• 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,

Regular school attendance plays a crucial role in your child's academic success and overall well-being. Research shows that students who attend school consistently are more likely to achieve higher grades, develop strong social skills, and build positive learning habits that last a lifetime. Chronic absenteeism (missing 10% or more of school days) has been linked to lower reading proficiency, increased dropout rates, and long-term academic struggles.

While we absolutely understand that children may need to stay home when they are sick, we encourage families to prioritize attendance whenever possible. Every school day offers valuable learning experiences that cannot be fully replaced by make-up work. If you need support with attendance-related challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Respectfully,

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.3666%

6th Grade 92.7822%

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 will be 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.

La Goddess works to her potential every day in math. She epitomizes the adage, "Everyday is a chance to get better." La Goddess makes it a point to take advantage of the opportunities presented to her and has shown tremendous growth. She is a role model for others in the classroom and has learned valuable math habits. Her Middle of the Year math NWEA RIT improved 17 points. This growth put La Goddess in the 99th percentile for observed growth.

Chase at WIS Lunch Club showed great leadership and kindness. Chase took the initiative to clean up an accidental spill of Rainbow Loom rubber bands.

Candi is a terrific and dedicated leader at WIS. What truly sets her apart as a leader is the ability to connect with others on a personal level. Her natural charisma and positive attitude inspire others to follow her lead. Candi's unwavering determination and work ethic make her an invaluable asset to our school community. Candi's commitment to excellence and her unwavering dedication to serving others make her a truly inspiring leader at WIS.

Faith has truly inspired me through her dedication and kindness. She works hard every day, always putting in the effort to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Her generosity knows no bounds, as she is always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. No matter the situation, she smiles a lot, bringing positivity and warmth to those around her. She treats students and staff well, making everyone feel valued and respected. Her knowledge shines through in everything she does, and she consistently strives to solve problems as soon as she can. Faith's unwavering commitment to excellence and compassion has made a lasting impact on me, and I am grateful for her inspiration.

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.

SROs are full-time law enforcement officers with sworn law enforcement authority, trained in school-based policing and crisis response and assigned by an employing law enforcement agency to work with schools using community-oriented policing concepts.

Our school resource officers serve as important bridges between youth, law enforcement, and the communities they serve. The Duneland Schools recognizes the important role these individuals play in our schools and school community.

Each of the 11 Duneland School Corporation schools, in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Education, are working toward renewing distinction as a Family Friendly School. The purpose of this initiative is to ensure that each DSC school is demonstrating excellence in engaging families in their children’s education.

Launched in 2015, the Family Friendly Schools initiative focuses on addressing the academic, physical, emotional, and social needs of students, while providing the needed resources and fostering the active involvement of their families through schools and the community. The program recognizes and honors schools that welcome all families into the school community, communicate effectively, support student success, speak up for every child, share power and collaborate with the community.

As part of this process, students in grades 5-12 will be asked to take a 5-minute Family Friendly Schools survey (link for parent review only). Students will take this survey at their school sometime between the dates of Feb. 18 - March 2.

Thank you for your support!

Help our Duneland Schools keep their Family Friendly School Designation

In keeping with our Core Values, Duneland School Corporation is committed to fostering partnerships to improve the quality of life in our community. One of our most important partnerships is with our families. As we strive to continue to build upon and strengthen our family partnerships, DSC is applying for renewal from the Indiana Department of Education as an IDOE “Family Friendly Schools” corporation. In doing so, we will continue to “focus on addressing students' academic, physical, emotional, and social needs while providing the needed resources and fostering the active involvement of their families through schools and the community.” (Indiana Department of Education Family Friendly Schools Handbook)

Please help us as we continue to support our students and community by completing the IDOE online survey.

Your ongoing support in educating the children of our community is greatly appreciated!

SURVEY LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

Survey Links:

• 2025-2026 Family Friendly Survey Questions for Families

• 2025-2026 Family Friendly Survey Questions for Families-Spanish

WIS student Ellie Scharp placed 5th in the 72 lb. division at the IHSWCA Middle School State Girls Wrestling Championships on Sunday February 9th.

Language Arts

• Last week, students took the end of book test over City of Ember, then were able to compare and contrast the book and movie versions of the story. This week, we will be working on our process writing skills, with an informative writing. Honors ELA - Last week, we took our third quiz over Johnny Tremain. As with the previous 2 quizzes, students may make corrections to earn points back. The directions for how to complete quiz corrections were given in class, and can be found on the course homepage in Canvas. This week, we continue on reading.

Math

• Students will begin learning about multiplying fractions and mixed numbers this week. We will also be completing various review and enrichment skills during the week using Get More Math and IXL. Students who will be retaking any previous CSAs will work with their math teacher to better understand the lessons before testing again.

Social Studies

• Last week, we took the CSA over the American Revolution. This week we will be learning about the beginnings of government in the US, and how the Articles of Confederation became the Constitution of the United States.

Science

• Last week we spent time gaining some background knowledge on the eight planets in the solar system. We also spent time learning the differences between space rovers and space probes/orbiters. The students were then “hired” by NASA to design a rover or orbiter that would be able to complete their mission. This week the students will continue designing and presenting their space bots.

Language Arts

• Students will read paired passages and respond to text. We will continue to practice finding and using evidence that relates to the priority standards we have learned this year.

Math

• Hopefully everyone had a great 4-day weekend and a wonderful Valentine’s Day! This week in the wonderful world of numbers . . .We will finish our study of ratios, proportions, rates, unit rates, and measurement conversions. Next up . . . GEOMETRY!

Social Studies

• Students will finish their review of the three branches of government and our system of checks and balances. We will continue to look at scenarios in which this system can be applied. A common formative assessment will be given over this material on Friday this week.

Science

• Students will be taking the Cog AT test on Tuesday/Wednesday. The CoGAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) for 6th grade is an assessment that measures students' reasoning and problem-solving skills in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Unlike regular classroom tests, CoGAT doesn’t focus on specific subjects like math or science but instead evaluates how well students can recognize patterns, make connections, and think critically. The end of the week, students will be starting ecology and learning about biotic and abiotic factors. MS-LS1-1 thru MS-LS1-5.

PE

• This week in PE, we are continuing our Pickleball unit. We are playing 2 v 2 Pickleball and then 4 square Pickleball.

Art

• This week in art 5th and 6th grade students will select a famous black American in honor of Black History month to research and create a digital work of art in the style of American painter Kehinde Wiley.

Music

• This week in music 5th graders will continue our recorder unit and will also get to try making a sound on many band instruments. 6th grade will have their first playing test on piano over finger patterns 1 and 2. Next week they will test on patterns 3 and 4.

PLTW

• This week the 5th graders will be doing research on robots and they will also get more practice coding autonomous robots. The 6th graders will learn about the accelerometer in the Microbit and explore how to create programs that detect motion.

Media

• Coursework in digital technology and digital citizenship continues this week. Students from the last rotation may continue to finish incomplete assignments before the grading period ends.

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.

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

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.

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?

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/