Earning Credit

This week a large part of my time was trying to explain to students about how you earn credits in high school.  It is a valuable reminder for everyone.

High school is different than elementary and middle school.  In middle school, you take classes and each year you move on to the next grade and take all the classes for that grade.  In high school, you must earn credits for specified classes and the way you earn credit is by passing each semester of the class. 

So, for example, all students must earn 4 credits of English to graduate.  When you pass both semesters of English 1 during your freshman year, you move on to English 2 during your sophomore year.  If, unfortunately, you failed one of the semesters of English 1 then you are going to have to make that particular semester up before you can progress on to English 2.  Students who failed a semester will be able to make up the course either by repeating the class in summer school, repeating the class through credit recovery or repeating the class by retaking it during your sophomore year.  The bottom line is that you must REPEAT the class in some format.

Some classes (like English) have pre-requisites that students must meet in order to move on to the next level.  Other classes, like Science and Social Studies, do not have pre-requisites to move on to the next level so we will potentially allow you to move from Physical Science to Biology or from World History to US History without first repeating the freshman year class.  Don’t misunderstand though, you will still have to repeat the class at some point, but if you are not making it up during summer school, then you will likely be taking a freshman year class during your junior year.

In order to earn sophomore status, students must have earned at least 5 credits.  To become a junior you will need 10 credits.  To be classified as a senior, you must have earned at least 15 credits.

If you have any questions about where you stand with the credits you have earned or what still remains, please don’t hesitate to stop by and see me.

Registration Notes

Tomorrow is the last day to register for your classes.  As you are entering your course selections, I wanted to give you a few reminders that I have seen as issues with other students...

1. Don't forget to include your lunches for each semester.  The course codes are on the selection sheet, but it is 9910 and 9920.

2.  If you want to have an Academic Prep period (for current freshmen) or an Options period (for current sophomores and juniors), please be sure that you select and enter that information codes for each semester.

3.  There are students who want to take a full year of a class.  The courses that allow this are indicated on your selection sheet with an "R."  You will then enter the course number without the R for one semester and the course number with the R (stands for repeatable) for the 2nd semester.

4.  There are some classes that have the option of being taught in a traditional format or to be taught in a Blended format.  If you want to take the class as a blended course, you will select the course number with a BL at the end of the number.

Please be sure to log in and register with all of your classes that you want to take.

PE Waivers

I have had a lot of students asking questions about the PE waiver provides the opportunity for students to waive having PE as a required class for graduation.  This option is available to students participating in high school athletics including cheerleading and marching band.  (For ease of explaining and writing this, when I refer to sports or athletics throughout this post, please know that it also includes marching band.)  All students must still earn the full 20 credits to graduate from high school, this waiver would simply mean that what has typically been required (1/2 credit of Physical Education) would not need to be included in the 20 credits earned.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to any current student (as well as all future, incoming Kilbourne students).  Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does not count toward the waiver.

In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics.  This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year.  So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.

In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport.  This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility.  Also, dance team and the competition cheer team are all club teams and not high school sponsored athletics and so they are not eligible for the waiver option.  Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.

Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet.  If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement.  If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director concede that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.

Many students asked if it could be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match.  If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver.  The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and therefore doesn't need PE classes.

The district has developed a system to track your athletic participation automatically and that happens at the end of each school year.  Even though it should catch your sports automatically, it never hurts to double check at the end of the year to make sure your waiver appears on your transcript.

How Many Classes

"How many classes should I take?" It is a common question that students are asking and, in all honesty, the answer depends.

A general rule of thumb for students planning to attend college is that all freshman, sophomore, and junior students should plan to take at least 6 classes each semester. All seniors that are on track for meeting their graduation requirements can decrease the total number of courses each semester due to the demands of other requirements such as college and scholarship applications, but should still plan to take at least 5 classes each semester.

It is important though to remember that 5 classes is the minimum required in order to be considered a Full Time student and is what is required for all WKHS students.  Don't forget - being full time is critical for a wide range of reasons - insurance, child support, good driver discounts, etc.

If students are behind on earning their credits, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes during a semester or the year.  (Remember, most students will graduate with more than the 20 credits required!)

Also, please be sure that you double check and make sure you are taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities. (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible. So this includes band, choir groups, Mock Trial, In the Know, Dance Team, etc.)

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each quarter. If you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life course, you need to remember that these classes are only worth .25 credits so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility.

If you have questions about eligibility, please stop in the co-curricular office or to see me for additional clarification.

College Credit Plus (CC+)

College Credit Plus (CC+) is a great opportunity for high school students to be able to earn college credits free of charge.  The state helps to facilitate the costs of this program so they have established very specific requirements for students to complete in order to participate.  One of those requirements is that students have to attend a mandatory meeting every year.  (Yes, even if you have been in a past year.)  That meeting will be held tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 28th at 7pm at TWHS.

