Sunday, August 4, 2013

Change is Constant

There are always changes - even with the best of intentions or when trying to plan well in advance.  As a school, we try very hard to notify students and parents of as many dates and deadlines at the beginning of the year as possible so that as you are filling in your calendars for the year you will be able to schedule around important dates and deadlines.

Unfortunately, we don't always get it right.

In the newsletter that we sent home with the summer mailing it featured the date for the Open House - when your parents have the chance to come into the school and follow your schedule to meet your teachers.  It is a very valuable evening and an important one for them to have on their calendars.  Sadly, we gave the wrong date!  :-(  Please make sure you adjust your calendars to reflect the fact that the Open House (also known as "Meet the Teacher" night) has been moved to Wednesday, September 11th.

Another change has occurred with the online fee payment.  I had mentioned this great new opportunity for parents to be able to pay your fees online in a recent blog post.  It was supposed to go into effect on August 1st, but there was a glitch in the system and the online fee payment option is not working right now.  Dr. Bowers wrote about this problem on his blog so I am going to point you there for more details.  It sounds like for now, you will have another year of paying fees the "old" way with a check on schedule pick up day... so please, remember to bring the check with you as each year students forget and have to run back home and start in the line all over again.  ;-)

I'd love to think these are the only changes coming my way, but my least favorite part of every school year is the panic that comes with students wanting to make changes to their schedules... we will all take a deep breath, smile, and somehow will make it through.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Common App


The Common Application is a centralized application that students can complete for over 480 different colleges and as of today it is now updated and released for the Class of 2014 to begin working on their applications. The colleges that participate in this application commit to treating applications received through the Common App with the same consideration as if students had applied through the institutions individual application. This will generally mean that you have to spend less time filling out all of the basic information about yourself and can mean that you have fewer essays to write (but maybe not).

On the common app there is 1 essay that must be completed for all colleges, but you do have a choice about what essay to pick from a list or prompts.  I wrote about those prompts last month - you can check out that post again here.

Then, the "tricky" part of it all is that many of the schools will also have supplements required which are other questions of their own that they want students to complete. Sometimes it is just simple questions that weren't covered on the common app, but would have been if you had applied through their individual application, but often times it includes short or long answer essays. Be aware and be prepared for that when completing your application. 

Not all schools use the common app - there are 18 Ohio schools which will utilize the common application this year, but as you are getting ready to start applications for the schools you are considering it is worth your time to look and see if more than one school from your list uses the common app.

I have spent the last few hours playing around on the Common App website and the new format will be pretty straight forward for you to use.  A few things I want to make sure you are aware of to help as you are completing your application...

- After you have selected your colleges and added them to your list you will see specific questions (the supplements specific to that school) and some of them are updated now, but others haven't been posted yet so you may have to check back.

- It will ask you questions about me and so you will want to be sure that you spell my name and e-mail address right or else I won't receive the e-mail to complete your school forms.  (Brianna Abbott, Title: School Counselor, E-mail: babbott@worthington.k12.oh.us, Phone: 614-450-6490)

-  There is a section about testing and it will ask if tests are required for graduation.  Your answer is "yes" as you are required to pass the Ohio Graduation Tests.  You will need to provide the information off of your transcript regarding your OGT scores.

-  I strongly encourage you to make a complete list of your activities and honors BEFORE attempting to fill out the Common App.  For example, you will need to give a total number of your honors before you start naming them.  If you haven't developed that resume list then you'll have a tough time filling it out.

-  As you are working on each area there is a panel on the right side of the page titled "Help Center" and I found it very helpful as I was going through the different areas.  Some of the typical questions kids have asked me in the past as they are completing the Common App are now answered in the help center.

-  You will have to indicate your class size - for the Class of 2014, it is 312.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Schedule Pick Up Days

By now you all should have received the new school year information packets in the mail, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the upcoming schedule pick up days!

Tuesday, August 13th: 

9th graders - 8:30 - 11:00am 
All students new to the district (regardless of grade) - 8:30 - 11:00am
12th graders - 12:30 - 3:00pm

Wednesday, August 14th:
11th graders - 8:30 - 11:00am
10th graders - 12:30 - 3:00pm

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc. (All non-freshmen students need to bring your ID's with you... the freshmen will have their ID cards made while at schedule pick up.)


This year, one new addition is that parents are now asked to update emergency medical information  online instead of having to write out the same repetitive information on multiple cards.  Dr. Trent Bowers posted detailed information on his blog regarding this process and I suggest that you read it and then follow the steps he outlines.

Additionally, Dr. Bowers blogged about the fact that parents can now pay fees online.  Here is a link to the post that he wrote about this new opportunity.  When I think back to past years where so many students forgot to bring in the check for school fees and had to go back home or go to meet up with their parents to get a check for the fees, I have to believe this is going to be a significant improvement.

I know that every year there are questions about what you should do if you are not available to attend on your designated schedule pick up day.  If you cannot pick up your schedule and books on your designated day you can come to school on the other schedule pick-up day.  If you will not be able to attend either day, then you will not be able to pick up your schedule and get your books until the 1st day of school.  Please plan on coming to school early on the 1st day if you are picking up your schedule and turning in any remaining forms and fees.

I'm sure it will be a few crazy days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Schedules

I am on vacation right now enjoying beautiful weather and fun times with my family.  Yet, school work and your schedules for next year had to come along this year.

Normally, the administrators are able to set the schedule and have everything locked into place before students leave for the summer.  This year, because of the move to Infinite Campus, what we all thought was going to be an "easy" schedule build quickly became a nightmare.

The administrators have continued to work on the schedule and a few weeks ago they let us know that they were done and we could start working on fixing conflicts.  They helped in that process quite a bit by going through and making switches to your alternates if your first choice classes weren't working, but there is still quite a bit of work left for us to do.

Unfortunately, the biggest part of the remaining problems will be tough choices for students and families to make.  The bottom line is that sometimes a class only runs 1 period a day and if a student has requested two classes which both happen to run just once a day at the same time then there is nothing left but a tough decision on what you'd like to take.

So, even though I am on vacation, I have started sending out e-mails to students regarding their schedules for next year.  If you don't get an e-mail, hopefully that will mean your schedule worked just the way you requested it (or at least with your alternates).  Although these are messages I hate sending out, I am happy that I at least have a great view to enjoy while working on my computer.  :-)

Thanks for your patience, flexibility and understanding if you are one of the students who isn't able to have their requested schedule to work out!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Volunteering

Have you been productive this summer? Have you accomplished any of the goals that you had hoped to achieve? I had pretty lofty expectations for some of the things that I had hoped to accomplish this summer and I certainly haven't made it through all of the items on my "to do list," but I continue trying to check items off the list. One of the great goals I know that many of you had this summer was to make a difference in the community by volunteering your time, talents, and skills. Have you enjoyed your volunteer experiences so far? If you haven't thought much about volunteering, there is still time to get involved!

Friday, July 19, 2013

College Athletics

Many students who participate in high school sports have an interest in continuing their athletic participation
at the collegiate level.  The reality is that only a small number of student athletes are able to compete at the varsity level in college.  However, most colleges offer a variety of ways that students can meet their athletic goals, which can include club and intramural participation.

Students planning to participate at the varsity level in college, will be looking at NCAA or NAIA colleges.  Athletic scholarships can be offered to students attending NCAA Division I or Division II colleges and NAIA colleges.  NCAA Division III colleges do not offer athletic scholarships for participation.

If you are hoping to be a recruited athlete, it is important to be aware of the restrictions on when athletes can be contacted by coaches as well as when it is acceptable for you to reach out to college coaches.  Additionally, the emphasis on academics is critical and so the NCAA and the NAIA both require student athletes to register to determine their academic/ athletic eligibility.

