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Wildcat Growl
January 5, 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
Wildcat Students and Parents,
Welcome back! The second semester will start tomorrow, January 6th, and will be a Green Day. Students will start the day by reporting to Seminar to receive second-semester schedules. The schedule for the day can be found HERE. We will also celebrate first semester successes during Administrative/Seminar meetings taking place Monday – Wednesday.
De Soto High School will be conducting its 2020 Hall of Fame Inductions on Friday, January 10th, 2020. We are proud to recognize the Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Patsy Lucas-Allenbrand – Class of 1968, Ryan Johnson – Class of 1992, Carrie Buckley – Class of 1992, and Dr. William Hageman – Class of 1995. There will be a reception and dinner for the inductees and their family and friends at 6:00 pm in the Black Box. The induction ceremony will happen at the conclusion of the Varsity Girls Basketball and before the Varsity Boys Basketball warm-up in the Main Gymnasium, approximately at 7:15 pm. We welcome anyone who would like to show his or her support of these individuals to attend on January 10th.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 7:00 p.m., USD 232 will hold a special screening of the documentary Angst: Raising Awareness about Anxiety, at the De Soto High School Theater. Free tickets for this event are now available and space is limited. For planning purposes, interested parents are encouraged to register for this event by Friday, January 10. Free tickets are available HERE. Learn more > Angst: Raising Awareness about Anxiety.
During the months of January and February, students will complete the process of course selection for the 2020-2021 school year. This process includes core teachers making course recommendations, counselors making classroom presentations, Honor/AP teachers conducting informational meetings during seminar, administrative presentations during Parent-Teacher Conferences, and students and parents reviewing the 2020-2021 USD232 Course Guide and discussing student Individual Plans of Study (IPS).
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on February 12th and February 13th. Specific times will be made available once we get closer to February. If inclined to do so, parents are invited to bring their students to spring Parent-Teacher Conferences in order to collaborate on IPS and 2020-2021 course selection. This will provide an important opportunity for the parent, student, and seminar teacher to discuss the student’s goals. During Parent-Teacher Conferences, we are also planning to present information on the AP Capstone Diploma (AP Seminar and AP Research), Senior Symposium, and AVID 9 Elective.
Seniors and Senior Parents: This is an exciting time. One of our goals is to help our Seniors prepare and plan for what comes after graduation. Seniors are challenged with the goal of a strong finish to their high school experience. Students have what will become a very short spring semester left before graduation on May 16, 2020. Information about graduation can be found HERE. Please plan ahead.
Kind Regards,
Sam Ruff
Homework Request Information
When your student is absent from school, please encourage your student to reach out to teachers requesting assignments missed due to the absence. Certainly parents can also reach out to teachers, but part of becoming an independent learner is communication, being organized and advocating for yourself. If your student is experiencing a longer term absence (a week or more), our counselors are available to assist in this process.
Five Day Exclusion
The seven day exclusion policy for influenza (flu) has changed from seven days to five days. Students and staff who are diagnosed with the flu will be excluded for five days, starting with the first day of symptoms. For example, if a staff member feels ill on Sunday and goes to the doctor and is diagnosed with flu on Wednesday, the five day exclusion starts on Sunday.
Students and staff must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication to bring down the temperature. If a staff member has followed the five day exclusion, but still has a fever on day six, the staff member must still be excluded until fever free with medication.
Message from Student Services
College Credit Deadlines Approaching:
Students who are enrolled in DHS Classes that count toward college credit, need to be aware of the upcoming deadlines. Please visit the College Credit/Dual Enrollment page for more information
For more information on each of these programs and how to enroll please click here.
Scholarship Information:
Looking for money to help pay for college? Check out the DHS Student Services Scholarship page! Throughout the year scholarships will be posted that are available to seniors. There is also a “Scholarship Search Tips” that can help aid the search process. Click here to go to the page.
College Visits:
If your student will be going on a college visit, students must fill out a College Visit Form. Forms are available in Student Services or online by clicking here. Students are to take the form with them on the day of the visit and bring it back signed by an admissions representative.