DuneNews
Duneland School news for parents, students and teachers
Click on the links below to view the first quarter honor rolls at each school.
INSPIRE Award
The INSPIRE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary leadership. These leadership qualities embody the mindsets, behaviors and skills to succeed in school and beyond.
Several Bailly Elementary students, including Liam Carter, Naomi Sifuentes, McKenzie Darwish, Tobin Ray, Natalie Veach, Bridget Hulbert, Edith Sexton, Claire Dawson, Jeff Furness, Ben Blewett, and Kendall Buhring were awarded the Inspire award for being Respectful Leaders for Quarter 1. Bailly teachers choose a student each quarter who exemplifies the school-wide expectations, with a focus on Respect for Quarter 1. These 4th-grade students serve as role models for younger students, showcasing positive attitudes, respectful behavior, and demonstrating how to give their best at Bailly.
ENGAGE Award
The ENGAGE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary behaviors. These behaviors include using your unique talents to respectfully connect to the school and community.
The Bailly Elementary Exceptional Learning Team of Mrs. Rhonda Sutphin, Ms. Caroline Scheidt, Ms. Sandra Lesniewski, Mrs. Donielle Maxin, Mr. Mark Caratini, Ms. Kimberly Schultz, Ms. Shaquila Pipes, and Mrs. Lydia Estridge were honored with the Engage Award. This team is a dedicated group that works hard each day to support students with diverse abilities, talents and strengths. These teachers and paras work diligently to build strong connections with students and recognize their strengths & talents so they can grow and exceed beyond their potential.
EMPOWER Award
The EMPOWER award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary growth and/or achievement. This is demonstrated by resilience and excellence in the pursuit of academic success.
Bailly Elementary 3rd grader Jacie Albright was honored with the Empower Award for receiving a perfect score on the IREAD assessment as a second grader.Her hard work and dedication to doing her best has resulted in quite a remarkable achievement.
ENGAGE Award
The ENGAGE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary behaviors. These behaviors include using your unique talents to respectfully connect to the school and community.
Fourth grader Hazel Crothers was honored with the Engage Award for consistently demonstrating exemplary behavior both in school and the community. She always stays focused on her work and is always willing to help her classmates as well.
In addition to her outstanding commitment to academic excellence, Hazel is also active in Girl Scouts, participating in service projects and upholding values of kindness and leadership in the community. Hazel sets a positive example for others at Brummitt.
EMPOWER Award
The EMPOWER award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary growth and/or achievement. This is demonstrated by resilience and excellence in the pursuit of academic success.
Owen Johns, Layla, Burdick, and Elle Morris were all honored with the Empower Award.
Owen Johns was awarded the Empower Award for his growth and success as a student, facing academic challenges with determination and aiming for excellence. This award recognizes his hard work, resilience and progress, and celebrates his determination to keep improving and achieving in school.
Layla Burdick received the Empower award for her exceptional performance on Indiana’s ILEARN Math Assessment last spring. Layla was the only Duneland elementary student to achieve a perfect score on this assessment.
Elle Morris also received the Empower award for her incredible performance on Indiana’s IREAD 3 assessment last spring. Elle achieved a perfect score on this assessment.
INSPIRE Award
The INSPIRE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary leadership. These leadership qualities embody the mindsets, behaviors and skills to succeed in school and beyond.
Brummitt Elementary's Inspire Award was given to fourth grader Cece McGranahan for her outstanding leadership at the school. Cece is known for her positive attitude, hard work ethic, and goal-driven mindset in and out of the classroom. She helps her teacher and peers willingly, participates in Girl Scouts, and reads to shelter animals, showcasing her confidence, kindness, and respect as a leader.
In addition, Administrative Assistant Lisa Ribar was also honored with the INSPIRE Award for her leadership and service at Brummitt. She approaches tasks with enthusiasm and expertise, wearing many hats with grace and dedication. Lisa anticipates challenges, communicates effectively, and ensures a smooth operation at the school. Her initiative, dedication, and inspiration make her a valuable leader.