The website for NCAA Eligibility is: www.eligibilitycenter.org

The website for NAIA Eligibility is: http://www.playnaia.org/

NAIA Requirements:
  •           Must meet 2 out of 3 requirements in addition to graduating from high school

o   Minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
o   Minimum test score of 18 composite score on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (excluding writing section) – They do not superscore
o   Graduation in the top 50% of your high school class
  •           You must submit test scores directly from the testing agencies.  Their number is 9876.
  •           Students must submit a transcript after graduation.  Only 1 transcript is needed and should be sent after graduation unless you qualify for an “Early Decision.”  To be eligible for an early decision students must have the minimum test scores and have earned at least a 3.0 GPA after junior year or at least a 2.5 GPA after first semester of senior year.  If you will qualify for an early decision, you may send your transcript early and you will receive an eligibility determination before you graduate from high school.
  •           Registration fee: $70


NCAA Requirements:
  •           The NCAA requirements are a bit more complex because there are different requirements depending upon which division a student hopes to play in during college.
  •           Additionally, the requirements for students in the Class of 2014 and 2015 will be different than for those in the Class of 2016 and beyond.  Please look carefully at what your requirements will be depending on your year of graduation and your anticipated division of play.  (Division 3 does not require  eligibility approval for participation.)
  •           ACT scores used to determine eligibility are the sum of the individual scores (English, math, reading and science – not composite) and the SAT is the sum of the critical reading and math sections.  Writing scores are not used.  They do superscore (taking highest scores from each area added together rather than just using the highest from 1 testing date.)
  •           You must submit test scores directly from the testing agencies.  Their number is 9999.
  •           One of the key components to understand with NCAA requirements is that they compute your Core GPA instead of looking at your Kilbourne GPA.  Core GPA is made up of just your core classes – English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language classes.  Please double check the list of NCAA approved courses on the NCAA website as not all Kilbourne classes in the core areas are NCAA approved.
  •           Registration fee: $70
  •           They will require that you submit your transcript after your junior year and again after you graduate from high school.
  •           Online classes (such as credit recovery) cannot count for core classes.



For students graduating in 2014 and 2015:
                Division 1:
o   16 core classes
§  4 English
§  3 Math
§  2 Science
§  1 additional credit in either English, Math or Science
§  2 Social Studies
§  4 Additional years of Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language)
o   Minimum GPA and minimum test scores based upon sliding scale
§  Lowest GPA is 2.0
Division 2:
o   16 core classes
§  3 English
§  2 Math
§  2 Science
§  3 additional credit in either English, Math or Science
§  2 Social Studies
§  4 Additional years of Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language)
o   Minimum GPA is 2.0
o   Minimum test scores is ACT sum score of 68 or SAT sum score of 820.

For students graduating in 2016 and beyond:
                Division 1:
o   16 core classes
§  4 English
§  3 Math
§  2 Science
§  1 additional credit in either English, Math or Science
§  2 Social Studies
§  4 Additional years of Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language)
o   10 of the 16 core classes must be completed prior to the start of the senior year and 7 of these 10 must be in English, Math and Science.
o   The 10 classes completed before the start of senior year are locked in for GPA calculation of core GPA.
o   Minimum GPA and minimum test scores based upon sliding scale
§  Lowest GPA is 2.3 to fully qualify
§  Students with a 2.0 GPA may qualify for an academic redshirt

Division 2:
o   16 core classes
§  3 English
§  2 Math
§  2 Science
§  3 additional credit in either English, Math or Science
§  2 Social Studies
§  4 Additional years of Core Classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language)
o   Minimum GPA is 2.0
o   Minimum test scores is ACT sum score of 68 or SAT sum score of 820.


Although some of these articles are a bit older, I think the information on them will be valuable to students and parents hoping for college athletic scholarships.

(Be sure to read the articles highlighted on the left side of the above article too!)





If you have questions about college athletic participation, please feel free to see me, your coaches, or Mr. Todd in the athletic office.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Resume

Hopefully you are also balancing being productive with having fun this summer. If you are wondering what you should be doing this summer, one of the items that I hope you have on your "To Do" list is to create or update your resume.

It is important to compile a detailed list of:
- all of your activities including clubs, community groups, and sports
- awards received - it is helpful to know the award name, who it was from and reason for the recognition
- community service commitments with hours
- employment with hours

You can do this informally (just don't lose it!) on a sheet of paper or you can use a resume template.  The format isn't as essential as having an organized, accurate list.

Adding to and keeping this list updated is an important step for students of every age because when you sit down to start working on your college applications they are going to ask you over and over again to list out these types of items so having a complete list is key. I also hope it goes without saying that not only should the list be complete, but it should also be ACCURATE! Do NOT make up activities, awards, or other involvement that you did not participate in and did not earn!