Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up soon and beginning tomorrow morning parents will be able to sign up for a time to meet with teachers.  Conferences will be held on Wednesday, February 9^th from 5:00pm - 9:00pm and Tuesday, February 15^th from 3:30pm – 7:30pm.  Each conference will be scheduled in 15 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.

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.

Balancing Your Classes

Hopefully you are ready to request your classes online (and thanks to all those who have already done so) .  Don't forget, you need to submit your online registration by this coming Friday (February 4th) and, if you are a junior scheduled to meet with me this week, please be sure to complete your registration before our meeting. 

When you are considering which classes you want to take it is really important to try to find a balance. You want to challenge yourself with courses that will push you and help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that it is high school and you need to be reasonable about your expectations for 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. Last week I even had 1 student stop by proclaiming a plan to take 8 classes by skipping their lunch period.  I get it, there are a lot of incredible classes available at WKHS, but overloading your day and burning yourself out does nothing for your love of learning or your ability to successfully complete your classes.  I cannot stress enough how much I want you to think about the rest of your commitments.  

What sports, clubs, music groups, part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments do you have?  When will you have time to relax and breathe, spend time with your family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, still get a good night's sleep each night?

I completely understand that this can be hard to figure out the balance because you aren't at next year yet to be able to imagine what your days will feel like, but the Kilbourne staff created a Time Commitment Planning Calendar which can help you gain insight into what your intended plan will really look like.  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 2 of your busiest weeks and fill out the calendar so that you can have a realistic perspective for what the classes you are considering would provide a good balance for you - being both rigorous (particularly in any area of passion) and reasonable.

The other reminder I have for you related to balance is to remember that you want to balance your classes over the whole entire 4 years of your high school career.  I have had a few students who talked about wanting to stack their schedule full in their junior year so they could have an easy senior year, but that truly isn't in your best interest.  Not only do you still have to take 5 classes during your senior year, taking a strong load as a senior is setting you up for future success in college and life after high school.  

One other note I have for you as you are mapping out your class plans is that Law 2 will be running every other year.  So, next year it will not be offered, but in the 2023-2024 school year it will be offered again.  If that is a class you want to take, then I'd suggest, for example, that you take Law 1 next year and then you are set to be ready to take Law 2 the following year.

If you are struggling to find balance in your plans, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it too.  (However, know that tomorrow I am booked all day long with junior meetings and so I will not be available to meet tomorrow.)

College Credit Plus (CC+)

College Credit Plus (CC+) is a great opportunity for high school students to be able to earn college credits free of charge.  The state helps to facilitate the costs of this program so they have established very specific requirements for students to complete in order to participate.  One of those requirements is that students have to attend a mandatory meeting every year - even if you have taken CC+ classes in the past.  Due to COVID, this meeting requirement will be fulfilled by watching a 2 part video series that is posted on the WKHS Counselor website.

With CC+ classes, there are some classes that will have WKHS teachers teaching the classes all year just like normal, but you get college credit for it.  This includes the PreCalculus and Calculus courses taught by Kilbourne's math teachers.

There are also classes taught by CSCC instructors who will come to Kilbourne and teach their courses.  These courses are different from traditional WKHS classes in that they will be taught 2 days a week for 2 periods a day.  The extra time available on the other 3 days can either be filled with another CC+ class or as time for you to work on studying and completing the work for your college class.  Below is a list of the classes that are going to be offered (depending on level of interest) and when they will run:

First Semester:
- English Composition 1: M/W
- Psychology: T/R
- Ethics: date to be determined based on other requests for students so that students can take all of their desired CC+ classes without conflict

Second Semester:
- English Composition 2: M/W
- Sociology: T/R
- Government: date to be determined based on other requests

If you are currently in AP Lang, when you take the AP Test at the end of the year, if you earn a 3 or higher then you will have earned the equivalency of the English Composition 1 class.  This would make you eligible to go straight to Comp 2.

One of the keys to understand about the CC+ classes is that this is guaranteed college credit IF you pass the class.  (So, unlike AP classes, no test to take on one specific day to try to earn the college credit.)  The credit is guaranteed for every public college in the state of Ohio.  Private colleges and out-of-state colleges all have the option of accepting or rejecting the credit just like they do with AP courses.

