Wildcat Growl
March 27, 2020
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
Dear Wildcat Students and Parents,
As you are aware, on Tuesday, March 17th, Governor Laura Kelly ordered all public schools in Kansas to remain closed for regular operations through the end of the school year. This extraordinary action is to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our state and community.
While our school buildings may be closed, we want learning to continue for all students in a reasonable way. DHS teachers are working diligently to design and implement a new Continuous Learning Plan for all students while adhering to state and county directives. We appreciate your patience and grace as we work through this process.
Students should expect to begin learning activities on April 1st, 2020 by checking their school provided Outlook email and logging into our district provided learning management system - Canvas. The primary tools teachers will use for communication and instruction will be via Skyward, Canvas, and district-provided email. Zoom, a video conferencing software may also be used for “office hour” assistance and/or live instruction.
Our plan for providing continued learning will focus on the remaining essential knowledge and skills needed for our students. While some coursework may have needed deadlines for completion, students can work through the learning objectives in Canvas at a time during the day that meets their needs. This increased flexibility carries with it increased responsibility for students to continue to make progress. We are here to help.
Each teacher will establish and communicate their available office hour each weekday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM. While students are encouraged to reach out to their teachers via their school email anytime, the office hour timeframe is set up as the time that teachers can use to respond to those questions. Teachers may also elect to hold open Zoom meetings during this time to allow ‘live’ interaction for students. Look for email communication from teachers to begin Monday, March 30th.
The district is providing FREE meals to students to be picked up at specific locations on Mondays and Wednesdays until the end of the regularly scheduled school year. This service began Wednesday, March 25, and will continue on Monday, March 30th. We will be moving meal pick up to the north side of DHS on Monday. More information can be found on the district website.
We realize you may have more questions for which we do not yet have answers. Information will be shared with you in the coming days about grades, the end of the fourth quarter, and more. Again, thank you for your patience and grace.
Kind Regards,
Sam Ruff
Information from the DHS Media Center!
DHS LMC 2.0
Yes, believe it or not you can still read and use the library while at home!
The library catalog, resources and eBooks/eAudiobooks are just a few keystrokes away.
Enroll in library page by clicking on DHS MC Canvas or on the link DHS LMC Destiny Catalog
Check out our Instagram/Twitter pages @dhsmediacenter2 for post on current book reviews, the question of the week, national daily holidays and what my crazy dogs and I are up to while at home.
If you need further assistance please feel free to contact me at jsosna@usd232.org during office hours M-F from 8:00 to 12:00.
Corinne Daise - Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program
Congratulations Amanda Sweet!
Amanda is the USD232 Secondary Teacher of the Year! Dr. Harwood just visited to surprise Amanda and recognize her in the middle of AP Lit. Congrats Amanda!
Message from Student Services
April 4th ACT Test Date Change:
Due to the current circumstances, the ACT is canceling the ACT that was scheduled for April 4th. All students who were registered can change to the June 13th or July 11th test, without additional fees. Please log in to your ACT account to select your new test date. DHS will not be a test site on either of these dates, but there will be multiple high schools near us that will be offering it on these dates.
Changes in DHS Senior Scholarships:
Some of the scholarships that were being offered to seniors this year have moved their deadlines back and the protocol for turning the scholarship in. Please check out the Student Services Scholarship page for more information: DHS Senior Only Scholarships.
If you have additional questions, please email Mrs. Johns at cjohns@usd232.org
AP Exam 2020 Update:
College Board announced last week that they are still giving students opportunities to earn credit for their AP Classes. If students registered by the deadline of March 20th, students will be taking their exams online on the dates that are designated. For more information please visit https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update. As more information is released, Mrs. Johns will be communicating with all students who registered for the exam.
Upcoming Virtual College Fair:
In April there were a few college fairs that were to be held in the KC metro area. Under the circumstances, college admissions programs are now offering a FREE opportunity for students to still attend, but virtually! This college fair will be held April 20-22nd. For more information, go to https://www.strivescan.com/virtual/. As the date approaches there will be more information posted on the website link.
JCCC Scholarship Application: Deadline April 15, 2020
Seniors: if you are going to JCCC next year, don’t forget to fill out the JCCC scholarship application. The Scholarship Deadline is April 15. There are millions of dollars available for a variety of degree and program areas. With just one application, students could be eligible for hundreds of JCCC scholarships.
In addition, Johnson County high school graduates are eligible for:
- CavGuarantee Scholarship (3.25+ GPA)
- Guarantees $500 for their first year at JCCC
- President’s Scholarship (3.50+ GPA)
- Covers 12 credit hours and $300 for textbooks each semester and is renewable
Course Selection Information:
- Course Selection Change FINAL Deadline: Students will have until April 10th to make any changes in their course selection for next school year. After this deadline, no schedule changes will be allowed unless it meets the specific criteria that is listed on the course selection form.
- If students would like to make a change, please reach out to your counselor’.