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!

Dear WIS Family,

As we encourage our students to explore their interests and take advantage of the many opportunities available at WIS, I would like to remind families of an important guideline regarding WMS athletic events.

To ensure the safety and well-being of all students, fifth and sixth graders must be accompanied by an adult to attend these events. I greatly appreciate the enthusiasm our students bring as they cheer on Westchester teams and contribute to our school spirit. Thank you for your partnership in making these events safe and memorable by ensuring an adult accompanies your child.

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.594%

6th Grade 92.983%

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.

Dear Parent/Guardians,

Starting November 6, 2024 through the month of January 2025 the Health Services at WIMS will be conducting Vision Screenings of 5th grade students , according to Indiana Law are required to have their vision checked.

We are asking that if your student wears glasses that they have them on their person daily so that there will be no delay in getting their testing completed. If you have any questions, please contact WIS School Nurse, Tina Sosby, R.N. at 219-983-3710 or via email at

tsosby@duneland.K12.in.us.

Attention Parents! The annual Westchester food drive is in the last days. Traditionally, our school has taken great pride in supporting the community by bringing in canned goods and non-perishable food items. All donations directly benefit families of the greater Duneland community. As you think about your loved ones during this holiday season, please consider making the days a bit brighter by helping those Duneland families who are in need. Thank you and happy holidays from the Westchester family.

Do you have a nose? Is it sometimes runny? Well, here's the solution: Tissue! As the weather begins to change, we've noticed that some of our WIS kiddos also have noses that are runny. Parents, if you have any spare tissue boxes, please consider sending one or two to Westchester with your child to give to her or his 1st period teacher. The students -- and their noses -- thank you.

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.

If your WIS student is in need this holiday season, we would like to help! Please fill out a form for each WIS student. This form is not a guarantee that you will receive all items. Our program is based on donations and we thank you for understanding.

Package pick up will be Tuesday, December 17th and Wednesday, December 18th from 7:30am-2:30pm.

Language Arts

• Last week, we continued reading Hello Universe, and had some great discussions about the characters in the story, and how they affect each other. We will have our next CSA on Friday of this week. Honors ELA - Last week, we really dove into the main ideas and themes that are emerging in Hello Universe. As we continue to chart the progress of the story, students are seeing lots of ways in which the different storylines intersect and connect with each other. We will have our next CSA on Friday of this week.

Math

• Students have now tested on adding and subtracting decimals and are moving forward to multiplying decimals. In the next few weeks they will be multiplying and dividing decimals and learning about mean, median, mode and range.

Social Studies

• Last week we learned about the first English settlements in North America. We will continue to talk about Jamestown, Roanoke, and Plymouth this week, and will be taking a CSA at the end of the week.

Science

• Last week we began our Ecology unit. Students learned about ecosystems and the roles living and nonliving things play to keep a balanced ecosystem. This week we will spend some time learning about food chains and food webs!

Language Arts

• Students will read and respond to a nonfiction passage. Students will then compare this week’s passage with the passage from last week.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers . . .6th grade math students will continue their work in Algebra. Students need to study their vocabulary. Vocabulary is critical for this unit especially. We will be moving from expressions to equations.

Social Studies

• Students will finish the unit on Ancient Rome. Our focus will be on reviewing the rise of Ancient Rome and reasons for its decline. We will continue to look at similarities and differences between both our government here in the United States and that of the Roman Republic. A final summative assessment is scheduled for Friday of this week.

Science

• Students will be learning about seasons. We will be doing a Nearpod together in class to start out the week to learn that seasons happen because the Earth is tilted on its axis as it orbits the Sun. This tilt (about 23.5 degrees) causes different parts of the Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year. Students will be drawing a model of the seasons and answer questions in our science books. We will end the week doing a Gizmo on seasons and reviewing for the CSA on Monday about seasons.

PE

• RELATED ARTS WILL ROTATE ON WEDNESDAY!! In PE this week, we will be playing fun teamwork games.

Art

• Students will complete their Abstract Kandinsky paintings before rotating on Wednesday.

Music

• This week we begin our next rotation. Students will answer the question, “What is Pitch?” and learn how we use letters in standard notation to identify pitch.

PLTW

• This week the 5th and 6th graders will be practicing their computer coding skills as we wrap up this rotation. As we begin the new rotation, we will be reviewing the routines and procedures with the new groups of students.

Media

• This week students will follow their next RA rotation beginning on Wednesday. These students will begin orientation modules for digital citizenship.

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.). 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.

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.

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://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/14
Location: 1050 South 5th Street, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 983-3710
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterintermediate/