Hello Students and Families,

Our students seem to be settling into our school routines very quickly. Teachers are busy delivering instruction and students are busy learning. Once lunchtime comes, everyone is ready for this break in our day to refresh and recharge. If your child is going to be getting a school lunch, please make sure that they start memorizing their Student ID Number. When students go through the lunch line, that is how they will check-out at the register. When students do not remember their Student ID Number, our cafeteria staff have to look the student up by their last name. This can be a bit time consuming, especially if it is not easy to hear the student spelling their last name. To help ensure that everyone has plenty of time to eat and students are able to move through the line as quickly as possible, please quiz your child on their Student ID Number. You can also look up their Student ID Number by logging into Skyward Parent Access and clicking on Student Info. It is listed as "Other ID". The lunch lines are already getting quicker, but once everyone is able to quickly type their ID numbers, it will go even faster.

This year, we will be shifting our focus toward student attendance. The Indiana Department of Education has set a goal for each student to be in attendance 94% of the school year. We will be adding our weekly attendance rates to each newsletter to help keep us all aware of where we stand based on the goal of 94% attendance. It looks like we are off to a good start! For more information on our updated attendance policy, please review the student handbook on our school website.

Parents, please help us make sure your child is bringing their iPad to school each day, fully charged. We do not have extra loaner iPads and chargers available for daily use to students who did not remember to charge or bring theirs. If your child has a hard time remembering to charge their iPad, it might be helpful to set an alarm Monday-Friday at 8:00 p.m. to remind them plug it in. We do have loaner iPads for those that are lost or damaged. Please reach out to our Media Assistant, Mrs. Valerie Warren, if you have any questions about this. Thank you for your help and support.

Together we shine brighter!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Hardwicke

Principal

• When you enter our campus driveway, there are two lanes. Everyone should use the left-side lane (Row 1) until it is full to 900 N. Then, begin pulling into the right-side lane (Row 2).
• Stay in your lane. Do not move to a different lane.
• When arrival and dismissal begin, Row 1 will completely empty before Row 2 begins to move. Please be patient if you are in Row 2.
• Officer Mike Steege will be assisting with arrival and dismissal traffic and monitor the traffic rows.
• Once the lines begin moving, they will go quickly.
• During arrival, do NOT leave your lane after your child exits your vehicle. Stay in your lane and wait for everyone in front of you to exit our loading zone.
• The arrival line will not start moving until 8:30.
• During dismissal, you CAN leave the loading zone once your child is in your vehicle.
• Please be patient. We are all trying to move our students as quickly and safely as possible.

Mrs. Smith is joining the Liberty Campus for her first year as an Instructional Coach. Prior to this school year, she was a 5th and 6th grade teacher at Union Township School Corporation in Valparaiso. Mrs. Smith graduated from Chesterton High School and has lived in Chesterton her whole life. She is ecstatic to be a Trojan once again and looks forward to working with the staff and students at both Liberty Intermediate and Liberty Middle School!

Favorite Candy: Reese's

Favorite Sport: Swimming

Colleges Attended: Purdue University - Boiler Up

Favorite Subject as a Student: Math

Be on the lookout for Picture Day flyers coming home in the next few days. Use the link below to place your order online.

inter-state.com/order

Order online with the code 87531BT.

This is the last week you will have an opportunity to complete this survey. We appreciate your feedback.

A Message from our PTO President, Mrs. Christine Harris

We are so excited to start another year at LIS! The PTO has a lot of fun things planned for this year! Some of the things we do are Fun Nights, spirit wear sales, family nights and staff appreciation. We also help sponsor school clubs, help with extra classroom resources and much more!

If you are interested in getting involved, email us at lisptochesterton@gmail.com

We have one fundraiser that we plan on doing this year but if you would rather opt out, see the form below where you could donate directly to PTO.

Thanks! We are looking forward to a great year!

PTO Meetings

PTO will meet monthly on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the LIS Media Center after school. Our first meeting will be on September 11th. All parents and guardians are welcome to join. We hope to see you there!

Spirit Wear

Be on the lookout for Liberty spirit wear information coming home soon. PTO will be sponsoring a spirit wear sale in September.

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.

Cell Phones, Smart Watches, Earbuds, & Earphones Usage

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.

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. Intermediate curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons and enrichment activities.

Sixth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in both LIS intramural sports and Liberty 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 Middle School Cross Country, Westling, and Track and Field. Below is a link to the Liberty Fall Sports page. This fall, students can participate in Middle School Cross Country. Mr. Nick Bamber is the athletic director for Liberty Campus. Please reach out to Mr. Bamber with any questions.

9/2 - No School, Labor Day

9/5 - Picture Day

9/11 - PTO Meeting at 4:00 in Liberty Campus Media Center

9/16 - Liberty Campus Community Open House and Site Tours

9/20 - Purchase Kona Ice 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:

Intermediate/Middle Breakfast Price: $1.60

Intermediate/Middle Lunch Price: $2.95

For more information about our Child Nutrition Department and school menus, please visit the link below.

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. Please make an appointment with your physician or the health department as soon as possible to get started on this process if you have not done so already.

If your child is 11 years old and has already received these immunizations please send in a copy of their immunization record or email a scanned copy to the school nurse.

Please contact the LIS nurse, Mrs. Erika Judy, with any questions or concerns.

219-983-3690

ejudy@duneland.k12.in.us

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.

Learn more about the Duneland Early Learning Classes at the the HUB. Click on the image below to enroll.

DuneNews

You can access the most current issue of the DuneNews by clicking here.

LIBERTY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

School Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/13

Address: 50 W. 900 N. Chesterton, IN 46304

Phone: 219-983-3690

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