Net Price Calculator

Today I was out of the building for a meeting about Financial Aid.  My head is still swimming with information that they shared, but I want to remind students of every grade about the benefits of using the Net Price Calculator.

Every college features a net price calculator on their website. This requirement is in an effort to help provide students and parents with the information needed to make more informed decisions and choices about what they can expect to pay for a college education at each school. Now, I will forewarn you that not every net price calculator is the same and some are more detailed than others. Why does this matter? Well, if it is very specific and takes all of the different factors into consideration that the financial aid office will be looking at when creating your financial aid package, then you are likely to get a better picture of what your estimated aid might be, but if it is a more simplistic calculator then there could be more variance when compared to your actual aid package.  Plus, of course, the accuracy of the information that you submit will determine the accuracy of the information that you receive back.

Without a doubt, college is very expensive and so trying to figure out the best ways to be able to finance your education is an important factor to consider in your college search and selection process. I hope that this tool will be useful to you as you investigate schools.

AP Exam Registration Reminder

CollegeBoard is in charge of AP Tests and they have fall deadlines related to the tests so you need to be sure you understand all of this so that you don't miss out on a key step related to the class and testing.

By now, all students should have “joined” the AP course online at the beginning of the year to access resources from the CollegeBoard throughout the year.  You will need your CollegeBoard account information to login and join the AP classes you are taking.  (If you have taken the PSAT, SAT, or AP Exams in the past then you already have a CollegeBoard Account.)

If you have a CollegeBoard account, it is important to use that account (and not to create a new one) as your scores from previous CollegeBoard assessments (PSAT, SAT, AP exams) are linked to your account.  If you already have established a CollegeBoard account, please visit myap.collegeboard.org and make certain that you can log in. If you have forgotten your password, you may call 1-888-225-5427 or email apstudents@info.collegeboard.org for assistance. 

If you have not already established a CollegeBoard student account, please sign up by going to myap.collegeboard.org. Make sure you write down and save your log-in information for future reference.  Remember, when you are setting up your CollegeBoard account, you do NOT want to use your school email account as your wscloud account cannot accept emails from outside of the district.

If you have questions, about establishing your account or linking it to the AP resources, please contact College Board at 1-888-225-5427 or email apstudents@info.collegeboard.org.

Once again this year students will register for the AP Tests in the fall rather than in the spring.  Below is information about the costs for registering for the AP exams and the deadlines for registering.

Exam Fees:

    Regular exam fee - $100 if ordered by November 4

        Students who are on the Free/ Reduced lunch program with the district are able to test for free, but you still must go through the full registration process.  Your My Payments Plus account should automatically show you are registering for a fee of $0.

·         Late exam fee $140 ($100 exam fee + $40 late fee)

o   Exams ordered between November 5 and February 24

November 4 – Regular Deadline

·         Last day to order exams at regular exam fee ($100)

·         Register for AP exams through My Payments Plus account

·         After November 4, all changes to exam status must go through Worthington Gifted Services Office

February 24 – Final Deadline

·         Last day to order exams with $40 late fee ($100 exam fee + $40 late fee = $140)

·         Last day to make changes to exam status

Questions? Contact Kyle Sarver or Suzanne Palmer in the Gifted Services Office, 614-450-6056/ ksarver@wscloud.org or 614-450-6055/ spalmer@wscloud.org.

WKHS Activities

At Kilbourne we are lucky to have LOTS of clubs and activities that students can join in on and participating in one (or more) is a great way to be able to find the place where you belong at school.  Not only are clubs and activities a great way to meet people with similar interests, but they also give you the chance to be able to contribute in a positive way to the activities and groups which show the diverse interests and strengths of our school.

Lately on the announcements I have heard information shared about several new clubs...  The WKHS Ski & Board club is returning with Mr. Patch leading the way.  If you enjoy skiing or snow-boarding, this might be a great chance to join a club and do something that you already love.  There was also an announcement about a new Baking Club that Mrs. Saunders is starting and I think that will be a fun experience for any of you who enjoy baking (and eating) your creations.  Mrs. Saunders is a very talented cake decorator with elaborate cake creations so I'm sure you will have fun learning from her as a part of this club.

But what if you look at the list of clubs and there isn't one that jumps out at you?  Then this is your perfect invitation to show your leadership and start a new club!  Organizing a club is much easier than you'd think... you simply need to find a few people with shared interests, a staff member who is willing to volunteer as your mentor, fill out a form, announce the club's existence and start meeting!  You can totally do that for an area of interest/ passion for you.  For example, I was over at TWHS for a meeting a few weeks ago and I saw signs about their new Spike Ball club.  I know there are plenty of WKHS students who enjoy spike ball.  That can become a club.  Anime is another area of interest for many of our WKHS students, so why not start a club dedicated to anime?  There is no shortage of ideas or opportunities because Kilbourne wants to make sure that every student has a place where you feel supported, connected, and involved and clubs are a great chance to make this happen!

