Delaware Area Career Center

I have talked about the opportunities available at the Delaware Area Career Center in past posts, but wanted to remind students that if you are interested in learning more about DACC (such as the new senior only, one-year, Pharmacy Tech program) to please visit their website - www.delawareareacc.org - and also take a field trip up to visit the programs in person.

It is important to remember though that the Delaware Area Career Center requires students to apply and the priority deadline is coming up this Friday, February 5th.  So, if you are interested in applying to DACC, please get your application completed and submitted online ASAP.

For current juniors who are already enrolled as students at DACC, as long as you are in good standing with your program then you are automatically eligible to continue in your program next year.  So, when you register you will select the 1/2 day or Full day option that you prefer and register only for the classes at WKHS that you plan on taking.

If you are a sophomore or junior who has applied to the career center then when you are completing the online course registration, you will fill out the request as if you are taking a full day at WKHS.  Later, when you find out that you have been accepted to the program of your choice, then I will go back in and adjust your classes to reflect your half day or full day DACC preference.

Summer School

As you are probably aware, Worthington has a summer school program every year.  Online registration for Worthington's summer school is not open yet, but I will blog more details about it once it is available.

Some students and parents have had questions related to taking summer classes through a different school district or through Online schools.  The basic answer is yes, you are allowed to take classes through any accredited school.  Please be sure that they are accredited before you sign up for their classes.  After you have completed your course, they will give you a transcript and you will need to provide that to us at WKHS so that we can transfer your credit.  

As these courses are not coordinated or run by Worthington, I don't have a lot of details about various options, but a Google search for "online summer school" has been successful for students in the past.  (Some students also search for their intended course name to help make sure their search return gives them schools that offer that class.)  You can select any accredited program that works best for you - so look at their costs, learning experiences, expectations, and determine what seems to be the best fit for what you are seeking.

My top tip is to make sure you are signing up for their summer school classes because I do know that in the past students found there was a significant difference in the cost if they were taking a class online during summer school vs. taking a class online during the school year.

Academic Options Night - CC+ & Credit Flex

In addition to the wide range of courses that we have available here at WKHS, there are other academic options available to our students.

The College Credit Plus (CC+) program is an opportunity for high school students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students have the option of completing courses on a college campus, online, or at WKHS.  

College classes at WKHS include both classes that are taught by WKHS teachers who are eligible to serve as adjunct faculty at colleges and classes where CSCC instructors are coming to Kilbourne to teach our students.

Classes being taught at WKHS include: Pre-Calculus, Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Intro to Business, Intro to Programming Logic, English Composition 1, English Composition 2, Intro to Psychology, Intro to Sociology, Intro to American Government, Ethics, African American History, Classical Mythology, Physical Geology, and Art History 1.

There are a lot of details involved in participating in the CC+ program and students must complete and submit the paperwork before April 1st to indicate their intent to participate in the CC+ program in the following school year.  One new aspect about CC+ is the fact that students are now eligible to take classes during the summer in addition to during the school year.

In order to explain all of the details of the program and to provide you with the forms necessary, ALL students and parents interested in participating in this program must plan to attend the Academic Options night on Monday, February 8th at 7:00pm in the TWHS auditorium.  This will be a joint meeting for all of the students and parents in Worthington.  (So please be sure you go to the TWHS auditorium!)  Every college in a 30 mile radius was invited to participate in the meeting.  So far we have received confirmations that Columbus State Community College, the Ohio State University, Central Ohio Technical College, and Otterbein will attend to share the opportunities available through CC+ with their college.  Please see me if you are unable to attend this meeting as it is mandatory that you attend one and there are other options being provided at local colleges which you can attend if you can't make it to the Worthington meeting.

Credit Flexibility is another program we will highlight during the Academic Options night.  Credit flexibility allows students to earn credit based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of, or in combination with, completing hours of classroom instruction. Students are able to customize aspects of their learning around their interests and needs. It encourages student self-direction and motivates learners to develop new skills and fulfill their potential. Examples of credit flexibility opportunities include, but are not limited to, independent study, online learning, and demonstration of course proficiency.

If you have any interest in learning more about College Credit Plus and Credit Flexibility, please plan to join us on Monday February 8th!

IB Courses

One of the top factors colleges consider when evaluating applicants is the strength of the academic schedule students take on during high school.  (And, of course, that they do well in those classes.)  One of the options that students can consider for selecting a rigorous academic schedule that also has the benefit of providing students with a global perspective and integrated learning to make connections across courses, is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

There are 3 different pathways that students can take to earn an IB diploma at WKHS - business, standard and STEM.  All 3 of the options include IB core courses in English, Math, Biology, and Foreign Language.  What differentiates the pathways are the remaining courses that students can select in the IB program.  For the business pathway, students will take Business Management and Economics.  For the Standard pathway, students will study History and either Psychology or Economics.  And for the STEM pathway, students will take History/ Economics and Design Technology.  In addition to these courses, IB diploma program students will complete exams, an extended essay, and a community service project along with a Theory of Knowledge course.  

If students are not sure that they want to take on the full diploma program, you can still participate in IB courses!  You can take just a handful of classes (or even just 1) if that is what appeals to you.  For example, students interested in Psychology or History might elect to take just the IB Psychology course or just the IB History course.  However, many students may want to do the courses, but not the entire set of extra requirements for the diploma.  WKHS has another level of the IB program called, "cum Grege Leporum" which means, "with the Wolfpack" and is for students who want to take on the rigor and small learning community that IB provides without completing either the extended essay or the community service project.  

