Dear Westchester Middle School Families,

I want to take a moment to celebrate our students for doing a phenomenal job this week with ILEARN testing! I am so proud of their hard work, not just during testing, but throughout the entire school year. Their perseverance and dedication have been outstanding, and we are excited to continue this momentum as we head into the final stretch of the year.

A special reminder for our 8th-grade Biology students: the Biology ILEARN test is coming up in early May. We encourage them to stay focused and continue their learning — they are doing an amazing job, and we are confident they will finish strong!

This school year has been unique for these 8th graders! Since LMS and WMS 8th graders were together at Chesterton Middle School as 7th graders last year, we have decided to combine our 8th Grade Farewell Dance with Westchester Middle School (for this year only) on May 23, 2025 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The cost will be $10 per student and expected attire is semi-formal. Please see the below for more information.

There are many exciting events and important activities coming up over the next month. Please take a moment to read through the full newsletter below for all the details.

Thank you for your continued support!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Lauren Seiss, WMS Principal

Today the Duneland School Corporation will recognize Administrative Assistants Day, and here at Westchester Middle School, we are incredibly fortunate to have three truly outstanding individuals at the heart of our school; Amanda Ray, Tracy Melton, and Patty Cowser.

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:

4/21 - 4/24 iLearn Testing

4/24 - 8th Grade Stem Field Trip

4/26 - Holocaust Museum Field Trip

5/6 - e-Learning Day

5/7 - NJHS Induction Ceremony

5/9 - Reality Store

5/13 - Incoming 7th gr./new families Parent Meeting

5/13 - Choir Concert in Gym B @ 7pm

5/19 - Band Spring Festival at 7pm @ CHS

5/21 - 8th Grade Award Ceremony in Gym B @ 6pm

5/22 - Orchestra Concert in Gym B @ 7pm

5/23 - 8th Grade Farewell Dance

5/29 - Last day for students

Upcoming ATHLETIC Dates to Remember:

4/21 - (A) Boys Track & Field vs. Thomas Jefferson at 5:00pm @ Thomas Jefferson

4/21 - (H) Girls Track & Field vs. Thomas Jefferson at 5:00pm @ WMS

4/24 - (H) Boys Track & Field vs. Col. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ WMS

4/24 - (A) Girls Track & Field vs. Col. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ Col. Wheeler

4/28 - (A) Boys Track & Field vs. Willowcreek at 5:00pm @ Willowcreek

4/28 - (H) Girls Track & Field vs. Willowcreek at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/1 - (A) Boys Track & Field vs. Hobart at 5:00pm @ Hobart MS

5/1 - (H) Girls Track & Field vs. Hobart at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/5 - (H) Boys Track & Field vs. Taft at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/5 - (A) Girls Track & Field vs. Taft at 5:00pm @ Taft

5/8 - (H) Boys Track & Field vs. Fegely at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/8 - (A) Girls Track & Field vs. Fegely at 5:00pm @ Fegely

5/10 - (A) 7/8 Boys & Girls Red Storm Relays at 9:00am @ Lincoln Junior High School

5/12 - (H) Girls Track & Field vs. Liberty at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/12 - (A) Boys Track & Field vs. Liberty at 5:00pm @ LMS

5/14 - Girls Track & Field Conference at 5:00pm @ WMS

5/15 - Boys Track & Field Conference at 5:00pm @ Crown Point

Congratulations to Dr. Chip Pettit for being chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2025 Superintendent of the Year for District I.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their area who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of colleagues and their instructional leadership. District I includes school districts in Fulton, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski and Starke counties.

Dr. Pettit has been the Duneland School Corporation superintendent since 2019.

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

8th Grade Reality Check is set for May 9, 2025, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Liberty Middle School, located at 50 W 900 N in Chesterton. For more than 20 years, this event has been preparing 8th grade students from the Duneland area on how to be successful in life after graduation.

Students are given a predetermined salary that they would earn in their chosen profession at age 28. During 8th Grade Reality Check, they visit tables where they pay such expenses as taxes, housing, childcare, etc. Some do end up in bankruptcy, while others may have a little money left over at the end. The ones that have remaining funds can “spend” their money on imaginary rewards such as investments, trips, concerts, motorcycles and so on.

