Find a Balance

I'm pretty sure that I am not the only one who is hoping that we have an "ice day" tomorrow. It is rather sad that I brought home armloads of work with the hope that we'd have the day off so that I could try to catch up on work. :-) Perhaps if we have the time off you will be able to use the time to complete your online registration. Thank you to those students who have already completed their course selection! Don't forget you need to complete your online registration by the 7th and, if you are a junior scheduled to meet with me this week, please be sure to complete your registration before our meeting.

When you are considering which classes you want to take it is really important to try to find a balance. You want to challenge yourself with courses that will push you and help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that it is high school and you need to be realistic about your expectations of yourself. There is a balance that should be sought - between too many "easy" classes and too many "hard" classes. You know yourself best and what you can handle. So while it may be an honor to have every teacher recommend you for AP classes it doesn't mean that it would be the ideal situation to load your schedule with all AP classes. If you are struggling to find that balance, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it.

As a reminder, if we do have an "ice day" tomorrow, all of the junior meetings scheduled for tomorrow night will be cancelled and we will have to reschedule them for a different date in the future.

Please Plan Ahead

I wanted to let you know that over the next three weeks there are multiple days each week that I will NOT be available. If you have questions or would like to touch base about anything, I wanted to you to be aware up front so that you could plan accordingly.

This week I am not available at all on Tuesday, February 1st or Thursday, February 3rd. Next week I will not be available at all on Wednesday, February 9th or Thursday, February 10th. And the following week I will not be available on Monday, February 14th or Thursday, February 17th. During each of these days I will be meeting individually with students regarding their course selections for next year and, for the juniors, also discussing plans for life after high school.

If you stop by on one of these dates, leave me a detailed note and I will try to follow up with you again as soon as possible, just understand it isn't going to be possible for me to have a response back as quickly as normal.

Also, don't forget that the online registration is now open, so log in and complete your course registration!

Course Name Changes

The math department has changed their course names for next year. Since you are now starting to register for your classes, I suspect that this will create quite a bit of confusion until we all get used to the change, so I wanted to make sure you understood the various classes.

The changes are aligning the course name with the textbook name for each class. The changes have eliminated all "Basic" courses and added in "Advanced" courses.

For example, the "old" Basic Algebra 2 is now Algebra 2 and the "old" Algebra 2 is now Advanced Algebra 2. The same thing applies for Basic Geometry which is now Geometry and the "old" Geometry is now Advanced Geometry. The Honors course names have not changed.

If you have questions about the new class names, please feel free to check with your math teacher of with your counselor.

Registering for Next Year's Classes

As you heard during today's homeroom, all students currently in grades 9, 10, or 11 will use the online registration system to select the classes you would like to take next year.

Over the next few days your teachers should continue reviewing the different classes offered within their departments as well as talking with you individually about the courses they would recommend for you to take next year. Please be sure to carry your registration materials with you so that you can get your teacher signatures on the course recommendation form and can make any notes about other classes of interest. If you'd like to hear more in depth information directly from the teachers who teach particular courses, please be sure to attend Curriculum Night next Tuesday, February 1st from 7 - 9pm.

After you have determined which courses you would like to take, please talk it over with your parents and then log in and register. (The online registration system will open this weekend after you have received your teacher recommendations.) You will register on the portal at http://www.worthington-portal.org/ and it will prompt you for your username and password which you should know from school. If you have any problems, using the online registration system, please stop in and let me know so that I can try to fix it.

Remember, your math teachers indicated the math course that they are recommending for you to take next year online already so you will not be adding a math class. Also, as you are completing your online registration, don't forget that you can leave me a note in the request comments section. If you change your mind after completing your registration, simply log back in before February 7th and make your changes. After February 7th your course requests will be locked.

Don't forget to save your signed course recommendation forms! You *MUST* turn those in during your meeting with me. Freshmen will meet with me during Global History classes on February 9th, Sophomores will meet with me during BESS classes on February 10th, and Juniors will meet with me during your individually scheduled appointments. (Please don't lose your appointment slips since they are your only reminder and your pass if you need to leave class.) For those juniors who have individual appointments next week, please make sure you complete your online registration promptly this weekend or at the start of next week as I need your classes to be submitted online before our meeting! (Don't worry, we can still make changes if necessary.)

Hanging On By a Thread

I don't know about you, but the fact that we are only through 2 days of this week does not seem possible to me! Wow! What a crazy few days...

