Hello Students and Families,

This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, we will be taking our last ILEARN Checkpoint assessment. This is a pilot program that we are participating in to help us understand and prepare for this new testing format. Please make sure your child is at school on Wednesday and Thursday on time. They also need to have a pair of headphones or earbuds. We will be taking the full ILEARN assessment during the week of April 21.

This Wednesday, we will host our monthly PTO meeting in the Media Center right after school. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend. Join this wonderful group and we continue to plan ways to best create a fun and supportive school community for our students and staff at LIS.

Next week, we will be celebrating Turtle Week! Throughout the week, we will participating in many fun activities, including spirit days, a coloring contest, and door decorating. Your child might also get caught being "Turtley Awesome" and get a small token of appreciation from a staff member. Friday morning, our school will hold our annual Turtle Olympics. This will be a day that they will not want to miss.

Together we shine brighter!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Hardwicke

Principal

Our school will be participating in the South Bend Cubs Reading Club. Your students will be completing four reading challenges at school over the next few weeks, ultimately earning a free ticket to a South Bend Cubs game. Your family can also purchase discounted tickets. The game that our school will be highlighted at will be taking place on Saturday, May 10. Students who attend will be recognized on the field before the game. We hope your family can attend this fun game to celebrate the hard work your child is putting forth at school.

Help VOTE Chesterton High School 'Best Public High School' for the 3rd year in a row! Voting is now OPEN. Participants may vote one time daily in each category today through March 23. Click on the image below of this link to vote: https://www.nwitimes.com/exclusive/readerschoice/best-of-the-region-ballot-2025/

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.

Summer School Registration will open on Monday, March 17th in a new Skyward portal. Families interested in enrolling in one of Duneland's PreK-12 Programs should look for email communication next week with detailed instructions on how to register.

Separate registration processes will be shared for invitation only Kinder Camp and Grades 1-4 High Ability programs. PreK-7 Summer School will take place at Liberty Elementary from 8am-12pm in Session 1. Grades 8-12 Summer School will take place at CHS from 7:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m. in both sessions. See below for the scheduled dates of this year's schedule.

Student's in Mrs. Ritter's math class partnered up to solve some CARE Math problems. Way to be problem solvers, Trojans!

Dear Families,

We are excited to announce that we have adopted a new form of school-to-home communication at called ParentSquare for the 2025-2026 school year. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with [school or district name]. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

• Send and receive school and class information

• Share pictures and files

• See calendar items

• Sign up to volunteer

• Schedule parent-teacher conferences

• and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

Parents—Getting Started Video

All district and school, grade level and classroom information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices).

Have questions? Click the question mark in the top right corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find answers to most of your questions.

The 50th annual Porter County Arts-A-Budding student art exhibit will open on March 4 featuring the best artwork produced by students’ grades Kindergarten-8th in Porter County. Visual Art teachers from across Porter County have selected the top 11 pieces of artwork done by their students during the past year. Hundreds of students’ art will be featured at this Best of Porter County Exhibit.

This exhibit may be visited from March 4-13, 2024 Monday-Sunday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso University Campus. A reception and awards presentation will be hosted for students and their families on Sunday, March 9 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. at the Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso University Campus.

Many talented young people have been recognized since ARTS-A-BUDDING began 49 years ago. It was started by Visual Arts teachers who wanted to honor students and encourage their creativity. This exhibit is organized annually through the volunteer efforts of these teachers and in cooperation with the Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University.

11 Liberty Intermediate School students whose artwork was selected for the exhibit are:

LIBERTY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - Teacher: Brooke Sutter
Alex Cibak, David Brosas, Adelynne Dzugas, Fiona Haynes, Michelle Holmgren, Emily Mercon, Eleanor Palmisano, Nory Prow, Jaelynn Reno, Lexi Tarin, Juliette Wegerich

Visit the Chesterton Art Gallery to see artwork displayed by students across Duneland Schools.

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. Smart watches can be worn as long as students are using them as a simple watch. 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.

March Madness was in the air at the 6th grade band concert last week. The students gave an ALL-STAR performance!

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

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.

3/11 Orchestra Concert 7:00 LIS Gym

3/12-3/13 ILEARN Checkpoints Testing

3/12 PTO Meeting After School

3/14 End of 3rd Grading Period

3/19 Choir Field Trip

3/19 Duneland Choral Festival 7:00 CHS Performing Arts Center

3/21 Report Cards Released on Skyward

3/21 Turtle Olympics 9:00 - 12:20

3/24-3/28 Spring Break

3/31 School Resumes

4/4 Kona Ice - Purchase During Lunch

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.

Online registration is now open for these baseball programs. Click the links below for more information.

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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