Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a moment and wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy spending time with your family, eating turkey, watching the parade, watching football, and taking a nap... or whatever your own traditions include.

Lexi and I are fortunate to be spending the holiday with my family and I am cherishing the opportunity to be with the people who mean the most to me. I have so much to be thankful for today and every day. I hope you know that all of you are part of what I am grateful for and that I am thankful that you are in my life!

Have a great day and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Have a Safe Break

I hope you have a wonderful 5 days off and that no matter if you are staying at home or traveling near or far that you will have fun and be safe!  I know that the holidays can bring many mixed emotions with them so try to enjoy the good moments and let the more stressful/ challenging moments pass without letting it negatively impacting your whole break.  See you next week!

Countdown to Exams

The countdown is on... you have just 13 days of school left before semester exams begin. That means that you have 13 school days left in the 2nd quarter.  13 days to make sure your quarter grades are where they need to be prior to exams.  And yes, while I *know* some (or maybe all) of you don't want to hear this, with only 13 days left, it is also REALLY important that you start studying now for exams. 

Please take a critical look at where you stand in each of your classes and what you need to do to finish out the quarter and begin fully preparing for exams.  If your grades are not where they should be at this point in time, please make use of the resources available to you each day - 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 your remaining time.

Pictures on Campus

I don't know about you, but I am so happy that this is only going to be a 2 day school week!

In talking with many of you recently, I know that some of you will be combining the Thanksgiving break with formal visits or informal stops on college campuses. Please remember that I would like to have a picture of you on EVERY campus that you step foot on - regardless of your intention to apply to that school or not.

I know that many students like to take pictures in front of campus signs and I love that too, but know that you can take a photo anywhere on campus.  So if you are on a pretty place of the college, snap a photo of you there and send it to me so that I can print it and post it on our Oh The Places You'll Go board.

I can't wait to see where all you visit and who will end up having the best stories about campuses that you get to see!  (This photo also features my niece, Carly, as she and I made the whole family drive around and explore the University of Hawaii when we were traveling last year at Christmas.)

Delaware Area Career Center

Yesterday was the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center. I always love the excitement, smiles and hearing the stories about the fun experiences students had while on the visit to the career center.  I was really excited and impressed to hear about the new building and the new program opportunities available for our students.

As a reminder, don't forget that even if you decide to attend the career center, WKHS students are always WKHS students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You will graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. 

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option! If you didn't have the chance to participate in today's field trip there will be "second look days" coming up soon. Any students interested in making this visit should stop by the WKHS Counseling & Career Center to pick up a permission slip from the secretaries. Permission slips must be submitted in advance in order to make arrangements for your visit.

Also, if you made the trip to the Delaware Area Career Center today and are excited about the possibility of attending in the future, please make sure to start working on your application because it is now open and get it submitted so that they can consider you for a spot in their program.

Ohio Means Jobs

The Ohio Means Jobs website features a student section to engage students in grades Kindergarten through 12^thgrade to start thinking about their careers.  

If you go to the Ohio Means Jobs website you can take a guided tour on the site.  I encourage you to create an account so that you can save your information and refer back to it in one place in the future.  For example, if you complete career interest inventories or other assessments, the information is all saved in your “backpack” on the site.  All of your information on the site is saved for you so if you started using the site when you were in elementary or middle school it will still be there for you to access and reference when you are in high school.

There are cool features on the site including the opportunity to create a budget including rent or house payment, grocery costs and utilities.  The site also helps you know if the job areas you have indicated that you are considering will be adequate enough to meet your budget.

The site allows you to find out which colleges in Ohio offer majors in your areas of interest.  So, for example, if you are interested in studying architecture, you can get a list of all of the colleges which offer architecture.

There are practice tests for ACT, SAT, Compass, ASVAB and AP tests along with areas to help with your current classes.

It is a fun site to get on and explore and can help spark areas that might interest you in your career exploration.

Also, speaking of careers, for those students who have signed up, don't forget that tomorrow is the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center.

Hurdles or Brick Walls?

Parents, I want to encourage you all to read the book "What Made Maddy Run" by Kate Fagan.  I read the book over the summer and several of the messages have remained with me.  Including what I am going to talk about below...

Is it a Hurdle or a Brick Wall?