As an IB World School, our students have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous group of classes to push themselves to learn and grow.  Students that are in the IB program are among the first to talk about how much they have enjoyed the program.  If you have questions about IB I definitely encourage you to talk with students in IB or to Mr. Cooke who is the IB program coordinator.  And, of course, you can always talk to me too.

Junior Students & Parents

Juniors, are you excited? Finally, a post that is completely about you! :-) Each year as we begin the process for registering for next year's classes, I offer up the opportunity to meet for a 30 minute time block with every junior student and his/ her parents, if the parents are interested in joining us. I have set aside several days for these individual junior meetings - Thursday, February 4th (7:30am-9:00pm), Tuesday, February 9th (8:00am - 3:00pm), and Monday, February 22nd (7:30am - 7:00pm). They will be hectic days with back-to-back meetings, but I love the chance to meet with you and your parents to talk about the classes you have selected for your senior year and what your plans are for life after high school. I sent an e-mail out to your parents a week and a half ago, so talk it over with them and pick out a date and time that will work well with your schedule and e-mail me so that we can set up a meeting time.  If I haven't heard back from your family about setting up a meeting by Friday, I will assign you a time for us to meet.  Don't forget, please make sure you complete your online registration before our meeting!

Online Registration & Blended Classes

The online registration window is now open.  This means that you can log onto Infinite Campus and select the courses that you plan on taking next school year.  All students must submit their requests online.  The deadline to complete your online registration is Wednesday, February 10th.  

Juniors, remember that you need to complete your online registration prior to our individual meetings – which for many of you will begin February 4th!

One point that tends to confuse some students when registering is that the program refers to the total number of units that you are taking.  Units are equal to quarters.  So, if you are taking a semester long class, it is worth 2 units.  If you are taking a year long class, it is worth 4 units.  You will want to make sure that when you are finished selecting your classes, you have at least 20 (for to be seniors) or 24 (for everyone else) units selected.

Please be sure that you are using the course code to select your classes and double check to make sure that you have selected the classes that you actually intend to take next year.  One particular area to pay attention to is that we have some Blended courses being offered next year.  We have had Digital Art in a blended format previously, but next year students will also have the option of selecting blended courses for AP English Language and Contemporary Voices.  In the blended format, students will meet with the teacher for more traditional instruction, full class discussions, and other learning activities a few days a week and then the other days out of the week students will have the flexibility to take more personal responsibility for their learning by completing online assignments, engaging in digital conversations, and meeting individually or in small groups to push their learning forward.  This is an exciting opportunity for many students, but it will not be right for all kids so please know that the traditional format for these classes will also still be available if that is what you prefer.  Please note that the blended course sections have a different ending to the course code so if you do want to enroll in one of the blended courses next year, be sure to select the proper code/ course.

After you have selected your first choice classes, you will need to submit three alternative classes.  Please be sure that you select courses that you would be willing to take in case your first choice requests will not work.

The entire registration process will save automatically.

You need to make sure you get your teacher recommendations on the recommendation form (they will initial) and to have your parents sign the form.  You will turn these forms in when you meet with me on your designated days.  If you have already lost your form, please stop by the counseling center and ask one of the secretaries to give you a new copy.

If you have lost your directions for how to register for your classes:

Please visit the Worthington Schools website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then login to Infinite Campus using your ID and Password.  Click on “Course Registration 15-16 Worthington Kilbourne” from the selection bar on the left side.  You then click on “Course Search” and you can search by the course number.  Once you have identified the class that you want, you can click on the course to read a description of the class at the bottom.  Then, after reviewing the information to make sure this is the class you are interested in taking, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “request this course.”  The course will now appear under “requested courses on the left side of the screen.  Repeat this process for all additional courses you want to select.  If you make a mistake and decide to delete a course from your requests, select the course name under “requested courses” or “alternate courses” and a “drop this request” box will appear which you can then click and it will delete the course from your request list.  After you have completed selecting all of the courses you would like to take as well as your alternate courses, please review the requested courses list and click on “print request summary” to print a copy of your requests.  Have your parent sign that form as well and you will turn this sheet in along with your recommendation form.

Please let me know if you are having any problems.

Registration Step #1...

Based upon the overwhelming number of e-mails and voicemail messages from parents, not to mention all of you who are stopping down trying to see me, I know there is a lot of concern about registering for classes. The very first step I would like each of you to take is to PAUSE, take a deep breath and relax!  I know that it can seem stressful, but I promise we will get through this together!  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 I will be able to help you make it through the registration process.

Let me try to put your mind at ease on a few issues. Yes, you do need to register online in the next 2 weeks by Wednesday, February 10th. I will also be double checking all of your classes and meeting with every student individually. We will be able to make any changes that are determined to be necessary at the time of our meeting or throughout the month.

Some people are hoping to set up appointments in addition to the individual meetings. I promise that I am more than happy to meet with you and we will work to find a time that is convenient, but it doesn't need to be before you register online because I can still go into the system and make changes to class requests later. Please go ahead and register with your best guess on classes that you would like to take and then when we are able to meet if changes are needed I can make them at that time.

I hope that eases your mind a little bit to know that it is not completely locked in stone after you submit your requests online! 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.