Summer School

For the last few days since you finished school I have spent hours going through the failure lists and emailing and calling families to talk about the importance of signing up for summer school.

Just as a reminder, if you fail a class in high school, you have to repeat that course before you can move on to the next level.  So, for example, if you fail Math 1 then you have to take Math 1 again before you move on to Math 2.  This is particularly challenging for students who fail English or Math since those courses each require 4 credits to graduate.  If this applies to you, PLEASE be sure to sign up for Worthington Summer School today!  It is free and transportation is available if you need it.

What I have not been contacting students and families about are the reminders of registering for summer school for ADVANCED credit.  Back in February when we were looking at your intended courses for next year many of you reported that you would be taking classes during the summer.  That is completely acceptable - you just need to make sure you are taking your classes through an accredited school and then transferring that credit back to us by bringing in a copy of your transcript.  Many students have found TRECA to be a cost effective alternative, but again, it can be any accredited school.

On the WKHS Counselor website we have links to all of these summer school registration pages or you can, of course, simply Google it.

If something has changed in your plans and you will not be taking a class that you had previously indicated you were going to complete via summer school, please send me an email at school to let me know that so that I can adjust your schedule for next year.  (This goes with advanced classes and for classes that you have failed.)  I will be at school working through Wednesday to try to get as many of these adjustments made as possible.

Summer Break Begins

Congratulations!  You have officially made it to the end of the 2018-19 School Year.  I still feel like we just started the year let alone starting the semester and yet here we are.  I hope that you are proud of how the year went and that you are pleased with how you finished the year academically.  Enjoy the end of the start of your summer and please stay safe!

Planet Fitness Teen Summer Challenge

Planet Fitness is offering an incredible opportunity for teens this summer.  You have the opportunity select a Planet Fitness location and sign up to be able to work out for free between now and September 1st.  This free offer is valid to any teens between the ages of 15-18 years old.  You will need to have your parent or guardian go with you to sign up.  Check out this link for more information.

Managing Test Anxiety

It’s normal to feel a little bit nervous before and during a test. What is important is to learn how to deal with those anxieties so that they do not become overwhelming. Below are a few key strategies for managing test anxiety that might be helpful to you during exams. If this is something that you struggle with, please feel free to stop in and see me so that we can discuss additional ways to help manage your test anxieties now and in the future.

- Study. Being prepared is the single most effective way to help manage test anxiety. If you are confident that you know the material and have put forth your best effort to be prepared for the test, then you can relax and do the best you can.

o Learn from past quizzes and tests

o Ask the teacher for suggestions on how to best prepare for the upcoming test

o Don’t cram – that only adds to the stress and pressure of trying to “squeeze” everything in

o There are lots of study strategies available that can help students and I have a variety of ideas, so if you are interested, stop by and see me and we can talk about different techniques you can try to implement for various classes.  There are also tips featured on the WKHS Counselor website.

- Stay Positive. Being confident and entering the test with a positive attitude will help you to achieve success. There are lots of strategies people use to help maintain a positive outlook –visualization (imaging yourself doing well on the test) and positive self-talk (we all talk to ourselves so instead of thinking that you are going to fail the test replace that self-talk with positive comments such as “I am prepared” or “this test will allow me to show how much I have learned”). Sometimes it is important to stay away from other people who tend to express their negative outlooks and opinions going into a test… those people who will just stress you out more with their panic about the test.

- Take care of yourself. I *know* that you hate hearing things like this (and yes, I acknowledge that at times this can be a hypocritical statement for me to make), but it is important to take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep so that you are well rested and mentally alert for the test. Eat a healthy meal (breakfast/ lunch) because you don’t want to be sitting in class focusing on food or listening to your stomach growl and you also don’t want to be coming down off a sugar or caffeine high and be dragging the rest of the testing period. Allowing yourself time to exercise is also important as it is a physical release of stress and can reinvigorate you for studying as you prepare for the test.

- Be a “smart” test taker. Don’t panic! Read the directions carefully. Take a deep breath to relax. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and if you don’t know an answer, skip the question to return to it later and continue on to other questions that you are more confident in answering. Budget your time, but don’t rush to be the first finished – this is not a race. Stay focused. (Focus on answering the question – don’t allow yourself to get off track and worry about your grade or how others are doing – just continue to refocus on answering the next question.) If you start to become overwhelmed with anxiety during the test, take a few slow deep breaths, relax your muscles and remember that you are in control of dealing with these feelings so just take it one step at a time.

- After you are finished, give yourself a short break from thinking about the test, but also don’t forget to consider what worked well and what could have gone better and then make changes accordingly for the future. If you were able to manage your anxiety effectively then you can continue practicing these skills for future tests. If some of the strategies were not effective, then you can try to adjust and adopt new strategies to help manage the anxiety.

Remember, it is also important to keep the test in perspective. It is actually quite rare that a single test will make or break you. (And yes, this even includes the End of Course Exams/ SAT/ ACT tests because you can always repeat these tests again in the future.) Good luck on your exams!