I realize that you know what hurdles and brick walls are, but I want to talk about them for a moment so please bear with me. 

Hurdles are something you can learn to work to overcome.  With practice, training, persistence, and dedication, you will be able to learn new strategies or perfect old strategies so that you can get beyond the struggle (hurdle) that you are facing in your life.

Brick walls are something solid and firm that, while you would love to overcome them, they aren't hurdles that can be jumped.  For brick wall types of issues, you need to find different options to work beyond these types of life problems.  They often require you to change course or, at the very least, you will need tools and strategies beyond just trying harder to get through the brick walls of life.

When you are in high school (or college) it can be hard to know if what you are up against is a brick wall or a hurdle.  And, the reality is that this will be different for every person.  For example, one type of problem may be that you don't understand your math assignments.  For many people this would be a hurdle problem in that if you keep working, seek a math tutor, ask questions of your instructor, and study in new and different ways then you can overcome the challenge.  But, there may be some students that this would be a brick wall type of a problem in that if you had planned a major that requires a ton of math and you are not only struggling with the math required, but also not enjoying the experience that is required to pursue this major, then this could become a brick wall type of a problem meaning you may have to change course.

So how do you know if it is a hurdle or a brick wall?  One of the best suggestions is to speak up and acknowledge your struggle.  If you start talking about the issues you are facing with your parents, teachers, or other adults you trust (like me), then they can help you process what you are experiencing in a way that will help identify if the challenge is a hurdle or a brick wall.  It doesn't mean that you won't be pushed and challenged if the issue is a "hurdle" and the people around you think you can get through it.

But, I need to remind you that there will be challenges in your life that are going to be brick walls.  That does NOT mean that you are a failure.  It means that you are human.  So many times students feel as if they should be able to work through everything and do it all on their own, but that is an unrealistic goal!  And it can have devastating consequences if you try to hold onto that mindset.  So please, remember that seeking support is smart and shows strength of knowing yourself and your own limitations. 

Find an Organization System

It has been said that your head is a good place to have ideas, but not the place to hold ideas and I believe that makes sense. I have been talking with a lot of students lately about the fact that I need to write everything down.  It would be impossible to remember everything that I need to keep track of if I didn't write it all down.

What works for me is making lists.  It doesn't have to be making lists (although I would argue that there is great joy in being able to cross something off once you have accomplished it), but everyone needs some sort of a system to help keep your thoughts organized. It is much more difficult and demanding to try to hold something in your head than it is to refer back to it on paper.  It doesn't require a lot of time, but the payoffs are large as long as you stick with it. 

As you start thinking about the end of the semester, please work on staying focused and organized. What do you need to do to make sure that you end this quarter successfully? What about preparing for exams? There is still time left to make improvements, but you need to start now. If lists are not your way to stay organized, that is OK, but find a system that works and use it.

Figure out what you need to do, gather your materials from the semester and organize them, prepare now so that as you are studying you already have your resources at your fingertips and don't have to waste time searching through everything and above all, organize yourself so that you can apply yourself completely to the end of the semester.

I found this article about the importance of organization and I *LOVE* it!  There are great tips in here so if organization has been a challenge for you, please take a few minutes to read through it.

How to Help Yourself Get Organized

Sports in College

Competing in sports during high school is such a huge part of many student's lives.  The hours of time that you dedicate to practice, the effort you put forth during games, and the friendships you have made through your involvement all combine together to make this one of the more significant areas of these four years.  It can be hard to imagine life without your sport, but the statistics are not encouraging - most high school athletes do not continue on to compete in college at the varsity level. But please don't let that news frustrate you because you can always find a different level of involvement so that athletics can continue to be a part of your life.  For example, most colleges offer a variety of ways that students can meet their athletic goals such as through club and intramural options.

Club sports are often competitive and frequently include tryouts.  They frequently will compete against other colleges and travel in season.  It is less intense of a time commitment than varsity sports at the college level, but still a rigorous athletic commitment.

Intramural sports are more about having fun.  Depending on the college, there may be different levels of intensity available for you to choose from on intramurals or they may have just one level for the sport. In addition to different levels of competitiveness of the teams, they may have some options that will be guys only, girls only, or mixed participation so you will find a lot of different intramural options.  This provides a great way to meet new people and to even have fun doing sports you have never tried before.  I also love that on many campuses there may be fun and creative intramural opportunities such as intertube water polo, quidditch, and broom-ball.

