PSAT Reminders

Don't forget - tomorrow is the day when many Kilbourne sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT.  

If you are one of the students who will be taking the PSAT, you will report directly to your testing location at your designated testing time.  (For most juniors, that will be the gym in the morning- 8:30 check in for an 8:40 start.  For most sophomores, that will be the gym in the afternoon - 11:45 check in for a 12:00 start.)  You will need to bring your student id with you in order to check in.  One of my most important reminders is do NOT forget your FULLY CHARGED district issued chromebook!  If you haven't already opened and launched BlueBook to make sure that it is updated and working properly, I strongly encourage you to do that tonight before you get to testing tomorrow. 

As with every standardized test, you will not be allowed to have your cell phone or smart watch on you at any time during testing.  With the test being digital, I would still encourage you to bring a calculator if you like using a traditional calculator better than the digital one online, a writing utensil to use with the scratch paper you will be given, and I would recommend a normal watch if you prefer to track timing on your own. 

You will be able to have water and a snack under your table for easy access during breaks, but you cannot eat or drink at all during the test.  As you know, the temperature in the building varies greatly.  So because we don't know what to expect in the gym, I strongly encourage that you dress in layers so that you can add a sweatshirt or take it off depending on how hot or cold you might be during testing.  As with normal school days, you are not allowed to put up a hood during testing - this is a school rule, but more importantly, it is also a testing rule you must follow. Additionally, you are not allowed to wear hats during the test either.

If you haven't already watched this short (less than 3 minute) video about the digital PSAT, I would strongly recommend that you review it.  Knowing ways that you can flag a question, eliminate options, etc will only help you tomorrow when you are testing.

To those of you who will be testing, get a good night's sleep, be sure to eat breakfast and good luck testing tomorrow!

Why THIS College?

Answering college supplemental questions - those questions that are uniquely for each specific college can be an important step for many of the applications, especially for the more competitive schools. One of the common questions you may see will be asking why you are interested in their college in particular.

These types of questions are taking you back to the basics.  Why do you like a particular college?  What is it about the school that made it stand out to you and left you with the impression that this would be a good place for you to spend your collegiate years?

Hopefully, you have an idea about what you'd answer for both of those questions for each school that you are including on your list of schools where you are going to apply.  And, let me clear - you should like something about every college that you are considering and you should feel good about each of the schools if you are applying there!

In addition to those answers mattering for deciding where you are going to apply, your answers to these questions are essential when you are trying to answer college-specific essay questions - especially if they ask you a question related to what you like about their school.  They may phrase it in different ways, but the bottom line is that they are trying to determine why you believe their school is a good fit for you.

Remember, the admissions officers who work for the school already think their school is great and they know about the wonderful opportunities available so you need to take it beyond saying that they have a great location, outstanding professors, a strong academic reputation and wonderful weather.  You need to take it to the next level by identifying specific aspects at the school where you can see yourself contributing to the school and the particular offerings that you plan to take advantage of while you are in college.

Good luck in searching for the right college fit for you and for conveying why it's a good fit in your essays. Also, remember, tomorrow night, Monday, October 13th from 5-6:30 the counselors will be hosting a College Application Completion Workshop in the Commons. If you're not already done with your application, please bring your chromebook/ laptop and let's work on making some solid progress together! And for those of you not planning to attend college following high school, don't forget that you can come to the Counseling Center tomorrow night at 6pm for a Pre-Apprenticeship presentation. Lots of great opportunities tomorrow evening and I hope to see you there!

Early Decision

Seniors are in very different places with regards to their college applications. Some of you have barely given a thought to where all you want to apply (for the record, this worries me, so if you are in that situation, please come talk to me). Others have already received their acceptances and are ready to kick back and enjoy senior year. The vast majority are somewhere in between the two extremes.

While I am always happy to help you in any way possible, there are some decisions that are for you and your family to make. For example, what schools you apply to and when you apply (assuming it is before the deadline) is entirely up to you. The other issue that has been weighing heavily on the minds of some students and their parents is the choice about if they should apply under Early Decision.

Remember, as I explained previously, Early Decision is binding. If you are not 100% sure if you want to go to that school, then the choice about should you apply early decision or not is actually quite easy - no. Because it is a binding decision, you cannot wait and see and take more time to decide, so if you are not completely sure about your desire to attend that school, then applying early decision would not be a wise decision. The other aspect that you and your family must seriously consider is the financial impact that attending the school could involve as you are making a commitment to attend the school and that you will withdraw your applications at all of your other schools. This means you will not be able to compare financial aid packages to see which school will provide the best offer. 

