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,

Homework

Homework is a valuable extension of classroom learning, reinforcing concepts and fostering independent thinking, responsibility, and time management skills. Our homework philosophy centers on balancing academic achievement with student well-being. We believe homework should:

• Reinforce Learning: Allow students to practice concepts taught in class independently.
• Promote Responsibility: Encourage accountability and self-discipline.
• Cultivate Time Management: Help develop essential time management skills.

We understand that each child is unique, and the time required to complete assignments may vary. If your child consistently spends too much time on homework or never seems to have any, please reach out to our teachers.

Hot Lunch

I want to reassure you that students are allowed to continue eating beyond our lunch periods if needed - they will not be sent back to class while still eating. To help streamline the lunch process, please remind your child to memorize their student ID for quicker purchases. The lunch lines have been moving much faster since the first week as students get acclimated to our procedures.

Mr. Longacre

slongacre@duneland.k12.in.us

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

5th Grade 95.546%

6th Grade 95.1939%

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.

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.

Our Westchester Cross Country team is looking for more 6th graders to join the team. If your child is interested in being part of this exciting opportunity, please email Coach Zucker at szucker@duneland.k12.in.us. We truly care about providing our students with a variety of experiences, and we would love to see your child get involved.

Exclusion Day is Thursday, September 12, 2024 for 6th grade students whose immunizations are not up to date as well as any 5th or 6th grade student who has a Immunization Waiver on file that has not been completed for this school year.. Waivers must be completed and signed annually to be valid. The required immunizations for 6th grade are a Tdap and MCV4 (meningitis).

To avoid exclusion please submit your student’s updated immunizations or waiver to Tina Sosby, R.N., WIS School Nurse. You may scan and email them to tsosby@duneland.K12.in.us or send your student’s updated record to school. A scheduled appointment card with date, time and location of where updated vaccines will be received will also be accepted.

For any questions or concerns please contact Nurse Sosby via email or by calling 219-983-3710 ext.4015.

Chess Club sign up forms are located for students in the media center and outside room 114.

Contact Mr Cleary at mcleary@duneland.k12.in.us if you need more information.

WIS has two levels of robotics that students can apply for. Please select the best option for you, and complete that form! Forms for both levels are due Wednesday, September 4th by 5 pm. Late applications will not be considered!

1. WIS Travel Robotics Teams

• Practice twice a week and attend multiple competitions from September until February or March
• 6 teams of students will be selected

Travel Team Application

2. WIS Robotics Club

• Practice twice a week during April and May with a scrimmage at the end of the season
• Everyone can join

Robotics Club Sign Up

Language Arts

• Last week, we continued with Swindle, taking our first quiz, as well as a CFA (common formative assessment) about Theme. This week, we will be continuing on with Swindle, as well as our IRA Empathy theme, This week's IRA is Desmond and the Very Mean Word. We will also work on writing a summary. Homework is to watch the BrainPop video on Theme and take the quiz. It's due by Friday morning at 9:00. Honors ELA - Last week, we began reading Tales from the Odyssey and learned about the Hero's Journey. This week, we will continue reading, and begin charting the Hero's Journey in the Odyssey. We will also be talking about Theme in stories.

Math

• Last week students worked on reviewing and solidifying some basic skills: place value, rounding and adding and subtracting whole numbers. Students took a CFA (formative assessment - practice test) on Friday to check their understanding of those skills. This week, we are moving forward with our unit on Whole Number Multiplication. This unit includes powers of ten using exponents, multiplication patterns with zeros and multi digit multiplication like 834 x 76. At the end of this unit (about two weeks) we will have the first CSA (unit test). As always, Get More Math, IXL and basic fact practice are great ways for students to work at home to improve.

Social Studies

• Last week we began our geography unit, looking at both latitude and longitude, and land features. This week, we will continue with geography, leading to our first CSA (common summative assessment). Be looking for IXL assignments to be completed as homework! Please be aware that students can access the textbook online. Using the Clever app on their ipads, they will find the TCI app, which houses our Social Studies series.

Science

• Last week we continued with some hands-on activities that allowed students to practice using common scientific tools. The science lab allowed students to measure length using a meter stick, volume using a graduated cylinder, and temperature using a thermometer. Other tools students practiced using were forceps, microscopes, droppers, and hand lens. This week, we will begin learning about independent and dependent variables.

Language Arts

• This week 6th grade ELA students will continue to work on priority standard 6.RC.2-I can determine how a theme or central idea of a work of literature is conveyed. Students are also working on their Es in their RACECEE responses.

Math

• This week in the wonderful world of numbers . . . We will finish our review of decimal operations. Students will be taking the final assessment for this topic sometime this week. Students need to continue their practice of basic math facts. Also, students need to review their notes. Next, we move into fractions.

Social Studies

• This week in Social Studies the students will be reviewing the five themes of geography. We will also be reviewing these themes by focusing on the regions of the Americas and Europe. A review of maps -countries, capitals, and physical features will also occur. A common summative assessment will be given on Friday.

Science

• This week in science we will be starting the engineering design process. Students will be doing the vocabulary and a poster to help remember the steps in the design process on Tuesday and Wednesday. A falling paper experiment will be performed on Thursday and Friday with a RACED write-up to conclude the experiment. We will be working on experimental write-ups throughout the year.

PE

• This week in PE, we are continuing our fitness test.

Art

• This week in Art, students will complete their Warm and Cool Color Name Projects by adding color. Students will complete a self-assessment critiquing and analyzing their individual artwork. We will end the week with an introduction to the Element of Art, Space (focusing in on foreground, middle ground, background).

Music

• This week in music, students will continue their exploration into rhythm. Our 5th grade students are using a beat sequencer in GarageBand, while our 6th graders are playing rhythms on Drum Practice Pads. 6th graders can find Rhythm Sheet 1 on Canvas to practice the first 6 lines for performance testing this week. Reminder to 5th grade families that students need a fully charged iPad for music class this week.

Media

• Students will continue to explore fundamentals of digital citizenship and appropriate uses of technology, including cyberbullying.

PLTW

• This week in PLTW, the fifth graders will be building the base for their robots and testing them. Sixth graders will test out different programs on the Micro:bits and learn how to use different inputs to create games.

Orchestra

• This week in Orchestra class, students are learning new pieces to play! Fifth graders are beginning to learn to use their bows, which is very exciting. Just as a reminder, cello and bass students should not bring a bow to school without a case. Please make sure they have a case for their bow. Sixth graders have a playing check on one of their songs later this week, which will be submitted on Canvas.

Have your student see their Trojan Time teacher for an order form.

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.

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.

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/