• 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,

I want to make sure our students feel their best throughout the school day, and hydration plays a key role in their focus and well-being. Lately, I’ve noticed more students bringing energy drinks to school. These drinks often contain high levels of caffeine, sugar, and other additives. Over consumption can lead to increased heart rate, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating-- especially in younger students. To help them stay focused and hydrated, I am encouraging students to make healthier options such as water, natural fruit juices, or flavored water. In fact, Westchester has multiple filtered-water hydration stations throughout the building where students can refill their containers before school or between classes. Our goal at WIS is to encourage choices that better support learning and overall health throughout the day.

Respectfully,

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.4228%

6th Grade 92.9375%

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.

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.

Join the Duneland Education Foundation for an enchanting evening of masquerade, silent auctions, and celebrating another year of giving.

The Duneland Education Foundation is the foremost philanthropic partner of the Duneland School Corporation. DEF grants and scholarships ensure ALL Duneland students have access to a high-quality, exceptional educational experience.

As a 5th grader, Jacob has already shown a remarkable ability to embody the values of the Engage Award. Whether in the classroom, student council, or through school activities like the Nora Project/Save Promise Club Dance, Jacob consistently shows respect for others and strives to make everyone feel included and valued. Jacob approaches challenges with a positive attitude, always ready to lend a helping hand to classmates and teachers alike.

Beckett Spanopoulos is an exemplary student who consistently demonstrates hard work, active participation, and respect for both peers and staff. He comes to class prepared and eager to learn. His strong work ethic and positive attitude make him a role model for other students here at Westchester Intermediate School.

Nicole always goes above and beyond to give her students an amazing experience. Whether it is setting up the gym with LEDs and Black lights for "cosmic bowling" or investing in new pickleball equipment, she is always willing to adjust her curriculum and try new things to ensure her students are engaged. She is an awesome team leader for Related Arts at WIS.

Lisa Garza exemplifies the values of Westchester Intermediate School by fostering strong, respectful connections. Through consistent professionalism, kindness, and dedication, she creates a welcoming environment where students and staff feel valued. Her positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond strengthen relationships and contribute to a culture of trust and cooperation, making a lasting impact.

We are pleased to offer our students an opportunity to play Intramural Basketball at WIS. Intramural Basketball will consist of ball handling, shooting drills, and, of course, playing basketball.

Language Arts

• This week we will be working on a persuasive writing all about pets! We'll also continue reading and discussing the novel Hoot. Honors ELA - Last week, we spent the week learning about ancient Egypt, creating games, and researching 1967 to build background for our next novel. This week begins the 4th quarter, and we'll begin reading The Egypt Game.

Math

• Students will continue to learn about the area of parallelograms, triangles and trapezoids this week. Students will also be exploring data and probability. We will be taking the ILEARN Checkpoint 3 in our math classes either on Wednesday or Thursday - depending on who your math teacher is. Over Spring Break, please encourage your student to work on Get More Math a few times to keep skills fresh!

Social Studies

• Last week we learned about water distribution and pollution. This week begins the new quarter and we will take the CSA over Earth’s Systems on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on your students day in science).

Science

• Last week, we learned about the duties of the three branches of government, and checks and balances. This week we will take a CFA on Monday, then prepare for a CSA on Thursday/Friday.

Language Arts

• This week students will read paired passages about the caves of Indiana. They will analyze each passage and then respond to narrative, informative, and argumentative prompts.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers, we continue working with geometry concepts. This week begins a new quarter. This is a fresh start for students. Let’s finish the year strong! Once back from spring break, we will be ready to take our final checkpoint for ILEARN. The summative ILEARN test will be soon after that. Please remember that iPads need to be charged nightly. We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe break.

Social Studies

• This is the first week of the 4th quarter. We will begin by wrapping up our dive into the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. We will review all that freedom of expression entails with a focus this week on freedom of religion. Students will look at case reviews of landmark Supreme Court decisions that have upheld as well as put limits on our first amendment rights. A common formative assessment will be given on Friday covering the first amendment.

Science

• This week we will be doing a gizmo on ecology to study for the CSA which will be Tuesday/Wednesday. The students will then be doing a gizmo on invasive species after they finish the CSA. The students will end the week by watching a documentary on the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park. Students will then do a break out room. After spring break, students will start reviewing for the science ILearn.

PE

• This week in PE we started a new rotation!! We will be playing 9 square in the air for the majority of the week. When we get back from spring break, we will be starting our flag football unit.

Art

• Students will begin a new art rotation and a new grading period. This week we will focus on shading with blending and stippling simple and complex shapes.

Music

• This week we will begin our new rotation. 5th grade classes will be exploring music composition. 6th grade classes will be drumming again with a focus on learning techniques on various percussion instruments. We will continue our Karaoke Fridays tradition this quarter! Our theme this week is music of the 80s and 90s.

PLTW

• This week, both 5th & 6th grade will do a virtual field trip to learn about Amazon music and careers in STEM. The 5th graders will also wrap up their coding skills with robotics and the 6th graders will wrap up their coding skills with the Microbits.

Media

• We will begin the new 4th quarter rotation this week. Students will be introduced to the course content and receive their assignment sheets (5th) or packets (6th) which they will use to complete the modules in citizenship and technology.

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.

Summer School Registration Opens Monday

Registration for DSC 2025 Summer School programs will open up on Monday, March 17. New this year is the ability for parents to register for summer school via the Skyward Family Access. For directions on how to register your child please follow the links below based on the current grade level of your student.

Instructions for Grades K-7 - Registration Open March 17 - April 15

Instructions for Grades 8-12 - Registration Open March 17 - May 2

Note: Students in grades 8-12 who are interested in taking PE should review the additional information on the Flex PE Credit and reduced diploma requirements prior to registering.

Grades PreK-7 Summer School will take place at Liberty Elementary School from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in Session 1 Only. Grades 8-12 Summer School will take place at Chesterton High School from 7:30 a.m. - 12:55 pm for both Session 1 and 2.

Separate invitations will be provided for families interested in KinderCamp, our Pre Kindergarten Program.

Need Skyward Support? If you need support in registering for summer school within the Skyward Arena Scheduling please call your child’s school and the Skyward/Office Administrative Assistant can provide support.

Should you have any questions about summer school programming please contact the following:

Grades PreK-7 - Call the Department of Teaching & Learning at 219-983-3656

Grades 8-12 - Contact the CHS Counseling Office at 219-983-3730

Online registration is now open for State Park Little League Baseball 2025. New or Returning players may register by clicking the State Park Little League logo at the left.

Online registration for 2025 Liberty Rec. Baseball and Softball. Register by clicking the Liberty Rec. Baseball and Softball logo at the left.

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/