Yost Weekly Update: August 11, 2023

Russ Hardsock is a third grade teacher at Yost Elementary School (YO). He graduated from Purdue University North Central in Westville, IN in 2003 with a Masters in Education and a computer endorsement. He is also an alumnus of Chesterton High School Class of 1997.

After graduating from Purdue, Russ accepted a fourth grade teaching position at Yost Elementary. He taught fourth grade for two years before transitioning to third grade. He has spent the last 22 years building strong relationships with his students, families, and colleagues at Yost Elementary.

Russ is a dedicated educator with a proven track record of inspiring student success and fostering a positive learning environment. He is committed to flexible teaching strategies, efficient curriculum development, and student engagement. He has exemplified his leadership skills by serving as the third grade level coordinator for nearly 20 years; in addition to leading a four-week Process Writing Workshop for his fellow colleagues.

Yost Elementary School is pleased to inform you that we have joined a nationwide community effort to make our school Heart Safe with Project ADAM. This decision is the result of our wish to ensure that our campus is prepared to provide an immediate response to someone suffering a cardiac emergency. This program enables us to offer any person who may experience a sudden cardiac arrest the best chance for survival. As part of our commitment to being a Heart Safe School, Yost will conduct an emergency response drill on Monday, May 5. During the drill, we will practice our emergency response plan, including calling and dispatching EMS personnel, as we would in a real emergency. Please do not be alarmed if you receive information about EMS being on school grounds, as it is part of our scheduled emergency response drill.

During the drill, the students will hear the announcement on the PA system that the building is on a "HOLD." This means that students cannot leave their classrooms, but instruction will go on like "business as usual" within the classroom. The school day will not be interrupted otherwise.

The Duneland School Corporation will participate in a scheduled eLearning day on Tuesday, May 6 and will follow the 2024-2025 eLearning Guidelines for a scheduled Online eLearning day - PLANNED ASYNCHRONOUS.

Author Stef Wade came to visit Yost this week. She shared about her books and her life as an author. Thank you to Mrs. Borrelli and the Yost PTO for supporting and organizing the event. Yost students had a great time listening, learning, and getting autographs!

Gym- Charlotte Norred (Ms. Toth), Kaleb Williams (Ms. Hasselberger)

Library-Kaden McNamara (Mr. Dodds), Layla Ganz (Mr. Dodds)

Art- Holden Ledbetter (Ms. Taylor) Maci Peterson (Ms. Hasselberger)

Music- Olivia Martin (Ms. Hasselberger), Fletcher White (Ms. Taylor)

Below is a copy of Yost's first student newspaper The Newton Yost News. Third and fourth grade students, with the support of Mrs. Jakel, have put together a working newspaper to highlight all the great things at Yost.

Coming soon... Camp Read-a-Lot is returning to Yost!!! Our family literacy night will be Thursday, May 15 from 6:00 to 7:30! More detailed information and RSVP forms will be sent home at the end of April.

Below are links for each grade-level's priority standards for the fourth quarter.

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

The link below will be used for any necessary safety reports for an elementary school in Duneland.

DSC K-4 Anonymous Safety Reporting Form

Please join us for our last meeting of the year on Thursday May 8th from 4:30-5:30pm! Our meeting will take place in the LGI Room and we’ll review and vote on next school year budget, officers, and bylaws.

Come to donate blood before the meeting to help our school blood drive!

Meeting Agenda:
• Flowers distribution, Graduating CHS Yost Alum/Karen Donley Memorial Scholarship
•Staff Appreciation Week, Color Run, 4th Grade Farewell

Questions? email yostpto@gmail.com

Upcoming PTO Dates

MAY

5-9: Staff Appreciation Week

9: Gratitude Bloom Orders Sent Home

10: LAST Day to Register for Color Fun Run

8: Blood Drive & May PTO Meeting @ 4:30-5:30PM

17: Color Fun Run @ Sunset Hills

23: Water Safety Assembly

28: Field Day

29: Last Day of School

For those families that volunteered, the student directory is attached.

Please refer to the video for updated traffic patterns.

https://youtu.be/sVQEas2ZlOA

Yost is committed to supporting and honoring those men and women that currently serve and have served in our military.

5/5 Project ADAM Drill

5/6 eLearning Day

5/8 Junior Achievement Presentations

5/8 Yost Blood Drive

5/8 Yost PTO Meeting

5/15 Camp Read-A-Lot Family Literacy Night

5/17 DSC Color Run

5/22 4th Grade Celebration

5/29 Last Day of School!

6/2 4th Quarter Grades Available

6/4 CHS Graduation

8/13 First Day of School 2025-2026!

The first step to maximizing academic growth throughout the year is getting to school as much as possible. This year, we have a goal of a 95% attendance rate for the year. We will celebrate class winners and share our school attendance rate for the week.

