Veteran's Day

I know that we celebrated Veteran's Day at WKHS last Monday ahead of today's official holiday.  It is a holiday that holds a special place in my heart.  I have such a high level of respect and appreciation for all of the men and women who make, and have made, the decision to serve our nation in the military.  Right now we have so many WKHS graduates who are serving in the military and no matter if they are in boot camp or already serving overseas it is a good reminder of how courageous so many of our students are in making decisions for the good of our country.  Personally, my mind can't help but go to my grandfather and his friends who served in WWII and knowing how much the war impacted their lives.  My grandfather has always been one of my heroes and his friends were like family to me too and so today, and every day, I am thankful for them.  I wish I expressed my gratitude to them more while they were all still alive, but I also hope that all of the men and women who are and have ever made the decision to serve our nation know the depth of thankfulness that people, like me, hold for their service.

Missing College Application Items

This week I have received so many emails from seniors in a panic about the notifications they have received from colleges about additional requirements needed to complete their applications.

There are things that you have to know and take care of related to your applications - transcripts and test scores are two of the big ones that seem to be causing the most problem at this point.  See, the challenge is that colleges know these are components that many students forget so as soon as they download your application, many colleges automatically generate an email to remind you about needing to send them.

So what do you do if you get one of these notification letters?

The first step is to stop and ask yourself - did you request your transcript?  That means, did you fill out the blue transcript release form for us?  If you did, and the application was through Common App or SendEDU you can log onto the websites to verify that your transcript was sent and on what day it was submitted.  If you applied through a college that doesn't use Common App or SendEDU, you should have received an email from Mrs. McDaniel when your transcript was submitted or you can stop in to see her to make sure you had requested your transcript, paid your $1 and that it was sent.

For your test scores, it is often harder to recall off the top of your head if you had submitted your scores or not since you signed up for 4 free scores to go to colleges when you registered for the tests.  So, I suggest that you log into the ACT and SAT websites and double check that your test scores were sent to every college where you are applying.

Colleges get really back-logged at peak application times and so it can take them several weeks to get all of the various components of applications matched up and processed and updated on their computer systems.  So, if your materials were sent in within the last 2-3 weeks and you can see that your materials were submitted, then you can relax because it just means that their system is backed up.  You can continue double checking on the college website to verify that they have everything.  If you are reaching the end of the 3rd week and they still don't show that they have everything, then you can give them a call to double check the status of your materials.  Like I said, chances are they just haven't made it there yet, but there are times where materials can get lost in the mail or filed in the wrong area.  If your transcript needs sent again, we can help you work to take care of that, but first make sure that it is really missing.

Sleep

I had hoped that last weekend and the extra hour of sleep connected to the time change would have meant that we would all feel well rested and ready for the week ahead... but that certainly wasn't how it played out.  Each day I repeatedly heard the same sentiments as I typically hear in most weeks with students proclaiming, "I'm so tired!" or "I need a nap!" or "I can barely stay awake!" and the reality is that most of you are sleep deprived.

The pace of our society tends to have people running in a million directions and so sleep is somehow pushed to the back-burner, but teens in particular need more sleep than even adults and yet you are stretched just as thin.  I know that getting more sleep is definitely easier said than done.  You have homework, sports, jobs, clubs, community service, time with family and friends, and hopefully some personal time to spend relaxing or doing the hobbies and activities that are meaningful and rejuvenating to you.  But when sleep becomes less of a priority and you become more and more exhausted, research has shown that it has a significant, negative effect on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

I know that it isn't easy to just say, "yes I need to get more sleep" and then have it happen, but I hope you will consider what small step you could take this week to try to increase how much sleep you can get each night - even if it is just an additional 30 minutes.  The steps you might elect to take will be different for each student and your commitments, but the effort to invest into your own well-being will be worth it!

I hope you have a great weekend with lots of time to rest!

So Much to Celebrate

There have been a lot of wonderful things happening over the last week that are worthy of celebration.

Last Friday morning was the first Socratic Society induction ceremony of the year.  Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core Socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.  A special congratulations to "my" students who were among those recognized this month! (Alphabetically): Owen Alderman, Ella Bally, Kaleigh Brophy, Aidan Cameron, Jordan Castelli, Karen Chavez, Aaron Chen, Devin Coons, Chris Coppel, Jack Corcoran, Ryan Cox, Gavin Crozier, Ethan Emami, Walker Evans and Sami Fink. I am proud of each of you!

Additionally, last Friday I had the opportunity to go and see one of my students, Maxim Estevez-Curtis, perform in her Senior Solo.  Maxim has been studying viola for years and worked extensively to prepare for her performance with her solo accompanied by an orchestra.  It was incredible to see her talent on display and all of the love and support she received.

And finally, the entire Worthington School District is celebrating that both Issue 9 and Issue 10 passed yesterday.  This will help our district to meet the needs of the students now and in the future.  For me, I want to say Thank You to all of the voters who helped to keep our district strong.

Pre-ACT Reminders

If you are taking the Pre-ACT tomorrow, you will report directly to the gymnasium when you arrive to school in the morning. You will need to bring your student id with you in order to check in. You will also need a number 2 pencil (no mechanical pencils allowed), a calculator, and I would recommend a watch. The test will begin promptly by 7:45 and you will finish testing at the start of 5th period.  (If you have lunch 4th period we will be sure you have time to eat and give you pass to go to 5th period.)

I was very happy to see so many of my students signed up to be taking practice test for the ACT and I wish you all good luck!  I hope it will be a meaningful practice opportunity for you in preparation for when you take the actual ACT in the future.

Good luck on the test!

Notes for This Week

This is a pretty crazy week ahead with lots of things I'd like to make sure you are aware of including my limited availability.

Tuesday is the Pre-ACT so I will be busy with test administration for most of the day.

Tuesday is also Election Day!  I believe that everyone living in the Worthington School District has hopefully heard about the fact that there is are two school issues on the ballot for November's election. Issues 9 and 10 are essential for our schools to continue functioning in an effective manner for all current and future students. Now, I realize that the majority of the students reading this blog are under 18, so this post is really more of a reminder to encourage your parents and your extended family and friends who live in the district to vote in support of Issues 9 and 10. Obviously, for all of the students over 18, hopefully you have already registered to vote so that you can have a say in the future of the schools.

Wednesday we will be hosting a special presentation called "Listen, Lucy" during 5th period.  If you have lunch, prep or options during 5th period I hope you will plan to attend the program in the auditorium.  I know there are several classes who will also be bringing their students to hear the presentation about reducing the stigma related to mental health and seeking support when needed.

Thursday and Friday I will be out of the building all day both days for a statewide counselor conference.  (And yes, the goal is to have Lexi at school so for those of you who have complained LOUDLY the last time I was out for a conference when I didn't bring her to school before I went to my meeting, please know that I have heard you and will make sure that I get her to and from school with a little help from the other staff at WKHS.)

With it being a pretty hectic week, please try to plan ahead if you know you need to meet with me about something and aim for either Monday or Wednesday.  And, one last time, please don't forget to vote this week!

November 1st

Congratulations!  For so many of the seniors today represented a significnat milestone.  As you hit "submit" on your college applications, I know there were mixed emotions - relief that the essay revisions were complete, hope for the possibility of being admitted, nervousness about the possibility of being rejected, and excitement that you had accomplished something that is a typical senior task.

I know many of you still have additional applications to work on over the next few months, but for tonight, take a deep breath and be proud of your hard work.

For juniors and younger students, just a reminder that the deadline to register for the December ACT and SAT is tomorrow.  So if you are planning to take either of those tests, please make sure you get signed up right away.