Dear Westchester Middle School Families,

It’s hard to believe, but we’re down to our final three school days of the 2024–2025 school year! As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day.

As we head into the home stretch, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for a fantastic first year at Westchester Middle School. Your support, involvement, and encouragement have helped make this school year a success, and we are so grateful to be part of such a wonderful community.

A few important reminders as we close out the year:

• Online registration for the 2025–2026 school year is now open! Please use the links below to log in to Skyward and complete the registration process for next year.

• 8th grade students will be returning their iPads on Tuesday, May 27th during the school day as they prepare to transition to the high school. Students will receive Chromebooks for use at the high school in the fall.

• We’re excited to celebrate the end of the year with Kona Ice during lunch/recess on Wednesday, May 28th! Students wishing to purchase a treat should bring cash.

Let’s finish the year strong — we’re proud of all our students and the growth they’ve shown this year!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Lauren Seiss, WMS Principal

The last day of school for all Duneland School students is Thursday, May 29.

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:

5/26 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

5/27 - iPad Exchange

5/27 - Yearbook Distribution

5/27 - Boys Cross Country Callout Meeting at 4pm in Gym B

5/28 - Yearbook Sales

5/28 - Kona Ice during lunch

5/28 - Yearbook Sales during Advisory

5/29 - End of the 4th Nine Weeks/2nd Semester

5/29 - Last day for students

Upcoming ATHLETIC Dates to Remember:

Q: Triple Rhyme Time: The cost to ship a really big wooden box, determined by how heavy it is

A: Freight, Crate, and Rate

LIMITED transportation will be provided for summer school students. The bus routes will not be the same as during the school year. Centralized bus stop locations throughout the district are determined based on ridership. Pick-up and drop-off times are estimated by our routing system, which does not factor in delays for traffic, trains, road work, etc.

Students must be at the designated bus stop location 5 minutes before the estimated time. Due to the tight restrictions on time, it is important that parents are at the bus stop drop-off locations to meet their students. Pick-up and drop-off times may need to be adjusted when summer school begins.

Questions concerning transportation may be directed to the DSC Transportation Dept. at 219-983-3615.

Bus Stops for Summer School Classes:

DSC KinderCamp Bus Route 2025

DSC K-7 Summer School Bus Route 2025

CHS Summer School Bus Route 2025

The National School Lunch Program summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program has been discontinued in 2025. Sun Meals (Meals eaten on site) are still available at Duneland School Corporation on the dates below. You can also click on Summer Meals Site Finder for Site Information.

Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open! If you haven’t already, please log into your Skyward Parent Access to complete your registration. We are aiming to have all registrations completed by the last day of school, May 29, 2025.

Need help or more details? Visit our registration website for all the info you need, including tips for using Skyward Parent Access.

Duneland 2025-2026 Registration

During school hours you can also contact your child’s school for help and support if needed. We appreciate you taking the time to get this completed!

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO ENROLL TODAY!

NWIOS Online School Application

Students entering Kindergarten: DTaP, Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella

Students entering 6th Grade: Tdap, MCV4 (Meningococcal) *Note: Students who are 11 years old are eligible to receive these vaccines

Students entering 12th Grade: MCV4 (Meningococcal) *Note: Students who are 16 years old are eligible to receive the 2nd dose of this vaccine

Summer Reading 2025: 5th-12th grade

Summer Chesterton Soccer Summer Trojan Camp will be held from Monday, July 21 - Thursday, July 24.

• Link to information flyer
• Link to registration form

Join the Chesterton High School Dance Team for a Festive Summer Dance Camp! The two days of camp for grades K-5 will be filled with dancing, games, and Parade Prep! Your dancers are welcome to join CDT and walk in the Porter Parade on July 4th! Includes: Dance Instruction, T-Shirt, matching bow, waters, snacks, and an opportunity to walk in Porter 4th of July Parade with the Chesterton Dance Team: 9-11:30 July 1st and 2nd and the parade on the 4th. Sign up today!

Click on the image above to sign-up

Link to Duneland Summer Tennis Camp

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

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

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

To find out more about this opportunity, please see the Instructional Aide EXL job postings on our employment opportunities webpage at: Duneland School Corporation - Frontline Recruitment (applitrack.com)

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

ParentSquare, the new communication platform, allows parents and guardians in DSC to receive all of their communications from the district, schools, classrooms and school activity groups in one unified app and service.

Duneland School Corporation has adopted ParentSquare as its new communication platform for the 2025-2026 school year and will begin inviting DSC families to verify their accounts over the next few months before launching in June.

ParentSquare is a communication platform designed for schools to connect with students’ families and keep them informed. It’s used by K–12 schools and districts to streamline messaging - such as announcements, attendance notifications, event reminders, one-on-one messages, and more - into a single, user-friendly interface. This decision has followed careful consideration of the needs of our school community as well as laws and regulations surrounding student data privacy. ParentSquare will help us to centralize messages and announcements to improve engagement with our students’ parents and guardians.

By unifying multiple tools into one communications app and service, ParentSquare provides a seamless experience for parents and staff. Parents will be able to keep track of news, activities and events from all their children’s schools in one place.

DSC hopes that ParentSquare’s intuitive, two-way platform will foster greater communication and family involvement. With ParentSquare, parents can enjoy photos posted by teachers, fill out forms and permission slips, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, check grades and attendance, and much more. School staff and parents can engage in both one-to-one and group messaging with real-time language translation.

“Effective school-to-home communication has never been more important, which is why Duneland School Corporation adopted the ParentSquare communication platform. We’re looking forward to reaching 100% of our families no matter where they are, unifying all our communications tools, and adopting a more eco-friendly approach by reducing the amount of paper used to send important communications,” said Bridget Martinson, DSC director of Public Relations/Marketing.

DSC’s partnership with ParentSquare will enable stronger engagement between school and home, and help empower everyone within the school community to stay connected and informed. For more information on ParentSquare, please visit www.parentsquare.com.

Beginning in June, DSC will begin migrating to ParentSquare. All communication to parents, staff and students will utilize this platform only beginning on July 1, 2025. If you have not signed up yet, please get the App (iOS or Android) or sign in via the Invite that was sent to your school-related email address. Check out the Parents—Getting Started Video or this Quick Guide

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.