The biggest reminder that I have for you is that if you can't imagine your life without sports, please remember that there are always ways to find opportunities to meet those needs in your life.  If, for some reason, your college doesn't have the sport you love, maybe you will find a new sport to enjoy.  Or you may start to explore what adult leagues may be available that you could join in the community.  For example, if you are a hockey player, you might not be able to find club or intramural hockey at your campus, but there are adult hockey leagues that you could join.  

That leads me to the point that you may be thinking ahead to adjusting to life without sports after college... and so, as I just mentioned you can pursue adult leagues in the community, but if sports are really important to you it is worth considering how you can take those skills and aspects that you love and tie them into your career choices.  For example, if you are a highly competitive person who loves working on a team toward achieving a common goal, then hopefully you will work to find a job that will allow you to work cooperatively towards common goals in a competitive environment.  If you are someone who needs the physical activity to burn off stress or to help you focus, then hopefully you will consider either a job that has physical variety or you will make working out a primary commitment in your daily life.

For now, if you are finding yourself struggling with the idea of your competitive athletic career ending during high school, always feel free to come and talk to me as I know that this is a big adjustment.

Digital Footprint & College Admissions

Sometimes I think students tend to roll their eyes when they hear us talking about encouraging students to be smart about your digital footprint - the information that you are posting and sharing through various social media outlets.  As a component of that we have often mentioned that the internet and social media can impact your college admissions or scholarship offerings.  Because I know that you get tired of hearing it from me, below are a few articles that speak to this as well as social media use in general:

Social Media

Social Media, but not video games linked to depression in teens

Why colleges look at student social media

Yes, Your Social Media Feed Can Impact College Admissions


What's social media's role in college admissions

Cap and Gown Orders

Cap & Gown and Announcement Ordering Information

Yesterday, seniors received information about ordering their cap and gowns and announcements.  I talked to several seniors who mentioned that it was one of those moments that made them realize how quickly graduation is approaching.

If you missed homeroom yesterday then we will have extra copies of the handout available in the Counseling Center.  You can also access the ordering information directly from Buckeye Scholastic at www.buckeyescholastic.com 

A few notes about ordering your cap and gown...
- On December 5th and 6th representatives from Buckeye Scholastic will be in the commons to take your cap and gown orders.  There is a 10% early bird coupon for students who apply online or in person by December 6th.  (If ordering online, use coupon code EARLYBIRD)
- All orders must be submitted by January 31st.  After that time there will be a higher fee and your cap and gown will not be delivered with everyone else's on April 23rd and 24th.

College Interviews

Some colleges give the option of interviews and others will require all prospective students to participate in an interview with an admissions counselor or an alumni representative as a component of the application process. If you are applying to a school which requires an interview – don’t panic!

It is important to relax and be yourself. This is your opportunity to shine. Display your personality and allow your interests and passions to be expressed.

In addition to answering their questions, don’t be afraid to ask any questions you have about the school. Be sure to complete some research ahead of time so that you are not asking questions you easily could have found by visiting their website.

If there is anything about yourself that you want to be sure that the admissions representatives understand – unique circumstances, experiences, or special traits that they might not ask about don’t hesitate to offer up this information. This is your one opportunity to actually discuss these areas with a real person. By bringing up these topics, it may spur them to ask additional questions that you will be able to answer.

In order to try to help you prepare, we have information on the Counselor website of topics that you might want think about in advance that the interviewer may ask you as well as questions you could consider asking to gain additional insight about the college.

And, hopefully it goes without saying, but remember that first impressions are important – so be polite, smile, dress appropriately and arrive on time for your interview!

Here is an article from Tulane University with suggestions for Knocking Your Interview Out of the Park.

Pre-ACT Reminder

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!

Missing Application Items

I have been receiving so many emails and visits 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 online 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.

If you have done everything that you were required to do then for now, try to just relax and wait this process out - I promise, this is a common frustration for seniors at this time of year.

It's Not About Motivation

Lately, I seem to find myself having the same basic conversation with a wide range of students.  They are struggling because they "aren't motivated" to do whatever it is they are needing to do.  And that has been a different responsibility for each - getting out of bed to come to school, going to practice, doing their homework, studying, taking care of their chores at home, or working when they are scheduled at their job. 