If you need me to help you map out how this would look for the classes you are considering, we can do this during your individual meeting or you can stop and see me to discuss the choices.  This is a great, free opportunity and with the cost of college being so expensive, every free class can help so I don't want you to miss out on the chance.  If you are even remotely considering CC+ classes next year, please be sure to watch the videos with your parents, complete, and return the intent to participate form to the Counseling Center!

How Many 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.

It is important though to remember that 5 classes is the minimum required in order to be considered a Full Time student.  Being full time is critical for a wide range of reasons - insurance, child support, good driver discounts, etc.  So you will definitely not want to be looking at less than 5 classes in any semester!

If students are behind on earning their credits, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes during 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. 

Also, please be sure that you double check and make sure you are taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities. (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible. So this includes band, choir groups, Mock Trial, In the Know, Dance Team, etc.)

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each quarter. If you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life course, you need to remember that these classes are only worth .25 credits so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility.

If you have questions about eligibility, please stop in the co-curricular office or to see me for additional clarification.

Teacher Course Recommendations

One aspect of the registration process that can sometimes cause confusion for students related to selecting their classes is how to deal with teacher recommendations.

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.  Some of the core and foreign language teachers are directly submitting their recommendations for what class they would suggest for you to take directly into Infinite Campus.

If you don't agree with what a teacher has recommended, you are not locked into that course.  For example, we know that there are MANY students who will be recommended for lots of honors or AP classes and not want to take all of them.  This is completely appropriate and acceptable... in fact, I would say that I absolutely WANT you to prioritize and schedule a balanced load that meets your interests and goals for the future.  (And your teachers and administrators want that for you too!)

The first place that we suggest you start is by talking with your teacher about their recommendation and the course that you would prefer to take.  Since your teachers know your learning style and approach they will have important and valuable information for you and your parents to take into consideration when selecting classes.  I encourage you to carefully take their recommendations into consideration - especially if they are suggesting you take an "easier" course than the one you were previously considering.

However, we also know that some students may not feel comfortable telling a teacher that they want to take a different class than the one the teacher was recommending.  I am anticipating that this could be the case if a teacher is suggesting their elective or core course and you wanted a different one and don't want to hurt the teachers feelings.  I get it, but I will also remind you that the teachers should NOT be pressuring you into anything!  This is YOUR future and YOU are the one who will be in the class and doing the work next year!  So, know that I am more than happy and willing to talk to you about what courses you would like to change and make adjustments for you.  If you and your parents have decided that it is not in your best interest to take a class that your teacher has recommended and you want an easier or comparable course, then that is what I can easily fix during our individual meeting or you can send me an email or drop by my office and I can make those adjustments.

If you have decided that you want a more difficult course than what was recommended by your teacher then you must complete the Course Override form (also on the Counselor website) in order for me to change that in your schedule.  Before you decide to go with a more difficult course than has been recommended, please be VERY careful in thinking through all of the possible implications of doing that because your teacher's are recommending based upon what they know about your learning AND what they know about the classes.  They want to make sure that you are being recommended for classes that will help you to be successful in the future.

Registering Next Year's Classes

Tomorrow's Pack Period will kick off the process for registering for classes for next school year.  

I recognize that it feels too early to be making these decisions when you are just a few weeks into the new 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 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 Friday, February 4th.  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 26^th: Registration materials distributed and online registration begins

-        Tomorrow is also Curriculum Night at 7:10pm – you and your parents can come to talk with the teachers and learn more about the different options available to you

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

-        Thursday, February 3rd: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-        Friday, February 4th: Deadline to submit online course requests

-        Monday, February 7th: Individual meetings with all freshmen during English class

-        Tuesday, February 8th: Individual meetings with all sophomore during Science class

-        Wednesday, February 9^th: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-        Friday, February 11^th: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-        Thursday, February 17th: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-        Friday, February 18^th: Individual meetings with juniors and parents as scheduled

-        Friday, February 25th: My deadline to be able to make any adjustments in the online system

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 or come to meet with them during Curriculum Night.  (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.  

Also, just in case you lose any of your forms, we will have extra copies posted, along with the video from tomorrow’s presentation, 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.

PE Waivers

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 and an additional 1/2 credit of Elective would be required instead.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to all 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 ask if it can 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 therefore doesn't need PE classes.

