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,

Thank you for taking the time to attend our recent parent-teacher conferences. Your involvement and commitment to your child's education are greatly appreciated and make a significant difference in their academic success. If you were not able to attend, please feel free to reach out to your student's teachers to set up a time to connect.

The district is accepting nominations for the USD 232 Making a Difference Award. Complete a nomination form for any USD 232 staff member to recognize and celebrate the exceptional teachers and staff in our district. Nominations are reviewed monthly.

Time Management: During closed seminar each Monday, students have time to reflect and plan out the rest of the week by registering via Minga to visit teachers during seminar. Doing so demonstrates Academic Engagement, Self Discipline, and Time Management - three of the categories of The Wildcat Way. Students can also be assigned to attend sessions for academic interventions.

Wednesday, October 2nd is School Custodian Appreciation Day, and I encourage everyone to join me in recognizing the hard work and dedication of our amazing custodial team. They play an essential role in keeping our school clean, safe, and welcoming for all of us. Let’s take a moment to express our gratitude for everything they do behind the scenes to support our students and staff each and every day!

Picture Retakes: The last picture retakes of the year take place on Wednesday, October 2nd. If you were absent or unhappy with your picture, Interstate Studios will be set up in the Blackbox to retake your picture. You can sign up on Minga Flextime to have your picture taken during seminar, or wait and use your lunchtime to get your picture taken. ​

Coffee and Conversations: Our first Coffee and Conversation will take place from 8:00AM - 8:45AM Thursday, October 3rd. Join building leaders for a free Cats Corner beverage and informal conversation to discover what's happening at DHS. Please park in the north student parking lot and enter through the Attendance Office doors.

Anti-Bullying Week: October is National Bullying Prevention Month. During the week of October 7th-11th, DHS will hold several activities to highlight treating others with kindness and respect. Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to participate in World Bullying Prevention Day by wearing blue, send kind messages to their peers and sign an anti-bullying pledge while enjoying a signature drink of the week in Cats Corner. Please join us in promoting a culture of kindness and respect as we prepare for Anti-Bullying Week. Let's encourage all our students to Stomp Out Bullying by stepping up and speaking out to make our school a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

Important Future Events:

Career Panel Series: Wednesday, October 9th - Finance, Business Management and Administration

Future Ready Day: Tuesday, October 15th - Information below

End of Quarter: Thursday, October 17th - no school, Friday, October 18th, & Monday, October 21st

Trunk or Treat: Sunday, October 20th

Father's Club Information Meeting: TBD - Link to information below

Veteran's Day Assembly: Monday, November 11th - Recognition link is below

Warm regards,

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

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.

We want to continue to highlight the importance of regular school attendance. Citing the National Center for Education Statistics, it has been demonstrated that students who consistently attend school tend to attain higher levels of academic achievement compared to those with irregular attendance patterns. Recreating high-quality classroom instruction and valuable learning experiences missed during an absence can be challenging, not to mention the missed opportunities for enhanced comprehension that often arise from peer interaction and classroom discussions. Please take a moment to review the details regarding student attendance on our website.

We invite you to volunteer as a panelist for our Career Panel series, where students will learn about different career paths from professionals in various fields. We are hosting 14 sessions and would love your participation to help guide and inspire our students. If you're interested, please sign up using this link. Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference!

Finance, Business Management and Administration - October 9 (Biggest Need)

Agriculture Food & Natural Resources - October 16

Information Technology, Arts A/V, Communications - October 30

Architecture & Construction - November 13

Education & Training - December 4

Engineering - January 15

Government & Public Administration - January 22

Health & Bio Sciences - February 5

Hospitality & Tourism - February 26

Human Services - March 12

Marketing - March 26

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security - April 9

Manufacturing - April 23

Transportation, Distribution and Logistics - May 7

The DHS business department is selling shirts to raise money to support Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer.

The shirts are designed, printed, and promoted by DHS business students to help this local organization.

Short sleeve shirts are $15 - $19 and long sleeve shirts are $20 - $24. All proceeds will be given to Braden’s Hope.

Shirts can be ordered by scanning the QR code found on the flyer or by visiting dhsCatsAgainstCancer.Square.Site.

The deadline to order your shirt is noon on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 and will be available to wear at the Pink Out theme football game on October 11.

Future Ready Day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15th. On this day, students at DHS will participate in a variety of activities assisting them in planning for their future.

12th-grade students will take part in following activities:

• Taking the ACT (must have already signed up)
• Participation in organized community service projects.
• Taking the ASVAB - a test provided by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command measures 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 visit,
• If there is space - participate in a school-supervised college/trade school visit, or
• Job shadow

11th-grade students will choose from the following activities:

• Taking the ACT (must have already signed up), or
• Participate in a school-supervised college/trade school visit.

9th/10th-grade students will take the Pre-ACT. This important assessment simulates the ACT test experience, predicts ACT test scores, and offers insight to students toward post-secondary readiness.

Enrichment Activities – Afternoon

On the afternoon of the 15th, teachers will be facilitating differentiated activities covering a wide variety of areas. During this time, students can explore topics of interest they may not be exposed to during traditional class times.

During seminar on Monday, October 7th, students will use Minga Flextime Manager to sign-up for the sessions they want to attend. Each session will be approximately 45 minutes in length. Students are expected to sign up for three total activities and attend all activities for which they are registered.

If you have any questions, please contact Cat Monroe at cmonroe@usd232.org.

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.

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

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