Don't forget - tomorrow you have 1st, 6th, and 7th period exams.

Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to the Class of 2019!  Today was a great celebration and I am excited for all that is ahead of you in the future.  I tried to get a picture of all of "my" kids, but that wasn't possible... but here are a large number of "my" students from the Class of 2019.

And, for all of the underclassmen who have exams tomorrow, don't forget - you have 2nd, 5th and 8th periods exams tomorrow!  I hope they go well!

Baccalaureate & Graduation Reminders

Baccalaureate service is the kickoff for graduation weekend and I absolutely LOVE it.  The ceremony is sponsored by the Activity Club and is held annually at a local church to celebrate the accomplishments of the WKHS seniors.  I love that this event honors the impact seniors have left on the school and community, and wishes them good luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead.

Many of my students were a part of last night's inspirational service.  Gracie Burford served as one of the emcee's, Alanah Spencer and Robbie Fadley both sang beautifully, and Jack Ellis introduced the Keynote speaker.  It was amazing to look at the baby pictures and the pictures of each senior now and think about how far you have come and all you have been through.  Thanks to Alanah who also helped put the slideshow together.  As if all of that was not enough, Kelly Baumgardner, the parent of one of my students, (mom of Jill who also introduced her mom) was the parent speaker and she gave a wonderful and touching talk.  I loved her encouragement for you to take care of your mental health too!  It was an insightful and meaningful message from a passionate, caring and dedicated mom.

The whole evening was made possible because of the Activity Club and their student planning committee which included some of my students: Gracie Burford, Alexa Burke, and Alanah Spencer.

Tomorrow for the Commencement Ceremony we will be at the Battelle Grand in the Greater Columbus Convention Center for commencement.  If you didn't give your parents the information sheet that was distributed at yesterday's practice, please make sure you find it and hand it to them.

One of the most important details that seniors need to remember to pass along to their parents after the rehearsal is which side of the stage you will be on at the commencement ceremony. As a general rule, assuming you are one of my students, you will be on "Stage Right" which means that if you are standing on the stage you are on the right side or, put another way, looking at the stage you will be on the left side. This is the side where you will march into the Battelle Grand and around until you reach your seat on that half of the center aisle as well as the side where you will go up the stairs to receive your diplomas. Trust me, your parents will not be happy if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of your special day.

Don't forget that you need to dress up beneath your cap and gown and that you should be sure that you bring your cap and gown with you to the ceremony.  You need to be there at 3:00 to check in.  Check in and staging will take place the "A pod area" which are rooms across from Ballroom A.

For what it is worth, don't forget to iron your gown - especially if you are just taking it out of the package today.

Perhaps the best recommendation that I can give to you and your families is to pick a place where you will meet up.  I realize that most of you haven't been to the site of the ceremony, but after the ceremony you will want to meet with your family and friends for photos and to celebrate. I can assure you that in years past the most chaotic (worst) place to be as soon as the ceremony is over is anywhere near the bottom of the escalator because everyone who attended the graduation ceremony will be trying to leave and coming off the escalator to try to find and meet up with their families and friends.  

It is going to be a great day and I cannot wait to see all of you enjoying and celebrating your accomplishments of the last 4 years at WKHS.  Congratulations, I am proud of you!

Congratulations Seniors

Dear Seniors,

Congratulations!  You have officially completed your LAST day of high school!  For the past 13 years you have worked hard to grow as an individual, to learn lessons in the classroom and beyond, and to make an impact in our school and community.  In Worthington they often talk about how we are working with students who will one day change the world.  I have no doubt in my mind that you will accomplish that goal - in large part because I already believe you are changing the world around you!  I know for a fact that my life has been changed by you and I am confident the other students who will still be in classes tomorrow will have similar feelings.  You make a difference often without even realizing the depth of impact that you are having on others.

Over the last four years I have been honored to watch you grow and change from often shy freshmen into often very outspoken seniors.  You have passion, enthusiasm, and a commitment to your goals (even if your commitment to procrastination is equally high).  I am grateful for the chance to celebrate with you as you received college acceptances or shared the news of how much fun you had at a Friday night football game or the Homecoming dance.  I treasure the moments when you let me see the "real you" that so many others don't always get to see - the parts of you when you felt frustrated, hurt, angry or sad.  I know you to be engaging and driven and you never cease to amaze me.  You are also the first graduating class who never experienced life at Kilbourne without having Lexi at school as a therapy dog and oh my how you have loved her!  I appreciate that very much.

It didn't matter if you had grown up in Worthington or you moved here part-way through, each of you has made an impact on Kilbourne.  Thank you again for allowing me to share in your journey.  The best is ahead of you!  Never doubt that you have the ability to achieve any dream and goal you set for yourself.  Please believe in yourself and always know that I am here, behind you, supporting and believing in you too.  I hope you will stay in touch and keep me posted on what is happening in your life.

Love,
Miss Abbott