The district has developed a system to track your athletic participation automatically and that happens at the end of each school year.  Even though it should catch your sports automatically, it never hurts to double check at the end of the year to make sure your waiver appears on your transcript.

ASVAB Opportunity

Are you interested in learning more about the military and the different careers and opportunities that they can provide for the future?  On the morning of January 29th, students are able to take the ASVAB at TWHS. The ASVAB is a career placement test through the military.  Please understand that taking this test does NOT commit you to joining the military or making the military as your career - it is simply to give you options that could be available to you for the future.  In fact, many students will elect to take the ASVAB to help get additional career insight without planning to go into the military.  If you are interested in taking the ASVAB, please stop to see me and I will get you signed up.  This is a free opportunity.

Graduation Requirements - 2023 and Beyond

Understanding the graduation requirements can feel daunting for students and parents because there are so many components involved.  We hosted a lunch & learn presentation over zoom for parents last week to highlight the graduation requirements and the powerpoint slides and video recording of the presentation are all available on the Counselor Website for anyone interested in learning more details.

But, I wanted to take a moment and give a quick overview of the requirements to graduate for the class of 2023 and beyond. 

Basic Academic Requirements:

• 4 credits of English
• 4 credits of Math
• 3 credits of Science
• 3 credits of Social Studies
• 1/2 credit of PE (or additional elective credit if earning the PE Waiver)
• 1/2 credit of Health
• 5 credits of Electives (anything other than the classes listed above count as electives
• 1 full year worth of Fine Art completed between grades 7-12
• Financial Literacy requirement (can be met through Personal Financial Management, Economics & Financial Literacy, Financial Algebra, IB History, or IB Business)

Demonstrate Comptency in English and Math:

• For most students this will be done by earning comptency scores of 684 or higher on the English 2 and Math 1 state End of Course tests.  Students can repeat these tests as needed.
• There are a range of other options for how comptency can be demonstrated, but testing is the clearest path.  If you need other options, I will be working with you to identify what pathway would work and be a viable option for you in the future.

Show Readiness by earning 2 Seals:

• There are 12 seals (9 state seals and 3 local seals) that students can try to earn.  
• All students must earn 2 seals and one of those two seals must be a state seal
• If you visit the counselor website and look at the graduation requirements page there is a link to information about the seals.  As you click on each seal you will be able to see the specific information about what is required to try to earn that seal.

Want to know where you stand towards completing the graduation requirements?  You can review your progress by accessing the Worthington Portal and going to My Accounts and clicking on "Student Graduation Status."  For those parents who attended the Lunch & Learn session, I wanted to point out that these status sheets are now accessible to you directly off the portal.

Office Workers

Office workers play a vital role in the smooth operation of the counseling center.  They frequently help us by delivering passes to the students we need to see throughout the day and sometimes they help us with other special projects.  Although it isn't every day, they frequently have time to work on their homework.

The office workers earn community service hours for their volunteer commitment.  Many students feel this is an easy way to earn service hours because it is completed during the school day.

Personally, I love having my students among those serving as office workers because it allows me to get to know them better.  

Many students are not able to commit to volunteering as office workers both semesters and so we are looking for volunteers who are willing to help as office workers this semester.  If you are interested in giving up your academic prep, options or lunch periods to sign up as an office worker, please stop by the counseling center and see me.  It is important to have strong grades in your classes because working as an office worker will require you to give up some of the time that you normally would have been able to dedicate to studying.  I would love to have more of "my" students working as office workers during 2nd semester, so please consider this possibility! 

Get Involved

Kilbourne is lucky to have so many students involved in sports and clubs.  But sometimes when there are so many choices it can feel daunting to students to identify where you'd like to spend your time and figure out how you can contribute.

One of our current seniors, George Fang, recognized that this was a challenge for students in our school and so he set about using his talents in computer programming to help create a website to share information with our student body about the range of clubs and activities (beyond sports and groups that are a part of classes) that students can join.

Here is a link to the website: https://activities.wkhsmedia.com/

I hope you will check it out and consider joining something because your involvement matters.  Additionally, if there is a club or group that you are interested in being a part of that isn't listed on the site, know that Mr. Almanson, WKHS Assistant Principal, is willing to help students as they establish new clubs.

