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Wildcat Growl
December 5, 2021
Future Ready Wildcats
De Soto High School staff and students endeavor to model the following core values:
INTEGRITY, INQUIRY, COMMUNICATION, PERSEVERANCE, and REFLECTION.
Principal's Message
Wildcats and Families,
Congratulations to Lauren Bradley and Kendan Powers (not pictured). Both are our Students of the Month for November. In addition to being active in multiple activities, Lauren and Kendan are positive student leaders at DHS.
Congratulations to Mindy Fry and Phil Hamilton. Both are our staff Wildcats of the Month for November. Mrs. Fry is our Choir teacher, and assisted with the fall musical, "Once Upon a Mattress". Mr. Hamilton is an English teacher and Head Coach of the DHS Scholars Bowl team. Thank you, Mrs. Fry and Mr. Hamilton!
The De Soto School District has been an important and strong participant in the Kansas Teacher of the Year Program for many years. The district has had fifteen state finalists and twelve semi-finalists represented in the program since 2000.
We would like for you to nominate any teacher whom you consider to be an outstanding and effective educator and whom you or your child has had as a teacher. This person must be a tenured employee of USD 232. If there is a De Soto educator whom you believe to be outstanding and deserving of special recognition, please fill out the nomination form at www.usd232.org/ktoy. This form needs to be completed by noon on January 14, 2022.
Course selection for the 2022-2023 school year begins Monday, December 6th. Students in grades 9-11 will watch a presentation on the course selection process during seminar. Details are below.
This is a Spirit Week! The dress-up days are listed below.
Monday: Favorite Chiefs Wear
Tuesday: Green/White Spirit Wear (Forever Green)
Wednesday: Favorite Sweatshirt
Thursday: Holiday Sweater
Friday: Flannel Friday
Starting this week, we are offering after-school support for students to prepare for final exams - called 'Cocoa and Cram'. Peer and adult tutors, hot cocoa, and holiday treats will be provided for students. The specifics are outlined below.
Just a friendly reminder that the optional DEA student presentation will occur in the Main Gymnasium at DHS during seminar on Thursday, December 9th.
Information was sent to parents and guardians on Monday, November 29th regarding the free video DON'T WAIT (link to trailer) a film by Addiction is Real. We also included a link in the communication for parents to submit discussion questions for the January 10th, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Zoom panel discussion for parents. Thank you to those parents that have already submitted questions.
Semester final exams are scheduled to begin Monday, December 13th, and end Thursday, December 16th. Winter Break begins on December 17th. For the purpose of consistency, clarity, and the importance of finals, if students have to leave town prior to and/or during finals week, they will need to work with the teacher to make up the final within two weeks of their return (not before).
Several Seniors have applied for a ‘Shortened Day’ during the spring semester. Those students are reminded of a few key points: 1) if you do not have seminar, you should not be on campus – you will need to sign in at the office to meet with a teacher during seminar, 2) having a shortened schedule is contingent on you having regular attendance and passing all of your courses, and 3) you are required to attend any required senior meetings – please plan ahead.
Thank you,
Sam Ruff,
Principal
DHS Cocoa and Cram
As we approach the end of another successful semester, we are offering support to help you prep for finals week. You’re invited to join us after school between 3:00 – 4:30 in the Union for Cocoa and Cram. This will be an opportunity to connect with student tutors all while sipping cocoa and enjoying snacks. We will also offer opportunities for you to stop by our decompression stations to help ease the stress of the season. The more the merrier when studying for finals and finishing the year strong. We hope to see you there!
2022-2023 Course Selection Information
Current 9th-11th grade students will be starting the course selection process for the 2022-2023 school year during seminar on Monday, December 6th. Students will be watching a course selection presentation provided by our counseling team. The purpose of the presentation is to give students updated information to help them make course choices for the following year and help students understand where they can find the information they need to help them make decisions. We will be sure that parents have access to the course selection presentation in the coming week so parents can talk with their students about planning for the next school year.
Also, just a reminder about college visits: Students who are going on a college visit need to do the following:
· Parent contacts the attendance line to notify the office
· Student picks up a college visit form in Student Services to take with them on their visit.
· Student returns the college visit form to the attendance secretary in the office. The form needs to be signed by one of the college representatives from the visit.
All of these steps help to ensure that the absence is excused.
Paraprofessionals and Student Nutrition Positions Available Now
De Soto High School Tuba Christmas participants
Note from the Counselors:
As we near the end of semester 1, now is a good time to start preparing for finals. Here are a few helpful tips. Visit your teacher for classes that you need the most help with during seminar. Ask clarifying questions in class. Review old tests (if possible) to understand what you missed. After completing the review and studying it, try filling it out based on what you remember. Need extra help? Visit the student union after school, Monday – Thursday from 3-4.
Schedule Change Requests:
Students who would like to submit a schedule change request for the second semester will need to fill out the schedule change request forms. The forms will be available in Student Services upon the return from Thanksgiving break. Schedule changes will only be approved if it meets the criteria on the form.
Senior Scholarship Information:
Now is a good time to start looking for scholarships for college. If you haven’t already done so please check out the DHS Student Services site: https://www.usd232.org/Page/3287. Click on the Financial Aid/Scholarship tab. Scholarships for DHS seniors only will be posted in January/February. General scholarships are updated on a regular basis so check the page often.
FAFSA Application Open for the 2022-23 School Year:
In October the 22-23 FAFSA application opened. This is used to determine financial aid which comes in the form of grants or scholarships. It is also used for parents/students qualify for loans to help subsidize the cost of college. For more information on financial aid go to: https://studentaid.gov/
Individual Plan of Study (IPS):
Every DHS student will have a completed Individual Plan of Study upon graduating De Soto High School. Students complete different IPS lessons approximately twice each month during seminar. Xello is the platform for IPS and contains all kinds of important information, specific to each student including career matches, personality styles, skills, interests, saved colleges, saved careers, scholarships, etc. Students will review their IPS with their seminar teacher and their parents during spring conferences. This video gives a short summary of why IPS is important and gives students/parents an idea of what is to be expected.
