• Who needs support at home, in school, and in the community? ... Every Child!
• Who needs our guidance, attention, and patience today and every day? ... Every Child!
• Who will shape the future of our world tomorrow and in the years to come? ... Every Child!

Dear WIS Family,

I encourage you to check your child’s iPad and cell phone frequently. When reviewing your child’s iPad, please take a moment to look through photos, Zoom/Google Chat, Google Docs, Canvas inbox, and email.

Unfortunately, during my time as principal of WIS, I have occasionally discovered highly inappropriate photos, videos, and messages on devices belonging to intermediate-aged students.

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

We are striving to achieve a 96% attendance rate this year at WIS.

5th Grade 93.6313%

6th Grade 92.8527%

When needing to report a student absence, parents/guardians should call (219-983-3710) or email (mkowalecki@duneland.k12.in.us) the attendance secretary in the WIS office by 9:00 am on the day of the absence. If the school sends a student home early, then no notification is required.

Dear Parent/Guardians,

Starting November 6, 2024 through the month of January 2025 the Health Services at WIMS will be conducting Vision Screenings of 5th grade students , according to Indiana Law are required to have their vision checked.

We are asking that if your student wears glasses that they have them on their person daily so that there will be no delay in getting their testing completed. If you have any questions, please contact WIS School Nurse, Tina Sosby, R.N. at 219-983-3710 or via email at

tsosby@duneland.K12.in.us.

We are excited to announce that this year’s yearbook will include both Westchester Intermediate School (WIS) and Westchester Middle School (WMS). Yearbooks are available for $30.00, and you can order directly through this link: Order Yearbooks Here.

Sixth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in both WIS intramural sports and Westchester 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 in Middle School Cross Country, Westling, and Track and Field. This fall, students can participate in Middle School Cross Country. Mr. Rich Gross rgross@duneland.k12.in.us is the athletic director for Westchester Campus. Please reach out to Mr. Gross with any questions.

Dear Parents and Guardians of 6th grade students,

I am excited to inform you about an upcoming field trip to the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond! As part of our unit on space exploration, the students will participate in a Mars Expedition Simulation. Expedition Mars brings science to life in a state-of-the-art simulated learning environment. Students take part in the mission to complete tasks that are hands-on and will enhance their understanding of science, teamwork, and problem-solving. This field trip is a wonderful opportunity for them to apply what they’ve been learning in class and to work as a part of a team.

Field Trip Details:

• Dates: November 11-15, 2024

• Time: Morning sessions; students will return to school by lunchtime.

• Classes: Two science periods will go each day (your child’s class will be assigned one of these days).

• Location: Challenger Learning Center, Purdue Northwest in Hammond

• What to Bring: Students should wear comfortable clothing. No extra lunch is needed as we will return in time for the regular school lunch… however, to be on the safe side, please bring a sack lunch that day.

• Absents: If your child is absent on the day of their mission, they will NOT be allowed to go on a different day due to space restrictions.

Classes Schedule Day:

• Monday, Nov. 11: Mrs. Balon’s Period 7 & Mr. Folliard’s Period 1

• Tuesday, Nov. 12: Mrs. Balon’s Period 4 & Mr. Folliard’s Period 4

• Wednesday, Nov. 13: Mrs. Balon’s Period 3 & Mr. Folliard’s Period 5

• Thursday, Nov. 14: Mrs. Balon’s Period 1 & Mr. Folliard’s Period 7

• Friday, Nov. 15: Mrs. Balon’s Period 9

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email at kbalon@duneland.k12.in.us or call the school office (983-3710).

Thank you for your support in making this educational experience possible!

Sincerely,
Kari Balon
6th Grade Science Teacher
Westchester Intermediate School

If your WIS student is in need this holiday season, we would like to help! Please fill out a form for each WIS student. This form is not a guarantee that you will receive all items. Our program is based on donations and we thank you for understanding.

Package pick up will be Tuesday, December 17th and Wednesday, December 18th from 7:30am-2:30pm.

Submissions can be turned into Ms. Hart by November 12th.

Language Arts

• Last week, students continued reading the novel Hello Universe. As we read, there was a lot of discussion about friendship, empathy, and kindness. In addition, we continued to work on writing RACE responses. There will be a CFA over the main idea later in the week. Honors ELA - Last week, students continued reading the novel Hello Universe. There were lots of "a ha" moments, as pieces of this complex story started to click together, and lots of discussion on friendship, empathy, and kindness. This week, we will continue reading, as well as work on writing RACE responses. There will be a CFA over the main idea later in the week.

