December 20, 2024

Dear Westchester Middle School Families,

This week was filled with holiday spirit here at Westchester Middle School! From festive themes to wonderful holiday music concerts, it has been a joyful way to wrap up the second quarter.

As a reminder, second-quarter report cards will be posted in Skyward on the afternoon of Friday, January 10th. We are now officially halfway through the school year and are excited for all that is still to come!

Winter Break will begin on Monday, December 23rd, and students will return to school on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025. Semester 2 schedules will be available for students to view in Skyward on Monday, January 6th.

We wish all our students and families a safe, restful, and joyful break. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Lauren Seiss, WMS Principal

Reminders:

• 48-Hour Attendance Policy for Call Off(s) - Parents/Guardians will have 48 hours to excuse their students absence, after which time it will be considered unexcused.

• Parents who are picking up their child or dropping something off for their child must present a driver's license or state ID to our office staff in order to do so. Also, if a parent sends someone else to pick their student up or drop something off for them, they must not only present identification but must also be on the list in Skyward as a family or emergency contact.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

12/20 - End of the 2nd Nine Weeks/1st Semester

12/23 - 1/3 - Winter Recess - NO SCHOOL

1/6 - Teacher Work Day (NO SCHOOL)

1/7 - Classes Resume

1/10 - Report Cards Accessible Online after 3:00pm

1/20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

1/21 - Classes Resume

1/27 - Teacher Professional Development - NO SCHOOL

1/28 - Classes Resume

1/30 - Westchester Orchestra Recital Night

2/1 - Robotics Competition

Upcoming ATHLETIC Dates to Remember:

1/9 (A) 7th Gr. Boys Basketball Game vs. Liberty at 5:00pm @ LMS

1/9 (H) 8th Gr. Boys Basketball Game vs. Liberty at 5:00pm @ WMS

1/14 (A) 7th Gr. Boys Basketball Game vs. Col. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ Col. Wheeler

1/14 (H) 8th Gr. Boys Basketball Game vs. Col. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ WMS

1/18 (A) 7th Gr. Boys Basketball Invite @ TJ Middle School

1/18 (A) 8th Gr. Boys Basketball Invite @ Ben Franklin MS

1/21-1/23 (A) 7th Gr. Boys Basketball Conf. Tournament at 5:00pm @ LaPorte

1/21-1/23 (A) 8th Gr. Boys Basketball Conf. Tournament at 5:00pm @ Liberty

1/25 (A) 7th Gr. B Team Girls Basketball Invite at 8:00am @ Lincoln Junior High School

1/25 (H) 7th Gr. A Team Girls Basketball Invite at 8:30am @ WMS

1/28 (H) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Pierce MS @ WMS

1/28 (A) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Pierce MS @ Pierce MS

1/30 (H) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Clark MS at 5:30pm @ WMS

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all!

Wishing students and families a restful and relaxing holiday break.

Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. The next issue of the DuneNews will be published on Thursday, January 9, 2025.

The second quarter/first semester will end, and Winter Recess will begin at the end of the school day on Friday, Dec. 20. All classes will resume on Tuesday, January 7. Report cards will be available in the Skyward Parent Portal on Friday, January 10 at 3:00 p.m.

Please call our main office at 219-983-3780 to report your student absent with in 48hours.

Attendance questions should be directed to Amanda Ray amray@duneland.k12.in.us

Westchester Middle School 7th grade Math students and Liberty Middle School 8th grade ELA students will be participating in the ILEARN Checkpoint pilot this year. Assessments will be condensed and focus on limited standards during each of the three checkpoints

This is an important notice regarding an upcoming change to the Duneland School Corporation Skyward system. We will be migrating Skyward from our on-premises servers to a hosted environment. This transition will take place from December 23, 2024 to December 31, 2024.

In preparation for the migration, DSC will also be backing up Skyward 3x a day at 6 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. beginning Friday evening, December 20 at 10:00 p.m. and continuing until the beginning of the Skyward migration. During this time Skyward WILL become unavailable until the backup is done. After the backup is finished Skyward will be available again.

Why are we making this change?

Moving to a hosted environment offers several benefits, including:

• Improved system performance and reliability: Expect faster response times and greater system stability.
• Enhanced security: A hosted environment provides increased protection against data breaches and cyberattacks.
• Reduced maintenance: This allows our IT staff to focus on other critical tasks, improving overall efficiency.
  
  

What to expect during the migration:

Skyward will be unavailable during the migration period from December 23 - December 31, 2024. We understand that this downtime may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologize for any disruption this may cause. We have carefully selected this timeframe to minimize the impact on our users, as it falls within the school holiday break.

The DSC Child Nutrition Department is now utilizing NutriSlice as its new menus program. This app is available for iphone and android through your mobile app store. Parents can also access the full website for Duneland Schools on a computer via this NutriSlice link.

This app will allow parents and students to view the menus as well as the nutritional info for each items at any of the Duneland Schools. This program will be developed further incorporating images of food items being served at each of the schools.

Breakfast $1.60

Lunch $2.95

ATTENTION!!!

2024-2025 ALL ATHLETES MUST HAVE A CURRENT PHYSICAL ON FILE TO PARTICIPATE!

Middle School Physicals will need to be turned in to coaches or the athletic department, prior to open gym, tryouts, or practices in order to participate.

There are a total of 6 forms that need to be completed. The actual physical is completed by the Dr. and the rest of the forms are completed by the parent(s) and the student. Physicals will not be accepted if there are forms missing!

*Physical Checklist*

• Final Forms Online parent and student
• Physical Examination from the Dr.
• History Form (It is 2 pages)
• Consent and Release Certificate (Make sure insurance information is complete)
• Concussion and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Form
• Co-Curricular and Extracurricular Activities Code of Conduct

Cell Phones, Smart Watches, Earbuds, & Earphones Usage:

7th and 8th 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. Middle school curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons and enrichment activities.

CONTACTING IT SUPPORT

Contact the Duneland School Corporation IT department via one of these methods:

1. Open a IncidentIQ ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
   
2. Log into IncidentIQ and submit a request duneland.incidentIQ.com

Internet Connectivity

Families without internet due to financial hardship have access to programs from two local providers.

Comcast Internet Essentials:

• Families that qualify for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI and other programs may also qualify for the Internet Essentials program from Comcast.

• This program offers internet at a low cost per month.

• Additional options and services are also available

• More information is available at this Comcast link

Frontier Lifeline Program:

• Families that qualify for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI and other programs may also qualify for the Lifeline Program from Frontier.

• More information is available at this Frontier link

Parent Observer Account

Parents are encouraged to set up their Canvas observer accounts to monitor their students' progress. Parents can click this link to view how to set up their Parent Observer Account

Link to the Canvas Log In

WE WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO RIDE THE BUS HOME WITH FRIENDS THAT DO NOT SHARE THE THE SAME DESIGNATED BUS ROUTE. THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE WITH THE UTMOST CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL OUR STUDENTS.

n the Fall of 2023, a strategic planning team was formed to review and update the current four-year strategic plan into a five-year plan that will be used to guide the Corporation from 2024-2028. The new Strategic Plan will guide DSC for the next five years in the areas of Student Achievement, Safety & Operations, People & Culture, and Finance & Facilities.