We have made it through the mad rush to pick up schedules when you left your 2nd semester schedules at home, the panic of not knowing anyone at lunch, the adjustment to your new classes and now, with just 1 day remaining to add classes, it is already time to start looking to NEXT year!

Tomorrow you will have a 24 minute homeroom schedule. During homeroom you will receive a copy of your report card as well as all of the registration materials for selecting your classes for next year. (Seniors have a class meeting where you will also receive your report cards.)

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule:

1st Period - 7:45 - 8:32

2nd Period - 8:37 - 9:24

Homeroom - 9:29 - 9:53

3rd Period - 9:58 - 10:45

4th Period - 10:50 - 11:37

5th Period - 11:42 - 12:29

6th Period - 12:34 - 1:21

7th Period - 1:26 - 2:13

8th Period - 2:18 - 3:05

Thanks also to everyone who attended tonight's Financial Aid Night and especially to Faith Phillips, Financial Aid Director at the Ohio State University Newark and the Central Ohio Technical College for presenting a wealth of information to the WKHS families!

Start 2nd Semester Off Right

Tomorrow begins the second semester of the school year. I continue to be amazed by how quickly the year is going and cannot believe we are already at the half way point. Your teachers are required to submit your 1st semester and exam grades tomorrow and then report cards will soon follow.

As we head into the 2nd semester I would like to remind you that this is an ideal time to get organized! The start of the 2nd semester allows you the perfect opportunity to reorganize your materials. When you are looking at your old school work there are several things to keep in mind - saving the information is useful if you have it organized so that you can access it to find and use it again in the future. I strongly encourage you to save all materials for year-long classes and for any classes that have potential relevance to your future - this includes anything that was particuarly interesting or helpful to you from your classes.

After you have figured out if you will be saving the items or not you need to determine if you have to continue carrying it on a daily basis to and from school each day or if saving it at home is sufficient. If you are able to leave it at home, keep it organized and leave it in a spot where you will know where to be able to find it quickly in the future.

Besides clearing out the information that you don't need to carry to and from school, it is also important to think about whether or not your organization system is working for you. Some classes require you to stay organized in a particular format like maintaining a binder, but most of the time teachers will let you find a system that works best for you. So, if you tend to have lots of random sheets of loose leaf notebook paper that you constantly have to sort through that never make it into your binder, then perhaps it is time to consider a spiral notebook. If you have used a spiral notebook and tend to have random pages of notes for different subjects mixed together, then this system is clearly not working so perhaps it is time to try a folder with the three ring clips filled with blank notebook paper for taking notes. There are countless ways to get organized and I am happy to help you with ideas, but the important point is to try something and keep up with it. The more natural your organization system is to your personal style the easier it will be for you to maintain it in the future.

There is an organization principle called, "OHIO," which stands for Only Handle It Once and it is a great philosphy. When you are dealing with papers or notes you don't want to have to constantly flip through tons of stacks of papers - it is much better to only handle it once and put it in it's proper place so that you will be able to find it again quickly if needed.

Managing Test Anxiety

Well, quite honestly, being prepared is one of the best strategies to prevent test anxiety. It is much more likely that you will be anxious and struggle with feeling overwhelmed if you have not adequately studied and prepared for the test. Unfortunately, for some students, you can be well-prepared, but still struggle with anxiety.

There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety:
- Recent research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.”
- Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test.
- Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious.
- Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the test expecting the worst to happen. You can remind yourself that you have studied and know the material.
- Avoid distractions so that you can focus on the test and not on what other students are doing. Do not compare yourself with others and how they are doing on the test.
- Take a deep breath, relax, and do the best you can.

I should also mention that smart testing strategies like getting a good night of sleep, eating breakfast, having all of your required materials (pen, pencil, calculator, scratch paper, etc), getting regular exercise, and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test on time will also benefit you as a whole and in testing situations.

Cap & Gown Orders

So, I had really good intentions of writing a blog post for tonight regarding test anxiety, but it has been a long day and I'm not sure I can successfully put 2 sentences together and have them be helpful... hopefully tomorrow.

For tonight, this message is for all of the seniors and their parents!

