Grade Point Average

Grade Point Averages (GPA's) are a big part of high school lingo... and yet some students might not  know how grade point averages are computed.  Your transcript is a record consisting of every high school class you have ever taken and the grade you earned in each class. 

The "easy" explanation for how your GPA is calculated is that every class you take at WKHS taught by a Kilbourne teacher or a CC+ instructor with traditional grading is computed into your GPA. Some students begin taking high school courses while still in middle school. Those grades will appear on your transcript, but they are not calculated into your GPA. This is done to assist you because many times middle school students haven't recognized the impact that their grades have on their high school GPA and the long-term impact on their future college applications. Additionally, any classes that you pass that were taken as pass/ fail appear on your transcript but will not be calculated in your GPA.

All regular and honors classes are unweighted which means that they are all based on a 4.0 scale.  AP, IB and CC+ courses are weighted on a scale of 1.25.  Below is a chart that shows how GPA is calculated.

Letter Grades	Percentage	GPA Scale	AP/ IB Weighted Calculation	AP/ IB Weighted GPA
A	90 – 100%	4.0	4.0 x 1.25	5.00
B	80 – 89%	3.0	3.0 x 1.25	3.75
C	70 – 79%	2.0	2.0 x 1.25	2.50
D	60 – 69%	1.0	1.0 x 1.25	1.25
F	0 – 59%	0.0
S	Satisfactory
P	Passing

All classes are granted credit based upon the semester.  This means that when you pass the 1st semester you have earned that credit and it is computed into your grade point average. Each semester class is worth 1/2 a credit excluding physical education courses which are worth 1/4 a credit.  So, if you earn a B in the first semester of English 1 and a C in the first semester of Physical Science, then your GPA for these two semesters of classes would equal a 2.5. Plusses and Minuses in your grades are still calculated based upon the base grade as we don't have different GPA weights for a B+ vs a B or B-.

It is important to know that some students have taken classes at other schools and are transferring their credit to WKHS. Those classes will also appear on your transcript with the grades, but are not computed into your GPA. This is because your Kilbourne GPA will just reflect your Kilbourne classes - any classes you took in another district or an online school will have the GPA that you earned at that school. So, for example, if you transferred to WKHS from a surrounding district, your classes and grades will be transferred over to Kilbourne, but they won't be included in your Kilbourne GPA. This means that students will not have a grade point average until after they have completed a semester at WKHS. The reason that this is important is that some students have transferred from schools that have different grading scales and it doesn't allow equitable comparisons. When students are applying to college you will submit both of your transcripts so that they have the complete picture of your grade point average.

You can see a copy of your transcript on Infinite Campus and it also shows your grade point average.  If you have any questions about your GPA, stop by and see us.

CC+ Classes Begin

Just a reminder to all students who are taking a CSCC class through CC+, your classes begin this week!  These classes meet for 2 periods, but only twice a week.  So, those of you who are taking English Comp 1 or Ethics, you will have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.  If you are taking Psychology, you will have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  There are no CC+ class meetings on Fridays.

As we have talked about in the past, you will still have work to do for your college classes outside of your designated class time and those non-meeting days are an ideal time to stay disciplined at using for work time on those courses.

One important suggestion - because your CSCC professors will all use your CSCC email, we would strongly suggest you set up the automatic forward option on your emails to send it to a gmail account which you check regularly or set up your CSCC account to your phone.  Check out the details on CSCC's website for more information on how to do that.

Good luck as your start your college classes!

Office Workers

We have a great volunteer opportunity that students can take advantage of during the school day within the comfortable walls of WKHS.  We have office workers volunteer their time to help out in the counseling/ administrative offices. Our office workers each year have been amazing!  They helped run passes, update the bulletin board, put together packets or whatever else was needed.  Some days were busier than others and so there were days when they didn't have to do much of anything to help us other than be available.  We do have an application process to be selected as an office worker, but if you are interested, we'd love to have you! Students with a period of academic prep or options in their schedule would be eligible to apply.  (You would no longer have prep or options if you chose to work in the office.) You will accumulate community service hours as an office worker. Applications are available in the front of the counseling center. 2 students will be selected for each period of the day.  

We have already had times in the last few days when we wished we had office workers so we could send a pass for a student to come see us.  So know this is a service opportunity that is truly valued and appreciated. Please apply as soon as possible if you are interested so we can get you involved!

