, you are REQUIRED and EXPECTED to be in all of your classes during an exam. (Even if you don't have an actual exam, the teachers are going to be working with you on projects, papers, or other learning related to their course.)

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 3rd period prep and 4th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 20th.)

DACC Open House

I wanted to let you know that on Thursday, December 5th the Delaware Area Career Center will be hosting an Open House. The open house will run from 5:00 - 7:00pm. This is a great opportunity for parents (and students) to learn more about the range of opportunities available at the career center.  I know that many students had the chance to visit labs with the field trip, but this is another chance to go back, with your parents, and look at the opportunities up close and personal.  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!

Self Advocacy

There are lots of goals that I have for you during your 4 years of high school.  Obviously, I want for you to pass your classes, earn your required End of Course testing points, and graduate on time with your class.  But, here is the reality... that is the bare minimum of my goals for you and my real goals for your life and for how you grow and develop throughout high school, would be far more detailed (and truthfully, individualized).  I want you to learn to be a strong self-advocate.  I want you to develop strong and healthy coping strategies.  I want you to develop a love for learning and be excited about who you are becoming every day.  I want you to develop a goal for your future and come up with a plan for how you will make that a reality.  I want you to learn how to trust yourself and how to know when you can trust others.  I want so much more for you too... but for today, let's talk about being a strong self advocate.

Perhaps you don't even know what being a self advocate means let alone how you would go about doing it.  It means that you know yourself.  You know what you need, how to ask for help and how to work to get your needs met.  Realizing that you have the capability to create positive change in your own life by using your voice to speak up for yourself is important not only while you are in high school, but for the rest of your life.  For many students, asking for help can be intimidating.  We don't always like to admit that we don't know something or that we need more help and yet we are all human and need support.  There is no way that we could be expected to know and be good at everything at all times.  That is an unrealistic goal and can set you up for failure.  When you take the control and power to ask for help on your own rather than waiting and hoping that someone will notice that you need help or having your parents reach out and talk to your teachers on your behalf, you will gain the confidence that your voice matters and that asking for what you need is valuable.  Being a self advocate allows you to take charge of your life, speak up for yourself, control your own resources, and accept support on your own terms.  It can be daunting at first to realize how much power you have, but it is a game-changer in your life.  So, I hope every day you will try to take a small step towards advocating for what you need.  Ask a teacher a question that you don't understand, set boundaries with friends or family members who might be taking advantage of you, or seek clarification on something you feel is problematic in our school, community, state or world.  You have the power to change lives - the most important life that you will change is your own as you stand up and become a strong self advocate.

The following articles are NOT specific to being a good self advocate, but they are a variety of personal/ social articles that I have been compiling that I thought might be helpful to many of you/ your parents.  Enjoy reading them... but most importantly, get a good night's sleep tonight as I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and hearing about your Thanksgiving break!

How to help teens have good romantic relationships

How to talk to kids about sex and consent

Helping Girls with Unwanted Sexual Attention

How can we help kids with self regulation

How to help kids deal with rejection

What’s the difference between anxiety and worry

How to help kids who are too hard on themselves

6 breathing techniques that calm your brain and body instantly

Resilience is about how you recharge not how you endure

How to de-stress in 5 minutes or less according to a Navy Seal

How to help your brain perform in a crisis

How harnessing the positive side of stress can change student mindsets

Better Sleep Equals Better Grades in College