If you have not already ordered your cap and gown for commencement you need to take care of this ASAP! The initial deadline has already passed, but Herff Jones has extended the deadline to January 31st. The current price is $26.50, but it jumps to $55 on January 31! There are 135 seniors who have not yet ordered their cap and gown and about 25 of those students are "my" students. Please, get this taken care of so that you do not have to pay the late fee. If you are using an older siblings cap and gown, be sure to let Mr. King know in the co-curricular office. If there are any special circumstances or constraints and you cannot afford your cap and gown, please stop to see me and let me see what we can do to help you (before the cost goes up).

I hope your first day of exams went well. For those of you who are hoping to change your schedule for next semester, stop in and see me during your lunch or off period as I cannot call you out of any of your exams.

Good Luck on Exams!

Just wanted to wish all of you good luck on your exams tomorrow (and the rest of the week.) For tonight, stop studying, get a good night's sleep and then tomorrow, relax, eat a good breakfast, take a deep breath and do the best you can on your exams!

As always, I will be anxious to hear how things go for you on your tests - so stop in and say hi to share an update (and, of course, you can pick up a piece of candy too.) :-)

January Students of the Month

Congratulations to the students who were honored this month as being Students of the Month! Kilbourne students can only be selected to receive this recognition once in their high school career. A special congratulations to "my students" who were among those recognized as January Students of the Month. Left to Right: Stephen Downard, Mark Bobson, Addy Boyles, and Sarah Adams. I am proud of you!

Studying for Exams

Studying for exams can be daunting - especially because sometimes you don't know *how* to study. And, while, the weekend before exams isn't the ideal time to figure out what study strategies tend to work best for you, it is better late than never. The one lessson that I have learned (from both experience and from other students) is that reading your notes is NOT studying. You really need to be doing something in order to effectively study for exams. (And yes, I am aware that for some of you and for some classes reading through your notes is sufficient, but in general as you sit there reading your notes it is common for your mind to wander and you get through reading your notes and then at the test you realize that all of the information you thought you knew was actually just familiar.)

So, perhaps in addition to reading through your notes you could try some other ideas such as re-writing or typing your notes. Another great strategy is to go through and review your old tests - paying particular attention to questions that you answered incorrectly. Spending time reviewing old homework assignments and worksheets and working through the study guides your teachers provided (if they gave you one) is also an effective strategy. It can also be very helpful to enhance your notes by adding supplemental information such as what you have learned in the textbook or on other assignment sheets.

Once you have studied, spend some time questioning yourself to figure out the areas where you are still weak and then focus your studying on those areas. Question yourself again and hopefully you will find that you have mastered all of the information.

Good luck and happy studying!

A Few Reminders

Seniors: Don't forget to watch your financial aid deadlines. Some are as early as February 1st! With the financial aid meeting being postponed to January 25th it is important that you start working with your parents to gather tax information. Also, don't forget to order your cap and gown if you haven't already done so!

Juniors: We are about ready to start the registration process and your planning for senior year and life after high school. I sent an e-mail to your parents about potential meeting times as I would like to schedule a 30 minute appointment with each of you and your parents. The dates of the meeting options are February 1st (5 - 9pm), February 3rd (7am - 6pm), February 14th (7am - 9pm), and February 17th (7am - 6pm). I hope that will provide enough options so that we will have the opportunity to meet together with your parents. Take a moment and remind your parents about the meeting.

Sophomores: You have been through the experience of exams in the past so I hope you are learning from past successes and/ or mistakes to prepare and excel as you finish the first semester.

Freshmen: Semester exams will be a new experience. You do not need to panic, but you do need to prepare! Most teachers have provided semester study guides, some will even offer study sessions or extra review opportunities. Please take advantage of these opportunities to prepare so that you are confident and can demonstrate what you have learned since starting at WKHS.

December Socratic Society

I am *REALLY* far behind in posting some of the monthly student recognitions. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the November Student of the Month ceremony so I missed the chance to take a picture of the 3 students in my portion of the alphabet who were honored to celebrate them on my blog. I have tried on several occassions to get them together so that I could take the picture and failed. I will not give up, but I am going to give in and move to the recognition that took place in December...

The Socratic Society recognizes students for excellence in one or more of the core socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Teachers are invited to nominate students for the Socratic Society as a way to honor and celebrate the impact students are making at WKHS each day by carrying out these values. 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! (Left to Right): Christina Carrizales, Talia Bond, Riley Campbell, Cole Doran, Ethan Dixius, Danny Dutko and (not pictured) Jonathan Black. I am proud of each of you!

