ACT & SAT Registration Reminders

Many seniors plan on taking the ACT or the SAT again this fall.  If you are planning on taking one of these college admissions tests, it is important to register online prior to the designated deadlines.  For your convenience, here are the upcoming test dates and deadlines for each test:

ACT:
- September 10th - Register by August 5th
- October 22nd - Register by September 16th
- December 10th - Register by November 4th

SAT:
- August 27th - Register by July 29th
- October 1st - Register by September 2nd
- November 5th - Register by October 7th
- December 3rd - Register by November 3rd

Don't forget, you will need to register for the tests online at the individual testing company websites.

ACT - www.actstudent.org

SAT - www.collegeboard.org

Schedule Pick Up Days

Anyone else feel like summer is going by way too fast?  It's hard to believe that in just 2 weeks you will be picking up next year's schedules, but I wanted to make sure all of you are aware of the days and times when you will be able to pick up your schedules... sorry, I can't email out copies ahead of schedule pick up times.

Tuesday, August 9th: 
9th graders, 11th graders & New to District with last names A-K: 8:00am - 11:00am
9th graders, 11th graders & New to District with last names L-Z: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Wednesday, August 10th:
10th graders and 12th graders with last names A-K: 8:00am - 11:00am
10th graders and 12th graders with last names L-Z: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Thursday, August 11th: 
Make up time for all students who can't attend on August 9th or 10th: 5:30pm-7:30pm

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc.

The process is paperless again this year which means that your emergency medical information, health forms, athletic forms and fees needs to be updated and paid online BEFORE coming through the schedule pick up lines.  Those forms will all be on the Worthington Schools website (not counselor website).

I know that every year there are questions about what you should do if you are not available to attend on your designated schedule pick up time.  If you cannot pick up your schedule and books on your designated time, then you can come to school on the other schedule pick-up day/ times.  If you will not be able to attend any of the 3 days, then you will not be able to pick up your your books or get your student ID made until the 1st day of school, but if you want, you can pick up your schedule and turn in any forms on Monday, August 15th or Tuesday, August 16th from 1:00 - 3:00pm.  (No morning pick up's on those dates though because we are all in mandatory meetings both mornings.)

Each year schedule pick up days are two of the craziest days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you!

988 Begins

Today was the official launch date of 988.  Set up similar to 911, having the 3 digit code of 988 for crisis help and support is a huge step in saving lives.  Up until now people had to remember the suicide prevention hotline and/or the crisis text line numbers to call (and those still work too...) but now it is simple - call or text 988 and you will be connected with a crisis counselor to help provide support.  This number is accessible 24/7 anywhere in the United States.  If you or someone you know is in need of extra support, remember that help is always available!

Summer Assignments

I wanted to remind you about summer assignments for those students taking advanced classes next year.  Hopefully you have started making progress on the work that is expected of you.  It is important to remember that you are responsible for completing all summer work and that it will impact your grade in your class.  Sometimes, in the past, students would procrastinate on completing their summer assignments and then decide at the last minute that they would drop out of the advanced course in favor of the non-advanced version (so, for example, dropping AP US History in favor of regular US History).  If you are planning on switching levels, it is really important that you make that change prior to Friday, July 15th.  If you wait until after July 15th to decide that you want to change levels, you will still be responsible for completing the summer work because even if you change levels your summer assignment is a part of your academic record and so your grades on the summer assignments will go with you to the new class.

Hopefully you are feeling good about your summer assignments and how you are progressing on your summer work.  If you haven't started, please get moving on it!  If you have lost your summer assignments, please feel free to check out the WKHS Counselor website - www.wkhscouselors.com - as the teachers have submitted your assignments on there as well.

And, for the record, if you do want to drop from an advanced course to a regular class, please just email me at babbott@wscloud.org before the end of the day on Friday the 15th and I will make the change for you the next time I am able to drop by school.

AP/ IB Scores

Scores for those students who took one (or more) of the Advanced Placement Tests in May should be available online today. Many students assume that we know your scores in the counseling office, but we do not receive that information until much later.  To access your scores log in using your college board account information.  

A lot of times students are curious about the policy various colleges have on how they grant credit based upon the AP scores. CollegeBoard maintains a searchable list for the college's policies.

Many WKHS students who took AP Lang were hoping to be able to use their scores to move directly to English 2367 (Composition 2) with CSCC next school year.  Please make sure you have scored a 3 or higher on the AP Lang test in order for this to be an option.  If I need to adjust your schedule to add you into Composition 1 because you didn't get the 3 as you had anticipated, or if you put Comp 1 into your schedule "just in case" and earned the 3 please let me know so that I can adjust your schedule and remove the class that you no longer need.  (Also, don't forget that you will need to send your test results to the CSCC CC+ office so that they know you have met the prerequisites to jump directly to Composition 2.)

And, as if AP scores being available wasn't enough, the scores from the spring IB tests will be released tomorrow.

No matter which tests you took, I hope you are happy with your scores!

Catching Up

It's been over a month since I have posted.  Which also means we are more than a month into summer break!  Hard to believe as it feels like school just ended (for me at least).  I started my summer with COVID and so that wasn't fun, but I am recovered and relieved.  I had been so thankful that I never had to personally contend with COVID and I remain grateful that I didn't have to miss out on time with all of you at school to recover.  But I will admit that it wasn't the start of summer I had hoped for!  

Because right after COVID and finishing up the extra work days that I have as a counselor, I went on vacation to visit my sister's family in Kentucky, I simply never hopped back on my blog to point out that I don't post as much in the summer.  I assume that is obvious to you by now.  But I do have some things I want to share and reflect on...

1. Diploma Presenter: I love so many traditions we have in Worthington and the fact that students are allowed to select who they want to have hand them their diplomas is one of my favorites.  Not only does it make the day more special for you as graduates, but it is a huge honor to those who are allowed to give you your diploma at graduation.  I was lucky enough to hand out diplomas to 4 students who selected me as their diploma presenter.  (I actually was fortunate to end up giving out 8 diplomas because in addition to the 4 students who selected me as their diploma presenter, there were 4 other WKHS students in my portion of the alphabet who shared that they didn't care which staff member gave them their diploma and so, our procedure is that their counselor will hand them their diploma.)  Pictured below (L to R) are the 4 students I was selected to present with their diploma: Samantha Darby, Zach Colombini, Nimo Abdi, and Shaylin Bentley.

To Sam, Zach, Naiima, and Shay- It is hard to believe that you are no longer "my" students. Whether I have known you for 1 year or 4, I want to say what a joy it was to be able to walk alongside you during high school. Each of you has had successes and challenges during your high school years including navigating the COVID craziness. I cannot wait to see the difference you will make in the world. I wish you nothing but the best in the future! Thanks again for allowing me to have the honor of presenting you with your diplomas!  

2. June ACT Scores:  For those students who took the ACT in June, your test scores are now available online.  Be sure to log in and check your scores.

3. Final Transcripts: This has probably been the number one question I have been receiving emails about so far this summer.  When you completed the mandatory senior information form, you indicated where you were planning to go to college so that we could send your final transcript.  Mrs. McDaniel, the WKHS Registrar, has sent out your final HS transcript to all of those colleges.  If you didn't indicate a college on that form and have since decided to attend a college, please reach out to Mrs. McDaniel in the Counseling Center to be able to request for her to send your transcript.  

For more of the students though, it has been realizing that you still need to submit your CC+ transcripts.  We do have the links to both CSCC and COTC on the Counselor Website so that you can easily access the places where you will request those transcripts to be forwarded to your intended college.  That extra step MUST be completed by the student - it is not something we are able to do for you.  Go to www.wkhscounselors.com to find the CC+ Transcript info - I currently have it at the top of the home page for your easy access.

4. Summer School: Congratulations to everyone who successfully completed summer school through Worthington this past month!  I know that some of you are still working on some classes through Worthington or TRECA or a different provider so keep focused and finish strong so that you earn the credits.  If you didn't pass the class(es) you had planned to take this summer, please be sure to email me so that I can make the adjustments to your schedule.

Clearly, when I have this much to say it is a good reminder that I should post more often... so I will try to share updates a little more frequently in July.  But, before I close I just want to wish you all a very happy and safe 4th of July holiday weekend.