The Reality Check is organized by the Duneland Chamber of Commerce and the Duneland School Corporation. The event takes over 120 volunteers each year. Volunteers are welcome to take part in the 8th Grade Reality Check for either a half day or whole day. Morning sessions are from 7:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., and afternoon sessions are from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Lunch is provided for all-day volunteers. Volunteers should contact Rachel Campbell at the Duneland Chamber of Commerce at 926-5513 or by email at rachel@dunelandchamber.org. Volunteers can also register online www.dunelandchamber.org/events

Link to Duneland Summer Tennis Camp

Student Enrollment is the one-time process of arranging to attend Duneland School Corporation. Once a student is enrolled with Duneland School Corporation, they are eligible to proceed with registration.

Registration is the yearly process of reviewing and updating student information completed electronically prior to the start of school.

The 2025-26 online registration has opened earlier this year so that ALL DSC students are registered by the end of the 2024-2025 school year. To register your children online visit: Parent Access Portal through Skyward. Thank you for your time in reviewing and editing this vital information regarding your student(s) for the schools.

Incoming Kindergarten students who enrolled at 2025 Kindergarten Round Up should also complete the registration process.

Thursday, April 24; Saturday & Sunday, April 26 & 27 performances

It's Dad's turn to tell his three rambunctious kids their bedtime stories, but when he gets fuzzy on the details, the classics get creative: a prince with a snoring problem spices up The Princess and The Pea, The Boy Who Cried Wolf cries dinosaur instead, and Rumpelstiltskin helps turn all that pesky gold into straw. You may think you know your fairy tales, but not the way Dad tells them.

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

Due to a program conflict, this event has been rescheduled to Wednesda,y April 30.

Please RSVP to this final Parent Ambassador meeting of the year to Lisa Ilgin at 219-983-3600 or lilgin@duneland.k12.in.us

Did you know Artificial Intelligence (AI) dates back to the 1950s? John McCarthy introduced the term while his computer science team explored the notion that machines, just as humans, should be able to use information and reason to solve problems and make decisions. By the 1970s, computers were the “wave of the future” and demonstrated the ability to think abstractly and mirror human language processing. In the 1980s, work to connect information from a user’s experience to computers began. This enhanced the experience and connection beyond technology’s ability to share information and added a personalized humanistic component. The 2000s brought us to where we are today with access to Generative AI models that can create human-like content that is trainable through advanced human interaction and feedback.

This small bit of background information brings us to today and the impact that AI is having on our classrooms. Although AI may seem like a new concept, it has been slowly making its way into our lives for many years, and it’s certainly not going away. So, how do educators seek to understand the world that our students are living in and best prepare them for what their future looks like concerning technology? In Duneland, we began by accepting the potential impact of this “new” tool and built opportunities for students to practice using AI in appropriate ways in the classroom.

Duneland School Corporation formed an AI committee this school year, and their first task was to create usage guidelines for students. The team was comprised of teachers, school administrators, and district administrators. Together, they worked to build the Generative AI Acceptable Use Scale. This scale will be used in classrooms to establish expectations for classroom AI use and teach students how to use AI appropriately. The next charge of the committee is to establish guidelines for teacher usage as it pertains to providing students with feedback and grading student work.

There are still many unknowns, and we need to continue to work through some uncharted territory to land in the right spot. Ultimately, we want to support our students in their preparation for future enrollment, employment, and enlistment, while staff continue to learn how to use and support AI in the classroom.

The Duneland School Corporation will continue to improve current facilities to enhance the student experience with the following capital improvements in 2025: playground replacements at Bailly, Brummitt, Jackson, and Liberty elementary schools and soccer stadium renovations and carpet replacement at Chesterton High School. This presentation below provides additional details on the scope of each project. Concept drawings and timelines regarding 2021-2025 capital improvement projects are available on the DSC website.

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

A Common Sense School is an honor that recognizes efforts in teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging the entire school community in this important discussion. All of the Duneland Schools currently teach digital citizenship and all five Duneland Elementary schools have received the 2024-2025 Common Sense Education recognition badge and their school media specialists are Common Sense Educators. This recognition acknowledges a school's commitment to creating a culture of digital citizenship.

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

Ready to make a difference in the lives of students? Interested in a fulfilling and rewarding position with no required evening or weekend work? Looking to enjoy the same summer and holiday schedule as your kids? The primary responsibilities of Exceptional Learning (EXL) Instructional Aides range from sharing smiles, making connections, building confidence, encouraging learning, supporting students with instruction in & out of the classroom, and assisting children with self help & self management skills.