Senior College Information Night

The Senior College Information Night will be held one week from today, on Thursday, September 3rd, at 7:00pm at WKHS in the auditorium. This is one of the most valuable meetings for senior students and parents to attend because there are so many college related questions that we will be able to answer.

We will be reviewing the college application process, the procedures for submitting your items to WKHS and to the colleges, and other information you need to know. We hope you will make every effort to attend! We strongly encourage both the seniors and their parents to attend this night.  Why?  Because the seniors are the ones who are actually applying to college and you need to know the steps and details involved specific to WKHS.  We think it is ideal for parents to also attend so they can help support you in your application and they don't ask you tons of questions that you will learn on this evening.

We know it is not always possible for every senior student and family to attend, but we hope you will try. Remember, with so many seniors, it can be really challenging if we are not all starting with the same foundation of information. This evening will answer all of your basic questions and then we’ll figure out the rest together as the year continues. We're looking forward to seeing you on September 3rd!

Meeting with School Counselors

Students, if you want to meet with us - just drop by our offices! That is honestly the BEST way to meet with us. You don't need to schedule an appointment in advance. We're generally around before and after school as well as during your lunch or academic prep/ options periods for you to stop in and chat.

You don't need a big reason to come down and say Hi. We are happy to see you even if you just wanted to tell us how well or how poorly you did on a test that day. If we are busy meeting with another student or parent - you can stop back down, leave a pass for us, send us an email to let your counselor know you want to see her. If we haven't tracked you down that day or the following day, chances are the pass we sent for you didn't make it to you or we can't find you in the commons - so please come back!

During high school there are times when you may wonder if there is anyone who cares and is willing to listen to what you are going through and we want to remind you that we are here for you.

Parents, out of respect for your time and our schedules of trying to prioritize and maximize meeting with students during the school day, we do ask that if you would like to meet with us that you reach out via email or phone so we can set up a time to meet in advance rather than just having parents attempt to drop by like students are doing. Thanks for understanding.

Meet the Teacher Night

On Wednesday evening, WKHS will host our annual Meet the Teacher night for parents/ guardians. This event is sponsored by our PTO.

This is a night when your parents can come through school, follow your schedule, and meet all of your teachers. Meet the Teacher part of the evening will be over by 9pm. Each class will be 10 minutes in length and yes, your parents will have the same 5 minute passing time that you have during the day. (Hopefully they won't get lost and be late or else they could end up with lots of tardies!) :-)

Here is the schedule for the evening:

Welcome & Introduction in WKHS Auditorium by Principal, Aric Thomas: 6:45pm
1st period - 7:00 - 7:10
2nd period - 7:15 - 7:25
3rd period - 7:30 - 7:40
4th period - 7:45 - 7:55
5th period - 8:00 - 8:10
6th period - 8:15 - 8:25
7th period - 8:30 - 8:40
8th period - 8:45 - 8:55

Please make sure you give your parents a screenshot copy of your schedule or at least write down the room numbers for all of your classes so they know where they are heading for the evening! Of course, parents, if your son/ daughter forget to give you a copy of their schedule, you can also print it off or pull it up on Infinite Campus. We will not have schedules available to hand out so this is a really important step for families to make the most of Meet the Teacher Night!

One of the benefits for parents about this evening is that it will allow you to put a face with a name so that if when your kids are talking about a test in Mr. ____'s class or an assignment for Mrs. ____'s class parents will be better able to keep it straight.

Confidentiality

Having safe adults that you can talk to and trust is an important aspect of navigating life as a high schooler. In addition to your parents and teachers, as counselors we hope to work to be able to earn your trust so we can also be one of those safe people in your life.

It is important to know that there are limits to confidentiality. Some of those limits are long-standing, consistent aspects. If you are at risk to yourself or someone else, we must report it. If someone is harming you (abuse or neglect), we must report it.

What is new in limits to confidentiality are some of the new Ohio laws that we must follow. If you share information with us related to gender - such as wanting to use a different name or pronouns, then we must share that information with your parents.

Another new requirement within the Ohio law is that we must notify your parents if you have had a "substantial change" academically, physically, or emotionally. 

Knowing that your trust is important, we want to make sure you understand that these new laws and requirements are in place. All of it is with the goal of helping to make sure you have as many positive, supportive adults in your life as possible. So if you have any questions about confidentiality, please don't hesitate to ask!

Get Involved

Being involved in sports, clubs, volunteer outreach, or other areas of interest help connect students to the school and community. You have special gifts that only you can share and you can make a positive difference!  