Financial Aid Night Postponed

I wanted to make sure all of you were aware that the Financial Aid night scheduled for this evening has been postponed to Tuesday, January 25th. The meeting on the 25th will still be at 7pm in the auditorium. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we wanted to make sure that everyone would be safe and we understand the roads are a challenge with today's snow.

College Admissions Decision Terms

As more and more students begin hearing from colleges I thought it might be helpful to know some of the most common terms you will see in response letters from colleges. Below are some of the more common college related terms/ phrases for admissions decisions. If you receive a letter and are uncertain what they mean, please feel free to let me know or to contact the college directly.

- Accepted: Congratulations - they are inviting you to join and be a part of their college/ university

- Declined/ Rejected/ Not Accepted: For whatever reason the college did not feel that you would be a good fit. While it is understandably disappointing, please remember that there are lots of colleges and universities out there so don’t give up on finding a good match.

- Decision Deferred: The college is not sure yet… usually they will tell you what additional data/ information they are interested in receiving to help them make their decision. The most common piece of data they will look for are senior year grades at the semester time.

- Wait List: The wait list is not a denial, but it is not an acceptance either. Colleges use wait lists as insurance to make sure that their freshman class will be the appropriate size. If enough students decide to attend, the college will not accept anyone off of their wait-list.

Also, don't forget that we track the admissions decisions, so once you have heard back from the school, please stop by and update me.

Semester Exams

You don't need to panic about exams, but you do need to prepare for them! As you are aware, we have just one week of classes before exams begin. Exams play a significant role in your final grade for the semester of each course (and remember, because we grant credits based on the semester this is really important to you!) Most of your classes will follow the structure that your 1st quarter grades are worth 40% of your final semester grade, the 2nd quarter grade that you are currently wrapping up now will make up another 40% and then your exam grade is worth 20% of your final semester grade.

20% is a really big deal...

Think about it, if you had a 57% the first quarter and end up with a 60% this quarter then you can still pass the class as long as you earn a 66% or higher on the exam. On the other side, if you are trying to make sure that you earn an A in a course and you had a 95% first quarter and an 88% this quarter than you need to earn an 85% or higher on the exam to reach your goal.
Clearly, exams are an important part of your grade, but more importantly, they provide you the opportunity to practice a more realistic glimpse of what testing will be like in college and helps you to showcase your semester's worth of knowledge.

Below is the schedule for the semester exams:

Day One - Tuesday, January 18th:

7:45 - 9:45: 3rd period exam

10:00 - 12:00: 4th period exam

12:00 - 1:00: Lunch

1:00 - 3:00: 7th period exam

Day Two - Wednesday, January 19th:

7:45 - 9:45: 2nd period exam
10:00 - 12:00: 5th period exam
12:00 - 1:00: Lunch
1:00 - 3:00: 8th period exam

Day Three - Thursday, January 2oth:

7:45 - 9:45: 1st period exam
10:00 - 12:00: 6th period exam
12:00 - 1:00: NO Lunch Provided!
1:00 - 3:00: Make-Up Exams

A couple of questions that tend to come up at exam time...

Yes, you are REQUIRED and EXPECTED to be in all of your classes during an exam. (Even if you don't have an actual exam, the teachers are going to be working with you on projects, papers, or other learning related to their course.)

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 1st period options and 6th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 20th.)

Hope that helps clarify and happy studying! :-)

Financial Aid Meeting

I wanted to remind you that this Tuesday, January 11th, is the Financial Aid meeting. The meeting will be held in the WKHS auditorium and begins at 7:00pm. We are fortunate to have Faith Phillips, a Financial Aid Officer from the Ohio State University presenting everything you need to know about financial aid.

A Glimpse Ahead

Today during the *very* short assembly, students were treated to a quick glimpse of what is ahead in your future. Freshmen and sophomore students had a panel of 4 current high school seniors who shared insight about what to expect in the future. Much of their focus was on insights they have gained throughout high school and what they would do the same or different if they could rewind the clock and start high school over again. I heard that presentation went pretty well minus some technical difficulties related to the microphones.