But here is the thing... it ISN'T about motivation.  You won't always feel motivated.  Sometimes you will never feel motivated.  But it IS about discipline.  It is about doing the thing directly in front of you that needs to be done so that ultimately you can have the outcome you want in the long run.

The first time I really heard about this was during the times when I had met with students who were at boot camp working towards becoming Marines.  They were definitely NOT always motivated for the tasks in front of them, but they definitely wanted to achieve their long term goal of becoming US Marines.  So they talked a lot about focusing on the moments directly in front of you and doing what must be done.  They had a concept of waking up and making it from there to breakfast.  Once they made it to breakfast, they turned their focus on making it to lunch.  At lunchtime, they shifted their attention to making it to dinner.  And at dinner they aimed to make it to bedtime.  That process was repeated day in and day out.  It was the discipline to take care of each day one day at a time.  Granted, in the effort of becoming a Marine they had drill instructors helping to push them, but, let's be honest - you have people trying to help push you too.  They may be your parents, teachers, coaches, boss, friends, or even me, but ultimately it still comes down to you doing what you need to do - movitation or not.

So, perhaps it will help you too... quit searching for motivation and just start practicing the acts of discipline to do this one thing right now and then repeat with the next thing that is required and keep repeating that practice over and over until you achieve your goals.  If you only work on days when you feel good, you won't get a lot accomplished.  Please just take it one step at a time - you can and will get there!

And, since it is Veteran's Day and this was a concept I learned from some of the men and women serving in the military, I want to say a huge thank you to every individual who has had the courage to choose to serve our country in any of the branches of the military.  I am so thankful for all of the freedoms we have today because of your service.

Volunteering

Volunteering allows you to use your gifts and talents to help someone else.  This not only means that someone else's life is bettered, but research has also shown that we feel better when we are able to help someone else.

As if that was not enough of a reason to try to volunteer, as you begin applying to college and for scholarships there are many times that questions come up about what community service experiences you have had. And, even if not asked directly, if you had memorable experiences they can often be used to support your essay responses.

Please don't panic though, your volunteer work doesn’t have to be a huge project or consist of thousands of hours of time.  What is important is to get involved!  Community service opportunities are as different as each individual who decides they want to help make a difference in the world around them. The sky is the limit and I encourage you to find something that inspires you.

Some volunteer ideas that could help get you started could include – community beautification projects (cleaning up parks or areas of the city), helping elderly neighbors, visiting nursing homes to perform music or talk with residents, homeless outreach, packing groceries for a food bank, assisting at the humane society or other animal shelters, wrapping and handing out gifts to those less fortunate, organizing and attending holiday parties for kids or the poor that would usually have nothing to celebrate, serving in a project for those who are disabled or ill (such as Make a Wish, Adventures for Wish Kids, or the Special Olympics), fundraising or recruitment events, becoming the champion for a cause and helping with awareness (Diabetes, Cancer, Organ Donation), organizing campaigns to donate food, books, or clothes to groups that need it, putting together care packages for deployed members of the military, and the list literally goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there are several co-curricular groups at WKHS that focus on community service such as Interact, Wolves for Cubs, Project More, REACH Buddies and Student Council and you are encouraged to look into those opportunities as well.

When you put others before yourself, good things always happen.  Who knows, maybe you will even learn something about yourself as you serve others.

Socratic Society

At the start of this month, 44 students were inducted into the Socratic Society. 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.

I had 16 students in my part of the alphabet who were honored.  A special congratulations to "my" students who were among those recognized this month! (Alphabetically): Madeline Allen, Ella Bally, Jacob Barcikowski, Will Bartram, Andrew Bickell, Reagan Bray, Luke Brown, Brooke Carter, George Coldiron, Samantha Darby, Joe Dargenio, Abby Deitrick, Brigid Dix, Jack Dougherty, Kelly Eden and Elise Elliott. I am proud of each of you!

Graduation Points

All students have the goal of earning a certain number of graduation points in addition to passing designated classes to graduate.  Students will earn these points based on the End of Course exams that you have to take each year.

