WIS Weekly

• 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!

WIS Family,

Please see the handbook addendum below.

K-12 Handbook Addendum (effective 10/14/24) Board Approved: 10/7/2024

Security Threat - Making threats of violence - whether spoken, written, nonverbal, emailed, or posted online - is a criminal offense with serious consequences both within the school system and with law enforcement. Even if a threat is deemed non-credible, it can have a traumatic impact on the school community. Regardless of a student’s age, such threats increase fear, which may lead to poor academic performance, higher absenteeism, and added stress for both students and staff. Therefore, it is essential for school administrators to respond to any threatening behavior with appropriate, serious consequences.

Considering the significant potential for threats to disrupt the school environment, and in accordance with IC 20-33-8-10, which grants school administrators broad authority to take any action necessary to prevent interference with educational functions, the following guidelines will be utilized when a threat is confirmed and a behavioral threat assessment is conducted. In all cases, administrators will utilize their legal discretion when determining the ultimate consequence.

K-12 Consequence Guidelines* for Threats of Violence

(* Administrative discretion will be applied based on the specifics of each situation.)

Broad or Vague Threats

• A broad threat refers to a statement that suggests harm, pain, danger, or hostile action to another person but lacks specific details.

• A vague threat is unclear or ambiguous and may not identify a specific target, plan, or motivation.

1st Offense:

• Grades 5-12: 4–10 days out-of-school suspension with a potential request for expulsion

• Grades K-4: 1–10 days out-of-school suspension

• Return on a probationary contract (all grades)

• Notification to law enforcement (all grades)

2nd Offense:

• Grades 5-12: 10 days out-of-school suspension with a potential request for expulsion

• Grades K-4: 5–10 days out-of-school suspension with a potential request for expulsion

• Law enforcement involvement (all grades)

Specific Threats

• A specific threat refers to a suggestion that significant violence against another person is likely to occur, often involving a particular object, situation, timeframe or behavior that indicates a rising level of danger.

Consequence:

• Grades 5-12: 10 days out-of-school suspension with a request for expulsion

• Grades K-4: 5–10 days out-of-school suspension with a potential request for expulsion

• Law enforcement involvement (all grades)

DSC encourages all adults to explain the seriousness of making threats, even if the intent is not to cause harm.

As always, please reach out to me anytime.

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 93.8259%

6th Grade 93.6241%

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.

Students may choose to wear Halloween costumes to school on Thursday, October 31st, provided they follow the guidelines below:

• Costumes must not promote illegal substances, illegal activities, or contain disrespectful, derogatory, or violent content.

• Hats and hoods are allowed as part of the costume.

• All costume preparations must be completed at home. Please do not bring colored hair spray, makeup, or similar items to school.

• Masks and weapons (such as swords, knives, guns, etc.) are not allowed.

• No fake blood is permitted.

• Inflatable costumes are not allowed.

• Do not bring candy to distribute at WIS.

All costumes are subject to the discretion of WIS staff. Students wearing inappropriate costumes will be required to call home for a change of clothes.

Parents/Guardians: Please support a positive and appropriate learning environment by ensuring your child follows these guidelines.

October 18th is the last day of the 1st nine weeks. Wondering what rotation your students will be going to? You can ask the students, or refer to the following:

• If the student had Art, student will now have Music.

• If the student had Music, student will now have Art.

• If the student had PE, student will now have Media/PLTW.

• Morning:Media
• Afternoon:PLTW

• If the student had Media/PLTW, student will now have PE.

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.

Attention Westchester Families! Red Ribbon Week is nearly upon us. The annual event will take place from October 21-23. Each of the three spirit-filled days will have a different theme: Monday, Dress like a Teacher Day; Tuesday, Dress Like Your Favorite Movie Character; and Wednesday, Dress for Award Season. This year's national theme for Red Ribbon Week is Life is a Movie, Film Drug-Free. In celebration Westchester will hold a door decorating contest. Each class will be asked to create a movie poster no larger than the size of their classroom door. Older and newer movies are both eligible to be subject matter, but all posters should refer to movies with a rating no stronger than PG-13. Good luck to all and be sure to get started soon before your time is gone with the wind!

On Monday, October 21, 2024, fifth grade will be welcoming local author, Mark Marimen, to Westchester Intermediate School. Mr. Marimen will speak to our students about his love of listening to spooky stories around campfires as a child, and how these childhood stories inspired him to become a writer. His stories are based on local legends and folklore. Mr. Marimen will spend time in fifth grade classrooms helping students write a spooky story of their own. We feel that this visit will help instill a love of reading and writing in our fifth grade students. The titles of the books Mark Marimen has written are listed below. The books were not originally written for a fifth grade audience; however, Mr. Marimen’s presentation will be grade level appropriate and enjoyable for your child. If you would prefer that your student not participate in this presentation, please notify their ELA teacher prior to October 21st and an alternate assignment will be given to them during this time.

Haunted Indiana Volumes 1-4

Haunted Travels of Indiana

School Spirits: College Ghost Stories of the East and Midwest

Weird Indiana: Your Travel Guide to Indiana’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets

6th Grade:

The 6th grade boys placed seventh and were led by Mikey Cruz, Lorenzo Squires, and Nathan Seaman. Mikey led the way placing 25th with a new PR of 12:54.

Congrats to the whole team on a great season full of improvement. Coaches Mr. Zucker and Mr. Davidson couldn’t be more proud.

Language Arts

• Last week, we used our IRA, Song of the Water Boatman, to learn a bit about poetry and practice figurative language. This week, we will work on methods of characterization using different versions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. We will also be taking the ILearn checkpoint test, and the figurative language CSA. Honors ELA - Last week, Odysseus finally made it home to Ithaca. This week, we will finish the tale of the Odyssey. In addition, we will work on methods of characterization using different versions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. We will also be taking the ILearn checkpoint test, and the figurative language CSA.

Math

• Yay! Quarter 1 is almost done! Last week in math students began learning about decimal numbers. We learned what they are, how to read and write them, and how to compare and round them. This week, we are taking a peak at volume. Students have some understanding of volume from science class. They will be learning the formulas to find the volume of rectangular prisms (boxes). We will also be ordering decimals and looking at percents. Students will have the opportunity to retake the CSA on dividing whole numbers by the end of the week so that those improved grades can get into Skyward before the end of the quarter. Students who scored below 70% will automatically retake this test. Students who scored above 70% can choose to retake after talking to their math teacher. We have been working in class and in small groups to help students master this skill. This week, students will also be completing the first ILEARN Checkpoint. Students will take this test for both Math and Language Arts. Students will take them on different days depending on their class schedules.

Social Studies

• Last week, we learned about the technology that allowed people to begin exploring the globe in the 1400s. This week we will be learning about some of the explorers who made those voyages.

Science

• Last week we spent some time talking about how matter can undergo chemical and physical changes. The science lab allowed students to witness first hand a chemical change taking place. The students inflated balloons using baking soda, vinegar, and an empty water bottle. This week we will learn the difference between a mixture and a solution. We will also practice using the correct science tools to separate a mixture. Within the next few weeks, your student will be participating in a NIPSCO Think Energy Program. This program will supply your family with a few FREE energy saving items.

Language Arts

• This Wednesday all ELA students will take their first iLearn checkpoint assessment. This Friday students will take their summative test on inferences.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers . . .We continue to prepare for our ILEARN checkpoint assessment. Skills that we have worked on include: Integers, Fraction, decimal, percent conversions, Fraction operations, Decimal operations, and Whole number operations. Our checkpoint testing date is Thursday, October 17th.

Social Studies

• This is the last week of Quarter 1. Please get in all missing assignments. We will be finishing up our unit on Ancient Greece and taking a summative assessment on Wednesday. A review of the geography, culture, and economies of the different city-states in Greece will be explored.

Science

• This is our last week for Quarter 1. Please finish all missing assignments. On Monday, we will be finishing our CFA photosynthesis comic strip. The rest of the week students will be cultivating Chlorella algae. Students will be setting up the algae cultures and measuring the biomass throughout the week. Students will also be looking at different kinds of algae under microscopes along with plant cells. Students will be learning all about algae and what algae is used in. Did you know that algae is used in the foods we eat? Please ask your students which ones.

PE

• In PE this week, we will be starting our Frisbee Unit. We will be playing lead-up games and end with Ultimate Frisbee.

Art

• This week in art will end our current art rotation. Students will continue to paint their up-close animal eye projects using their individual color schemes and watercolor paints. Students will mount their artwork to colored paper of their choice.

Music

• This week in music 5th graders will continue to explore layering sounds and converting standard notation to matrix notation to input into a beat sequencer. 5th grade students should bring wired headphones/earbuds to class. 6th graders will continue drumming with standard notation and will have a performance test on Rhythm Sheet 1 on Wednesday-Friday (they can find this page in CANVAS). This week’s theme for Music Request Friday is “The Music of our Elders.” Students are encouraged to talk with parents and ask about the music they enjoyed in their youth. Find some time to listen to music with them.

PLTW

• This week in PLTW, 5th graders will be using the Engineering Design Process to revise their robot designs and test their designs. They will then compare their two solutions to identify which worked better. 6th graders will continue working on their final project of creating a game board that includes the Micro:bit as part of their design.

Media

• This week students will continue discussing the various ways in which messages can be sent, as well as the implications of “tone” in messaging when using digital communications.

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.

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/