INSPIRE Award
The INSPIRE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary leadership. These leadership qualities embody the mindsets, behaviors and skills to succeed in school and beyond.
Yost Student Council members Holland Adams, Nehemiah Ary, Nora Camel, Vic Garibay, Evie Guljas, Esme Hamilton, Calie Hemry, Camden Hemry, Aubriella Hylton, Gursifat Kaur, John Kolosci, Nolan Kolosci, Pandora Lopez, Arya Meisberger, Isabella Ontiveros, Ethan Panthi, Zoe Piazza, Savannah Pellman, Zoe Pierce, Jada Pollard, Addie Scott, Sanchana Senthil-Rajapandian, Mohsina Sherzada, Everett Street, Selena Torres, and Gracelyn Vanderhayden; and their teacher sponsors, Mrs. Andrea Street and Ms. Kaitlyn Hasselberger were honored with the Inspire Award for always striving to improve Yost Elementary and the Duneland community. Yost student council leaders strengthen the Yost culture through their actions and leading by example.
Student council projects include assisting the PTO by helping to plant native vegetation at the new campus, raising money for Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry and Christmas for Kids, and representing the school in the annual CHS Homecoming Parade.
EMPOWER Award
The EMPOWER award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary growth and/or achievement. This is demonstrated by resilience and excellence in the pursuit of academic success.
Yost third grade students, Mark Kamstra, Matteo Pilla, Adelyn Scott, Cynthia Crots; and fourth grade student Selena Torres were honored with the Empower Award for achieving a perfect score on their IREAD assessment last year. Mark, Matteo, Adelyn, and Cynthia achieved a perfect score while in 2nd grade and Selena while in 3rd grade. Yost is proud of their accomplishments, and looks forward to seeing their continued development in future years.
ENGAGE Award
The ENGAGE award is based on Trojans who demonstrate exemplary behaviors. These behaviors include using your unique talents to respectfully connect to the school and community.
Yost teachers Cassie Nay, Crystal Koss, and Kasey Johnson received the Engage award for hosting a pilot kindergarten program at Yost. The program involved student placement at the beginning of the school year. This program was a collaboration among the kindergarten teaching team and the entire staff. Students were not immediately placed in a kindergarten class. The goal was to create a caring, inclusive community where students could get to know all their classmates and teachers before being placed in a class. This approach allowed teachers to assess students' development and learning in a more natural way, helping them determine the best fit kindergarten placement for each student. Yost believes in a holistic approach to child development, ensuring that all aspects of a child's needs are considered - physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. Through this pilot program, the kindergarten team developed effective implementation procedures, data collection methods, and processes for successful implementation. The team worked hard and created a welcoming environment for new students.
Congratulations to 11 Westchester and Liberty Middle School orchestra students who were accepted and participated in the Indiana ASTA North All Region Honor Orchestra event at Taft Middle School this past Saturday! These students rehearsed all day with students from other Northern Indiana schools and performed a beautiful final concert at the end of the day. Although one student was unable to perform due to an injury, he still came to the final concert to support his fellow musicians. Chesterton Music is so proud of all of these students!
Chesterton High School students in Mr. Torres' Principles of Engineering class took a trip to the Purdue University main campus this past Saturday to attend the school's Apex event. Apex is an annual, full day event for high school students interested in engineering and an opportunity for students to talk to current Purdue engineering students, participate in engineering challenges, hear a guest lecture from one of Purdue's professors, and get a tour of campus. This year, the theme was biomedical engineering. "We had a lot of fun and one of our teams created the most efficient hospital design out of all the groups," said Torres.
Congratulations to Maddie Smith! Duneland School Corporation's very own Instructional Coach at the 5-8 Liberty Campus. Maddie is one of four Indiana finalists in the running for the nationally prestigious PAEMST award. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.
INSPIRE • ENGAGE • EMPOWER
The Duneland School Corporation School Board of Trustees approved next school year's 2025-2026 district calendar
Click the link above or the image to the right to view or print the 2025-2026 DSC Calendar.
Come check out the Duneland Early Learning HUB!
Come check out the Duneland Early Learning HUB!
The HUB is reading transportation books, participating in centers and songs about transportation. We will learn about vehicles, thanksgiving, the color brown, the shape triangle and more with our HUB families for November.
If you have children ages 0-5, come join in the fun M-F at the HUB. Check out this FREE program at our DSC website.
https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/programs-services/duneland-early-learning-hub
Emergency School Closing Procedures
As we approach the winter season, please review the procedures for school closings and/or delays that may occur due to inclement weather.
2024-2025 School Start & End Times
The new daily schedule for the 2024-2025 school year will be:
- Elementary (K-4) 7:30 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.
- High School (9-12) 8:10 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
- Intermediate/Middle (5-8) 8:50 a.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System
The Duneland School Corporation has adopted the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System for all grade 5-12 schools. The link to the Say Something Tip Line can be found on the DSC website, on the middle and high school websites, and on the DSC Safety and Security page located under Programs and Services.
2024 CHS Madrigal Dinner Tickets
The Chesterton High School Music Department will present its 52nd Annual Madrigal Dinners on December 6, 7, and 8 in the CHS Cafeteria. All seats are reserved, and tickets will be on sale for $40 per person. Ticket sales will be online only and begin at 9:00 a.m.on Saturday, November 9. Ticket sales will be held until no tickets remain or Friday, December 6, whichever comes first. There will be no exchanges or refunds. To purchase tickets, visit www.cur8.com
Performance times are as follows: Friday, December 6 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, December 7 at 4:00 PM, and 7:00 PM; Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
Chesterton Middle School Bricks
Pick-up LOCATION CHANGE
The Duneland YMCA in conjunction with the Duneland School Corporation will offer bricks to the Duneland community from the recent demolition of the former Chesterton High/Chesterton Middle School to make way for the new Duneland YMCA Healthy Living Campus in our community.
Interested in picking up a brick from your former school(s) to keep as a momento?
Brick Pick Up will be offered on Friday, November 15 from 12-1 p.m. at the East Gate at Entrance 11 (Pool Entrance) Community members are asked to take one per person. First come, first served.
On Monday, there were recognition programs honoring the veterans in the Duneland community. All of the Duneland schools carry the Purple Star designation from the Indiana Department of Education for displaying a significant commitment to service members, veterans, and students and families connected to our nation’s military. DSC is thankful for the sacrifice the many service men and women have made to secure our freedom. Please enjoy this short slide presentation recognizing the current Duneland School Corporation staff members that have served in the military.
Exceptional Learning Instructional Aide Positions Available
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
HALL OF FAME
The Chesterton High School Alumni Association is seeking nominations from the community to be considered for the CHS Alumni Association Hall of Fame for 2024.
“Many accomplished and dedicated individuals are not necessarily in the public eye; they are the unsung heroes and quiet warriors among us impacting students and staff every day,” said Mike Anton, CHS Alumni president. “The 2024 recognition committee invites alumni, community members, parents and others throughout the Duneland community to submit their nominations.”
Please consider nominating a candidate for Alumnus, Teacher, Administrator, and Support Staff based on the following qualities:
Excellence
Leadership
Respect
Exceptional Contributions
Citizenship
Giving Back
Collaboration
Courageous Acts
Advocacy
The CHS Alumni Association is accepting nominations for 2024 now through Friday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m.
DSC 2024 -2025 Calendar
CHS Maroon & Gold Calendar/Bell Schedules
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
The DSC Child Nutrition Department utilizes NutriSlice as its 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 menu item at any of the Duneland Schools. This program will be developed further incorporating images of the actual food items being served at each of the Duneland schools.
Menus will be posted on Thursday, Aug. 1
DSC Strategic Plan 2024-2028
In 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.
CONTACTING IT SUPPORT
Contact the Duneland School Corporation IT department via one of these methods:
- Open a IncidentIQ ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
- 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
Duneland School Corporation
Email: bmartinson@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: www.duneland.k12.in.us
Location: 601 West Morgan Avenue, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: 219-983-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunelandschools/
Twitter: @dunelandk12