Some of you may be wondering what the advantage is to applying Early Decision. Aside from getting your admissions decision earlier, there is a definite advantage at some schools where applying as an early decision student increases your potential to be accepted at the school. This is, in part, due to the fact that it eliminates the concern from the college's side of if you will choose to actually come to their college in the future or not.  The data on how many of their accepted students actually end up coming and attending their college in the future is one of the factors that impacts college rankings and therefore it is an important predictor for colleges. 

Remember, if you plan on applying early decision, I need to know ahead of time because there is a form I must sign off on indicating that I have talked to you and your parents to confirm that I have reviewed with you the binding nature of applying early decision.

Planning for College Night

Save the date!  Next week, on Wednesday, October 15th, the WKHS Counseling department will be hosting a virtual Student and Parent College Planning Information Night. This is one of the most valuable nights we provide and students and parents who attended this meeting in the past have expressed how much this helped them get started with the college search process and understand more about what to expect in the coming year and a half. Topics that will be covered during the presentation include searching for colleges, exploring careers, ACT/ SAT and testing plans, making college visits, how colleges evaluate applicants, what you can be doing now to prepare for college applications and so much more. The meeting is primarily targeted at juniors, but sophomores and freshmen are welcome to attend if interested. The meeting is at 7:00pm and the zoom link will be posted on the counselor website the morning of the event. 

I hope you will plan to attend! And yes, I want your parents to watch this meeting with you and no, I don't want you to just make your parents watch instead... this is YOUR future and you are responsible for deciding what direction you will take.

DACC

Today during PACK period the sophomores had a chance to learn more about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and tomorrow during your lunch periods representatives from DACC will be available in the Commons to help answer questions about their opportunities.

Remember, attending DACC is a great opportunity to earn your elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  

With over 25 different programs offered, there are many unique experiences and opportunities available that can give you a jump start on a career and can also stand out to colleges. If you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, please be sure to return your permission slip to the counseling center and complete the DACC interest form no later than next Thursday, October 16th.  The field trip is scheduled for Friday, November 21st.

One thing to realize about the Career Center is that they partner with 15 different districts from across Central Ohio.  So by attending the Career Center you have the chance to meet new people who have similar interests.  Each student is still involved in the activities in their home school such as sports and clubs, but this just extends that network of friends and contacts.  I will also point out that while it is a huge advantage to have that many different schools all working with the career center, it also means that the 25 spots available in each program (except Digital Design which has 50 spots available) are going to be competitive to apply and get a seat.  As a result, if this program interests you, I encourage you to make your visit in November so that you can apply right away after the field trip.

Pre-Apprenticeship Opportunities

Are you someone who isn't actually sold on the idea of college being your next direct step after high school graduation?  There are a lot of students who don't love school and can't imagine going directly on to college, but don't always know the options that are available in our community that isn't a direct to college pathway.  We want to help make sure students and parents know of the range of opportunities available through Worthington Schools.

To help start sharing that information with students and families, next Monday, October 13th at 6pm in the new Counseling & Administrative Center we will host a Pre-Apprenticeship Night.  

The Pre-Apprenticeship Night will allow families to learn about, hear directly from, and meet the staff at the Pre-Apprenticeship locations which Worthington Schools have a partnership with for students to be able to work and earn credit at the same time.  These locations include: Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, Independent Electrical Contractors, and Performance Columbus Drive Direct.

Current seniors can explore the options from Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, and Independent Electrical Contractors for the 2nd semester of THIS year! (They are semester only programs.)

Performance Columbus' Drive Direct Pre-Apprenticeship program is a full-year long program and so current Juniors who are interested should attend to learn about this program for next fall.  (Applications and interviews will be held in the 2nd semester of this year.)

We are excited and grateful for these partnership experiences that are available to our students.  If you have ever thought about something like a pre-apprenticeship or, maybe you haven't but are curious to try to see if it might be a fit, I strongly encourage you (and your parents) to come and check out the presentation next Monday night.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Parents, if you are interested in arranging to meet with one of your son or daughter’s teachers during conferences, the online system opened today for you to register for a meeting slot.  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.  

Conferences will be held on Monday, October 13th from 4:00 - 7:30pm and on Wednesday, October 15th from 5:00 - 8:40pm.  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.  

Please follow the steps below to register for a parent/ teacher conference:

- Follow this link to take you to the conference scheduler:  http://ptcfast.com/schools/Worthington_Kilbourne_High_School 

-  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 e-mail 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.

If you have any problems using the online conference registration system, please contact Sharon DeSantis at WKHS.  She can be reached by e-mail at sdesantis@wscloud.org or by phone at 614-450-6400.

Common App Completion Workshop

It may seem scary how fast time flies and that college application deadlines are rapidly approaching.  I don't want you to be haunted by your applications!  Even though it may be getting dark outside, on Monday, October 13th, from 5:00 - 6:30pm, the counselors will be at school to assist you.  The most important trick is to bring your information with you.  Sometimes the essays may seem spooky and common app can be ghastly, but do not be afraid - the counselors are here to help!  No costumes are required, but we will have some treats.  You don't want to boo hoo because you miss it.  :-)

Students are in very different places in their application process.  A few of you still haven't started and so this will be a great opportunity for you to get started with your applications with our support and assistance.  Most of you have started, but are struggling to get finished and so if you need help finalizing your essays or just finding the time to be able to work through your application and have components checked, this is the perfect opportunity to complete your applications.

While I understand that coming back to school or not leaving after practice isn't very appealing, the reality is that it will make a difference.  By spending an hour and a half on focused application work, I am confident you will find the progress you make on your applications worth the sacrifice.  So, unless you have finished 100% of your applications, I hope you will join me and the rest of the counselors on Monday the 13th to work on finishing them!

Homecoming Dance

Are you looking forward to tonight's homecoming dance?  I know that having the dance out on the football field is a lot of fun each year and is a great atmosphere for a unique experience.  As you get all dressed up ahead of the dance, I hope you enjoy the time with your friends taking pictures and going out for dinner.  Most of all, please stay safe and make good choices!  

Transcript Requests

Seniors must request to have your transcript sent to every college where you are applying.  You will do this using the Google Form on the WKHS Counselor Website. 

As you make progress with your applications, you can request your transcript at any point. Sometimes students think that you have to wait until you have applied to request your transcript and that is not true.  In fact, as long as you have determined that you are definitely applying to a college, then it is fine to go ahead and request your transcript. And, above all, you should be sure to submit the request at least a week ahead of the deadline. This is particularly important to me this year because I will be out of town without computer access October 31-November 2nd so I want to be 100% sure I have all of the Common App transcripts uploaded prior to that time.

When you are applying through Common App, I will upload your transcript and it will be sent to your college automatically when you submit the rest of your application. If you are applying through a non-Common App college then it will be sent electronically through a separate transcript program when you submit the request to us.

I know there are still a handful of my students who have invited me on Common App, but haven't submitted their transcript request form so if you aren't sure, please double check on your own Common App account because I am current on all of my Common App paperwork.

Also, on a separate note, don't forget that we have a modified bell schedule tomorrow for the Homecoming Week Pep Rally.

1st period - 8:40-9:19

2nd period - 9:24-10:12

3rd period - 10:17-10:56

4th period - 11:01-11:40

5th period- 11:45-12:24

6th period- 12:29-1:08

7th period- 1:13-1:52

8th period- 1:57-2:35

Pep Rally- 2:45-3:15

October 1st

Can you believe it is October 1st?!?  This is a key date for seniors for many reasons...

The FAFSA opens today (October 1st).  The FAFSA is a key component for colleges to be able to provide you with their financial aid offers so that you can consider the financial implications when making the decision about which college will be the best fit financially.  You can access the FAFSA here: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support

When students and parents are completing the FAFSA, you will each need to have an FSAID number.  This number will allow you to electronically sign your FAFSA and in the future it would let you sign promissory notes as well as complete future FAFSA's.

The student and parent will each create their own separate numbers.  You cannot use the same e-mail addresses for the creation of the numbers so if you don't have an e-mail address and have been using your parents e-mail in the past then this is the ideal time to create your own e-mail account.

You will make your own challenge questions to help you access your number if you forget it in the future so it is important to write down those challenge questions and answers to make sure you will remember it down the road.  I recommend that students and parents make a folder related to FAFSA where you store all of this information so that you will always have it when you might need it.

If you forget to create an FSAID number prior to completing your FAFSA, it will still have a link for you to be able to go back and create one, but ideally you should create it ahead of time.

Here is a link to create your FSAID: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

To help you with the college financial aid process we will host a Financial Aid Meeting on Monday, October 6th at 7pm via Zoom.  We are fortunate to welcome Faith Phillips, a financial aid director for OSU Newark and COTC, as our guest presenter.  

Why else is October 1st important?  We are now in the 1 month countdown to the November 1st early application deadline for so many colleges.  So you have a month left to finalize your applications.  Additionally, remember, you should be asking for any recommendation letters a month in advance which means TODAY!  So, if you haven't already, please be sure to ask your teacher (or me) about writing a recommendation letter for you this week!