Hello Students and Families,

Getting involved in extracurricular activities or sports at school is a great way to make friends and build connections with others that share similar talents and interests. We offer many different opportunities for students to get involved and participate in after-school activities throughout the school year. Some of these groups require your child to complete an application before joining. All of the information that your child needs for these opportunities is located on the "LIS Student Info" course on Canvas, which everyone has access to. We will also share information in the LIS Weekly.

Parents can also get involved by joining our PTO. We will be meeting the second Wednesday of each month. Our first meeting is this week, on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. We will meet right after dismissal at 4:15 in the Liberty Media Center. Help us work together to plan fun and meaningful activities for our students, support our staff members, and bring new ideas to our school. We hope you can make it!

Together we shine brighter!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Hardwicke

Principal

Per our District and Building Safety Plan, we conduct various monthly safety drills. On September 12, 2024, Liberty Intermediate/Middle School will be conducting an Armed Intruder Drill.

Per Indiana Code (IC) 10-21-1-10, during armed intruder drills, Liberty Intermediate/Middle schools will:

• Conduct the drill in a practical nature (initiate a school-wide lockdown);

• Have accommodations for students who have mobility restrictions, sensory needs, or auditory or visual limitations;

• Provide access to mental health services on school grounds following the conclusion of a drill; and

• Provide alternative exercises for students who are unable to participate in a drill.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Everyone deserves to feel safe and supported while they are on our campuses every day. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority -- and requires a proactive approach to violence prevention. That is why the Duneland School Corporation is happy to continue using the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System.

We will be training our students on when and how to use it starting on September 10, 2024.

The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is a research-based violence prevention program offered by Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit organization. It teaches the warning signs of potential violence or self-harm and provides students and staff with secure ways to share safety concerns through a mobile app, website, or phone call.

Simply put, this program will further enhance the student protections we already have in place.

More than 5,000 schools nationwide have launched this program to date. Administrators and school staff report that their students already feel safer—and lives have already been saved.

We have included information about what the app is, how students can use it, and why we are adopting it in our schools below.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hardwicke, Principal

Liberty Intermediate and Westchester Intermediate 5th and 6th graders will be participating in the ILEARN Checkpoint Pilot this year for both ELA and Math. Assessments will be condensed and focus on limited standards during each of the three checkpoints.

Exclusion Day is Thursday, September 12, 2024 for 6th grade students whose immunizations

are not up to date as well as any 5th or 6th grade student who has an Immunization Waiver on

file that has not been completed for this school year. Waivers must be completed and signed

annually to be valid. The required immunizations for 6th grade are a Tdap and MCV4

(meningitis).

To avoid exclusion please submit your student’s updated immunizations or waiver to Erika Judy

R.N., LIS School Nurse. You may scan and email them to ejudy@duneland.k12.in.us or send

your student’s updated record to school. A scheduled appointment card with date, time and

location of where updated vaccines will be received will also be accepted.

For any questions or concerns please contact Nurse Judy via email or by calling 219-983-3690 ext. 3015.

Liberty Intermediate School Running Club will begin on September 9th and will conclude October 30th. All students in 5th and 6th grades are welcome to join. The Running Club is designed to educate students on the benefits of running while having after school fun with their peers. Those who join should be serious about getting into shape and make an attempt to attend all the running dates.

Liberty Intermediate is a great place to learn to enjoy distance running. There is a lot of space to run and play games on the campus.. Students will learn how to do proper warm-ups, make weekly gains in distance, and play new games outside that involve running.

Please use this link below to find more information about the LIS Running Club

Liberty Intermediate School and Liberty Middle School will be sharing a yearbook this year. Use this link to order a Liberty Campus Newsletter.

A Message from our PTO President, Mrs. Christine Harris

We are so excited to start another year at LIS! The PTO has a lot of fun things planned for this year! Some of the things we do are Fun Nights, spirit wear sales, family nights and staff appreciation. We also help sponsor school clubs, help with extra classroom resources and much more!

If you are interested in getting involved, email us at lisptochesterton@gmail.com

We have one fundraiser that we plan on doing this year but if you would rather opt out, see the form below where you could donate directly to PTO.

Thanks! We are looking forward to a great year!

PTO Meetings

PTO will meet monthly on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the LIS Media Center after school. Our first meeting will be on September 11th. All parents and guardians are welcome to join. We hope to see you there!

Spirit Wear

Be on the lookout for Liberty spirit wear information coming home soon. PTO will be sponsoring a spirit wear sale in September.

Information regarding student bus transportation for the 2024-2025 school year is available on DSC website under the Transportation Department.

TRACK STUDENT'S BUS WITH MYSTOP APP

The Duneland School Corporation Department of Transportation has now made My Stop available to our families.

My Stop is a web-based application which will allow parents to access live bus GPS information using a smartphone, tablet, or computer and securely view the current location of your child’s bus on routes. The system also provides the bus’s estimated time of arrival at your child’s bus stop.

Please read the attached letter to parents for more information on how to use My Stop to track your child's bus.

Cell Phones, Smart Watches, Earbuds, & Earphones Usage

5th and 6th grade students are not allowed to use their personal communication devices (cell phones and smart watches) during the instructional day. Items used for communication should be stored in lockers to be kept safe throughout the day. If students need to contact a parent/guardian during the day, they are welcome to do so from the office. Classrooms also have phone access. Similarly, students are not permitted to wear personal earbuds with bluetooth capabilities attached to their phones (e.g. Air Pods, etc.). Students will need to use their school-issued iPad earphones for Exact Path lessons and select ILEARN testing sessions. The only time audio ear pieces are permitted are for teacher-assigned classwork and medically-approved needs.

iPad Use

• iPads are the property of Duneland Schools. Students should keep the devices in operable condition.
• Students should refrain from downloading apps, pics, etc. that are not permitted under school and/or corporation policy.
  
• Students are required to bring their charged iPads to class. Intermediate curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons and enrichment activities.

Sixth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in both LIS intramural sports and Liberty Middle School athletics. If your child wants to participate in middle school sports, they must have a current physical on file, dated after 4/1/24. Sixth grade students can ONLY participate Middle School Cross Country, Westling, and Track and Field. Below is a link to the Liberty Fall Sports page. This fall, students can participate in Middle School Cross Country. Mr. Nick Bamber is the athletic director for Liberty Campus. Please reach out to Mr. Bamber with any questions.

9/11 - PTO Meeting at 4:00 in Liberty Campus Media Center

9/16 - Liberty Campus Community Open House and Site Tours

9/20 - Purchase Kona Ice During Lunch

Please help your student memorize their student identification number, as they will need to know this number in order to purchase their lunch.

Here are the meal prices for the 2024-25 school year:

Intermediate/Middle Breakfast Price: $1.60

Intermediate/Middle Lunch Price: $2.95

For more information about our Child Nutrition Department and school menus, please visit the link below.

To make an appointment please call 219-763-8112. Let NorthShore know you are a Duneland School student or staff member and that you would like to make an appointment at the Duneland School Clinic located at the old CMS.

Learn more about the Duneland Early Learning Classes at the the HUB. Click on the image below to enroll.

DuneNews

You can access the most current issue of the DuneNews by clicking here.

LIBERTY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

School Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/13

Address: 50 W. 900 N. Chesterton, IN 46304

Phone: 219-983-3690

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