Wildcat Growl
October 10, 2021
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
Wildcats and Families,
Congratulations to Shelby Marquis and Kyle Newberry. Both are being recognized as our Wildcats of the Month for September. Shelby and Kyle are involved in a variety of activities and we appreciate their positive contribution to DHS!
We also want to congratulate Martin Juarez and Lori Hughes. Mr. Juarez and Mrs. Hughes are being recognized as the staff Wildcats of the Month for September. We are lucky to have both as members of the staff at DHS. Congrats!
The Varsity Girls Tennis team hosted the 2021 United Kansas Conference Tournament on Tuesday, October 5th. The Wildcats claimed the 2021 UKC Championship! Emma Hellerich was the UKC Singles Champions and also voted on as the UKC Player of the Year! Chole Collins and Ava O’Brien finished as the UKC Runner up in Doubles. Additionally, Coach Justin Hoffman was named UKC GirlsTennis Coach of the Year. Congratulations team!
We want to welcome our new administrative assistant responsible for attendance, Christy Miller. Mrs. Miller can be reached at cmiller1@usd232.org or by calling 913-667-6250, then pressing "1" from the menu of options.
Information about the variety of activities we have planned for FutureReady Day - October 20th is included below. It will be important for students to return permission slips (DHS planned college visits and service activities) this coming week. The senior college visit/job shadow forms will be due October 21st.
The end of the first quarter of the school year is October 14th. After teachers submit quarter 1 grades, they will be posted to Skyward on October 22nd.
Thanks, and Go Wildcats!
Sam Ruff,
Principal
October 20th - Future Ready Wildcats - Update
Class of 2022 - Seniors
The Senior students selected from several different activities to take part in on October 20th, including:
- Senior Service Day - community service projects planned by StuCo,
- taking the ASVAB - a test provided by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command measuring developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success),
- college visit with the Juniors
- individually/self-planned college visits or job shadow*, or
- Study Hall.
Students participating in the Senior Service Day need to turn in permission slips to the staff supervising your activity, ASAP.
Students taking the ASVAB will report to Student Services at 7:50 AM on October 20th.
Seniors planning their own college visits or job shadows must pick up a form found in Student Services before October 20th. The form is then completed and returned on October 21st.
Seniors not selecting one of the activities above will be assigned to a study hall on October 20th.
Class of 2023 - Juniors
Junior students selected from a variety of post-secondary institutions to visit. The list of schools included JCCC/UMKC, KCKCC Tech/JCCC, Washburn, Missouri Western, Baker, Emporia, Kansas University, and Kansas State University. Transportation will be provided by DHS, and permission slips should be turned in to Student Services and are due on October 14th.
Freshmen and Sophomore Students
All Freshmen and Sophomore students are scheduled to take the Pre-ACT. This important assessment simulates the ACT test experience, predicts ACT test scores, and offers insight to students towards post-secondary readiness. Students will be asked to report to their assigned testing room (ATR) for the morning assessment. The locations will be posted in the commons. Students will attend their 3rd and 4th Block classes in the afternoon.
Pre-ACT: 9th and 10th-grade students will be taking the PreACT on October 20th from 7:50-10:48.
The PreACT simulates the ACT testing experience within a shorter test window on all four ACT test subjects: English, math, reading, and science. Results predict future success on the ACT test, and provide both current achievement and projected future ACT test scores on the familiar 1-36 ACT score scale. This information will be especially helpful as we prepare our students for college and careers. For more information regarding the PreACT, please click here. It will take 4-8 weeks to get our results back.
DHS teachers will be proctoring the test in classrooms around the building that morning. We ask for your help in making sure students get a good night’s sleep, that they eat breakfast the morning of the test, and that they arrive at school on time. If students arrive late to school, they will not be able to test as scheduled.
On October 20th, students will report to their testing room at the start of the 1st block. They should bring a few #2 pencils and an approved calculator for the math section of the test.
For the purposes of the PreACT, DHS is providing test accommodations based on students’ IEP, 504 or ELL plan.
Paraprofessionals and Student Nutrition Positions Available Now
Note from the Counselors:
It has been great to see our students in the building the past couple of weeks! All students should have full schedules and the deadline to request any schedule changes has passed. We are excited to get to know all of the students in our alphabet this year! Contact information for counselors and our social worker is below.
Senior Meetings: Counselors are now meeting individually with seniors to discuss plans for after high school. Some of the topics included in the discussion are: Post-Secondary options, How to Apply to Colleges, FAFSA Information, Scholarships, Transferring Credit from JCCC, etc. We have included some helpful links below to resources we reference in our meetings.
Upcoming Deadlines for University Scholarships: Seniors who apply for these schools by the deadline listed will be considered for scholarships that are typically based on high school GPA and ACT scores:
· Kansas State University: December 1st
· University of Kansas: December 1st
· Wichita State University: Freshman Merit Scholarships – December 1st, Distinguished Scholarships – October 15th (Application deadline) and Scholarship Application – November 1st
Individual Plan of Study (IPS): Every DHS student will have a completed Individual Plan of Study upon graduating De Soto High School. Students complete different IPS lessons approximately twice each month during seminar. Xello is the platform for IPS and contains all kinds of important information, specific to each student including career matches, personality styles, skills, interests, saved colleges, saved careers, scholarships, etc. Students will review their IPS with their seminar teacher and their parents during spring conferences. This video gives a short summary of why IPS is important and gives students/parents an idea of what is to be expected.
Social Emotional Lessons (SEL): DHS seminars are now including SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) activities to help provide tools and resources for students. Upcoming topics include: analyzing emotions, goal setting, perseverance, and managing responses to emotions. The overall health and well-being of our students is important to us. If you are ever concerned about another student or your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their counselor or the social worker.
Resources from CollegeBoard:
Parent Action Plan for Seniors
FAFSA Resources:
Quick Video Instructions on how to fill out the FAFSA
Scholarships:
DHS Student Services Scholarship Page (updates frequently)
DHS Counselors and Social Worker
Crissy Johns (A-G): CJohns@usd232.org
Lindsay Hothan (H-N): LHothan@usd232.org
Kaitlin Britt (O-Z): KBritt@usd232.org
Joe Kordalski (Social Worker): Rkordalski@usd232.org
K-State Engineering Nights
K-State Engineering is hosting events in our area for high school and community college students. Students can join us at 6:30 p.m. CT on —
- Thursday, Oct. 14 | Liberty, MO
- Thursday, Nov. 18 | Lenexa – Kiewit
Students will learn more about engineering degrees, scholarships, career opportunities and industry partners. We encourage all interested students to register at engg.k-state.edu/engineering-night.
UMKC-School of Medicine Saturday Academy
The University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine is pleased to share that the 2021-2022 Application for the Saturday Academy Program is now live. Saturday Academy is a free, educational program open to motivated middle and high school students in the Kansas City metro area. The program is geared toward students belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented in scientific careers including African American, Native American, and Latinx students. However, the program is open to any area student who is interested in attending and learning more about careers in health care. Sessions will run each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in a hybrid format. The program will start with a virtual parent and student orientation on Saturday, October 16, 2021 and will conclude on Saturday, April 23, 2022. For more information please visit: https://med.umkc.edu/saturday-academy/
Kansas Promise Scholarship
The state of Kansas is starting a new initiative called the Kansas Promise Scholarship.
Kansas Promise Scholarship is a “last dollar” scholarship that can pay for tuition, books and other Promise-eligible, course-related materials, not covered by other scholarships or grants. In exchange, students agree to work in Kansas for two years after completing their program.
Kansas Promise dollars subsidize middle or high-income students who might not qualify for federal and state aid to cover all college expenses.
For more information, visit Kansas Promise Scholarship.
JOCO Library offering FAFSA Programs
Step-by-Step through the FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the federal application necessary to get free and low-cost money for college.Join us as Jason Anderson, CPA, CFP®, Managing Member and Senior Consultant at Gradmetrics, as hewalks line-by-line through the FAFSA form, using it to explain the ins-and-outs of the college admissions, and financial aid process.
Program dates:
Wednesday, October 14, 2021, 6:30-8pm
To register to attend these virtual programs, please visit our calendar:https://jocolibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/search/fq=types:(5ed14ce9e19e6b240078c0d0)
Updates from our Missouri Colleges and Universities!
Missouri University of Science & Technology:
· #1 public engineering college in the US
· Awarding 50 $1000 scholarships to PLTW students
· Qualifying Kansas Students: out of state portion is waived (approximately $18,000)
· December 1st scholarship priority deadline
University of Missouri:
- Superscore ACT for Scholarships
- Journalism is direct admit program
- Esports: one of the top programs available
- December 1 scholarship priority deadline
University of Missouri-St. Louis:
- No application fee
- Criminology and Criminal Justice ranked #4
- International Business ranked in the top 25
- Nursing: guaranteed spot for incoming freshman with a 3.0 GPA and a 24 ACT
- January 1 scholarship priority deadline
UMKC:
- Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies
- Fall 2022: Bachelor of Media Arts and Design and Bachelors of Applied Sciences
- 40% students of color, Over 85 countries represented, multiple LGBTQIA scholarships
- Test Optional Admissions and Scholarships ($1500-2000)
- Kansas Residents pay nearly the same tuition as In-State residents
Essay Contest for Students in Kansas, Grades 5-12
The State of Kansas holding an essay contest for all Kansas students in grades 5 - 12! What's their prize? A chance to win a $529 award to invest in a new or existing Kansas Learning Quest 529 Savings Account! Submissions will be accepted now until October 8th. To fill out the application and submit the essay, please visit: State of Kansas Essay Contest.
Career Expo Event
Click here for more information
- Nov. 3-4
- Public Sector Careers
- Free virtual event
- Deadline to register your class/school is Oct. 15th
Event Questions?
Contact Annette at avaughn@marc.org or visit careerexpokc.org
Registration Questions? Contact Carmellya at canderson@marc.org
Notes from the Nurse
VACCINATIONS
The State of Kansas requires incoming 11th graders to have one Meningococcal vaccine on or after their 16th birthday. Your shot record might say MCV, MCV4, MCV40, MCV4P, Menveo or Menactra or just meningococcal. All of these meet the requirement.
If your student has already had these vaccinations, please email Anne Lightcap, BSN, RN the shot record (mfarverlightcap@usd232.org). If you have already submitted a shot record containing this vaccine, you do not need to send it again. How can you check? From your desktop (it will NOT work on your phone), go to Skyward, then choose:
Health Info (tab on the left side) Display Options Show Vaccinations
UPDATED Immunizations
If your child has received any UPDATED immunizations since last Spring- please send these to the nurse at mfarverlightcap@usd232.org
If no changes to your current immunizations, I do not need another copy unless you are a new student or have been contacted by me about state required immunizations.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Anne Lightcap BSN, RN
De Soto High School Nurse
fax-913-667-6251
Children's Mercy Hospital "Prepped and Ready"
Children’s Mercy Hospital has recently released information about the next iteration of their “Prepped and Ready” for parents information sessions. Prepped and Ready: Experts Edition is available to parents and caregivers raising teens. This is a free of charge video series that takes only 45-minutes and brings Children’s Mercy expert tips right to parents.
Caregivers today face new challenges their parents never faced, but we can address problems before they become too big. We can help parents take steps to prevent tragedies from happening within their own homes.
Topics include; self-care, eating disorder prevention, vaping, suicide prevention, safe medication storage and more…
The videos will be available Oct. 4-21. Safety toolkits will be mailed to participants who participate in research on the videos and complete pre and post surveys. Follow the link for more info;
Securly App
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.