Yost Weekly Update: August 11, 2023
Yost Elementary: Home of the World's Greatest Kids and Staff

January 10, 2025
Pictures from the Week
Yost Information
November Related Arts Students of the Month
Gym- Maverick Jones (Mr. Diaz), Brynlee Heath (Mrs. Johnson)
Library-Emery Sherrill (Mrs. Nay), Jimmy Kenney (Mrs. Papineau)
Art- Alivia Todd (Ms. Spain), Chelsee Kyle (Ms. Spain)
Music- Alina Hernandez (Mrs. Nay), Charlie Allmon (Mrs. Johnson)
DSC K-4 Anonymous Safety Reporting Form
The link below will be used for any necessary safety reports for an elementary school in Duneland.
Yost PTO Student Directory
For those families that volunteered, the student directory is attached.
Traffic Patterns
Please refer to the video for updated traffic patterns.
Yost Purple Star Designation
Yost is committed to supporting and honoring those men and women that currently serve and have served in our military.
Upcoming Events
1/14 Quarter 2 Grades available
1/20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)
1/27 Teacher Professional Development Day (no school)
2/14-2/17 Winter Break (no school)
3/14 End of Quarter 3
3/21 Quarter 3 Grades available
3/24-3/28 Spring Break (no school)
Yost Attendance
Attendance Goals
The first step to maximizing academic growth throughout the year is getting to school as much as possible. This year, we have a goal of a 95% attendance rate for the year. We will celebrate class winners and share our school attendance rate for the week.
DSC Attendance Policy
In an effort to improve attendance which directly positively impacts student growth and achievement along with adhering to the new state law regarding attendance, Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 282, Duneland School Corporation has developed a new Attendance Policy.
A few important changes:
- Parent/Guardian Verified Absence: This is a new category of student attendance. It is used when an absence does not meet the criteria to be considered "Excused" or "Unexcused." There will only be four (4) Parent/Guardian Verified absences allowed a semester. Additional absences called in by a parent or guardian not meeting the definition of "Excused" will be considered "Unexcused."
- Parents only have one (1) week to verify an absence or provide documentation for an "Excused" absence.
- A student who is absent from school for five (5) days within a ten (10) week period without the absences considered "Excused" will be deemed a student in need of truancy prevention.
Attendance Facts
- Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
- Chronic absence appears to have doubled by the end of the 2021-22 school year. We estimate that it now affects nearly one out of three students (or 16 million vs. 8 million students in the 2018-19 school year).
- Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. Chronic absence is considered two days a month.
- When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances of graduating.
- The most important thing to track is not just how many are missing school without an excuse but how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absences that academics are off track.
- Missing one (1) day of school every two (2) weeks, adds up to almost a year and half of school from kindergarten to senior in high school.
This Week in Yost Attendance & Grade-Level Winners
Yost Attendance- 95.6%
Kindergarten- Mrs. Nay 97%
1- Mrs. Papineau 100%
2- Mrs. Mendenhall 97.6%
3- Mr. Dodds 97.5%
4- Ms. Hasselberger 97.2%
DSC Information
Capital Improvements for 2025
The Duneland School Corporation will continue to improve current facilities to enhance the student experience with the following capital improvements in 2025: playground replacements at Bailly, Brummitt, Jackson, and Liberty elementary schools and soccer stadium renovations and carpet replacement at Chesterton High School. This presentation below provides additional details on the scope of each project. Concept drawings and timelines regarding 2021-2025 capital improvement projects are available on the DSC website.
DEF 5th Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser
The Duneland Education Foundation will host their 5th annual Trivia Night on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 5-9 p.m. at the Chesterton Moose Lodge, 602 Broadway in Chesterton. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and trivia will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Teams are strongly encouraged to dress up and decorate their table according to this year’s theme is The Great Outdoors. The cost is $30 per person (age 21 and over) which includes dinner. The maximum team size is eight (8) persons.
First place prize $500; Second place $250; Special Prizes for Best Theme Costumes, Best Theme Table Decor, and Best Team Name; 50/50 Raffle, Heads or Tails, and more.
Buy your tickets now at https://25deftrivia.eventbrite.com/
Family Friendly Schools Survey for DSC Families
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 by December 20, 2024
Your ongoing support in educating the children of our community is greatly appreciated!
SURVEY LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONS:
Survey Links:
School Name: choose your school from the drop-down list
School Corporation: 6470 Duneland School Corporation
School Liaison Name: MICHELLE PALKO
School Liaison email: mpalko@duneland.k12.in.us
School Codes for your convenience:
6928 - Bailly Elementary School
6819 - Brummitt Elementary School
6817 - Jackson Elementary School
6823 - Liberty Elementary School
6941 - Newton Yost Elementary School
6821 - Liberty Intermediate School
6927 - Westchester Intermediate School
6925 - Chesterton Senior High School
6926- Northwest Indiana Online School (Trojan Virtual Academy)
Dyslexia Screener
Below is information regarding the universal screener for dyslexia. This link connects you to information from the IDOE. As required by state law, all kindergarten, first, and second graders were screened for learning characteristics of dyslexia this year. Your child's results will be shared through the mCLASS Home Connect report. School staff will be contacting parents/ guardians of students who were identified as at risk or at some risk for characteristics of dyslexia to schedule a meeting
Early Learning HUB
Learn more about the Duneland Early Learning Classes at the the HUB. Click on the image below to enroll.
NorthShore Clinic for All DSC Students
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.
DSC Transportation Information
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.
DSC Food Service
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.
Newton Yost Elementary School
Email: jhuwig@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/12
Location: 100 West Beam Street, Porter, IN, USA
Phone: 219.983.3640