Also, while we are talking about getting involved, I want to point out that your involvement in a club can lead towards a Student Engagement Seal for graduation and all 9th-11th grade students must earn 2 seals so getting involved in a club has the potential of having the additional benefit of helping meet a graduation requirement.

Students of the Month

On Friday morning 16 WKHS students were recognized as being January Students of the Month.  Students are nominated by staff in recognition for their outstanding contributions to the classroom and community.  Students are only eligible to receive this recognition one time during their 4 years at WKHS.

I am proud of "my" students who were among those being honored: Alliyah Ahmed, Austin Aldous, Olivia Arthur, Kate Chivington, Jillian Cowan, Evie DeCarlo, and Riley Emberton.  Congratulations to all of you and thank you for the outstanding contributions you make to Worthington Kilbourne High School!

Alumni Insights

There are a lot of things that I love about working at Kilbourne.  One aspect that stands out is the community connectedness that students feel for each other and for the school.  This is reflected each year when past graduates return to Kilbourne to share their insights, advice and general words of wisdom with our current students.

This year, due to COVID, the alumni panel presentation had to be video-taped and shared in a video format rather than in the auditorium.  While I know that you missed out on seeing them up close and personal, I love that you now have access to the video to watch and learn from their perspectives whenever it is convenient for you.

Here is a link to the Alumni Presentation Video.

Enjoy watching while you look out at the pretty snow falling outside your window.  :-)  And, of course, enjoy having the day off tomorrow without the anxiety of will we get a snow day or not.

Earning Credit

With first semester grades being finalized last week, a large part of my time this week was spent trying to explain to students about how you earn credits in high school.  It is a valuable reminder for everyone.

High school is different than elementary and middle school.  In middle school, you take classes and each year you move on to the next grade and take all the classes for that grade.  In high school, you must earn credits for specified classes and the way you earn credit is by passing each semester of the class. 

So, for example, all students must earn 4 credits of English to graduate.  When you pass both semesters of English 1 during your freshman year, you move on to English 2 during your sophomore year.  If, unfortunately, you failed one of the semesters of English 1 then you are going to have to make that particular semester up before you can progress on to English 2.  Students who failed a semester will be able to make up the course either by repeating the class in summer school, repeating the class through credit recovery or repeating the class by retaking it during your sophomore year.  The bottom line is that you must REPEAT the class in some format.

Some classes (like English) have pre-requisites that students must meet in order to move on to the next level.  Other classes, like Science and Social Studies, do not have pre-requisites to move on to the next level so we will potentially allow you to move from Physical Science to Biology or from World History to US History without first repeating the freshman year class.  Don’t misunderstand though, you will still have to repeat the class at some point, but if you are not making it up during summer school, then you will likely be taking a freshman year class during your junior year.

In order to earn sophomore status, students must have earned at least 5 credits.  To become a junior you will need 10 credits.  To be classified as a senior, you must have earned at least 15 credits.

You can review where you stand with the credits you have earned or what still remains using your transcript on Infinite Campus.  And, if you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to stop by and see me.

Also, a reminder to parents, tomorrow at noon is the Lunch and Learn focused on understanding the new graduation requirements.  I hope to see you on zoom tomorrow!

Cap & Gown

Last weekend as I was working on senior credit checks, I kept having my mind wander to the fact that seniors, you are just 4 months (and 8 days if you want me to be specific) from graduation!  How crazy is that? 

As you start thinking ahead to graduation, I'd like to remind you of a few things...

1. You have to finish your graduation requirements successfully!  Do NOT let up now.  You still have classes that you need to pass in order to graduate!

2.  You need to order your cap and gown!  WKHS works with Buckeye Scholastic for the cap and gowns as well as announcements if you are interested in those.  You can order your cap and gown directly off of their website which is: https://buckeyescholastic.com/worthingtonkilbourne/  All students should order their cap and gown by January 31st.  You must wear a cap and gown in order to participate in the commencement ceremony.

3.  This isn't a mandatory requirement for graduation as the two points above are, but important just the same are your senior pictures!  Mr. Cecutti needs your senior picture for the yearbook and he asks that they be submitted to him before the end of the 3rd quarter.

Graduation will be here before you know it!  So take care of the things that you need to complete now to be prepared.

