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Wildcat Growl
Sept. 3, 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,
We hope everyone has an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. Just a reminder that we will not have school on Monday, September 6th.
Homecoming week begins Monday, September 20th. Fun activities are planned to take place all week long, ending with the dance on Saturday, September 25th. More information is included in this newsletter or can be found on our website, here.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held virtually on Wednesday, September 29th, and Thursday, September 30th. Each teacher will send families information on September 13th about conference appointment sign-up. We look forward to the opportunity to connect with you to discuss student progress.
Future Ready Day is scheduled for October 20th. On this day, students participate in a variety of activities assisting them in planning for their future.
On October 20th, all Freshmen and Sophomore students are scheduled to take the Pre-ACT. This important assessment simulates the ACT test experience, predicts ACT test scores, and offers insight to students towards post-secondary readiness.
On the same day, the Senior students will be able to select from several activities including:
- Senior Service Day - community service projects planned by StuCo,
- taking the ASVAB - a test provided by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command measuring developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success. This option may also include a field trip to the Armory to meet with and listen to presentations given by US Armed Services personnel.
- individually/self-planned college visits*,
- job shadow*,
- school-directed college visit with the Junior class.
We are sending each Senior a survey next week to self-select which activity they are choosing. (*college visits and job shadows require the completion of a form found in Student Services)
Additionally, Junior students will participate in a school-supervised college visit. Students will have an opportunity to select from a list of colleges. Thanks to a USD232 Education Foundation grant, all transportation will be provided by DHS. In the coming weeks, Juniors will be sent a survey asking them to rank their preference from the list of schools.
As a result of recent tragedies that have occurred involving students in other nearby schools, this has been a difficult week for some of our students. We have been working with our counselors and social worker to support students who may need or want assistance surrounding grief and loss. Their contact information is below. Our teachers have been informed to allow students to come to Student Services as needed. We also have resources that may be useful to you in helping your child at home.
Kind Regards,
Sam Ruff
Principal
Paraprofessionals and Student Nutrition Positions Available Now
Note from the Counselors:
It has been great to see our students in the building the past couple of weeks! All students should have full schedules and the deadline to request any schedule changes has passed. We are excited to get to know all of the students in our alphabet this year! Contact information for counselors and our social worker is below.
Senior Meetings: Counselors are now meeting individually with seniors to discuss plans for after high school. Some of the topics included in the discussion are: Post-Secondary options, How to Apply to Colleges, FAFSA Information, Scholarships, Transferring Credit from JCCC, etc. We have included some helpful links below to resources we reference in our meetings.
College & Military Representatives: This year we are allowed to have visitors in the building! We will be inviting various college and military representatives to DHS to share about all the opportunities their institutions offer. Students will have the opportunity to meet with the representatives during seminar. We will have the representatives from the following schools available to talk with students during seminar on Tuesday, September 14th: University of Arkansas, Missouri State, Pittsburg State, Wichita State, JCCC, KU and K-State.
Upcoming Deadlines for University Scholarships: Seniors who apply for these schools by the deadline listed will be considered for scholarships that are typically based on high school GPA and ACT scores:
· Kansas State University: December 1st
· University of Kansas: December 1st
· Wichita State University: Freshman Merit Scholarships – December 1st, Distinguished Scholarships – October 15th (Application deadline) and Scholarship Application – November 1st
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 is 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
Essay Contest for Students in Kansas, Grades 5-12
The State of Kansas holding an essay contest for all Kansas students in grades 5 - 12! What's their prize? A chance to win a $529 award to invest in a new or existing Kansas Learning Quest 529 Savings Account! Submissions will be accepted now until October 8th. To fill out the application and submit the essay, please visit: State of Kansas Essay Contest.
Advice for Seniors from DHS Alum, Cody Moose:
If I had to give advice to today's seniors, I guess it would be this:
“As I went through high school and then off to college, I was an engineering kid. That may not be what others thought of me, but it was a key part of how I saw myself, and I've now realized that I may have held onto that a bit too tightly. When I arrived at college, I found myself in musical theater and acapella, and having a ton of fun doing it. I learned that I'm not just an engineering kid, I also like singing and acting. I still do engineering, but I also do other things now and I'm all the better for it. So while you're in high school and wherever you go afterwards, please don't feel like you have to keep up with what you're already doing or that you can't branch out to things you haven't done before. You might crash and burn a bit (I know I did), but you might find a new spice in your life.
Attached is a picture of me in fall 2019 singing with the MIT Ohms, my a cappella group. I tried to find a picture of me building a robot or machining something at MIT, but then my dad pulled up this picture, and I realized it's a better representation of who I've become.
Boys State
Brett Tickle participated in Boys State this summer, representing USD 232. Brett was the youngest of all attendees being a sophomore and he served as County Commissioner for MacArthur County. You can find his details under zip code 66227. Attached is the press release and group photo.
Notes from the Nurse
VACCINATIONS
The State of Kansas requires incoming 11th graders to have one Meningococcal vaccine on or after their 16th birthday. Your shot record might say MCV, MCV4, MCV40, MCV4P, Menveo or Menactra or just meningococcal. All of these meet the requirement.
If your student has already had these vaccinations, please email Anne Lightcap, BSN, RN the shot record (mfarverlightcap@usd232.org). If you have already submitted a shot record containing this vaccine, you do not need to send it again. How can you check? From your desktop (it will NOT work on your phone), go to Skyward, then choose:
Health Info (tab on the left side) Display Options Show Vaccinations
UPDATED Immunizations
If your child has received any UPDATED immunizations since last Spring- please send these to the nurse at mfarverlightcap@usd232.org
If no changes to your current immunizations, I do not need another copy unless you are a new student or have been contacted by me about state required immunizations.
Medications to be given by the nurse
For students that take a medication to be given by the nurse at lunch or during the school day. Please remember I must have a signed doctor's order. A link to medication form on the USD 232 district Health services website can be found here. Or you can print the form below.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Anne Lightcap BSN, RN
De Soto High School Nurse
fax-913-667-6251
Pep Club T-Shirts Orders
To order a Pep Club shirt please visit the site https://desotopepclub.itemorder.com/sale. The deadline to order is Monday, September 6th.
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.
DHS Band Mattress Sale Fundraiser
Our 7th Annual Mattress Sale Fundraiser is on Saturday, Oct 2nd. If you need to replace a bed in your home, we hope you’ll consider this event!
Quick overview: On Oct. 2nd we will have a mattress showroom set up at the school from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be about 25 floor models on display for customers to try. Brand name beds from Simmons, Wellsville, Therapedic, Southerland, and more! All models come in all sizes, are made to order, and come with factory warranties. Pillows, adjustable power bases, sheets, frames, and mattress protectors will also be available. Delivery and haul away are available. Best of all, prices are up to 50% less than suggested retail because of the fundraising company's unique business model. Financing is available, with special promotions. Every purchase supports students in the De Soto Music Programs!
Special Deal: as a school employee, you and your family receive a special discount of 10% off your bed and/or adjustable base purchase.
If you’re not familiar with the “Mattress Sale Fundraiser” you can check out this 1-minute video to see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_pQ6O8aVus
For more details about the fundraiser, visit the Facebook event page: https://fb.me/e/2ougFDxLF