With CC+ classes, there are some classes that will have WKHS teachers teaching the classes all year just like normal, but you get college credit for it.  This includes the PreCalculus and Calculus courses taught by Kilbourne's math teachers.

There are also some other classes that will be taught by CSCC instructors who will come to Kilbourne and teach their courses.  These courses are different from traditional WKHS classes in that they will be taught 2 days a week for 2 periods a day.  The extra time available on the other 3 days can either be filled with another CC+ class or as time for you to work on studying and completing the work for your college class.  Below is a list of the classes that are going to be offered (depending on level of interest) and when they will run:

First Semester:
- English Composition 1: M/W
- Psychology: T/R
- Ethics: date to be determined based on other requests for students so that students can take all of their desired CC+ classes without conflict

Second Semester:
- English Composition 2: M/W
- Sociology: T/R
- Government: date to be determined based on other requests.  (This year it is on T/R)

If you are currently in AP Lang, when you take the AP Test at the end of the year, if you earn a 3 or higher then you will have earned the equivalency of the English Composition 1 class.  This would make you eligible to go straight to Comp 2.

One of the keys to understand about the CC+ classes is that this is guaranteed college credit IF you pass the class.  (So, unlike AP classes, no test to take on one specific day to try to earn the college credit.)  The credit is guaranteed for every public college in the state of Ohio.  Private colleges and out-of-state colleges all have the option of accepting or rejecting the credit just like they do with AP courses.

If you need me to help you map out how this would look for the classes you are considering, please feel free to stop and see me and we can write it out.  This is a great, free opportunity and with the cost of college being so expensive, every free class can help so I don't want you to miss out on the chance.  Please, if you are even remotely considering CC+ for next year, go to the meeting at TWHS tomorrow night.  At the end of the evening you will receive an Intent to Participate form and then if you sign up for a class, please bring that form to me at your junior meeting.

Reminders and Program Opportunities

I hope you had a great weekend.  We have a busy week ahead and I wanted to give you all a few reminders about steps you need to take.

1. Register online.  The registration system is currently open and waiting for you to submit your course requests.  Don't forget, you must register by Friday.  And, if you are a junior with a 1:1 appointment with me tomorrow or Thursday, don't forget that you must have submitted your requests before our meeting.

2.  Teacher recommendations.  Please continue to seek input from your teachers about what classes they would suggest for you to take next year.  If you want to take a class that differs from what they have recommended, please start by talking to your teacher and refer back to my blog from a few days ago about the steps you can take to change the class.

3.  Cap and Gown orders.  Seniors need to order their cap and gowns for the commencement ceremony by Friday!  You will place your orders on their website.

4.  Curriculum night.  Want a chance for parents and students to hear more in depth information directly from the teachers who teach particular courses?  Curriculum night is just the answer.  This evening event will take place tomorrow night, Monday, January 27th, starting at 7:30pm.

5.  Registering for other programs.  Don't forget, in addition to all of the wonderful opportunities available to you at WKHS, as students, you also have choices for programs housed off-campus.
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 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.  They have additional second look visit days coming up in February and March.

It is important to remember though that the Delaware Area Career Center requires students to apply and even though the priority deadline has passed, they assure us that they still welcome your application.  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 online 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.

Linworth is another incredible option for some of our WKHS students.  While most students who attend Linworth start there as freshmen, there are limited opportunities for older students to apply and attend.  If you are interested, we need to set up a time for you to visit and interview.  For current Linworth students, please register online for just the classes you will take at WKHS.  As always, you will set up your Linworth schedule at Linworth on the first day.  

Worthington Academy is another application based program available to WKHS students.  The Academy is housed on the west end of Phoenix Middle School and it provides students with the opportunity to blend their learning with a mix of teacher instructed and online courses.

Much like the DACC, students who are already attending the Academy and are in good academic standing can register for the Academy as a part of their registration process and then select only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS.  Those students who are applying for the Academy for the first time will register as if you were going to be attending classes at WKHS for the full day.  Once you are accepted, the Academy staff and I will go in and update your course requests so that you have the Academy and only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS in your schedule.

Please know that there are limited seats available at the Academy, so if you are interested in applying you want to get your application in as soon as possible.

If you have questions about the Worthington Academy, feel free to stop and see me or you can also contact the Academy Principal, Mr. Flynn, via e-mail at sflynn@wscloud.org.

New Class & IB Classes

There is 1 new class available to students for next school year and I anticipate that it will be a VERY popular course among juniors and seniors.  The class is IB Sports, Exercise, and Health Science SL.  This is a highly rigorous IB science class that will be taught by Ms. Hopkins.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is an option 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.

Students who are interested in completing the full IB diploma program will have specific IB courses to take along with completing the IB exams, an extended essay, and a community action service project along with a Theory of Knowledge course.  Even 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.  And there is an IB partial program that you can explore if you fall somewhere in the middle.

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 the IB program or to Mrs. Goodwin who is the IB program coordinator.  And, of course, you can always talk to me too.