The juniors and seniors were lucky enough to have 2 former Kilbourne graduates, Jake Hertenstein and Kati Justice return to WKHS to share insight about what college is really like and to share advice about what they have learned through their experiences. Neither Jake nor Kati were "my" former students, but I was very thankful that they volunteered their time. Jake is attending the University of Colorado in Boulder and Kati is attending Kent State University. Recently I have had several opportunities to talk to (or e-mail with) many of my past students to hear about college life and each time I have the chance to hear more about their transition to college, I always feel it is beneficial. I hope that you also found their insights beneficial.

It was interesting, later in the day when students were stopping by I had someone ask if we had scripted their answers. I promise you we did not! Granted, I was very happy with what they shared, but Jake and Kati didn't know the specific questions we would be asking nor did we have any idea of exactly what they would say. When I would hear them answer, my mind was definitely jumping to many of the conversations I have been having with students lately. For example, when Kati talked about the struggle of focusing when she was sitting in the back and Jake talked about sitting in the front of the lecture hall to try to make a big class small, I wondered how many students thought, "That is exactly what Miss Abbott said" because that is definitely a tip that is valuable and has been repeated frequently in my office. When they talked about challenging yourself and pushing yourself in high school because of how hard it is to adjust to the academic expectations of college - especially in math - I instantly thought of the numerous students who have been trying (unsuccessfully) to convince me that they should drop math at the semester or not take math next year because they have already met their requirements. Sorry, Jake and Kati reinforced what I had already known to be true and sticking out the math class will be helpful in the long run.

Thanks again Jake and Kati for sharing your insights!

The Sugar Bowl and Tomorrow's Schedule

I'm exhausted... and it's only Tuesday! I have heard the same sentiment from a lot of students today. Seems like winter break was a very long time ago. I know that it is an adjustment, but try to hang in there and we will make it through.

Tonight many of you will be watching the Buckeyes take on the Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl. One of the blogs I follow posted an article comparing the admissions data for Ohio State and Arkansas. I thought it was an interesting twist on things and you might enjoy checking it out.

Tomorrow we are on a unique bell schedule to allow for a 30 minute assembly. Prior to the assembly, all students will swing through their homerooms to pick up their 2nd semester schedules and then will head to their designated assembly locations. During the assembly freshman and sophomores will be in the gym and juniors and seniors will be in the auditorium. There will be panel presentations for each group. Freshman and sophomores will hear from current seniors regarding their thoughts and experiences when they look back at high school and what they are glad they did or what they wish they would have done differently. The juniors and seniors will hear from a panel of college freshmen students regarding what college life is really like and feedback for how to best prepare to be successful in college.

Here is tomorrow's bell schedule:

1st period: 7:45 - 8:30

2nd period: 8:35 - 9:20

Homeroom /Assembly 9:30 - 10:00

3rd period: 10:05 - 10:50

Announcements: 10:50 - 10:55

4th period: 11:00 - 11:45

5th period: 11:50 - 12:35

6th period: 12:40 - 1:25

7th period: 1:30 - 2:15

8th period: 2:20 - 3:05

Semester countdown

The countdown is on... we have just 9 days of school left this quarter before semester exams. I *know* some (or maybe all) of you don't want to hear this, but it is REALLY important that you start studying now for exams. Today I skimmed through the interim grade reports and was sad to see how many people are struggling. If your grades are not where they should be at this point in time, please make use of the resources available to you - the academic assistants in room 209 and, most importantly, your teachers. I am also here to help you with studying strategies and tips if needed. For many students, your final grade for the semester will come down to how you finish out this quarter and how well you do on semester exams. Please don't neglect this opportunity to make the most of the time remaining!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe it is 2011 - there were days in the last week of school where I was still dating passes as September, so I am definitely going to have a tough time adjusting to writing 2011! :-)

I hope you had a safe and enjoyable new year's eve and winter break. I have had such a great break! Between spending time with my family, playing games with my niece and nephew, enjoying a white Christmas, visiting with friends, catching up with former students and sleeping in late, it was pretty much an ideal vacation. Since I was so busy enjoying the time off, I didn't update with many blog posts, but I will get back into the swing of things.

Unfortunately, tomorrow is the last day before we head back to school. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing you, but it will definitely be an adjustment to getting up and being at school on time each day. :-) Of course, you have the advantage of having a late-start day on Monday. (Yes, I am jealous!) To help make the transition to being back at work easier I hope you will find time to stop down and say hi. I'm looking forward to hearing about your vacation and what you did to occupy your time. Enjoy your last day of Vacation and happy 2011!