Perfectionism

I have some news for you... you're not perfect.  Neither am I.  And for some people who read that you think, "well of course not" and keep moving.  For others - those of you who tend to struggle with perfectionism - your thought process is more of, "I know I'm not, but I'm going to keep trying to be perfect and maybe I can convince some of you that I am perfect."  It's an exhausting hustle for approval that you can never win.

So how do you manage when you feel like you need to be perfect?  One shift in perspective that can help is to consider yourself a work in progress.  Rather than expecting yourself to have it all together at all times, let yourself be who you are today knowing that you can keep trying to build upon your strengths with each passing day.  That shift from "being perfect" to a "healthy striving" is a difference in being able to celebrate your growth and progress.  When you are trying to be perfect, anything less than 100% and total perfection is seen as a failure, but the reality is that it is NOT failure.  And to expect perfection of yourself when you are human and therefore not going to be perfect is setting yourself up for failure all the time as there will always be other people who know more, are bigger, faster, smarter or more talented than you.  But even though others may have specific strengths or abilities that you don't does NOT mean that you're not good enough or have value - it just means you're not perfect.  

As you work to make this mindset shift, try to remind yourself that no matter how good or bad a situation and experience you're having might be, you're never a finished product so you can let go of the pressure and goal of being perfect.

DACC

I have talked about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) before, but after last week when I had so many students asking for what other electives they could take that would be more hands-on in nature and knowing that this Friday is the priority application deadline, I wanted to highlight this option again.

My students who have attended the DACC have loved it!  They like the opportunity to push themselves in an area, the chance to determine if a career field is right for them, and to learn in different ways than the traditional classroom setting.  Each time I step foot into a DACC lab, I am impressed by all the things that students are doing.  Whether it was building sheds, welding, driving fire trucks, playing with kids, repairing cars, cooking & serving food, participating in research on animals at the zoo, teaching, or focusing on providing pain-free dental experiences, all of the students were engaged and thriving.  Most of the programs at the Delaware Area Career Center are 2 year programs for students to complete their junior and senior years, but there are some sophomore programs and some senior only programs.   For example, the pharmacy tech program is one of the senior only programs that is very popular.

Don't forget that even if you attend the career center, WKHS students are always WKHS students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You will graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. I strongly encourage you to check out the programs as the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option.

You don't have to go if you get accepted, but you have to apply to even have the option.  While DACC will take applications later to fill any spaces that remain, their priority application deadline is coming up this Friday, January 14th.  So, if you are at all considering DACC for next year, please be sure to log into their website and apply this week!

Feel free to stop and see me if you have any questions about your DACC application.

Report Cards & Mid-Year Transcripts

I feel confident that students know how to access infinite campus to check your grades, but parents may not be looking at progress as consistently.  In part this may be because they are allowing you to take responsibility for your own learning and watching as you develop independence while still in high school and part of it is that your parents are busy and infinite campus can be “out of sight, out of mind.”

Parents, with the first semester now over, I strongly encourage you to log in to Infinite Campus and see your son or daughter’s first semester grades.  We do not mail report cards home, so this is the only way to be able to access the report cards.

If parents do not know their username and password, please go to www.worthington.k12.oh.us and click on the portal login button in the Find it Fast menu.  The next screen will ask for the login information and it provides an option for "Parent Account Recovery" if you do not know your username and password.  Please note that your email address must match the one the district has in your student’s profile.  Once you submit your e-mail address, computer services will soon e-mail you with your username and password.

The online report-cards allow parents and students to assess the progress on an ongoing basis.  As we begin the second semester this is a great opportunity for parents to ask themselves questions related to your kids grades.  Are your son/ daughter's grades what you had expected?  Are you pleased?  Does your son or daughter need more structure or support to help them develop new skills for studying or preparing for classes? If your student is struggling to be successful one of my top suggestions is to talk to your student and to the teachers!  Teachers have a good perspective on where kids stand in their class.  They can help clarify on concepts that students are missing, areas for improvement, and they can provide concrete suggestions for how your son/ daughter can make changes to find success in their classes.

I will be reviewing all of your grades for the semester and completing credit checks for all of my students so that I can be sure you are staying on track.  It is still beneficial for you and your parents to keep track of your progress as well.

Additionally, for current seniors, now that you are half way through the year, many colleges will want to get mid-year reports of your transcript.  For all of the colleges on Common App, I will upload your updated transcript automatically this week.  If you applied through a different means other than the Common App website and your colleges want mid-year reports then you will need to come into the counseling center to see Mrs. McDaniel to request for your updated transcript being sent to the specific colleges.