There are 7 tests that contribute to the total graduation points.  Every sophomore through senior will take tests in:
- English 1
- English 2
- Math 1
- Math 2
- Biology
- US History
- Government

Students must earn a total of 18 points in all of these tests.  This is complicated a bit in that 4 of the points must come from English, 4 points from Math, and 6 points from the Science and Social Studies areas.  This allows the other 4 points to come from any of the tests together.

Most juniors have taken 6 of the 7 tests - leaving just the Government test.  You can look up on Infinite Campus where you currently stand toward reaching your goal points.  Let me assure you, I am watching these points closely!  Most students don't need to worry about the points - and for those who have retaken a test, they have typically improved their scores.  So, I don't want you to stress or be anxious about these tests, but I do want you to do your best on every end of course test.  

If you have not done well on the tests in the past and are short of the points you will need to achieve your goal points, then I do recommend that you take the test(s) again and see if you could improve your score.  (For example, some students have earned a 2 on a Math 1 test and a 1 on the Math 2 test resulting in a total of just 3 points for Math - this would be the perfect situation for the student to repeat the Math 2 test to try to earn 2 points as that would result in the student earning 4 points for Math as needed for graduation.)  I have already been meeting with students and talking to parents if you or your son/ daughter needs to be retaking a test in December.  We will also be having test preparation/ review opportunities for these students to be working with the Academic Assistants in Room 209 to get some additional focused review prior to the tests.

Additionally, please know that even if you are not able to reach the point goals on the End of Course assessments, there are still other options to successfully fulfill the testing requirement for graduation.  For example, students can achieve college readiness scores on the ACT or SAT exams.  Earning a certificate for specific in-demand careers and a designated score on the Work Keys test is also an option for completing this requirement.  

I don't tell you all of this to overwhelm you or to stress you out, but I just want to be sure that you are aware that there are options for graduation and we will work together to make sure that you WILL graduate!

As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to stop in and let me know.

Holiday Help

Holidays can bring a great deal of joy and holiday spirit and this is most evident each year as I watch our school come together each year to help families in need with the “Adopt a Child” campaign (which kicks off soon).  It is heart-warming to see our student body unite to help brighten the holiday for families experiencing financial and emotional stress is one of the greatest gifts you can give and helping others is often the best way to help make you feel better too.

However, for some students it is hard to focus on trying to brighten the holiday for other families when you are worrying about what you will have for Thanksgiving dinner or how you will eat during winter break.  I hope I can suggest some resources that you (or maybe a friend of yours) could use.  


Below is a short list of places where you may be able to get help.

- One of the local churches, Worthington Presbyterian Church, is providing WKHS with all of the food for Thanksgiving meals so that we can distribute them to some of our families in need.  If you need help with a Thanksgiving meal, please contact me ASAP so that I can try to see if I can arrange for a meal for you.

-  Community Cares Backpack Program:     A group of dedicated, compassionate and incredibly thoughtful Worthington mom's do a variety of things to help our school community through the Activity Club.  One of those programs is to provide backpacks of food that students can take home with them over the weekend to add a little extra to their family's food supplies.  Every other week, we receive several backpacks that we can distribute.  If this resource is something that would be helpful for you, please let me know so that I can add you onto the list for future backpacks.  Please note that while this is provided by WKHS mom's, it is still confidential - they provide the backpacks to us and we distribute the bags to our students in need.

- WKHS Community Cares Closet:     The Activity Club also stocks a closet of toiletries and other items that any WKHS family in need can access.  There are a wide range of items available for you to take home with you including shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap, feminine hygeine products, lotion, deodorant, shaving cream, and more.  The closet is located in the Counseling Center and I am happy to show you where it is so that you can take whatever supplies you need.  Please note that if there are specific items you were searching for that might be out of stock when you stop by the community mom's are constantly refilling the closet and if you let me know what item you were hoping to access, I can make sure that they know it is currently out of stock and let you know once it has been added again.

- Worthington Resource Pantry: www.worthingtonresourcepantry.org   614-985-1766     Located at 6700 Huntley Rd., Columbus, OH 43229, the Worthington Resource Pantry provides families in our community with food and other resources of support.  Their hours are Mondays 10 - 2, Wednesdays 3 - 7, and the 3rd & 4th Saturdays of the month from 10 - 12.  

-  Dublin Food Pantry: www.dublinfoodpantry.org     If you live in the 43016 zip code you could also utilize the Dublin Food Pantry.

-  Faith Mission:      If you are in need of a free meal, please join Faith Mission at the Community Kitchen (245 N. Grant Ave.) during the following times. Breakfast: Men – 6:30 – 7:15 (8:30 – 9:30 on weekends and holidays) Women and families – 7:30 – 8:15   Lunch: Women and families – 11:30 – 12:15 Men – 12:30 – 1:30   Dinner: Women and families – 5:30 – 6:15 Men – 6:30 – 7:30  See more at: http://www.lssnetworkofhope.org/faithmission/services/  They also have a food pantry.

-  Kroger Community Pantry:
     The Kroger Community Pantry is run in partnership with Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  The Kroger Community Pantry is located at 3960 Brookham Dr., Grove City.  Current hours are on Tuesdays from 10 – 3pm, Wednesdays from 5:30 – 7:30pm, Thursdays from 11 - 2pm, Fridays from 8 – 2pm, and Saturdays from 8 – 1pm.  Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to posted closing time.  Also, because the pantry relies on volunteers to remain open, the pantry may close earlier than posted times. Please call 614-317-9487 before you arrive to hear any changes to the schedule.  https://www.midohiofoodbank.org/get-help/

-  Hands On Central Ohio: http://handsoncentralohio.org    By phone: 211
     Hands on Central Ohio is an organization dedicated to connecting those in need with resources.  Information about Thanksgiving meals for those who need them can be found at: https://211centralohio.org/MatchList.aspx?k;;0;;N;0;573603;Thanksgiving%20Meals;Thanksgiving;Partial;570443 
      And they also have information about Christmas food and gifts that can be found by clicking on Holiday/ Winter Programs at: https://211centralohio.org/Subcategory.aspx?;;0;;N;0;765534;Seasonal%20Services

-  Regular Monthly Meals:
     You may already know this because we have this resource is available year-round and is featured on the WKHS Counselor website, but several local churches provide meals to anyone in the community needing assistance.  This page highlights where and when these meals are available to families in need. 

I am fully aware that all needs are not just related to food/ toiletries.  Here are a few resources if you have additional needs.

-  Charity Newsies   http://www.charitynewsies.com/getting-help/
     Charity Newsies is an organization that provides clothing to students in need.  A parent/ legal guardian needs to arrange for the clothing to be provided, but they can provide a complete set of clothing needs for each student that qualifies and needs it.

-  Salvation Army:  Food and Toys
     Perhaps you have seen the red kettles that appear each year - these donations are used to help provide food and gifts for families in need.  Information about their Christmas assistance program is available here: http://co.salvationarmy.org/CentralOhio/christmas-assistance
     Registration for assistance will continue this week (tomorrow) and the week before Thanksgiving (Week of November 18th) and the week after Thanksgiving (week of December 2nd).  Specific details about times and locations as well as required documentation are available on the Salvation Army's website.  Once families have registered for food and toy assistance, you will then be able to pick up your toys and holiday meal the week before Christmas.  If you have questions, you can contact them at 614-358-2622.

-  2 Hands:  Specific Needs
     This online resource helps connect Ohio families in need with those who are willing and able to help.  Families indicate their specific needs on the website and then others volunteer to help meet those needs.  Information about this resource is available at: http://www.2hands.org/online-christmas-help/in-ohio.php

-  Single Parents Alliance of America
     I heard that this organization also had resources to help support individuals who qualify, but I will be honest, I am not sure what those resources include.  It is worth looking into though if you are a single parent to see if it might be of help.  http://www.spaoa.org/splash/?gclid=CPTnge_tg8kCFQktaQodF9sNpA


As always, please stop by and talk if you are having problems this holiday season. If you need food, clothing or just want to talk about some struggles you are having, my door is open for you. I hope you are able to relax and enjoy this holiday season.

Test Related Reminder

I wanted to remind you that this Friday, November 8th, is the deadline to register for the December SAT and the December ACT.

In addition, the December ACT is one of the three ACT testing dates when students have the option of ordering their test questions and answers.  This is known as Test Information Release.  If you elect to order your Test Information Release report then 3-5 weeks after the testing you will receive a copy of the mulitiple choice questions, your answers, and the correct answer key.  If you take the writing section then you will also receive the essay question and rubric along with the scores you received from your two readers.

Test Information Release is only available in the December, April and June test dates.  So, if you are testing on one of those dates I encourage you to consider taking advantage of this as a strategy you can use to better prepare for an upcoming test.

There is an additional cost of $22 to request this option of receiving your questions and answers.

If you want to learn more about ACT's Test Information Release, please visit their website here.

Also, one final reminder, tomorrow is the last day that you can register to take the Pre-ACT (practice ACT - cost is $14) and you can sign up with one of the secretaries in the front of the counseling center.

Plan Ahead

There are a lot of things that I love about my job including how there is always something to do.  As we progress into this new month I was happy to know that many of our students have successfully completed all of their college applications by the early application deadlines, but I also know that many of you are going to continue with your application efforts for November 15th, December 1st, or even January 1st deadlines.  In addition to helping students with college applications there are lots of other needs that all of you have - academic concerns, personal/ social stressors, and anything else which might be impacting your days.  I love that.  But I wanted to give you a heads up that as I looked at my calendar for this month I realized that I am going to be out and unavailable for several days this month.  

I am excited about some of these chances, but I hate that it means I won't be around in the way that I would prefer.  For example, I was selected to present at the All Ohio Counselor's Conference - a statewide conference for all counselors - this will have me out of the building on Thursday and Friday this week.  

The following week I will be unavailable for most if not all of the day on Thursday (14th) because we will be administering the Pre-ACT.  

I will be in meetings for half the day on Monday the 18th and out all day for a training on Tuesday the 19th and then I will be going on the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center on Friday, the 22nd.  

There will be a note on my door each day and if you have an emergency you can always see another counselor, but my hope is that for things like college applications and academic progress, you can try to aim to see me on the days I am in the building.  If you stop by and I am not available, don't forget - if you leave a pass for me I will find you.  And if you just have a question that you want to e-mail to me, feel free to do that anytime.  Thanks for understanding and being flexible.

Sleep

I don't know about you, but I suspect that most of you were happy to have an extra hour of sleep last night with the time change.  The reality is that we all need to be getting more sleep, but teens especially are in need of far more sleep than you typically get in a night.

I acknowledge that this is easier said than done.  Today you all are pulled in so many different directions – homework, time with your family, sports, jobs, clubs, community service, time with your friends and perhaps even a little personal time to spend on relaxing – and so, unfortunately, sleep typically gets pushed to the back burner and becomes what you do with the little time you have remaining.  This is far from a good thing as sleep is essential to your mental, physical and emotional well-being!

I wish that it was easy to just decide that you wanted to get more sleep and be able to make it happen, but I know that isn’t always the case.  It will take a concentrated effort and a decision that you deem to be significant and worthwhile enough to adjust your sleep schedule.

Not sure if you believe me when I say that sleep is essential?   Here are some articles addressing the importance of sleep.

 

Why are teenagers so sleep deprived?

Teens and Sleep: the cost of sleep deprivation

How to help teenagers get more sleep

Most of all, I just hope you will take advantage of the fact that we have this extra hour of sleep by trying to go to bed at a good time (even just by going to sleep at your normal time when your body might be thinking that you could stay up later) when you wake up in the morning it just might not feel quite so early.  We can always hope at least...

Good Luck

I am so proud of and excited for our fall athletes who are continuing forward in post-season competition tomorrow. 

As you may have heard, Kilbourne's Girls Cross-Country team qualified for the State Championships for the first time ever!  4 of the girls running are "my" students including: Sasha Bomser, Madeline Allen, Toby Bomser, and Evelyn Ambler. 

The boys Cross-Country team didn't make it as a team, but one of "my" students, John Cuozzo, was a state qualifier and he will also be running tomorrow.

And, as if that wasn't enough, the Kilbourne Boys Soccer team has advanced to the Regional Finals tomorrow meaning that they are among the Elite 8 teams remaining.  They will play at 12:30 tomorrow at Olentangy High School against Olentangy Liberty.  Good luck to the entire team!  (I have a lot of individual athletes on the team, but I forgot to bring the roster home with me tonight and I don't want to leave anyone out by accident from going by memory.)

Also, it is November 1st so I also need to say congratulations to all of my students who hit SUBMIT on their college applications today!  I am excited that you have accomplished that step!