WIS Weekly

• Who needs support at home, in school, and in the community? ... Every Child!
• Who needs our guidance, attention, and patience today and every day? ... Every Child!
• Who will shape the future of our world tomorrow and in the years to come? ... Every Child!

WIS Family,

As principal, I am continuously impressed by the time, energy, and care our WIS staff puts into helping every student succeed. We are fortunate to have an incredibly dedicated and talented team of educators who consistently go above and beyond for our students and families. Their passion makes WIS a place where children feel valued, supported, and excited to learn.

Throughout this week, we will be celebrating all of our teachers and staff … Their impact extends far beyond the classroom, and this is a meaningful time to recognize their efforts.

I encourage you and your child to take a moment to thank a current or former teacher who has made a difference. A simple note or kind word can mean so much. Thank you for your continued support in making WIS such a special place to learn and grow.

**The call out meeting for incoming 7th and 8th graders volleyball players will be on Thursday, May 8, morning at 8:15 am in Mrs. Johnson's room. **

Respectfully,

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

We are striving to achieve a 96% attendance rate this year at WIS.

5th Grade 93.5100%

6th Grade 93.1035%

When needing to report a student absence, parents/guardians should call (219-983-3710) or email (mkowalecki@duneland.k12.in.us) the attendance secretary in the WIS office by 9:00 am on the day of the absence. If the school sends a student home early, then no notification is required.

Immunization requirements prior to the start of 6th grade

The State of Indiana requires 6th grade students to be immunized with Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine) and Meningitis vaccine. The Tdap and Meningitis vaccines must be received after the student turns 11 years of age and not before, to be considered valid.

On Thursday, February 20th 2025, your student was sent home with an envelope containing a letter indicating what immunizations your child needs before 6th grade and a copy of the most current immunization record the school has on file for your child. In the letter coming home, the vaccinations your student needs are highlighted and written in. Please make your appointment with your physician or health department as soon as possible to get started on this process.

If your student is 11 years old and has already received these immunizations please turn them in or email a scanned copy to the school nurse. You do not not need to wait until next school year.

Please contact Mrs. Sosby, WIMS School Nurse at 219-983-3710 or email tsosby@duneland.K12.in.us with any questions or concerns covered in this message.

On Wednesday, May 7 the district will celebrate National School Nurse Day. This has been set aside to recognize school nurses and to thank them for all that they do for our students. National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting.

We are excited to announce that this year’s yearbook will include both Westchester Intermediate School (WIS) and Westchester Middle School (WMS). Yearbooks are available for $30.00, and you can order directly through this link: Order Yearbooks Here.

Sixth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in both WIS intramural sports and Westchester 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 in Middle School Cross Country, Westling, and Track and Field. This fall, students can participate in Middle School Cross Country. Mr. Rich Gross rgross@duneland.k12.in.us is the athletic director for Westchester Campus. Please reach out to Mr. Gross with any questions.

Volleyball callout meeting in Room 260 at 8:15 a.m. this Thursday (May 8th).

Language Arts

• This week, students will continue reading the novel Holes. There are audio links to the reading provided in the modules. With the e-learning day on Tuesday, there will be a special StoryWorks assignment to be completed in Canvas. Honors ELA - This week, we will be immersing ourselves in the novel Chasing Vermeer. In addition to reading a great book, students will be looking for clues, solving mysteries, and honing their artistic skills. There will be a quiz over chapters 1-14 on Friday.

Math

• Students will take the End of Year NWEA test this week and immediately see the progress they made!. We will have a CSA on Volume at the end of the week. E-Learning will be an assignment on Volume to help students prepare. Next week, we will have our last CSA on Geometry (Circles and Triangles). We will also start some in-class projects where students can apply what they have learned.

Social Studies

• This week, students will be reading about westward expansion and the Oregon Trail. On Tuesday's e-learning day, there will be an assignment for students to complete in the CommonLit app, which is accessed through Clever. There will be a CFA on Thursday.

