• 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,

As you know, children generally enter puberty between the ages of 9 and 14. Around this time in their lives, they become more aware of changes to their bodies and the bodies of others, including body odor. Many students often feel self-conscious about sweating and smelling, but they can be reluctant to address the issue with an adult. Because Westchester strives to provide a positive environment for all students, we could use your help in reminding your child about the importance of healthy hygienic practices, including the use of deodorant.

Respectfully,

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.4067%

6th Grade 92.8992%

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.

The Duneland Exchange Club recently presented sixth grader Ellie Scharp of Westchester Intermediate School with the Young Citizenship award. This award is given to a student who is an all-around good citizen. The club presents this award to one fourth grade student at each of the five Duneland elementary schools, at the sixth grade level at each of the intermediate schools and at the eighth grade level at each of the middle schools and NWI Online School.

Westchester would like to thank all the families who recently supported our school by participating in the annual tissue drive. The donations we received will help our classrooms address the needs of all students during this cold season. Part of the drive included the opportunity for two lucky students to win the honor of being "Principal for a Day" here at WIS. Pictured with Mr. Longacre and Mr. Hernandez are winners Kendall Cloud and Addisyn Hyska.

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.

Language Arts

• Last week, we took our informative writing CSA. This week, we will be taking the ILearn Checkpoint 3 test on Thursday. Students have been using the IXL app to practice skills. We will also continue reading the novel Hoot, which students are enjoying quite a bit! This is the last week of the grading period. Honors ELA - Last week, we finished up our reading of Johnny Tremain. The novel provided quite a challenge for students over the course of the third quarter. This week, we will be taking the ILearn Checkpoint 3 test on Wednesday. Students have been using the IXL app to practice skills. In addition, we will be doing some background building before starting our next novel. This is the last week of the grading period.

Math

• Students will finish lessons with fractions this week with a CSA on fraction division. We will move directly into our geometry unit beginning with area of parallelograms, triangles and trapezoids. This Friday is the end of the third quarter. Next Wednesday or Thursday, depending on which math teacher your student has, we will be taking the ILEARN Checkpoint 3 in class.

Social Studies

• Last week we learned about the jobs and functions of the three branches of government. We took a CFA over the material on Friday. This week, we will dig a little deeper into how the three branches interact through checks and balances. This is the last week of the grading period.

Science

• Last week we spent time learning about Earth’s spheres. The students learned about the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. We took a deeper look at the hydrosphere by learning about freshwater and saltwater distribution. This week we will continue learning about water distribution and how to protect Earth’s systems. Students will test over the Earth’s Systems unit the week prior to spring break.

Language Arts

• This week students will continue their study of mythology while spiraling through priority standards. This is the end of the quarter. Students have worked hard this quarter and their effort shows.

Math

• This week we will continue to work on our geometry standards. We have been working with area and volume formulas. Students should be able to use the area formulas for parallelograms, triangles, and trapezoids. This marks the end of quarter 3. Students need to make sure all missing assignments are completed and turned in.

Social Studies

• This week students will be moving into the second unit of Civics. This unit focuses on individual rights of citizens. Our beginning focus will be on the 1st amendment and freedom of expression. We will delve a little deeper into what this all entails as far as speech, arts, and media.

Science

• This week students will be learning about symbiotic relationships. Symbiotic relationships occur when two different species live closely together and interact in ways that affect one or both of them. We will be covering mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. These relationships help shape ecosystems by influencing survival, reproduction, and species interactions! The end of the week will consist of the students doing an Ecology breakout room.

PE

• This week in PE, we will be finishing our Basketball unit and moving towards our Pickleball unit. We will start with some lead-up games and finish the week with full Pickleball Games.

Art

• We wrap up our art rotation this week. Students will complete their Pagoda drawing and attach it to their background. Upon completion of their project students will complete a self- reflection of their artwork.

Music

• 5th grade wrapped up our recorder unit last Friday. They still have a recording to do at home that is due on Friday, March 14. 6th grade is doing our final piano test this week. We will wrap up our rotation with fun music activities. We will revisit activities which may include: boomwhackers, tone chimes, drumming, “name that tune,” and Karaoke Friday. This week’s theme for Karaoke is “The Wheel of Karaoke.” The class will suggest songs and they will be put on a wheel to spin and randomly select which song participants will sing.

PLTW

• This week, both 5th & 6th grade will do a virtual field trip to learn about Amazon music and careers in STEM. The 5th graders will also wrap up their coding skills with robotics and the 6th graders will wrap up their coding skills with the Microbits.

Media

• 5th and 6th graders will continue working on digital citizenship and digital technology, respectively. On Wednesday the classes will take a brief respite from their modules by participating in the JLG bookmark contest celebrating a favorite novel or story. A link with details can be found on the Library Media Canvas page.

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.

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.

Summer School Registration will open on Monday, March 17th in a new Skyward portal. Families interested in enrolling in one of Duneland's PreK-12 Programs should look for email communication next week with detailed instructions on how to register.

Separate registration processes will be shared for invitation only Kinder Camp and Grades 1-4 High Ability programs. PreK-7 Summer School will take place at Liberty Elementary from 8am-12pm in Session 1. Grades 8-12 Summer School will take place at CHS from 7:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m. in both sessions. See below for the scheduled dates of this year's schedule.

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.

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/