WKHS is very fortunate to have a wide range of opportunities available within the school setting for you to get involved. There are 29 interscholastic sports, over 40 clubs, the school newspaper, video news team, yearbook and a wide variety of performance groups (choirs, bands, orchestra, and theater). While there is obviously no shortage of established groups that you can get involved with, if you have other passions that you want to focus on, don't forget that you can also help establish a new club. As long as you can find a faculty member who is willing to help you with club oversight, Mr. Todd and Ms. Masi in the athletic office can assist you with the paperwork needed to establish a new club or organization.

For underclassmen, getting involved makes your transition to high school easier because you get to know older students and you find a place where you can belong. For upperclassmen, being involved gives you the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to grow in your areas of interest. (And no, for the record, I don't think you should just get involved because it will look good on your college applications... you should be participating because it is meaningful and important to you, but yes, being involved is a plus for college applications too.)

As we kick off the new year, perhaps getting involved can be one of your goals for the year. You will be able to contribute and find a sense of belonging all at the same time.

Last Day to Add Classes

Monday (August 24th) is the last day for students to add a year-long or first-semester class to their schedule. This is an important deadline to pay attention to for all students. You have 6 weeks to drop a class without it appearing on your transcript, but you can only drop a class if you will still have above the minimum required number of courses. If you have any questions about your particular situation and if you would or would not be able to add or drop a class, please stop in and see your counselor during your lunch or off period.

Lexi

Do you know who was REALLY excited for school to start again?  Lexi!

For those new to WKHS (either incoming freshmen or students who have moved to Worthington), Lexi is short for Lexington. She is a Miniature Goldendoodle (which means that she is a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle.) Lexi weighs 23 pounds and she is hypoallergenic which means she should not be a problem for students with allergies.

Lexi is a therapy dog and she LOVES coming to school to spend time with students and staff. Her only goal is to love and be loved and she has definitely missed the love and attention from everyone throughout the summer. So, in case you need a reason to stop by the counseling center to say Hi, remember that Lexi will be there and, like us, she will be thrilled to see you.

Back to School

It's a school night!  :-)

Can you believe summer is over?  Tonight is a school night which means you are going to have to try to go to bed at a decent time so that you can function during the day tomorrow.  I hope you enjoyed your last day of summer vacation and are getting excited about coming back to school. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again!

Today we had a great day welcoming the freshmen students to Kilbourne. I was so impressed with the Link Leaders who made the day fun, meaningful and welcoming to the 9th graders. Thank you Link Leaders for your service and commitment. I was proud of how you demonstrated your leadership and set the standards for what can be expected at the high school. You set a great example for the Class of 2030 of what it means to be a part of our Pack. 

We're looking forward to seeing you all in the morning.  Sleep well!

CC+ Reminders

We wanted to remind you that although the WKHS classes will all start this week, any of your CC+ classes that are not taught by a Kilbourne teacher have a later start date. This can get confusing at times which is why we attached a yellow information sheet to the schedules of all students enrolled in a Columbus State CC+ class. If you are taking Comp 1, Psychology, or Ethics at Kilbourne, those CSCC classes are taught by a CSCC professor. You will be on the same timeline for the semester as CSCC so your classes won't begin until August 31st. So that means you do not have to come to class for those specific classes until the week of the 31st.

In addition to the start date being different, we wanted to remind you that you have to have completed all of your Workday steps. Your class(es) will show up in Blackboard ahead of your start day.

Please note that if you are taking a COTC CC+ class, those courses (Pre Calculus and Calculus) are taught by our WKHS teachers and the academic calendar is the same as Kilbourne so you will start classes this week like everyone else.

Read the information sheet that was attached to your schedule and let me know if you have any questions!

Prepare for Success

This week we will start a new school year and it is important to put yourself in the best position possible to be successful.

The first step is to set your goals for the year. What are you hoping to accomplish? What do you need to do to reach these goals? It is often easier to dream big and, quite honestly, most of you could achieve any goal that you set your mind to, but it will take dedication and commitment.

Many of you are also out searching for new school supplies. As you buy your folders, binders, and notebooks, pause for a moment to think about what organization system tends to work best for you. Are you a "stuffer" who just stuffs papers into whatever happens to be available? If so, folders are probably best for you. If you are the type of person who wants to be able to combine notes from class with notes that you take from the book, you might gravitate toward a binder with loose-leaf paper rather than a spiral notebook. Whatever system you select, make sure it is one that will work for YOU.

Preparing for success is probably most closely connected to having an organization system for tracking your assignments. Perhaps you bought a planner or maybe you're hoping to use an app. It doesn't matter to me what type of an organization system you have selected, but it is essential that you pick something and commit yourself to using it.

This will be a great year! We hope you are looking forward to getting started (even though it means that summer is over and early mornings are beginning) and if you need help with setting reasonable goals or with organization, please don't hesitate to stop in and see us.

Reminders

Tomorrow (Monday, August 17th) is the first day back to school for students attending the Delaware Area Career Center. For DACC students, the bus will transport you from WKHS to DACC and back, but you will need to find your own transportation between home and Kilbourne. The bus up to DACC will leave WKHS in the morning at 7:15am. We hope you have a great first day at the Career Center!

Additionally, a reminder to seniors that tomorrow at 1:30pm is the second Common App 101 Workshop. We will meet in Room 201. Please be sure to bring your Chromebook or a laptop with you because you will work on your actual Common App while we are meeting.

Common App 101 Reminder

Seniors, just a quick reminder that tomorrow at 10:30am is our first Common App 101 Workshop. If you have signed up to attend, please be sure to bring your laptop or chromebook with you because you will be working on your actual Common App application during the time together. We will be holding this work session in Room 201 and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

New Names and Faces

Kilbourne was filled with a buzz of energy, excitement, and nerves today as everyone came through to pick up their schedules. Don't forget, there are 2 more days for schedule pick up this week... Wednesday afternoon from 12:30-3:30 and Thursday evening from 5-8pm.

As you see your schedules and/ or as you walk through the building you may see that there are many new names and faces this year at WKHS. We encourage you to welcome and say hi to the following new staff members:

We will have 3 new security monitors: Mr. Benver, Mr. Schreiber, and Mr. Turnbull.

Mrs. Bowman (Math)

Mr. Zarycki (Math)

Mr. Timms (Special Ed)

Ms. Bush (Health/ PE)

Ms. Glitsch (Tech)

Mr. Sullivan (Orchestra)

Science has a bunch of new staff including: Mr. Larson, Ms. Starr, Mr. Joyce, and Ms. Lavelle

Ms. Coleman (EL)

Although they are not new to WKHS, we have a few staff members shifting positions - Mr. Berens will now be in the Art Department and Mrs. Taylor will be in the English Department

We have 3 new Administrative Assistants taking over for secretaries that retired including: Mrs. Stead, Mrs. Kehlmeier, and Mrs. Moneypenny.

Mrs. Dyer is a new Assistant Principal. She will partner with Mr. Alexander on the top part of the alphabet (A-K). Mrs. Leiding and Mrs. Travis will now share the bottom part of the alphabet (L-Z).

And then there were a few weddings over the summer and so Ms. Johnson is now Mrs. Maddock and Ms. Hunt is now Mrs. Gorski.

What hasn't changed? That everyone at WKHS is excited to work with the students and to have a successful year ahead. So even if you're uncertain when you see that your schedule features names of people you don't know yet, please know that it will be great!

Schedule Changes

 

Every year the week between schedule pick up days to the first days of the school year are filled with students asking about making changes to their schedules. We are happy to try to help facilitate schedule change requests, but we need to make sure you know a few things...

1. We are not authorized to make any teacher changes.  Sorry.  We can't move you from one teacher to another teacher's class. We know that you all have favorite teachers from previous years or teachers that our siblings had that you hoped to have too. We get it, but the administration works really hard to balance all schedules with timing and course sections and they don't want us to undermine that work by making things unbalanced. 

2. We cannot overload classes. If a class is full, there is no way for us to add you into the class. Think about it, you know how packed many of the classes are and how many desks are in the room. Each teacher and each period can only have so many students.

3. You need to have your graduation requirement classes. Obviously a big end goal of your classes is to graduate and so those take priority over every other request.

4. If the classes you have requested is only offered during 1st or 8th period then we cannot give you 1st or 8th period off. We're sorry. We know a lot of juniors and seniors hope for late arrival or early release, but the only way the master schedule works when the administrators build it is for classes to be spread across all 8 periods. They focus on eliminating as many conflicts as possible and so that sometimes means a class that is only offered once per day ends up being in 1st or 8th period.

5. We know a lot of times the hopes and expectations you had aren't in alignment with what the reality is when you first see your schedule. Pause and give yourself a little bit of time to process through it. It can be hard when you think that you're the only one in a particular lunch (we promise you're not) or that you don't have any classes with your friends. Every year we end up encouraging kids to just go to class and give it a try and see who else is in their classes and they realize that a friend they had classes with a year or two ago is also in that class and they are given the chance to rekindle the friendship again. Just don't panic when you see your schedule.

6. If you want to change levels from AP/ IB/ Honors classes that had summer work to other classes without summer work, remember you are still responsible for completing those summer assignments and the grade will go with you into the new class. (So if you're doing all of that work for the class, are you sure you really don't want to just stick with the class you had requested a few months ago?)

7. If you want to request a schedule change, stop and see us after you pick up your schedule - we will be in our offices during the schedule pick up times and are happy to meet with you. Come see us!

Interesting College Data

As high school counselors, we spend a LOT of time reading and reviewing information from and about colleges. This is important information for us to be aware of so that we can help provide accurate information to students and families as you are navigating the college application and admissions process.

Data isn't always everyone's favorite to explore - it is way more enjoyable to check out college websites with happy photos and eye-catching graphics, but, when you're trying to figure out if a college is a good fit for you or what the reality is for being accepted or getting financial aid at a particular school, digging into the data can be unbelievably helpful.

Big J Educational Consulting releases data every year that counselors, students and families can use to help compare various colleges. And it is set up in an easily interactive format so that you can play around and look at the colleges you are considering.

If you (or your son/ daughter) is working on figuring out which colleges could be a good fit for the future, it would be worth spending some time exploring their data. We definitely had some eye-opening moments as we looked at the information.

Schedule Pick Up Days

Are you getting excited to see your schedules for the coming school year?  Schedule pick up days are coming one week from today and we wanted to make sure all of you are aware of the days and times when you will be able to pick up your schedules... sorry, we can't email out copies ahead of time.

Tuesday, August 11th: 
9th graders, 11th graders: 8:30am - 11:30am

Wednesday, August 12th:
10th graders and 12th graders: 12:30pm - 3:30pm

Thursday, August 13th:
Any grade level of students: 5:00pm-8:00pm

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities like getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc.

The process is paperless again this year which means that your emergency medical information, health forms, and athletic forms should ideally be updated online BEFORE coming through the schedule pick up lines. Those forms will all be on the Worthington Schools website (not counselor website).

We 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 time. If you cannot pick up your schedule and books on your designated time, then you can come to school on the other schedule pick-up day/ times. If you will not be able to attend any of the designated days/ times, then you will not be able to pick up your your books or get your student ID made until the 1st day of school, but schedules will be available online starting Monday, August 17th or you're welcome to come to school on either Monday the 17th or Tuesday, August 18th from 1:00 - 3:00pm.  (No morning pick up's on those dates though because we are all in mandatory meetings both mornings.)

Each year schedule pick up days are two of the craziest days in our offices, but we are looking forward to seeing you!

It's August!

It's August... which means a lot of things to different people. For fall athletes, it means seasons are now beginning in full-force. For students and teachers, it means summer is ending and the countdown to classes is on. And for seniors, it means that Common App is now live for the Class of 2027.

Common App is a website that students can use to apply to a wide range of colleges with the same basic core application and then separate individual smaller application sections for each individual college. There are over 1,100 colleges who accept the Common Application so it is definitely a site that a LOT of students will find themselves using if you will be applying directly to a 4-year college.

It can be great for seniors to log into Common App and start the basic information for your applications. But every year we have seniors who think they know exactly the right answers for various questions and then realize that they were not correct. We don't want that to happen to you!

In order to help prepare seniors for filling out the Common App we will host a Common App 101 Workshop where seniors will literally bring your computer and log into your own Common App account and we will walk you through the application step by step to help you be sure that you are completing all of the information accurately.

These are such an important part of the college application process that we will host the same workshop 3 different times so that you can pick the date and time that works best for your schedule. They are:

• Friday, August 14th at 10:30am
• Monday, August 17th at 1:30pm
• Thursday, September 10th at 7:45am

All of the workshops will be held in Room 201 at WKHS. Space will be limited for each session so we do ask that students register to let us know which session you will be attending.

Like you, we will be holding tight and trying to squeeze every last moment of enjoyment out of the remaining days of summer. But we are also looking forward to seeing you and hearing all about your breaks (and, for the seniors, which colleges are on your finalized list.)