Social Emotional Lessons (SEL):
DHS seminars are now including SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) activities to help provide tools and resources for students. Upcoming topics include: analyzing emotions, goal setting, perseverance, and managing responses to emotions. The overall health and well-being of our students are important to us. If you are ever concerned about another student or your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their counselor or the social worker.
Resources from CollegeBoard:
Parent Action Plan for Seniors
FAFSA Resources:
Quick Video Instructions on how to fill out the FAFSA
Scholarships:
DHS Student Services Scholarship Page (updates frequently)
DHS Counselors and Social Worker
Crissy Johns (A-G): CJohns@usd232.org
Lindsay Hothan (H-N): LHothan@usd232.org
Kaitlin Britt (O-Z): KBritt@usd232.org
Joe Kordalski (Social Worker): Rkordalski@usd232.org
Kansas Promise Scholarship
The state of Kansas is starting a new initiative called the Kansas Promise Scholarship.
Kansas Promise Scholarship is a “last dollar” scholarship that can pay for tuition, books and other Promise-eligible, course-related materials, not covered by other scholarships or grants. In exchange, students agree to work in Kansas for two years after completing their program.
Kansas Promise dollars subsidize middle or high-income students who might not qualify for federal and state aid to cover all college expenses.
For more information, visit Kansas Promise Scholarship.
Updates from our Missouri Colleges and Universities!
University of Missouri-St. Louis:
- No application fee
- Criminology and Criminal Justice ranked #4
- International Business ranked in the top 25
- Nursing: guaranteed spot for incoming freshman with a 3.0 GPA and a 24 ACT
- January 1 scholarship priority deadline
UMKC:
- Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies
- Fall 2022: Bachelor of Media Arts and Design and Bachelors of Applied Sciences
- 40% students of color, Over 85 countries represented, multiple LGBTQIA scholarships
- Test Optional Admissions and Scholarships ($1500-2000)
- Kansas Residents pay nearly the same tuition as In-State residents
Attendance
Kansas Compulsory Attendance Statutes
Regular attendance is required of all pupils enrolled in elementary and secondary school under Kansas compulsory attendance statutes. It is a parental responsibility under Kansas statutes to require the regular school attendance “of any child who has reached the age of seven (7) years and is under the age of eighteen (18) years,” unless the child is exempted by statute.
The State of Kansas delegates to the Board of Education the responsibility of determining reasons for excusable absences.
The following are reasons for excusable absence:
1. Personal illness. A physician’s note will be required for chronic absenteeism.
2. Serious illness or death of a member of the family or close friend.
3. Obligatory religious observance of the student’s own faith.
4. Participation in a school-approved activity.
5. Physician or dentist appointments that can be verified by appointment card.
6. Court appearance that can be verified through court services’ officer.
7. Verifiable, emergency situations requiring immediate action at the request of the parent. Limit of five.
8. An absence that has been requested in writing and approved in advance by the building administrator.
Parents will be notified after five, and then again after ten absences making them aware of their student’s attendance record. A student who is absent from class or school without an excusable reason, as outlined above, will be considered unexcused. An unexcused absence for one or more classes will receive disciplinary consequences and credit may not be given for missed classes.
Procedure for reporting absences
1. Parents or legal guardians are requested to call the 24-hour attendance voice mail line (913- 667-6259) on the day of the absence. If a call is not received the day after the absence, the absence may be considered unexcused.
2. A telephone call will be required each day the student is absent unless prior arrangements have been made.
3. When reporting an absence, the parent or guardian should give the following information: • His or her name and relationship to student • student’s name and grade in school (please spell the name) • reason for absence • the date and hours of absence
4. Upon returning to school the day following an absence, the student should go directly to class. If there is a question about the absence, the Main Office will contact the student.
5. If a student leaves the school building during the school day, the student must sign out with the Main Office. Students must sign in at the Main Office upon returning to school that day or arriving at school after the school day begins, even if returning or leaving during a passing period. Failure to properly sign in or out could result in the student’s absence being marked as unexcused.
Children's Mercy Hospitals Prepped and Ready Series
DHS families, Children’s Mercy Hospitals have graciously kept the Prepped and Ready: Experts Edition video series open for the community!
As a reminder, the series is a collection of 3-5 minute videos addressing difficult topics that pertain to raising teens. It takes less than an hour to watch the videos and complete the research surveys. The content touches on a variety of topics, but a major focus is empowering parents with tools to prevent suicides in our community.
Excerpts from the videos are below, and showcase a variety of speakers from CMH and our community:
Intro to Prepped and Ready Trailer - https://youtu.be/ECsW7XbsSqo
Prepped and Ready Impulsivity Trailer - https://youtu.be/TnJcmzcIGLc
Prepped and Ready Asking Tough Questions Trailer - https://youtu.be/O-uvmB8xlhg
Prepped and Ready Ingestions Trailer - https://youtu.be/D_sP7PyQZV8
Prepped and Ready Vaping Trailer - https://youtu.be/34r5_xOIKCg
Prepped and Ready Safe Storage Trailer - https://youtu.be/24SPNXfHAGE
Prepped and Ready Eating Disorders Trailer - https://youtu.be/6k6n_DYP0IA
Securly App
Parents can have peace of mind in knowing your student’s search history and time on their device. See your student’s online activity in real-time and catch up with weekly email snapshots by signing up with the Securly app. Follow the link for more information and directions.