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,

At DHS, we continue to encourage and recognize students who exemplify The WildCAT Way, specifically acts of thoughtfulness. Students who were recognized by staff members in the month of September for displaying thoughtful behavior by demonstrating a service orientation, treating others with respect, or engaging in planning and time management are listed below. Congratulations to these students and keep up the great work Wildcats!

September Thoughtful WildCAT Recognitions: Ella Batterbee, Kate-Lynn Bush, Andrea Cabral, Xavier Chaney, Austin Chase, Jannelle Conley, Adrian Correa, Noah Daniels, Preston Daniels, Jose De Leon Escobedo, Katelyn Deibert, Micah Douglass, Edik Erickson, Fox Farley, Evan Fleet, Mason Fry, Evelyn Haro Rondan, Sofia Herasymchuk, Evelyn Hernandez, Addison Howard, Laney Huggins, Madalyn Klover, Violet Lorenz, Nicholas Maskil, Maddilyn Mosbaek, Sophia O’Kane, Drew Rebar, Ailene Rhodelander, Samuel Robinson, Ezra Rodriguez, Andrew Schlotzhauer, Quinn Schmidt, Ryland Schriock, Stella Showalter, Chloe Smajda, Margaret Stelzer, Isaac Thompson, Adalberto Villa Rodriguez, Serenity Vogts, Aryn Wiebe, Kennedy Zans

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.

Career Panel Series: Our first Career Panel Series event of the year is focusing on Finance, Business Management & Administration, and is scheduled to take place on October 9th, during seminar. Students interested in asking questions and hearing from professionals in the field, can sign up to attend the event in the PAC via Minga Flextime. We are very thankful to those professionals attending for giving of their time. Additional Career Panels are currently being planned - the schedule is below.

Squad of the Month: Each month we are recognizing a DHS Collaborative Team as our "Squad of the Month". This is a team of educators collectively committed to improve student learning. Our September Squad of the Month is our Integrated Math 1 Team of April Bergkamp, Susan Coffee, and Emily Thayer. They've worked hard to identify and plan essential skills, and provide interventions for our students. Thank you, and congrats!

Future Ready Day: Tuesday, October 15th is Future Ready Day at DHS. Important information regarding all student activities can be found below.

End of Quarter: The end of the school year's first quarter is Thursday, October 17th. After teachers submit quarter 1 grades, they will be posted to Skyward on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Graduation Information: Information about the Class of 2025 graduation ceremony can be viewed on our website (here). This year, the gauntlet will start at 6:00 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 18th.

Important Future Events:

Anti-Bullying Week: October 7th-11th

Future Ready Day: Tuesday, October 15th

No School: Friday, October 18th & Monday, October 21st

Trunk or Treat: Sunday, October 20th

Father's Club Information Meeting: November 5th @ 6:00PM - Link to information below

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

Academic Recognition Night: November 19th - 12-10th grade Academic Letter Winners (info to come)

Warm regards,

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

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.

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.

The Theatre Department is hosting a Fundraiser at Chipotle, Wednesday, October 9th from 4-8pm. 25% of sales go towards funding the Fall Musical. Mention the Fundraiser or show the flyer when you checkout, and come see Mary Poppins November 14th and 16th!

Nominations are now open for the De Soto Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Use the link below for more information and to submit an individual or team deserving of this honor. Nomination deadline is Nov 3rd, 2024. https://dhswildcatnation.com/hof-nomination/

Future Ready Day, October 15th, is just around the corner. We are excited about the opportunities that DHS students will have that day.

On the morning of October 15th, Freshmen and Sophomores will take the PreACT. Testing room locations have been posted in the commons. Students will need to check those locations before the morning of October 15. These locations will also be communicated to students in their seminars. On the morning of October 15, students will need to report to those rooms when arriving at school.

Juniors and Seniors who have signed up to take the ACT on October 15, will need to check their room locations in the commons. On the morning of October 15, those juniors and seniors will report to the assigned location. Seminar teachers will also have the room locations to communicate to the students.

We have a variety of college visits planned for juniors who are not taking the ACT. Juniors completed a survey indicating where they would like to go for a college visit. Students had a choice to attend JCCC, KCKCC, University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), Emporia State, Baker, University of Central Missouri, Washburn University, or KU. Permission slips for these visits will be coming home this week and need to be returned on October 11th. Students can bring money to purchase lunch from the postsecondary institution cafeteria, bring their own lunch, or sack lunches will be available for pickup from our cafeteria.

Also on October 15th, most of the senior class will explore future opportunities through a job shadow or individually planned college visits. Some of our students are taking the ASVAB, a Military Services assessment. Job Shadow/College Visit forms for seniors need to be picked up from Student Services before October 15th and are due October 25th. We are thankful to our staff for assisting us in providing these opportunities for our students – and thankful to our students for representing DHS well.

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 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.

Below are examples of several activities that will be offered. We are excited about the opportunities available to students on this day.

• Admissions and Scholarship Essay Writing

• Preparing for Your College Experience

• Disc Golf Basics

• Yoga

• Verse Writing

• Exploring Simple Machines

If you have any questions, reach out to Cat Monroe, School Improvement Specialist, cmonroe@usd232.org

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror…..I'm asking him to change his ways…”

These words made famous by Michael Jackson inspired me to step up and join Fathers Club—a Dad-led, grassroots effort creating simple ways for Dads to be intentional with their KIDS, with other DADS, and within the COMMUNITY.

Several schools in the KC metro are associated with the Fathers Club organization and are doing great things for their school system. We certainly have men accomplishing much within our schools but the reality is that there’s more to do. Please join me at the upcoming informational meeting at 6:00pm on November 5th, 2024 in the DHS Blackbox Theater. I’m excited about establishing a DeSoto Fathers Club and it would be wonderful to see more men step up and make an impact on the kids who call DeSoto their school district.

- Mark Martinez

Attention seniors and senior parents: The DHS athletic department is planning Athletic Signing Days for the Class of 2025, one in December and one in late April. We are currently compiling a list of students in the class of 2025 that plan to continue their athletic careers after high school. If you have signed a letter of intent or have been offered and plan to sign a letter of intent with a college/university, please use the link below to complete a Google form. Note that student-athletes will need to choose only one signing day event and will not be able to participate in both events.

Link to form: https://forms.gle/sdRJPRK3PzW11cMW7

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)

Filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is now simpler than ever—and JCCC’s Financial Aid team will get you prepared. The FAFSA® opens December 1. This FREE event is dedicated to FAFSA® prep (Federal Student Aid ID setup), Scholarship information, and other college funding options.

Tue. Nov. 19 | 4:30-7 p.m. | Regnier Center 101

To register for the event click: RSVP for College Financing Night

Need a different time? We have flexible meeting options! Contact the Financial Aid team at finaid@jccc.edu to schedule an appointment at your convenience.

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