Parent Lunch & Learn

The WKHS Counselors will be hosting the 3rd quarter Lunch and Learn Series for parents on Friday, January 14th.  This session will provide information on Understanding the Graduation Requirements.

As a reminder, the lunch and learns are brief presentations on a particular topic over zoom during lunch time so that parents/ guardians can join and listen in from home or work while eating their lunch.  The goal is that the presentation will take about 15 minutes and then that will give about 15 minutes for any other questions that families might have that we could address as a whole group.  We are excited about this opportunity to leverage technology and to meet families where they are so that you can get the most up to date information that we can share with you.

We will be hosting the 3rd quarter session at noon on Friday, January 14th.  The zoom link will be emailed to all parents and we will also post it on the Counselor Website on Friday morning.

We know that the new graduation requirements for the Class of 2023 and beyond are VERY confusing, so I hope you will make plans to join us online over zoom so we can help introduce you to the updated standares and help you learn about the educational requirements, competency requirements, and readiness requirements your son/ daughter must meet in order to graduate.

Schedule Changes

The first three days of each new semester are filled with countless students coming by to see if they can change their schedules and today was certainly no exception.  I need to remind you all to please think twice before you try to make any changes - particularly for seniors.  You will want to double check with your desired colleges before making schedule changes.

For students in all grade levels, if you are hoping to change something in your schedule, don't forget that you must complete a schedule add/ drop form and have it signed by your parents.  If you are dropping a year-long class, you must also get your teacher's signature on the form.  These forms are available on the bookshelf in the counseling center and on the Counselor website.  The last day to add any classes for this semester is Friday so please be sure to pick up a form tomorrow so you can take it home with you for your parents to sign it so that I can make the adjustments before the deadline.

A New Semester Begins...

A couple of quick, important reminders...

- If you cannot remember what your 2nd semester class schedule was, please look it up on Infinite Campus tonight, take a screenshot or print it out and take it with you for tomorrow.

-  We are still getting grades in from your teachers for your 1st semester classes, but remember, tomorrow is a FRESH START for all of you!  One of the best parts about functioning on a semester system is that you get to start fresh at the beginning of each new semester (even in your year-long classes).  As classes begin, you will not be behind in ANY of your classes.  You are able to create new goals, take new steps, and focus on achieving whatever goals you have set for yourself.  It doesn't matter if you did great 1st semester or if it was a disaster.  You start over tomorrow.  This semester is in front of you for you to make of it whatever you want to see happen.  You are in control.

- Another good reminder, as we start this new semester, please take a moment and make sure that you are ready to hit the ground running.  Clean out your bookbag, organize your notes, get new supplies if needed, find your planner and start filling it out, and make the most out of each day in front of you.  I am excited to see what you will accomplish in the classroom and beyond over the next few months.  As always, if you need help in your classes, please reach out to your teachers, utilize the support from the Academic Assistants, and see me for additional resources.

I am anxious to see you tomorrow.  (For the record, Lexi is even more excited than anyone can imagine as she has desperately missed being around all of you!)  I really hope you will stop by and see me to check in and let me know how your break went... it feels like it has been so long since I have had the chance to talk with all of you and to hear about your lives.

And, for tonight... get some sleep!  It is going to seem REALLY EARLY tomorrow when the alarms start going off!  (That is the only thing I am NOT looking forward to about being back at school tomorrow.)

Happy New Year!

I hope you have had a great break.  I look forward to being able to hear about your time off when we return, but I am also trying to soak up every last second of our time off and hoping that you are doing the same.

I wanted to give a quick reminder to all students who will be taking a 2nd semester CC+ class through CSCC at WKHS.  Don't forget that your CSCC courses will not begin until January 17th.  That means that you have those periods off until your classes start on the 17th.  However, before classes begin you need to be sure that you can log into Blackboard and that you have completed the online orientation (if this is your 1st semester taking a CC+ class with CSCC).

As a reminder, please consider linking your CSCC email to your phone or an email account you check often so you don't miss important messages from your professors.  And, if you have forgotten your Cougar ID number, please use the look up option on CSCC's website.

Enjoy the final day of break tomorrow!