Science

• Last week the students spent the week learning about communicable and non communicable diseases. The students participated in a variety of activities that went along with the PLTW: Infection Detection health module. By the end of the week, the students were able to gather data and draw a conclusion on what was the fictitious germ being spread and who started the spread. This week we will talk about personal hygiene and saying no to drugs.

Language Arts

• Students will continue reading their classroom novels this week. Tuesday students will take the Reading NWEA test. Please review your child’s goal with them. (This can be found in their “portfolio” on Skyward.) Check in with them after the completion of their test to see if they reached their goal.

Math

• Students will finish their end of the year NWEA tests. Once completed classes will work on various skills in preparation for 7th grade. Some of these skills will include integers (and all operations with integers) and probability. Please remember that Tuesday is an eLearning day. Students will have activities to do through their Canvas modules.

Social Studies

• Students will begin a new unit in Civics focusing on citizens’ rights and responsibilities. We will look at ways that citizens can help to promote the common good and how we decide what’s good for everyone. We will also practice some map skill activities with Google Maps.

Science

• Students will begin health lessons. This week students will learn about the health risks and effects of e-cigarettes and vape products through age-appropriate discussions, videos, and interactive activities. The lesson will focus on helping students understand how vaping affects the lungs and brain, the addictive nature of nicotine, and how advertising can influence choices. The students will show their knowledge by making an anti-vaping poster.

PE

• In PE this week, we will be finishing our flag football unit this week!

Art

• This week in art students will dive into the artwork of Edvard Munch’s, The Scream. 5th and 6th grade students will create their own original parodies based upon the famous 20th century work of art.

Music

• 5th grade - students will select their songwriting groups and begin writing their lyrics. Students will focus on writing verses for each member of the group and a chorus that repeats 4 times. 6th grade - students will revisit drumming and layering sounds rhythmically. We will explore drum circles with classroom instruments. Karaoke Friday Theme - Top 10 Hits (based on yearly Billboard charts)

Media

• Students will continue with digital technology and citizenship modules this week. However, students should check the Westchester Library Media home page in Canvas for Tuesday’s e-learning assignment.

PLTW

• This week in PLTW the 5th graders will use the Engineering Design Process to plan, create, test, and revise a design for a marble maze. The 6th graders will learn about the accelerometer in the Microbit and they will create projects that utilize the accelerometer.

Our Trojan Cafe has a new look! We have a new serving area with 2 lines to serve our students. We will also have new trays available for our students to use 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.

Elementary Breakfast Price: $1.45

Elementary Lunch Price: $2.55

Intermediate/Middle/High Breakfast Price: $1.60

Intermediate/Middle/High lunch Price: $2.95

• 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.
• Our Intermediate curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons, remediation, and enrichment activities.

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.). The only time audio ear pieces are permitted are for teacher-assigned classwork and medically-approved needs.

Westchester is committed to supporting students' use of technology. To get your problems solved as fast as possible, choose one of the following methods:

1. Open a new Incident IQ online:
   1. AV number is typically located on a sticker on the back/bottom of the device
2. Open a Incident IQ ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
   1. Please be sure to include email address, student or staff name, and a description of the problem
3. Contact Westchester's tech aide (Ms. Bennett) in WIS Library/Media at 219-983-3710 or fbennett@duneland.k12.in.us.

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.

Something to Smile About Scholarship - The KTG Family Scholarship

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

DUNELAND TRANSPORTATION

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.

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.

WIS Mission:

WIS provides a safe and engaging environment where students are empowered to explore their talents, build on their curiosity, embrace high expectations, and become responsible, caring citizens.

WIS Vision:

WIS inspires learners to become independent, critical thinkers collaborating in an environment where responsibility, adaptability, and reflection are modeled and developed.

Email: slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: https://wis.duneland.k12.in.us/
Location: 1050 South 5th Street, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 983-3710
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterintermediate/