DuneNews

There will be no school for all Duneland School students on November 27-29 to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2.

A special Thanksgiving holiday week DuneNews with many excellent student accomplishments to share. Enjoy a wonderful holiday break with family and friends!

The Duneland School Corporation (DSC) 2024 Winter Card Contest for grades K-8 has come to a close. Three designs were selected from the many cards that were submitted. These cards are now on display through 3:30 p.m. on January 6, 2024 at the Duneland Administration Center, 601 W Morgan Avenue in Chesterton during business hours Monday thru Friday from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

A winning card design was selected from the elementary, intermediate and middle school level submissions. Winners will be recognized by the school board on Monday, December 2 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be hosted at the Duneland Administration Center, 601 W. Morgan Ave in Chesterton. The winning card designs from each level will be used as the 2024 DSC holiday cards.

Congratulations to the 15 CHS students who had their talents recognized at IBA All-District Honor Band on November 16-17. Honored as the top band students in northwest Indiana, they spent the weekend working with highly respected music educators and conductors, as well as other outstanding young musicians. Three cheers to JJ Ames, Samantha Ames, Holly Decker, Makayla Erickson, Elsa Estridge, Rylan Fields, Liam Gray, Lillian Hardwick, Jayden Hughes, Lex Lauzon, Will Liles, Archer Lohman, Katie Newbanks, Gage Teso, and Abigail Vidt.

The Duneland Exchange Club is proud to announce Chesterton High School senior Lilly Boyter as its Student of the Month. Lilly is an exceptional student with a passion for Political Science and Environmental Policies, demonstrated through her leadership and dedication both inside and outside the classroom.

As a four-year member and current President of the CHS Earth Club, Lilly has led efforts in beach clean-ups and clothing drives, showcasing her commitment to sustainability and community betterment. Her leadership extends to her role as Secretary of the National Honor Society and involvement in the International Baccalaureate program. A consistent achiever, Lilly has earned a spot on the Principal’s Honor Roll for four consecutive years.

Lilly’s academic accomplishments include a remarkable 4.65+ GPA and a class rank of 8 out of 471 seniors at Chesterton High School. She has also earned a Work Ethic Certification and the prestigious Hatta Girl award.

In addition to her scholastic achievements, Lilly has participated in numerous extracurricular activities, including Speech and Debate, Show Choir, two Fall Musicals, WDSO Radio, and Natural Helpers. Her dedication to her community is evident through her volunteer work with Unified Track meets, Homecoming events, and activities at Knapp Elementary School in Michigan City. Lilly also balances her busy schedule with part-time employment at Biggby Coffee.

Though undecided on her college choice, Lilly has been accepted to both Loyola University Chicago and Butler University. Her outstanding achievements and dedication make her a deserving recipient of the Duneland Exchange Club’s Student of the Month award.

The award was presented at a recent Exchange Club meeting. Pictured accepting the award are left to right, Lilly’s father Paul Boyter; Student of the Month recipient Lilly Boyter; her mother Megan Boyter; and Jackie Ruge-Perkins, treasurer of the Duneland Exchange Club.

Duneland School Corporation has been awarded the Summer of Learning Grant for 2025. This is Duneland's second year to host NWI teachers for a day of learning at Chesterton High School. This summer's learning day will take place on June 26, 2025.

The Summer of Learning Grant is a competitive grant offered by the Indiana Department of Education's Office of Digital Learning. The summer 2025 conference will provide educators opportunities to connect with innovative, technology-enhanced pedagogy related to virtual and blended learning, Universal Design for Learning and accessibility, integrated STEM, artificial intelligence (AI) and AI literacy, and adult learning theories/research and professional development.

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)

The goal of the Duneland School Corporation district school newsletters is to inform students, parents and the school community about school-related information.

The Duneland Schools share information that pertains to opportunities our students may be interested in and 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.

Want your event/activity/camp posted on this page? Submit a request by email with the flyer/information to the Duneland Schools Administrative Center to ahicks@duneland.k12.in.us and bmartinson@duneland.k12.in.us.

The Chesterton High School Music Department will present its 52nd Annual Madrigal Dinners on December 6, 7, and 8 in the CHS Cafeteria. All seats are reserved, and tickets will be on sale for $40 per person. Ticket sales will be online only and begin at 9:00 a.m.on Saturday, November 9. Ticket sales will be held until no tickets remain or Friday, December 6, whichever comes first. There will be no exchanges or refunds. To purchase tickets, visit www.cur8.com

Performance times are as follows: Friday, December 6 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, December 7 at 4:00 PM, and 7:00 PM; Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

It's the most wonderful time of year! Mark your calendars for the Chesterton Music Holiday Concerts.

Located in the CHS Auditorium, join us for 3 joyful evenings of ringing in the holiday season with our Chesterton Bands, Chesterton Choirs, and Chesterton Orchestras.

CHS' concerts on Dec 13 will require selecting a FREE ticket (https://cur8.com/18609/project/125805) for either performance.

Click on the image below to sign up for the Middle School Dance Clinic.

Click on the image below for more information and to register for Trojans Baseball Holiday Camp 2024.

The HUB is reading transportation books, participating in centers and songs about transportation. We will learn about vehicles, thanksgiving, the color brown, the shape triangle and more with our HUB families for November.

If you have children ages 0-5, come join in the fun M-F at the HUB. Check out this FREE program at our DSC website.

https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/programs-services/duneland-early-learning-hub

Located within the Duneland School Corporation, the Trojan Learning Center (TLC) offers a wealth of learning opportunities for young children and their families. The TLC is also home to the offices of the RISE Academy (Alternative Education) and DSC's Northwest Indiana Online School.

Did you know? Our early childhood programs feature FREE Birth-to-School activities for caregivers and children! Duneland School Corporation provides preschool options for children ages 3-5, including two classrooms for children with developmental delays and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), as well as two additional preschool rooms operated by our community partner, the Duneland Family YMCA. All of the preschool classrooms utilize a proven curriculum that helps children grow in thinking, social skills and emotional well-being ensuring each child has a fun and supportive learning experience. Additionally, all preschool students participate in engaging and enjoyable activities together!

The TLC also hosts speech services for children aged 3-5 who qualify. Families can bring their children to work one-on-one with a speech pathologist at our center.

The DSC preschool and walk-in speech services are free for qualifying children. The Duneland Family YMCA preschool is available for a nominal fee. Best of all, Duneland Family Y Preschool held at the Trojan Learning Center is the only local preschool in the area that includes swim classes!

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
• 
  

Did you know that Duneland Schools has an online Spirit Wear Stores where you can buy your Duneland all school spirit wear? Check out our Spirit Wear Store platform at: https://dunelandschoolsopenstores.itemorder.com/shop/home/

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.

Menus will be posted on Thursday, Aug. 1

In 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.

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

Email: bmartinson@duneland.k12.in.us

Website: www.duneland.k12.in.us
Location: 601 West Morgan Avenue, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: 219-983-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunelandschools/
Twitter: @dunelandk12