The Weekly Update #4

Friday, December 20th, was our last day of school in 2024. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025.

Thank you to everyone that participated in and contributed to the Read-A-Thon fundraiser these past two weeks! Our students read more than 68,000 minutes and raised more than $10,000. Outstanding work!

When we return from the winter break, we'll hold an assembly where students will slime selected staff members in recognition of their efforts.

On Monday, we held an assembly to honor the students and staff that were nominated for Distinctively Duneland awards. Congratulations to them!

Pictured above in the back row (L to R) are Eden Smith, Annabella Kadish, Lori Smith, Cambree Tropp, Alex Hiscox and Aubrey Taylor. In the front row (L to R) are Aiden Irvine, Savannah Reed, Maddox Wills, and Mia Harlow. Engage award winners were selected based on their excellent behavior and kindness towards others.

Picture above in the back row (L to R) are Oliver Sarnowski, Carson Caudle, Lexie DeBusk, Abigale Doffin, Aubree Shaw, and Sebastian Franz. In the front row (L to R) are Sam Wineland, Aria DeWitt, Piper Christy, Lincoln Walker, and Evelyn Nolan. Not pictured: Astrid Wilson. Empower award winners were selected based on their hard work and growth.

Pictured above (L to R) are Mrs. Bruss, Mrs. Urban, and Ms. Conway, who were recognized for their leadership of various recent projects to benefit Jackson students.

In keeping with our Core Values, Duneland School Corporation is committed to fostering partnerships to improve the quality of life in our community. One of our most important partnerships is with our families. As we strive to continue to build upon and strengthen our family partnerships, DSC is applying for renewal from the Indiana Department of Education as an IDOE “Family Friendly Schools” corporation. In doing so, we will continue to “focus on addressing students' academic, physical, emotional, and social needs while providing the needed resources and fostering the active involvement of their families through schools and the community.” (Indiana Department of Education Family Friendly Schools Handbook)

Please help us as we continue to support our students and community by completing the IDOE online survey by December 20, 2024

Your ongoing support in educating the children of our community is greatly appreciated!

SURVEY LINKS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

Survey Links:

• 2025-2026 Family Friendly Survey Questions for Families

• 2025-2026 Family Friendly Survey Questions for Families-Spanish

School Name: choose your school from the drop-down list

School Corporation: 6470 Duneland School Corporation

School Liaison Name: MICHELLE PALKO

School Liaison email: mpalko@duneland.k12.in.us

School Codes for your convenience:

6928 - Bailly Elementary School

6819 - Brummitt Elementary School

6817 - Jackson Elementary School

6823 - Liberty Elementary School

6941 - Newton Yost Elementary School

6821 - Liberty Intermediate School

6927 - Westchester Intermediate School

6925 - Chesterton Senior High School

6926- Northwest Indiana Online School (Trojan Virtual Academy)

Per the Indiana Department of Education, students should be in attendance for at least 94% of the school year. Given that we have 180 school days per year, this asks students to be absent for 10 or fewer days across the entire year. See below for our progress toward that goal.

Congratulations to the 3rd grade for having our best attendance percentage this week! As a reward, the grade level earned an extra recess period.

We'd like to highlight the 170 students that had perfect attendance in the month of December. Great job!

If you need details about the attendance policy, please see the below graphic or refer to the student handbook.

As the weather turns colder, we wanted to remind everyone of how recess expectations change. Per the handbook, our rule is that as long as the feels like/real feel temperature is 10 degrees or higher we go outside. We do make exceptions for wet weather and for icy conditions to try to prevent accidental injuries.

If students want to play in the snow, they need five things:

1. Snow boots

2. Snow pants

3. Winter jacket

4. Gloves or mittens

5. Winter hat

Students must be able to put on and take off these clothes without assistance. Students are not allowed to throw snowballs at each other, climb any snow piles from plow trucks, or intentionally run to slide on icy patches.

If students do not want to play in the snow (which is generally the majority of students), they are still welcome to play in areas where the snow has been cleared, like the blacktop. To do this, they only need a winter jacket to stay warm.

We are looking for a qualified candidate to fill an open position at Jackson Elementary: exceptional learning aide. The position is listed on the corporation website; click the button below for more information. If you know someone that meets the qualifications, please encourage them to apply.

Dear DSC Elementary Families,

To ensure that all students, staff, and families have a way to report safety concerns anonymously, DSC administration has introduced a "K-4 Anonymous Safety Reporting Form."

This form is designed for individuals who wish to remain anonymous or for students who want to report something but are unsure of how to proceed. Parents are encouraged to continue reaching out to the school directly via email or phone for any concerns.

Please keep in mind that this initiative was created to keep communication channels open and provide students with a safe way to report incidents while maintaining their privacy. If you have any questions or safety concerns, don't hesitate to contact your building principal.

Submissions are not reviewed in real time. As a result, all emergencies should be reported to local law enforcement by calling 911.

We are working with students to help them learn what is expected of them in the various settings they encounter during their school day. We are focused on three big ideas: we want students to be safe, be respectful, and be responsible.

We know the power of partnering with our families and caregivers. We encourage you to speak with your child about the expectations in the "Everywhere" column, as this language will become a daily part of your child's experience at Jackson. We welcome support in helping students see the importance of these behaviors not just in school but in every other context of their lives.