DSC is currently searching for select individuals to serve as EXL Instructional Aides. Available positions can start at $19.00, $17.00 or $15.00 per hour. Opportunities exist at elementary, intermediate and secondary levels and can:

• be full-time/benefit-eligible
• be part-time and follow the student school day
• involve sharing the day with a single student
• involve engaging with multiple learners in a classroom setting

To find out more about this opportunity, please see the Instructional Aide EXL job postings on our employment opportunities webpage at: Duneland School Corporation - Frontline Recruitment (applitrack.com)

Did you know that there are more than just teaching jobs at DSC? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to drive a school bus, or work in a school kitchen?

The Duneland School Corporation will host a job fair event featuring classified (non-teaching) support staff positions in Transportation and Child Nutrition on Saturday, May 10 from 7-10 a.m.; and Saturday, May 17 from 8-11 a.m. Both events will be hosted at the Duneland School Transportation Center, 1012 N Old State Road 49 across from the Coffee Creek Preserve.

The Transportation Department will offer an opportunity to drive a bus around the parking lot with one of Duneland School’s bus trainers and enjoy a cup of coffee and a donut while you speak with Transportation staff members. Personnel will be available to answer your questions and provide information on hours, benefits, and other opportunities within the Duneland School Corporation.

In addition, staff members will also be available from Duneland’s Child Nutrition Department for those attendees who may be interested in a job opportunity in the school kitchens. Child Nutrition positions have flexible schedules, allowing parents to be home with their family and earn while their children learn.

Have little ones and no babysitter? Not a problem, bring them along. DSC staff will provide a coloring station and staff members to watch over the little ones as you learn more about these Duneland School employment opportunities.

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

Need to FIX your Skyward App?

Since the Skyward migration has been completed, the mobile app should automatically pull the new URL. Parents who are not getting the new URL, should remove the current account from the Skyward app and add the account back.

You can verify that the app is using the new URL by performing the following steps in the app:
1. Accounts--Edit
2. Click District. Review the URL under "Connection will be attempted using:"

You can delete the existing connection by performing the following steps in the app:
1. Accounts--Edit
2. Delete

DSC's new Skyward uses the following link: https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedudunelandscin/seplog01.w

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

ParentSquare, the new communication platform, allows parents and guardians in DSC to receive all of their communications from the district, schools, classrooms and school activity groups in one unified app and service.

Duneland School Corporation has adopted ParentSquare as its new communication platform for the 2025-2026 school year and will begin inviting DSC families to verify their accounts over the next few months before launching in June.

ParentSquare is a communication platform designed for schools to connect with students’ families and keep them informed. It’s used by K–12 schools and districts to streamline messaging - such as announcements, attendance notifications, event reminders, one-on-one messages, and more - into a single, user-friendly interface. This decision has followed careful consideration of the needs of our school community as well as laws and regulations surrounding student data privacy. ParentSquare will help us to centralize messages and announcements to improve engagement with our students’ parents and guardians.

By unifying multiple tools into one communications app and service, ParentSquare provides a seamless experience for parents and staff. Parents will be able to keep track of news, activities and events from all their children’s schools in one place.

DSC hopes that ParentSquare’s intuitive, two-way platform will foster greater communication and family involvement. With ParentSquare, parents can enjoy photos posted by teachers, fill out forms and permission slips, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, check grades and attendance, and much more. School staff and parents can engage in both one-to-one and group messaging with real-time language translation.

“Effective school-to-home communication has never been more important, which is why Duneland School Corporation adopted the ParentSquare communication platform. We’re looking forward to reaching 100% of our families no matter where they are, unifying all our communications tools, and adopting a more eco-friendly approach by reducing the amount of paper used to send important communications,” said Bridget Martinson, DSC director of Public Relations/Marketing.

DSC’s partnership with ParentSquare will enable stronger engagement between school and home, and help empower everyone within the school community to stay connected and informed. For more information on ParentSquare, please visit www.parentsquare.com.

Beginning in June, DSC will begin migrating to ParentSquare. All communication to parents, staff and students will utilize this platform only beginning on July 1, 2025. If you have not signed up yet, please get the App (iOS or Android) or sign in via the Invite that was sent to your school-related email address. Check out the Parents—Getting Started Video or this Quick Guide

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.