Miss Abbott's WKHS Blog

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

PSAT

Registration for the PSAT begins tomorrow. Here is more information about this important, upcoming test.

PSAT Test Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Location: WKHS Gym
Time: 7:15 (check-in) beginning promptly at 7:45am – 10:45am
Cost: $15 (checks payable to WKHS)

The PSAT is the practice test for the SAT. Juniors and interested underclassmen can register in the Counseling and Career Center by bringing in cash or a check made out to WKHS. This is an important practice test for the SAT and it is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Even if you took the test as a sophomore you should re-take the test as a Junior!

Each year I receive a lot of questions from students about if they should take the PSAT or not. Juniors, the answer for you is very simple - YES! You should definitely take the PSAT. Registration costs $15 and you can sign up with check (made payable to WKHS) or cash in the counseling center with Mrs. Focht between tomorrow and Thursday, October 8th.

For the underclassmen, I have to be honest, the answer is not as simple. As you have heard, the SAT is changing. The PSAT will be based upon the new SAT. So, if you would like to get an early glimpse of what the new SAT is going to be like then this is a great opportunity to do so. It also allows you to practice for your junior year attempt of the PSAT when it would actually count for the National Merit Scholarship competition. So I guess my answer would be there is no harm in taking it this year, but if you are feeling stressed with the number of tests you have to take and this is going to stress you out even more, then give yourself a break and don't take the test this year and wait and take it in the future.

All teachers know that 300+ students will be taking the PSAT and therefore missing class on October 14th which means that they may be adjusting what is covered that day, but remember that you will still be responsible for making up any missed work from your classes.

To get an idea of what to expect on the new PSAT there are free practice tests available on Khan Academy's website that you can use to familiarize yourself and feel confident about what to expect.

Monday, September 28, 2015

25 Common Mistakes in Choosing a College

How are you doing with searching for colleges and (for seniors) organizing and finalizing your list of where you are applying? It can be a challenging process. As you probably know, I follow a lot of other blogs and read a lot of articles connected to college search and I read this list of 25 common mistakes in choosing a college. I whole-heartedly agree with the list and think it is important for students to consider as they are looking at schools. The list of 25 mistakes came from this article which also provides great explanations for WHY these actions are mistakes.

1. Only look at colleges your best friend is looking at

2. Go to college where your girlfriend (or boyfriend) is going

3. Consider only colleges that mom or dad attended

4. Choose a college because it is the last place mom or dad want you to go

5. Choose a college based on the quality of their athletic teams

6. Go to the college with the best party scene

7. Look only at colleges within 50 miles of where you live

8. Don’t examine who you are and what you want from a college

9. Consider the cost of the college in deciding where to apply

10. Don’t visit a college or a similar type of college before applying

11. Choose a college without investigating campus safety

12. Let the choice just happen instead of taking charge of your future

13. Apply to colleges that you don’t really like because you think it will make your parents proud or impress your friends

14. Choose a college based on whether the student body is attractive

15. Believe that the harder a college is to get into, the better it must be

16. Assume that all colleges are the same

17. Rely on the rankings in news magazines

18. Apply only to prestigious colleges

19. Rely on someone else’s opinion

20. Be too shy to ask questions

21. Rely on a college’s advertising

22. Misjudge your ability to get admitted to a particular college

23. Ignore the resources you have available to help

24. Don’t adequately investigate your college choices

25. Decide that there is only one “right” college

Sunday, September 27, 2015

School Reminders

I wanted to make sure that all of you were aware that the last date to drop a 1st semester course without having it appear on your transcript is this Wednesday, September 30th. That is also the last date to submit a request to have a 1st semester class graded on a pass/ fail scale instead of the traditional grading system. Please make sure that your requests for these options are turned into the counseling center before the school day ends on Wednesday!

Wednesday is also a homeroom day so we will be on slightly different bell schedule. It is an 8-minute homeroom so check your planbook for the exact schedule, but you only lose 1 minute from each class. Information about the upcoming PSAT will be distributed during homeroom, but as a heads up - you can begin registering for the PSAT starting on Wednesday in the Counseling Center. (More info will be coming soon on my blog about the PSAT.)

Also, Picture Retakes will take place on Thursday, October 1st. So, for those of you who did not like how your pictures turned out from schedule pick up day or anyone who didn't attend schedule pick up day and therefore have not had your picture taken yet, please make sure to stop by during your lunch period and have your picture taken.

And, last but certainly not least, if you are applying to college with a November 1st deadline, you need to make sure that your teacher(s) and I have your recommendation information sheets no later than Thursday, October 1st so that we have 30 days to write and submit your recommendation letter before the deadline.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Colleges Evaluating GPA

When colleges evaluate applications for students there are a great deal of factors they take into consideration. One of the aspects they look at is the student's grade point average (GPA). I already talked about how GPA's are calculated at WKHS earlier this week, but did you know that many colleges unweight your GPA? College admissions officers look at the school profile submitted with each application to make sure they have an idea of how your GPA stands up to other students from WKHS, but that only helps them gather an idea about you as a Kilbourne student. It is hard for colleges to figure out how to compare the grade point averages for students from different high schools because each high school determines their own system for calculating GPA's. For example, at WKHS we weight grades for AP and IB courses, but other schools might weight grades for honors classes as well and yet another school may not give extra weight to any classes. Additionally, some schools calculate different GPA levels for grades with plusses/ minuses - so a B+, a B and a B- each have a different weight while others (like Kilbourne) do not computer plusses/ minuses as being different than a standard grade - a B in the example mentioned. As a result, many colleges will look at the high school transcripts and re-calculate the grade point average based upon their own system so that they are comparing the GPA's on the same scale. Please know that not every college will recalculate and unweight your GPA - it depends on their own policies and procedures. If you have questions about if colleges will recalculate your GPA or not you can always ask the admissions office.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Infinite Campus

Can you believe we are about at the half-way point of the first quarter? In many ways it feels like we just got started. As you probably recall, we no longer send home interim reports because you have the opportunity to check your grades on an ongoing basis. But, since we are about half way through, this is the time when you are able to get a good feel for how you are doing in each of your classes. I strongly suggest that you take a look at your grades and make sure you are on track for the quarter.

I am sure you and your parents know how to access Infinite Campus which is the system that has your schedules, attendance, grades, and transcripts. Your teachers are updating their grades at least once a week so that you can check and have an ongoing update for how you are doing in each class. This continual information provides you with the chance to celebrate if you are doing well and to identify what you might need to change if you are not meeting your own expectations for the goals you had set for the year.

One challenge for me is that I cannot see the same things that you see when you look at Infinite Campus. I have heard that the program is a bit more difficult to use on the computer, but that for people with smart phones, the free app from Infinite Campus is very easy to use and is a great tool. If you are interested in downloading and using the free Infinite Campus app, you will need to know that the District Code is: YCWTRL

If you haven't figured out how to access Infinite Campus at all, please visit the Worthington Website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then you will click on the Login Icon that is located in the top Right portion of the page. You can also look below the login boxes for a link to Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Welcome to WKHS!

Yesterday morning we hosted a breakfast for students who are new to the district to welcome them to the Worthington Kilbourne High School community. We wanted to take the opportunity to check in on how the new students are adjusting to life at WKHS and hear more about where they moved here from as well as what they like or dislike. It was a great way to start the day!

WKHS has about 60 students who are new to the district. Many of them are from within Ohio, but we also have new students from as far away as Venezuela - not to mention our foreign exchange students who come from several different countries across the world. Each of these students brings knowledge of their past communities that will strengthen and enrich our school.

It was wonderful to talk to the students and hear about their old schools. I was jealous of one who said their day started at 9:15 and ended at 4:00 - since I'm not a morning person that sounded pretty amazing to me. A few students talked about the fact that their old schools were mostly outdoors - and didn't have indoor hallways, etc. (granted those schools were in Florida and California!) A few of the new staff members also joined us for the breakfast and the crazy part was that both of them were WKHS graduates.

I am thankful to come to work at WKHS every day and as I talked with these newest Kilbourne Wolves, I was excited that they are a part of our school because they have so much to contribute and I was overwhelmed with pride - not only in the way that these students have overcome the challenges involved with adjusting to a new school, but also with pride for how the students and staff have welcomed the new students.

On the bulletin board in the library there is a map with pins representing where some of our new students have moved here from and I will be printing pictures of our new students to put with the maps. Be sure to check it out and if you haven't had a chance to meet any of the new students - try to take a moment and find one of them in your classes, lunch, sports, or clubs and welcome them to WKHS.

(Sorry for the duplicate e-mail - I had been working on this post still when it sent out and I wasn't quite ready for it to go. :-) I know it happens, but I didn't want to fill your inbox inappropriately.)

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Ready for some reading?

I read a LOT of blogs and follow many sources related to college/ career/ personal/ social/ and academic news. Below are a few of the articles I have saved with the intention of sharing with you. I had grand intentions that I would use the articles in posts particular to each topic, but the list just keeps growing longer and so I decided I needed to go ahead and share them so that you could benefit from the articles that might help you rather than making you continue waiting until I could come up with a blog post about each individual topic. So, happy reading! :-)

10 best sites to look for scholarships

Know what to do before, during and after the scholarship search

Create a To-Do List for your College Search

3 tips to stop high school senioritis before it starts

Why public school may not be the cheapest college option

4 steps to choosing a college major

4 ways community college life differs from the 4 year college experience

Why I used to carry my college rejection letters in my backpack

3 back to school resolutions for high school students

11 student-athletes on what they learned from playing college sports

More athletic recruiting tips

Key Steps to the athletic recruiting process