If you want more information about the clubs that exist or to get the form to establish a new club, don't hesitate to stop by the co-curricular (athletic) office at WKHS and they can help you!

Interviews

A few weeks ago I was able to participate in mock interviews for the students in the Career Mentorship class.  It was a fun to interview the students and learn more about them.  But my biggest take away was that you don't realize how much of an impression an interview can make... and you need to sell yourself!

What do I mean by selling yourself?  You need to think about the strengths that you bring to a job or college and find ways to talk about them.  You need to share examples of stories which show your characteristics in action and talk about those moments.  You need to point out the positives you can contribute.  Sharing and talking about these things doesn't mean you're bragging or that you are cocky.  The interviewers typically don't know you and they don't know anything about you.  If you don't tell them, they won't ever know!

How did I realize this?  During the mock interviews, I had a chance to interview a few of "my" students.  And I could have told an interviewer more positive things about them than they told me about themselves.  You speak 2 languages - that is AMAZING!  Tell them that.  You have moved and adjusted to a new school - that is RESILIENT!  Tell them that.  You are already working a part-time job somehwere - that is DEPENDABILITY!  Tell them that.  You play a sport and keep up with school - that is STRONG TIME MANAGEMENT!  Tell them that.  You don't do much but hang out at home, watch tv, and play video games - that is CONTENTMENT!  Tell them that.  

Yes, so some of your strengths and characteristics and values might be in how you sell them to the person you're talking to, but each of you has gifts that you bring to the table.  You can all make a positive difference in a job or on a college campus in the future.  It is up to you, in the interview, to help make sure that this positive difference is seen and noticed by the person you are talking to so please, SELL YOURSELF!

Good Luck

Tomorrow, while everyone is enjoying the start of the long weekend, Owen Cotterman, a current senior, (and one of my students) will be competing in the Golf State Championship!  It takes tremendous dedication, focus and hard work to qualify for states in any sport.  I am proud of Owen for his commitment and I know he will represent Kilbourne well at states.  Please join me in wishing Owen good luck!

I hope you all have a great and safe long weekend!

Semester Grades

Tomorrow is the final day of the 1st quarter.  (Yay!)  And I know that there are a lot of students who are stressed out about their grades, but I want to remind you how grades, credits and GPA work.

Students earn credits each semester if their SEMESTER grade is passing.  And the SEMESTER grades are the only grades which appear on the transcript and count into a student's cumulative GPA.

What makes up your semester grade?  Each semester grade is calculated using the 2 quarter grades and the semester exam grade.  For WKHS students, the return of semester exams and how that will impact your grade is a new element for almost all of you.  Each quarter grade is worth 45% of your semester grade and your exam is worth 10% of your semester grade.

So, if you look at your 1st quarter grades, that equals 45% of your grade for the semester, but you still have 55% of your grade left to earn.  Which means hope is never lost even if your grade isn't where you want it to be.  However, if your grades aren't where they should or could be, you need to start making changes right away because it becomes more difficult to dig out of the hole with every passing day that you don't do well.  

When we had exams previously a lot of students would be concerned that the exam could change their grade up or down a letter grade.  And while yes, that is technically true, what we found was that most students performed about the same on their exam grade as they did in the classes.  So you don't want to count on getting a 100% on your semester exam if you were getting F's all quarter long.

You're at the half-way point for earning the grades that will be on your transcript and calculate into your GPA.  Be sure that you are setting yourself up for success.  Every day is a day to bring you one step closer to your goals.  Try not to focus too much on the ending point and just do what needs to be done today to get you closer to where you want to be in the end.

Showing you care

First, before I get into today's blog post, I want to remind all students that if you are planning to participate in the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center in November, remember to turn in your permission slip to the Counseling Center before the end of the day on Thursday!  There is a tray in the front of the counseling center where you can leave your completed permission slip.

Now... the real reason behind my post today is to talk about the concept of what do you DO when you care...

I was recently listening to a speaker talking about how a lot of teens might hear their friends talk about difficult topics.  This might be thoughts of self-harm or suicide, it could be depression or deep sadness, or thoughts of hurting someone else.  When these conversations come up, how do you show you care?  A lot of times teens will fall into a trap thinking that if they keep it a secret because their friend trusted them that it would be the best way to demonstrate that care.  But that isn't truth.  To show you care it means you have to demonstrate that by speaking up and sharing the concerns with a trusted adult.

I have heard kids claim that they think it is "snitching" on their friends if they are telling about a concerning statement or behavior, but nothing could be further from the truth.  You are not snitching on them when you are trying to get them help.  Snitching is if you're trying to get someone in trouble - not helping them get support when they aren't able or willing to get that help on their own.

When your intention is to get someone help, care and support, that is ALWAYS a good thing!  Additionally, if you were to hear someone make some kind of a threat about the school, community or against someone else, speaking up is demonstrating your care for the school, community or other person.  Again, this is always a positive action!

My hope is that you will always speak up and say something if you think someone might be struggling.  Getting help is important and you could be the one to help link them to that needed care!