Wildcat Growl

Vision: De Soto High School ensures all students learn at a high level and have a positive sense of belonging, developing each student to be ready for their future.

Wildcats and Families,

Thanks to everyone that helped make Fall Fest at DHS a huge success. We are so fortunate to have the level of support from our community for our student body displayed Friday night. The evening wrapped up with an informal dance/Mixer in the Union. Students had tons of fun. Thanks to our Student Council for organizing the Mixer.

Just a reminder that we do not have school on Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day.

Our first HOME football game of the year is this coming Friday vs Topeka West at 7:00 PM. The theme is NEON. Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun. Go Cats!

We are looking forward to seeing our students participating in the DHS fall musical, Mary Poppins. The cast list is below. Congratulations!

10th and 11th-grade families, please be reminded that the deadline to register your student for the optional PSAT or optional WorkKeys assessments is Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 3:30 PM. Both assessments will be administered during the school day on October 29, 2024, at DHS. Registration instructions are provided below.

Monday, September 16th begins Homecoming Week at DHS, with activities planned each day: door decorating, student/staff dodgeball, parade/spirit rally/powder puff, school assembly, football game - culminating in the dance on Saturday, September 21st, from 8:00 - 10:30 PM. Many of the details are provided below.

Please mark the following dates on your calendars, and keep an eye out for further details.

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on the following dates:

• Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 from 4:00PM - 7:30PM
• Thursday, September 26th, 2024 from 9:30AM - 8:00PM

Future Ready Day is October 15th.

End of Quarter 1 will be October 17th.

• We will not have school on Friday, October 18th or Monday, October 21st.

End of Semester 1 will be December 20th

• Final Exams begin December 17th and take place through the 20th
• Look for Skip-A-Final information to be posted soon!

We have noticed a number of students being dropped off at the beginning of the day and picked up after school by parents on the north side of the building. The increase in pedestrians and vehicles can make it more difficult for the buses and many of our beginner drivers to navigate safely. Before and immediately after school, car riders should be dropped off and picked up at the Main Entrance on the south side of the building. The traffic pattern can be viewed via the link provided below. Thank you.

We hope everyone has enjoyed a great start to the school year, as we look forward to the fall season.

Warm regards,

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

The DHS traffic patterns before the school day and at dismissal are posted on our website. With beginning drivers, busses, and students walking from the lot into the building, we can't stress enough the need for increased awareness and a reduction of speed while in our parking lot. If you drop off and/or pick your student up from DHS, we ask that you pull as far forward along the curb as possible before stopping your vehicle. Thank you.

This year, the DHS athletics department will be using HUDL (not NFHS) to live stream all home events. To get your subscription, use this link: https://fan.hudl.com/dhswildcatnation

Single game, monthly, or year long subscription options are available.

Outside Guest Forms: The forms required for outside guests to attend the dance became available in the Main Office on August 28th. The completed forms are due by 3:00pm on September 17th back in the Main Office.

Homecoming Parade/Spirit Rally/Powder Puff: The Homecoming Parade and Spirit Rally is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18th 5:30 PM (or Thursday, Sept 19th, if it gets rained out on Wednesday). Parade line up/staging area will be in the parking lot of Miller Park. The route of the parade heads west on 83rd/Penner Ave to the LTMS parking lot. Student groups are in need of trucks with flatbed trailers to decorate for their floats. The float can be decorated according to the "Tangled" theme or Wildcat/DHS spirit. The driver of the float must be at least 18 years of age.

Spirit Rally: The Parade will conclude at the football stadium, where we will have a Spirit Rally and the Powder Puff Football game!

All-School Assembly: The Wildside will organize an all-school pep assembly during seminar on Friday, September 20th. We will be on the assembly bell schedule.

Football Game: The DHS Wildcats take on Piper on Friday, September 20th at the stadium. Kick-off is scheduled at 7:00PM.

The Homecoming Dance will take place from 8:00 - 10:30 PM (this is a change from the previously communicated 11:00 PM) on Saturday, September 21st at DHS. Student entry will be at the Attendance Office entrance. Students must arrive by 9:00 PM.

Look for the themes for HOCO dress up days to be released soon!

DHS Families! Would you like to show our fabulous staff at DHS appreciation for all they do for our kiddos? We are starting up the DHS Staff Snack Cabinet, and we are looking for businesses or families who would like to volunteer to fill that cabinet. We are looking to stock the cabinet at least once per month with easy grab-and-go snacks that the staff can enjoy. It can be fresh fruit, prepackaged snacks like cookies or granola bars, anything is appreciated. We'd also like to provide them with drink choices like soda or flavored waters. We have 110 staff members at the school.

You can participate in 2 ways: First, you can sign up and donate $200 to the DHS Cat Boosters Venmo @desotocatboosters and then we will do the shopping. Second, you can sign up to bring the items into the office yourself during the week specified on the sign-up genius. Either way, you can provide us with your business logo or family information, and we'll create a sign that will be on the cabinet during the time the snacks are distributed. You can also bring coupons or business cards to put out with the snacks. It's a great way to promote your business and let the wonderful DHS staff know we appreciate them.

Please use the following signup to select your month. Please indicate on your sign up whether you will be doing the shopping or sending Venmo. Thanks for your support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D49AEA72EA75-50924616-dhsstaff

PM CTEC students attend classes at DHS in the morning. These students need to report to and remain in Seminar until the travel bell rings. Once the travel bell rings they can go to the commons for lunch then exit through the attendance office doors to catch the bus, or go directly to the parking lot via the attendance office doors and drive to CTEC.

AM CTEC students attend CTEC in the morning and once they are released from CTEC, they are free to go eat lunch or head directly to DHS. If they arrive back to DHS before 4th block, they need to report to their seminar. If they don't arrive until the passing period before 4th block, they need to report directly to their 4th block class.

Seminar is a time during the school day in which students can study, seek out additional support, or be assigned to intervention sessions needed for learning. This time can also be used for club meetings and other non-classroom-related tasks. Seminar is scheduled to take place each day during 3rd block.

Just as we did last year, we will be using an online program called Minga to manage the days of the week students travel to other teachers/locations within the building. This system allows students to sign up for the teachers/locations they plan to attend throughout the week. Students may also be assigned to specific teachers/locations for interventions.

The PSAT/NMSQT is a standardized test available to sophomores and juniors at De Soto High School. This test, designed for high-achieving, college-bound students, will be offered on October 29, 2024.

To register your child for the test, please submit a payment of $18 between August 19, 2024, and September 4, 2024. Payments can be made in one of the following ways:

- E-funds (online)

- Check (made out to DHS)

- Cash

If paying in person, payments should be brought to Ms. Cabral or Mrs. Monroe in the main office. Please note that payment is required for registration and will secure your child’s spot for the test.

If you do not wish for your child to take the PSAT/NMSQT, no action is required on your part.

Further information about the exam and optional study sessions will be sent out on September 5, 2024 to registered students.

For any questions, please contact Mrs. Monroe at cmonroe@usd232.org.

De Soto High School will be offering the WorkKeys assessment to juniors, which will be paid for by the state of Kansas. This valuable test evaluates job skills and career readiness. The test will be administered on October 29, 2024.

To register your child for the WorkKeys, please complete this Google form by September 5, 2024. If you do not wish for your child to take the WorkKeys assessment, no action is required on your part.

Further information about the exam will be sent out on September 5, 2024 to registered students.

For any questions, please contact Mrs. Monroe at cmonroe@usd232.org.

We highly value the importance of regular attendance in ensuring your student's academic success. Our attendance policies and practices are designed to support your child's growth and development in a nurturing and engaging environment. Information regarding attendance policy and practices can be viewed on our website.

Attention Juniors and Seniors: If you have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher, you may be eligible to apply for the National Honors Society (NHS). An email with application details was recently sent to your school email account. All applications are due by Friday, September 6th at 3:00 PM. Don't miss this opportunity to join a prestigious organization that values scholarship, leadership, service, and character. For more information, please contact Susan Coffee or Keri Lauxman.

If your student has not yet gotten their picture taken or would like to re-take their photo, our final picture re-take day is Wednesday, October 2nd. The photographers will be set up in the Black Box during lunch and seminar (students will need to sign up via Minga). These pictures are for the yearbook and for student IDs, which for most students are also their activity pass so they don’t have to pay to get into home sporting events. This is the final opportunity for students to get a yearbook and student ID photo taken.

DHS Counselors and Social Workers

Mrs. Crissy Johns (cjohns@usd232.org): Last name A – D

Ms. Abbey Heller (aheller@usd232.org): Last name E – K

Mrs. Lainee Graham (lgraham@usd232.org): Last name L – Q

Mrs. Kaitlin Morrell (kaitlin.morrell@usd232.org): Last name R - Z

Mr. Joe Kordalski, Social Worker (Rkordalski@usd232.org)

Mrs. Debra Landis, Social Worker (dlandis@usd232.org)

The Cat Booster Club works to support all of our students at DHS. They provide teacher grants for classroom needs, support Gradfest, assist school activities in fundraising, organize Teacher Appreciation Week, and fund scholarships to graduating seniors. They are able to do all of this by selling spirit wear and donating their time in the concession stands. We are so appreciative of them. The membership drive for this year is currently underway, with multiple levels to choose from. Check out their website - here.

While we plan to continue to allow students to use their mobile devices during passing periods and lunch, we would also ask that parents have a conversation with their students about appropriate use. Taking pictures or videos of other students without their consent and then sharing those pictures/videos or posting them online can be a form of social harassment or bullying, and will be handled as such. Please refer to the information posted on the district website regarding bullying and harassment. Thank you for helping us address this issue with our students.

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.

https://www.usd232.org/Page/7956