Math

• This week students will take the CSA on adding and subtracting decimal numbers. We will also be reviewing decimal number sense in class. There will be an opportunity for students to retake that CSA by the end of the week. Next week, students will begin learning how to multiply decimal numbers. Math 05 students have begun doing homework practice a little differently. Homework practice will be paper/pencil and will consist of practice problems for that day's lesson and daily spiral review worksheets. These worksheets are intended to be completed independently by our students. If they have difficulty with a problem, they should make an attempt and move to the next problem. The completed worksheet is due at the start of the next class where it is given a completion grade which can total 5 points. These scores will be combined and go in Skyward as a weekly homework grade and not as individual assignments. We will go over the problems as a class as part of our lessons for the day and therefore students will not have the opportunity to turn it in at a later date unless they were absent or there were other special circumstances. Math 05 Honors classes will be completing different homework at times since that group often works on different daily skills.

Social Studies

• Last week we began unit 2 in our book. We did a bit of investigation into the lost colony of Roanoke, and what might have happened to it. This week, we will learn about the settlements of Jamestown and Plymouth.

Science

• Last week the students took the Properties of Matter CSA. This week we will begin our Ecology Unit. The students will begin learning about ecosystems and the different aspects that make up an ecosystem.

Language Arts

• In sixth grade ELA students will continue to read and analyze nonfiction passages. RC.5 and RC.7 will be the standards of focus.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers (and letters) . . . all things algebra. Students will continue their study of Algebraic expressions. Key Vocabulary: NUMERICAL EXPRESSION, ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSION, TERMS, LIKE TERMS, VARIABLE, COEFFICIENT, CONSTANT, EXPONENTS, ORDER OF OPERATIONS. Students are reminded to fully charge their iPads.

Social Studies

• Students will continue working with Ancient Rome. Our focus will be on the structure of Roman society as well as the structure of the new republic. We will look at similarities and differences between our government and Rome’s. A common formative assessment will be given this week.

Science

• Students will be participating in the Challenger Mars Mission throughout the week. Classes will be going on their designated days and will need to bring a sack lunch. When students are at school, they will be working on a solar system project which will consist of research, writing and creatively designing the heptagons of their choice. Students will also be doing thank you cards for the Challenger Center as well. Looking forward to a great week and our trip to Mars.

PE

• In PE this week, we will be working starting our bowling unit. Students will learn to keep score and play a bowling game.

  
  

Art

• This week in art students will complete their Tim Burton inspired Self- Portraits and begin their Duneland Winter Cards.

  
  

Music

• This week students will wrap up our Melody unit and be introduced to Harmony. Students will learn how we can layer multiple pitches together to express specific emotional context.

  
  

PLTW

• This week the 5th grade students will follow the Engineering Design Process to test their robots, make modifications, and test again. The 6th grade students will begin their final project making a board game using the Microbits.

  
  

Media

• This week students will follow up their exploration of the use and intent of slogans in social media with select topics in digital responsibility as consumers and users of technology.

Our Trojan Cafe has a new look! We have a new serving area with 2 lines to serve our students. We will also have new trays available for our students to use 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.

Elementary Breakfast Price: $1.45

Elementary Lunch Price: $2.55

Intermediate/Middle/High Breakfast Price: $1.60

Intermediate/Middle/High lunch Price: $2.95

• 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.
• Our Intermediate curriculum is designed to utilize iPads for lessons, remediation, and enrichment activities.

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.

Westchester is committed to supporting students' use of technology. To get your problems solved as fast as possible, choose one of the following methods:

1. Open a new Incident IQ online:
   1. AV number is typically located on a sticker on the back/bottom of the device
2. Open a Incident IQ ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
   1. Please be sure to include email address, student or staff name, and a description of the problem
3. Contact Westchester's tech aide (Ms. Bennett) in WIS Library/Media at 219-983-3710 or fbennett@duneland.k12.in.us.

On Monday, October 7, 2024, the Duneland School Board approved a K-12 addendum for all school handbooks. This addendum addresses how school administration responds to threats of violence made by students. It is important that students know of the potential repercussions of their words. The schools will be addressing this addendum with students prior to it going into effect on Monday, October 14, 2024. This addendum, is also available in each of the school handbooks under Student Code of Conduct/Specific Rules of Behavior.

DUNELAND TRANSPORTATION

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.

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.

WIS Mission:

WIS provides a safe and engaging environment where students are empowered to explore their talents, build on their curiosity, embrace high expectations, and become responsible, caring citizens.

WIS Vision:

WIS inspires learners to become independent, critical thinkers collaborating in an environment where responsibility, adaptability, and reflection are modeled and developed.

Email: slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Domain/14
Location: 1050 South 5th Street, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 983-3710
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterintermediate/