For the rest of the students, be patient with your peers who might be stressed about exams and also be aware that any time exams are taking place we may have to have all of the bells off throughout the school so that they are not disturbed while testing.
I need to be brutally honest (even though I know you don't really want to hear this...) and say that there is not a lot that you can do to improve the chance of coming off the wait list and being accepted to the college. You need to make plans and start getting your mind set on attending one of the other schools who accepted you. If, in time, you find out that you have the opportunity to attend the school that had previously put you on their wait list, then you can re-evaluate and decide if you still want to attend. The reality is that very few students actually end up being selected off the wait list for acceptance. (Once again, this is why it is so important to tell colleges as soon as possible when you know that you will not be attending in the future so that they can make plans to potentially accept other students off their wait list.)
In the mean time, if you decide that you want to remain on a college's waiting list, be sure to follow their directions (usually filling out a form indicating your desire) and then you can also consider sending them a letter updating them about any new achievements, awards, or other information that you have accomplished since your application to their college so that might be able to take that into consideration when making their waiting list decisions. (Some colleges may specifically say that they do or do not accept that supplemental evidence - follow their directions!)
If you are struggling with a wait-list decision, please remember that I am here to talk about it with you.
Please remember that this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit. As you reach the final days of your decision making window, if you need to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to me.
Every year, the graduating high school seniors have the option of picking a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, secretary, or other Worthington staff member who has played a significant role in their lives to give them their diploma. This is one of my favorite traditions at Kilbourne! It is a way to make the graduation ceremony much more personal and memorable. You will select your 1st choice and 2nd choice diploma presenters on the form.
The form also allows you to request where you want us to send your final transcript. When you head off to college or enlist in the military, they will all want a copy of your final transcript to confirm that you did officially graduate. The information you submit on the form is what will enable us to make sure we send your transcript to the appropriate location.
We are busy working on preparing for the senior recognition and commencement ceremonies and we need additional information from you in order to put together the programs! As you complete the senior questionnaire you will be asked to list what scholarships you received and are accepting and how much they were worth.
And finally, the form also allows for you to share some thoughts about your reflections related to high school because we value the insight and perspectives that our seniors share each year.
These forms are due back ASAP, but no later than May 3rd.
If you have updates/ changes after you have submitted your form - such as you received an additional scholarship, please email that new scholarship information to Mrs. Focht at afocht@wscloud.org. We will try our best to include your updated scholarships in the program, but it is possible that information received after May 3rd may not be able to be included if the program has already been printed.
If you can't locate the email, please visit the Counselor website for a link to the questionnaire.
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.
The zoom link will be emailed to all parents and we will also post it on the Counselor Website on Friday morning.
End of Course Tests:
This week we will have late starts for the End of Course tests. We will be on a modified bell schedule where you have classes from 12:25-3:20. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you will go to your 1st through 4th period classes. On Tuesday and Thursday you will go to 5th through 8th period classes.
On Monday and Tuesday, students will take the English 2 End of Course test which contains 2 parts. Part 1 will be completed on Monday and Part 2 will be taken on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, students will take both sections of the Math 1 or the Math 2 End of Course tests.
On Thursday, students will take the Biology End of Course test.
On Friday, students will take the US History or the US Government End of Course tests.
Here is a link to the bell schedule for the week. Good luck to everyone who will be testing!
Essay Workshop:
On Thursday, we will be hosting the essay brainstorming workshop from 10-11:30am in Room 207 for juniors who are planning to apply to a 4-year college in the future. Please be sure to sign up if you plan to attend. The link has been included on the email that was sent to you or it is on the Counselor Website and you can sign up there - www.wkhscounselors.com
Hopefully you were happy with your test results!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Believe me, the essays are such a critical part of the application process that this won't be the only time I talk about them on my blog, but it is also a fun and creative opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions officers and so it is worth the time you will put into making it a great essay. I hope you will give up a little bit of your sleeping in time and join us for the workshop!
Worthington offers summer school opportunities each year with a wide range of opportunities to try to meet your academic goals. If you failed a class and will be taking it for credit recovery, your summer school class will even be free of charge. Summer school will be held at WKHS and transportation will be available for students who need it. Most classes will run from June 5th - June 29th. There are a limited number of get-ahead courses that are also offered through Worthington summer school and information about those classes and the costs associated with those courses are on the website. I had emailed home a message with a personalized summer school registration link to students who failed a class. If you have lost that message, feel free to reach out and I will resend it. For all Worthington Summer School general information and to register for any get-ahead classes, please visit the district website at: https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/Page/4034
We always get questions about taking online courses or classes in other districts and as long as it is an accredited school this is completely fine. So, for example, if your parents are divorced and you go to spend the summer with a parent who lives in another state you can take your summer school class at the school near your other parent and then transfer the credit back to us. Or for those students who plan on traveling a great deal over the summer, taking an online course might be more in line with your needs. Again, in Worthington we try to be very flexible in helping all students to meet their academic goals so as long as the school you are taking classes from is an accredited school, we will transfer those credits to Worthington.
Students and parents often ask me which online schools they can use and again, if it is accredited it is fine. The school most commonly used by students in the past has been TRECA due to the cost effectiveness of their credits. But again, that can change from year to year and so I encourage you to search for the schools and programs that will best meet your individual needs. I do know that TRECA summer school registration has opened so if you were planning to take a TRECA summer school class, please be sure to get signed up for that soon too. Their website is: https://treca.org/programs/summer-school
Please, especially if you have failed a class during the 1st semester, get signed up for summer school so that you can stay on track for graduation with your class!
Seniors, don't let up on making sure you pass your classes and fulfill your graduation requirements.
Everyone else, please make sure you are maximizing every point in class to help give your grades the cushion they need ahead of final exams. This is also a good reminder that you want to stay organized and start preparing your materials to make it easier when we get to the point when you need to study for exams.
I am excited to see you all and hear about your spring breaks! I hope you had an enjoyable time. If you're like me, you might struggle with the morning wake up call tomorrow after a week of sleeping in so try to get to bed a little earlier tonight. 6 weeks (and 3 days) until summer - we can do this!
Obviously, any students hoping to get a job this summer need a resume now. And if you are planning to attend the Job Fair at the Worthington Education Center during the field trip next Friday, April 14th, then making sure you have a resume ready to share with potential employers at the Job Fair is critical.
But even if you're not qutie ready to find a job yet, working to start the process of compiling your resume is helpful and important. Why? Because you can't remember everything unless it is written down somewhere. So if you wait until your senior year to try to recall what the volunteer experience you had as a freshman was or the name of the award you received in your sophomore year, it will be tough. Not impossible, but definitely not as easy as if you continually update your resume throughout your high school years.
What types of things can you include on your resume? I'm so glad you asked. :-) Obviously your name and contact information. Be sure that you have an email address that is appropriate for employers to send you messages (and that you also check this email account regularly). Do NOT use your school email for this purpose since outside contacts won't be able to email you on it. You want to include information about your academic progress, any work experiences you have, volunteer experiences, clubs/ activities/ sport involvement, leadership experiences, and awards/ recognition you have received. You will not want to go back to middle or elementary school when identifying your list - just stick to your high school years. Your resume should also highlight any special talents/ abilities/ skills that you have. For example, if you are fluent in another language, be sure to mention that in your resume.
Please understand that your resume doesn't have to be long or fancy. All employers will know that you are a high school student and so your experiences and skills will be more limited than it will be by the time you are my age. But if you have a little extra time during spring break, this is a great item to try to knock off your "to do list" so that you are ready for next week's job fair and for any future job searches.
During spring break, I know that many of my students are traveling either with your family or with your sporting teams, but no matter where you are visiting, I know there is no way you saw as many countries and cultural experiences as shared by our students last week. Culture Week at WKHS was the idea and vision of some of our students who are connected to the English Learner programs at Kilbourne. The students worked really hard to share information about their native countries and the cultures they and their families are connected to beyond the US.
I was so proud of my students who created posters, made food items, and engaged students in games in the library this week all as a way to help edcuate the rest of us about the backgrounds that combine together to help make WKHS an even more special place.
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