Spirit wear items are available for purchase throughout the school year. Families may order at a time that suits them; the store will remain open all school year.

This year, we are experimenting with our related arts schedule. Kindergarten students will attend related arts with their classroom group. In grades 1-4, students are attending related arts with a mix of students from the other classrooms. We think this is a great way for students to get to know others at school, which builds a stronger sense of community. The groups they attend are named after universities in Indiana: Ball State, Indiana State, IU, and Purdue. If you ask your child their group, then the below schedules will help you know which related arts class they have each day.

Each day is assigned a color (Maroon, Gold, White, Black). That color corresponds with a particular spot in the rotation. All classes rotate in the same direction: music moves to art, art moves to PE, PE moves to media, media moves to music.

This is an important notice regarding an upcoming change to the Duneland School Corporation Skyward system. We will be migrating Skyward from our on-premises servers to a hosted environment. This transition will take place from December 23, 2024 to December 31, 2024.

In preparation for the migration, DSC will also be backing up Skyward 3x a day at 6 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. beginning Friday evening, December 20 at 10:00 p.m. and continuing until the beginning of the Skyward migration. During this time Skyward WILL become unavailable until the backup is done. After the backup is finished Skyward will be available again.

Why are we making this change?

Moving to a hosted environment offers several benefits, including:

• Improved system performance and reliability: Expect faster response times and greater system stability.
• Enhanced security: A hosted environment provides increased protection against data breaches and cyberattacks.
• Reduced maintenance: This allows our IT staff to focus on other critical tasks, improving overall efficiency.
  
  

What to expect during the migration:

Skyward will be unavailable during the migration period from December 23 - December 31, 2024. We understand that this downtime may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologize for any disruption this may cause. We have carefully selected this timeframe to minimize the impact on our users, as it falls within the school holiday break.

The Duneland Education Foundation will host their 5th annual Trivia Night on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 5-9 p.m. at the Chesterton Moose Lodge, 602 Broadway in Chesterton. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. and trivia will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Teams are strongly encouraged to dress up and decorate their table according to this year’s theme is The Great Outdoors. The cost is $30 per person (age 21 and over) which includes dinner. The maximum team size is eight (8) persons.

First place prize $500; Second place $250; Special Prizes for Best Theme Costumes, Best Theme Table Decor, and Best Team Name; 50/50 Raffle, Heads or Tails, and more.

Buy your tickets now at https://25deftrivia.eventbrite.com/

Join the Duneland School Corporation's Early Learning team on January 16, 2025 from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. for a fun-filled evening to explore the world of early childhood opportunities. Jump on board at the Trojan Learning Center to interact with various early learning organizations, DSC HUB, and area preschools! This event is the perfect way for families to learn about the exciting programs and resources available to help your little one get on the track to success. From hands-on activities to informative displays, there’s something for everyone. Hop on board and discover the many pathways to a bright future for your child. Don't miss this chance to explore, learn, and have fun together—mark your calendars and get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure!

Welcome to our 2024 Winter Baseball Camp!

The Holiday Baseball Camp consists of 3 days of baseball activities for $50.

DECEMBER 26-27-28

• Grades 3-5 11am-12:30PM
• Grades 6-8 1:00 – 2:30 PM
  • Day One = Defense (IF, OF, P/C Drills)
  • Day Two= Offense (Tee Work, Soft Toss, Short Toss, Batting Practice, and our most important TWO STRIKE APPROACH**)
  • Day Three = FUN! TROJAN OBSTACLE COURSE and the World Series Wiffle Ball Tourney

  
  

  Link to Sign Up:

  https://forms.gle/ooCiW3hWxBjERhVu7

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

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.

We are excited to be hosting a Ready, Set, Kindergarten class at Jackson. The Jackson class will meet 11:30am-1:30pm on Fridays in the high ability classroom. See below for more information on registration.

Information regarding student bus transportation for the 2024-2025 school year is available on DSC website under the Transportation Department.

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.

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 2024-2025 school year are available on the DSC Child Nutrition website.

The DSC Child Nutrition Department utilizes NutriSlice as its 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 menu item at any of the Duneland Schools. This program will be developed further incorporating images of the actual food items being served at each of the Duneland schools.

Duneland School Corporation offers MyPaymentsPlus, a state-of-the-art online service that provides you the convenience and information you need to manage your student's meal account. This system speeds up serving lines in the cafeteria, eliminates the need to send physical payments to school or worry about lost or forgotten lunch money and ensures that your child will receive a nutritious meal.

At no cost, MyPaymentsPlus allows any family to: Create a FREE, secured account to manage all your student’s accounts, check your student's current account balance, and create settings to receive email notifications when the account reaches a low balance.

Also, at no cost, MyPaymentsPlus allows any family to make a prepayment into your student's meal account using a check, credit card, or debit card at MyPaymentsPlus or by calling 1-866-441-9125. Funds deposited through MyPaymentsPlus are usually available for student use within a matter of minutes. Create settings to automatically replenish your student's account when it reaches a low balance.

The Duneland School Corporation encourages all parents (even if you do not prepay for your student's meal account) to create an account at no cost. To create a new account, follow the on-screen directions and register your student using their Student ID number. Student ID numbers can be obtained by contacting customer support at: 1-877-237-0946.

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

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