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,

This is the last full week of the semester before Final Exams. On Wednesday, December 11th, we will have the last Delayed Start of first semester. We will not have a Delayed Start on Wednesday, December 18th, due to final exams. The final exam schedule can be found on our website, here.

Student Wildcats of the Month: Congratulations to the following students for being recognized as the Wildcats of the Month for December. Each department is recognizing the following students for being academically engaged as part of The WildCAT Way.

• Performing and Fine Arts – Olivia Hamer
• CTE – Logan Lackey
• English – Adrian Del Real
• Math – Cala Nudson
• Social Studies – Aiden Clayton
• Science – Jackson Langford
• PE – Braden Conley
• World Language – Nico Martinez

Staff Wildcats of the Month: Congratulations to Lainee Graham and Ryan Robie! Both are our Wildcats of the Month for December. Mrs. Graham serves DHS as a Counselor (L-Q). Mr. Robie is a Social Studies teacher and Head Coach of our girls basketball team. We appreciate all that they do for our students.

Cocoa and Cram: Starting this week, December 9th-12th, we are offering after-school support in the Union for students to prepare for final exams. Peer tutors, hot cocoa, and holiday treats will be provided for students. The specifics are outlined below.

Skip-A-Final: Skip-A-Final forms will be distributed to students who have met total Skip-A-Final attendance requirements (students who have been absent 5 or fewer total days, or 25 or fewer blocks) during seminar on Monday, December 9th. Upon receipt of their form, students will need to confirm they have met semester attendance and grade requirements with individual teachers whose final they are planning to skip (student has an “A” and 3 absences or less in the class – OR – a student has a “B” and 2 absences or less in the class).

All completed forms must be returned to the main office by Friday, December 13th, at 3:00 pm. All forms must be signed by the student, parent and participating teacher(s) in order to be eligible for Skip-A-Final.

As a reminder, students may skip a maximum of two semester 1 final exams. If students are eligible to skip a G1, G2, G5, W1, W2, or W5 final, they are not expected to attend the final exam block. However, students must attend blocks G4 and W4, even if they qualify for Skip-A-Final, in order to avoid students exiting and re-entering the building during the afternoons of final exams. See the link below for additional information regarding Skip-A-Final.

Second Semester Schedules: Second semester schedule change forms will be available in Student Services on Monday, December 9th. Forms are due no later than 3:00pm on Friday, December 13th. This will be the only time which students can request a change to their second semester schedule. A list of elective class openings by block will be posted outside Student Services. As a reminder, requests that involve a change or flip-flop of blocks (e.g. G1 needs to move to G4) and/or a change in teacher are not eligible for a schedule change request.

Seniors and Senior Parents: This is an exciting time. Students have what will become a very short spring semester left before graduation on May 18, 2025. Seniors should focus on the goal of a strong finish to their high school experience. Attendance is especially important.

Several Seniors have applied for a ‘Shortened Day’ during the spring semester. Those students are reminded of a few key points:

1) During the school day (7:50 am - 2:55 pm), you must enter and exit the building through the attendance office doors,

2) If you do not have Seminar – you will need to register via Minga and sign in through the attendance office to meet with a teacher during that time, and

3) Having a shortened schedule is contingent on you having regular attendance and passing all of your courses.

Future Events:

• Final Exams: Tuesday, December 17th - Friday, December 20th. Here is the schedule.
• Wednesday, December 18th: We will not be on the Delayed Start Schedule. 1st block begins at 7:50am.
• Tuesday, January, 7th: Welcome Back! First Day of Semester 2 (Green Day)
• Thursday, January 9th: Cats Booster Club Meeting, 4:30pm (FlexA)
• Monday, January 20th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School

Thanks, and have a great week.

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

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.

One of the most exciting moments for a student-athlete is receiving a verbal scholarship offer. Years of hard work have led to this moment. However, nothing is official until signing day when you sign your financial aid agreement formerly known as the National Letter of Intent. Congrats to our four DHS Wildcats!

Families, the State of Kansas provided free over-the-counter covid tests, which are located in a basket in the front office. Free to take, no names or sign up required; no need to share the result with the school nurse unless you choose to do so.

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 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)

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.