This Week at Jackson
August 5th
Back to School Edition, Friday, August 11th
Welcome!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We’re glad you’ll be with us this year.
This will be exciting year for the Jackson community. At this time, we are wrapping up phase one of our capital improvements plan. Having started in June, we are in the midst of a 14-month project to provide needed updates to the building. Of particular focus is improving security, which will include removing the classroom pod structure. As most families are aware, Jackson was built with open concept classrooms that were later sub-divided into four smaller rooms. Although this provided some increased privacy, the number of doors in each room (ranging from three to five per classroom) creates foot traffic and security issues.
When school begins this year, we will have fully-remodeled kindergarten classrooms and the main office will have moved into the kindergarten wing of the building. This move will transform the interior of our front entrance by providing a secured vestibule for visitors that opens only onto the office rather than opening into the foyer as it used to do.
Our first grade pod of classrooms has already been demolished and is busily being rebuilt. When the year begins, our first grade teachers will be located in the extra rooms located in our second, third, and fourth grade pods. (Mrs. Jimenez-Perez is in the second grade pod, Mrs. Psimos in third, and Mrs. Sloan in fourth.) Once their new rooms are completed, first grade will move out of the extra rooms, then second grade will vacate their pod. We will continue in this manner through the remainder of the year, each grade moving out for perhaps 8-10 weeks into a temporary location before moving into their new rooms.
Classroom assignments will be posted to Skyward's Parent Access during the day on Friday, August 11th. We would like to invite everyone to visit the building on Tuesday, August 15th, from 4-6pm for our Open House to meet your child's teachers. Kindergarten parents, there will be a presentation at 4:30pm and again at 5:30pm in your child's classroom with need-to-know information, especially if this is your first child in kindergarten at Jackson.
We look forward to a great year, and we hope you enjoy the last weekend of summer!
Respectfully,
Sam Marshall, Principal
Jackson Staff Changes
Departures
Miss Williams, who became Mrs. Hayes over the summer, resigned her position as a kindergarten teacher so that she could transition to a career as a developmental therapist helping young children with early interventions.
Mr. Conway transferred from teaching fourth grade at Jackson to teach fifth grade at Westchester Intermediate School.
Mrs. Guest resigned her position teaching second grade to become a virtual teacher.
Arrivals
We would like to welcome Mrs. Christian who joins us as a kindergarten teacher! She brings more than 20 years experience in the classroom, and was most recently teaching at Yost Elementary.
We would like to welcome Mrs. Burkus who joins us as a second grade teacher! After years in the restaurant business, Mrs. Burkus joined the staff at Yost as a Title 1 aide while finishing her teaching degree. Most recently, she was in a long-term substitute position at Yost.
We would like to welcome Ms. Stoner who joins us as our high ability aide. She brings a broad range of experience, including being a business owner, working with education leader Kristina Smekens, and teaching in Fort Wayne.
Name Changes
Congratulations to Miss Berry on her recent marriage! She is now Mrs. Kremer (pronounced Kramer).
Open House
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
School begins on Wednesday, August 16th. Please review the following for how this functions at Jackson.
We would like to emphasize that everyone keep the office informed of any changes in dismissal methods (Y-Care, Boys & Girls Club, bus, car). We strongly encourage families to follow their planned method on the first day of school, so that we can be sure to get everyone to the correct location on time.
Busing Available to Boys and Girls Club
For the first time, busing is available from Jackson to the Chesterton Boys and Girls Club. See below.
2023-2024 Curricular Fees and Items for Student Success
Instructional Fees
Following the passage of recent legislation on textbooks/curriculum materials, Duneland will not be collecting textbook and instructional supply fees for the upcoming school year. Instead, funding for these items will come from state reimbursement and local school funds. This includes textbook, software, and hardware costs as well as other items required for educating our students
Items for Student Success
DSC is now providing Items for Student Success documents to answer your questions and offer recommendations so that families can prepare for the first days of school. Please check out the links to information below for your student’s needs:
Related Arts Rotation
With the exception of the first four days of school, our students rotate through their related arts classes every two days. The below charts will help you to know what is happening with your child each day.
DSC 2023-2024 Calendar
Duneland Transportation
Information regarding student bus transportation for the 2023-2024 school year is available on DSC website under the Transportation Department.
Track Student's Bus with MyStop App
The DSC Transportation has My Stop available for our families.
My Stop is a web-based application which allows 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.
Child Nutrition: 2023-2024 School Meals
The school meals program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Duneland School Corporation will process free or reduced-price meal benefit applications for those students who apply and are approved. Those students not qualifying for free or reduced-price meals will be charged the paid meal price for breakfast and/or lunch.
Meal prices for the 2023-2024 school year will be available on the DSC Child Nutrition website beginning Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
MyPayment Plus for School Meals
Need to add money to your students school meal account on MyPaymentsPlus? Click on the image below to access
Chesterton High School Athletics
Duneland Community Opportunities
The goal of the Duneland School Corporation district school newsletters is to inform students, parents and the school community about school-related information.
This year, the Duneland Schools will share information that pertains to opportunities our students may be interested in outside of school on a special page on our website. These available opportunities are offered by not-for-profit partnerships and organizations within our school district boundaries and local communities. Follow this link to Community Opportunities.