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!

WIS Family,

Our final round of ILEARN testing for this school year is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29th. On this day:

• 5th Grade students will take the Social Studies assessment.

• 6th Grade students will complete assessments in Science and Computer Science.
  
  

This testing session will conclude our ILEARN assessments for the 2024–2025 academic year.

As we approach the end of the school year, it's essential to emphasize the importance of maintaining focus and effort. As you know, students who remain engaged during the final weeks of school are better prepared for the next academic year and are more likely to retain the knowledge they've acquired.

Respectfully,

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.5156%

6th Grade 93.1198%

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.

For two semesters, Daniel has shown a steadfast perseverance and positive attitude toward learning. He approaches classwork with a "can-do" attitude, asks appropriate questions on topics, and demonstrates support for each partner with whom he has collaborated (on modules or other assignments). Dan strives everyday to uplift himself and others with whom he works. He has exemplified growth and maturity throughout the year.

Claire cares about her academic success. Claire is one of the hardest working students in our building. She often spends her recess getting help to make sure she understands the material.

Mrs. Lenze is a building maintenance tech who always goes above and beyond! When Westchester's building maintenance manager (Mrs. Wheeler) had surgery, she stepped in and worked tirelessly to keep things running smoothly. Mrs. Lenze is always gracious and willing to help.

Miss Zalud is an empowering teacher who helps each and every one of her students achieve and succeed. She creates a calm space for both intermediate and middle school students who need extra assistance with classwork or life skills. Her room is always open and available for student needs and teacher support.

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.

The Buddy Bag program is designed to help fight childhood hunger. Buddy Bags are kid-friendly sacks of food that are sent home with students on Fridays to ensure they have enough to eat on the weekend. In each bag, students get a shelf-stable breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruit cup, applesauce, sweet snack, and salty snack. Each student who participates in the Buddy Bag program receives meals for both Saturday & Sunday.

Teacher Appreciation Week is Coming!
Help Westchester PTO show our amazing teachers and staff just how much we value everything they do for our kids!

This year, we’re planning a special week full of love, treats, and surprises—and we need YOUR help to make it happen!

Want to contribute?
Donate your time or resources through our Sign Up Genius
Send supplies and snacks directly from our Amazon Wish List

Email questions and/or suggestions to westchesterpto2@gmail.com

The WIS Pokemon Club would like to thank Reliquary Gaming for their wonderful donation to the Westchester Intermediate Pokemon Club. We appreciate their kindness and generosity! Their contact information is 1585 S. Calumet Rd. Chesterton, Indiana 46304 (219) 728-6681.

Language Arts

• Last week, we finished up with Hoot by researching different animals and making brochures about them. This week, we will be taking the NWEA end-of-year test. We will also start our next novel, Holes. Honors ELA - Last week, we did not have much class time, due to ILearn. This week, students will be finishing up their Egypt Game dioramas and sharing them with the class. We will also begin our next novel, Chasing Vermeer. We will take the NWEA end-of-year test at the end of the week.

Math

• Students will continue to spiral through all the skills they have learned this year. We will take the CSA on Measurement later this week. We have already learned and practiced this skill. Next week, we will take the NWEA test on Monday and a CSA on Volume on Thursday or Friday. Our E-learning work on Tuesday will be on volume. We will continue to have daily math homework, Get More Math goals for the week, and IXL skills to practice.

Social Studies

• Last week, we did some ILearn review. This week, we will take the social studies ILearn on Tuesday. We will also begin looking at industrialization and westward expansion.

Science

• Last week we spent time on some last minute ILEARN review. This week we will move into health. The students will spend the week learning about communicable vs non communicable diseases and how to reduce the spread of germs.

Language Arts

• This week students will dive into their very first novel of the year, The Westing Game! Notes will be taken in detective notebooks as the classes work to understand the characters and solve the mysteries. Honors kids will explore the adventures of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. The classes will determine how honor played a role in each chapter.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers (and testing). . .We will wrap up testing on Tuesday with only make-up testing to be completed the rest of the week. We will continue to work on 6th grade math skills and venture into the world of probability and statistics. Also, students will work on operations with rational numbers including positive and negative integers.

Social Studies

• Students will be spending this week reviewing the Bill of Rights and other important amendments to the Constitution. A look into the United States’ role in the world and how the State Department operates will also be further investigated. A summative assessment will be given on Wednesday pertaining to the amendments.

Science

• Students will be reviewing for the Science ILearn which they will take on Tuesday morning. Please make sure that students have their IPad charged and get plenty of rest. Wednesday will be a lab on speed. The end of the week the students will be creating a lab with a rubber band to be launched at a target.

PE

• In PE this week, we will be playing Gaga Ball. Wednesday is our last day for this rotation. On Thursday, all classes rotate related arts.

Art

• This week in art students will dive into the artwork of Edvard Munch’s, The Scream. 5th and 6th grade students will create their own original parodies based upon the famous 20th century work of art.

Music

• This is the week of our Related Arts rotation. Classes are shortened due to iLearn testing. 5th grade students will present their Songwriting Projects. 6th grade students will be wrapping up their layering unit and completing our end-of-rotation survey. Classes rotate on Thursday. The new rotation will begin with boomwhacker and drumming activities followed by Karaoke Friday. Karaoke Friday Theme: Disney

Media

• The last RA rotation begins on Thursday of this week. New students will receive orientation to digital citizenship (5th) and digital technology (6th) modules. Current students who are ending their rotation this week will be provided a catch-up day to complete any unfinished modules.

PLTW

• This week the 5th graders will do research on robots and get experience with coding robots on the VEX VR website. The 6th graders will have a review of the Microbits and will begin learning new coding skills using Makecode Arcade.

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.

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

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/