In an effort to improve attendance which directly positively impacts student growth and achievement along with adhering to the new state law regarding attendance, Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 282, Duneland School Corporation has developed a new Attendance Policy.

A few important changes:

• Parent/Guardian Verified Absence: This is a new category of student attendance. It is used when an absence does not meet the criteria to be considered "Excused" or "Unexcused." There will only be four (4) Parent/Guardian Verified absences allowed a semester. Additional absences called in by a parent or guardian not meeting the definition of "Excused" will be considered "Unexcused."
• Parents only have one (1) week to verify an absence or provide documentation for an "Excused" absence.
• A student who is absent from school for five (5) days within a ten (10) week period without the absences considered "Excused" will be deemed a student in need of truancy prevention.

1. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
2. Chronic absence appears to have doubled by the end of the 2021-22 school year. We estimate that it now affects nearly one out of three students (or 16 million vs. 8 million students in the 2018-19 school year).
3. Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
4. By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
5. Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. Chronic absence is considered two days a month.
6. When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances of graduating.
7. The most important thing to track is not just how many are missing school without an excuse but how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absences that academics are off track.
8. Missing one (1) day of school every two (2) weeks, adds up to almost a year and half of school from kindergarten to senior in high school.

Yost Attendance- 96.1%

Kindergarten- Mrs. Nay 96.2%

1- Mrs. Hernandez 96.3%

2- Mrs. Street 95%

3- Mr. Hardsock 97.5%

4- Ms. Hasselberger & Ms. Spain 97.9%

All 4th grade parents should have received a message indicating the intermediate school for their student's 5th grade school year. If you have questions about what school your student will be attending, reach out to the Yost office. Information below is regarding parent information nights at both Liberty and Westchester.

Yost campus is closed on Tuesday, May 6. Students will be participating in eLearning.

Below is information and a link to register for CHS boys basketball summer camp:

Boys Basketball Camp Registration Link

The Duneland schools have partnered with NWI No Child Hungry to provide Buddy Bags free of charge for students in need. Buddy Bags are child friendly, shelf-stable sacks of food that are intended to offset hunger on the weekends. This lets each child go home, knowing that they have access to a more stable food supply on the weekends. Each bag provides several days worth of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack items to help ensure that no child is hungry when they are not in school. Extra meal items are provided before long weekends and extended school breaks. For other questions about the program or to sign up, contact Mrs. Harmison, School Counselor.

The "Something to Smile About" Scholarship aims to support Duneland students aged 10-18 who need braces but face financial challenges in obtaining them.

Initiated through the collaboration of a local family and orthodontist, this scholarship provides an opportunity for parents or guardians to ensure their child receives professional orthodontic care, ultimately enhancing their confidence and promoting a positive self-image through a healthy smile.

General Eligibility Requirements:

• Your child is between 10 and 18 years old.

• Your total family income is 200% of the poverty level or less.

• Your child receives regular dental care and has good oral hygiene.

• Your child is not currently in orthodontic treatment or in between phases of treatment.

• Your child has not received previous orthodontic treatment.

• The family contribution is $500.

Downloadable Something to Smile About Application

Dear Families,

We are excited to announce that we have adopted a new form of school-to-home communication at called ParentSquare for the 2025-2026 school year. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with [school or district name]. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

• Send and receive school and class information

• Share pictures and files

• See calendar items

• Sign up to volunteer

• Schedule parent-teacher conferences

• and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

Parents—Getting Started Video

All district and school, grade level and classroom information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices).

Have questions? Click the question mark in the top right corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find answers to most of your questions.

The DSC Color Run is back. Look below for more information and sponsorship opportunities.

ONLINE ENROLLMENT is NOW OPEN for incoming Duneland Kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Families are asked to complete online enrollment. To get started please visit: DSC Kindergarten Enrollment 2025-2026

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

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.

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.

The DSC Child Nutrition Department utilizes NutriSlice as its 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 menu item at any of the Duneland Schools. This program will be developed further incorporating images of the actual food items being served at each of the Duneland schools.

Do you want to earn money but still be home with your family?

Does the cost of childcare hinder your plans to work?

Does your child participate in the many afterschool opportunities?

Would you like to spend quality time with your kids during spring, summer and winter breaks?

https://www.applitrack.com/dune.../onlineapp/default.aspx...

The goal of the Duneland School Corporation district school newsletters is to inform students, parents and the school community about school-related information.

The Duneland Schools share information that pertains to opportunities our students may be interested in and outside of school on a special page on our website. These available opportunities are offered by not-for-profit partnerships and organizations within our school district boundaries and local communities. Follow this link to Community Opportunities.

Want your event/activity/camp posted on this page? Submit a request by email with the flyer/information to the Duneland Schools Administrative Center to ahicks@duneland.k12.in.us and bmartinson@duneland.k12.in.us.

Email: jhuwig@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/12
Location: 100 West Beam Street, Porter, IN, USA
Phone: 219.983.3640