February 14, 2025

Dear Westchester Middle School Families,

Happy Valentine’s Day! This special day is a wonderful reminder to spread kindness, appreciation, and love to those around us. Whether through a simple act of kindness or a heartfelt message, let’s celebrate the joy of connection and community.

First, a big thank you to Officer Ray for all you do for our school every day as our School Resource Officer. Your dedication to keeping our students safe and supported does not go unnoticed, and we truly appreciate you!

Congratulations to our 8th-grade girls' basketball team for their outstanding performance and achievements at their recent competition! We are so proud of your hard work and dedication. Also, a big shout-out to WMS Robotics for their success at their latest competition—your innovation and teamwork continue to amaze us!

Wednesday, February 19th, students will be participating in the Family Friendly Survey during their Advisory class. This is an important opportunity for students to share their perspectives and help us continue improving our school community. Please see additional details below.

A special thank you to Student Council for “sharing the love” by selling Lucky Ducks! The winners are pictured below—congratulations!

Also, be sure to check out the latest edition of the WMS School Newspaper, written by our very own talented students. It’s a fantastic way to see what’s happening in our school through their eyes!

Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled with joy and kindness. Thank you for being part of our WMS family!

Warm regards,

Respectfully,

Mrs. Lauren Seiss, WMS Principal

Reminders:

• 48-Hour Attendance Policy for Call Off(s) - Parents/Guardians will have 48 hours to excuse their students absence, after which time it will be considered unexcused.

• Parents who are picking up their child or dropping something off for their child must present a driver's license or state ID to our office staff in order to do so. Also, if a parent sends someone else to pick their student up or drop something off for them, they must not only present identification but must also be on the list in Skyward as a family or emergency contact.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

2/14 - 2/17 NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

2/18 - Classes Resume

2/21 - Kona Ice - During Lunch

2/22 Duneland Invitational Robotics Competition

2/26 - Career Fair @ CHS for 8th graders

2/28 - 7th Gr. Body Safety Presentation

3/8 - Westchester Robotics Competition

3/14 - Kona Ice - During Lunch

3/14 - End of 3rd Nine Weeks

3/17 - 3/18 - LMS/WMS Band ISSMA Preview Concert at 7:00pm @ CHS Auditorium

3/21 - Report Cards Accessible Online

3/24-3/28 - NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

3/31 - Classes Resume

Upcoming ATHLETIC Dates to Remember:

2/18 (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ Wheeler

2/18 (H) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Wheeler at 5:00pm @ WMS

2/20 (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Fegely at 5:00pm @ Fegely

2/20 (H) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Fegely at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/3 (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Willowcreek at 5:00pm @ Willowcreek

3/3 (H) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Willowcreek at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/4 (H) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Taft at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/4 (A) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Taft at 5:00pm @ Taft MS

3/6 (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Ben Franklin at 5:00pm @ Ben Franklin MS

3/6 (H) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Ben Franklin 5:00pm @ WMS

3/10 - (H) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Hobart at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/10 - (A) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Hobart at 5:00pm @ Hobart

3/11 - (H) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Thomas Jefferson at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/11 - (A) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Game vs. Thomas Jefferson at 5:00pm @ TJ MS

3/13 - (A) 7/8 A Team Girls Basketball Game vs. Krueger at 5:00pm @ Krueger MS

3/15 - (A) 7th Gr. B Team Girls Basketball Invite at 8:30am @ Thomas Jefferson

3/15 - (A) 8th Gr. B Team Girls Basketball Invite at 9:00am @ Ben Franklin

3/18 - (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Conf. at 5:00pm @ Ben Franklin

3/18 - (H) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Conf. at 5:00pm @ WMS

3/19-20 - (A) 7th Gr. Girls Basketball Conference Semifinals at 5:00pm

3/19-20 - (A) 8th Gr. Girls Basketball Conference Semifinals at 5:00pm

There will be no school for all Duneland School students on Friday, February 14 and Monday, February 17 to observe a winter break and the Presidents' Day holiday. The Duneland School Administrative Office will also be closed on Monday, Feb. 17 to observe the holiday.

Saturday February 8, WMS Robotics attended its third competition of the season in Plymouth,

IN. This competition was a middle school only competition so they were finally competing

against other students their age! Most competitions are blended combining high school and

middle school teams. All of our teams did a fantastic job competing and saw improvement over

their last competition. Team D made it all the way to the Semi Finals which is one step away

from the final round! Our next competition will be in Crown Point on 2/22.

We celebrated our DSC School Resource Officers for National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day on Feb. 13th.

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.

Please call our main office at 219-983-3780 to report your student absent with in 48hours.

Attendance questions should be directed to Amanda Ray amray@duneland.k12.in.us

ONLINE ENROLLMENT is NOW OPEN for incoming Duneland Kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Families are asked to complete online enrollment prior to attending Kindergarten Round-Up on Thursday, February 27, 2025. To get started please visit: DSC Kindergarten Enrollment 2025-2026

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). Students will take this survey at their school sometime between Feb. 18 - March 2.

Thank you for your support!

The nomination period begins at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 31.

Here is the link to the page with the information: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/about-us/dsc-teacher-employee-of-the-year

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.

Westchester Middle School 7th grade Math students and Liberty Middle School 8th grade ELA students will be participating in the ILEARN Checkpoint pilot this year. Assessments will be condensed and focus on limited standards during each of the three checkpoints

A Common Sense School is an honor that recognizes efforts in teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging the entire school community in this important discussion. All of the Duneland Schools currently teach digital citizenship and all five Duneland Elementary schools have received the 2024-2025 Common Sense Education recognition badge and their school media specialists are Common Sense Educators. This recognition acknowledges a school's commitment to creating a culture of digital citizenship.

The DSC Child Nutrition Department is now utilizing NutriSlice as its new 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 items at any of the Duneland Schools. This program will be developed further incorporating images of food items being served at each of the schools.

Breakfast $1.60

Lunch $2.95

ATTENTION!!!

2024-2025 ALL ATHLETES MUST HAVE A CURRENT PHYSICAL ON FILE TO PARTICIPATE!

Middle School Physicals will need to be turned in to coaches or the athletic department, prior to open gym, tryouts, or practices in order to participate.

There are a total of 6 forms that need to be completed. The actual physical is completed by the Dr. and the rest of the forms are completed by the parent(s) and the student. Physicals will not be accepted if there are forms missing!

*Physical Checklist*

• Final Forms Online parent and student
• Physical Examination from the Dr.
• History Form (It is 2 pages)
• Consent and Release Certificate (Make sure insurance information is complete)
• Concussion and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Form
• Co-Curricular and Extracurricular Activities Code of Conduct

Need to FIX your Skyward App?

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

Cell Phones, Smart Watches, Earbuds, & Earphones Usage:

7th and 8th 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.

iPad Use

• 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. Middle school curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons and enrichment activities.

CONTACTING IT SUPPORT

Contact the Duneland School Corporation IT department via one of these methods:

1. Open a IncidentIQ ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
   
2. 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

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

WE WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO RIDE THE BUS HOME WITH FRIENDS THAT DO NOT SHARE THE THE SAME DESIGNATED BUS ROUTE. THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE WITH THE UTMOST CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL OUR STUDENTS.

n 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.