Hello Students and Families,

This Wednesday, our 5th grade students will have an opportunity to learn about joining band. As 5th graders, students can only choose to join orchestra. When students are in 6th grade, they can also choose to join band or choir. Families of students that are not in orchestra should have already received a packet in the mail giving details about 6th grade band. Mr. Vince Arizzi is our band director and would be able to answer any questions you have regarding this class. You can email him at varizzi@duneland.k12.in.us

On Thursday, we will be hosting group picture day. This will include a panoramic picture of our entire 6th grade class, Trojan Time class photos for our 5th graders, and all club, extracurricular, and sports groups. Please make sure your child arrives to school on time Thursday. We will begin taking group photos as soon as attendance is taken and hope everyone is here for them.

On February 13th all LIS students will participate in a Body Safety presentation hosted by Dunebrook Social Service Agency. The representative will meet with 5th grade and 6th grade separately. The presentation will include messages in regard to what is a good touch and a bad touch. The presentation will focus on safety in all kinds of situations. If you prefer for your child to opt out of this important and informative presentation or if you have questions, please email your child's counselor, Mrs. Smenyak. ssmenyak@duneland.k12.in.us

Together we shine brighter!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Hardwicke

Principal

Fifth grade families, help us provide a sweet surprise for our teachers and sign-up to donate an item to stock the teachers' lounge. Drop off items on February 7th.

The next PTO meeting will be held after school on Wednesday, February 5. All families are welcome to join. We hope to see you there.

Click on the image below to learn more. Nominations will be opened on Friday, January 31, 2025 and must be received by 3:30 pm on Friday, February 28, 2025 to be considered.

The LIS Robotics team had a great competition on Saturday at Westchester! Everyone showed great sportsmanship and worked together each round. Two teams made it to the finals.....The Blazing Bananas (Luke Trout, Calvin Loew, and Lukas Adamopoulous) and The Pythons (Nathan Lam, Colyn Ward, and David Forsythe).

The Cwazy Cats (Harriet Hennigar, C.C.Fryer, Caleb Curiel, and Isaac Anderson) received the Design Award for the most effective and efficient robot design process that was recorded in their Engineering Notebooks!

We also would like to give David Forsythe a special shoutout for exceptional teamwork since he volunteered to join The Pythons for the day since they were down a team member. Thank you David!

LIS had 13 of our 6th grade orchestra students participate in the ISSMA Solo and Ensemble contest at Kankakee Valley Middle School this past Saturday. All of our LIS Orchestra events received GOLD ratings.

Soloists were Kendall Trumbo, Aubrey Boyanski, Elinor Chmielarz, Micah Nieves, and Hannah Link.

Ensemble members included Kendall Trumbo, Casey Pablo, Kyla Davis, Elinor Chmielarz, Brianna Hargarten, Evelyn Depew, Audrey Lakia, Ian Olson, Aubrey Boyanski, Kaitlyn Yarosz, Hannah Link, Elijah Neal-Darden, and Micah Nieves.

We would like to give a shout-out to Kendall Trumbo for receiving a PERFECT score on her solo!

Congratulations to all of these students! We are so proud of your hard work and dedication.

PTO has opened up a spiritwear shop online. Orders can be placed throughout the year.

This week, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to Mrs. Smenyak for her incredible work as our school counselor. Her compassion, support, and dedication help create a positive, caring environment where students can grow and succeed. Thank you, Mrs. Smenyak, for making a difference in the lives of our students every day!

Mrs. Mercon's class would like to introduce you to their class pet, Quasi. She is a crested gecko.

The Duneland School Corporation will continue to improve current facilities to enhance the student experience with the following capital improvements in 2025: playground replacements at Bailly, Brummitt, Jackson, and Liberty elementary schools and soccer stadium renovations and carpet replacement at Chesterton High School. This presentation below provides additional details on the scope of each project. Concept drawings and timelines regarding 2021-2025 capital improvement projects are available on the DSC website.

2/5 PTO Meeting in the Media Center at 4:05

2/6 Group and Club Picture Day, Class Pictures for 5th Grade and 6th Grade Panoramic Picture Day

2/14 Snow Make-Up Day - No School Unless Snow Day

2/17 No School - Winter Break

2/20 Cabin Fever Family Fun Night 5:30-7:00

ONLINE ENROLLMENT is NOW OPEN for incoming Duneland Kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Families are asked to complete online enrollment prior to attending Kindergarten Round-Up on Thursday, February 27, 2025. To get started please visit: DSC Kindergarten Enrollment 2025-2026

As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students, we want to inform you about an important update regarding students who are injured and wearing medical devices such as walking boots, crutches, casts, slings, or splints. Effective immediately, any student with a medical device will be required to provide a doctor’s note confirming that they are cleared to participate in both gym class and recess. If a doctor advises against participation for any specified duration, the student will need to provide a subsequent note from the doctor clearing the student to resume these activities once they are healed.

This update is designed to ensure that all students can safely engage in physical activities while also considering their health and recovery. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Health Clinic. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

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 in Middle School Cross Country, Westling, and Track and Field. Below is a link to the Liberty Winter Sports page. This spring, students can participate in Middle School Track and Field. Mr. Nick Bamber is the athletic director for Liberty Campus. Please reach out to Mr. Bamber with any questions.

Do you want to earn money but still be home with your family?

Does the cost of childcare hinder your plans to work?

Does your child participate in the many afterschool opportunities?

Would you like to spend quality time with your kids during spring, summer and winter breaks?

https://www.applitrack.com/dune.../onlineapp/default.aspx...

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.

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.

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.

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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