WIS Weekly
September 12, 2022
May 15, 2023
It's all about OUR KIDS!
- Who needs our support at home, in school, and in the community? ... Our Kids!
- Who needs our guidance, attention, and patience today and everyday? ... Our Kids!
- Who will shape the future of our world tomorrow and in the years to come? ... Our Kids!
WIS Families,
Please talk to your child about vaping.
The good news is that preadolescents are still impressionable and care what adults think-- what you do and say has an impact on your child. Here are a few ways that parents and teachers can decrease the odds that our students will decide to vape.
Help formulate a plan.
Take a moment to talk about peer negotiation strategies, but avoid giving a lecture. Use anecdotes and current cautionary tales. If you read an article about vaping statistics, ask them if they’re surprised by the numbers. If a classmate gets suspended for vaping in the bathroom, initiate a conversation about what happened.
Ask your child to brainstorm hypothetical scenarios that would place her or him in a tempting situation to vape with friends. Be authentic and acknowledge that it’s not always easy to make the right decision, especially in the face of peer pressure.
Encourage children to take comparatively safe risks.
Some intermediate students are wired to seek fun and novelty, and they’re going to make some bad choices. Asserting autonomy is a developmental imperative, so encourage them to flex their risk-taking muscles in relatively safe ways. That might mean trying out for a team, auditioning for a play, or getting involved in one or more of our many after-school activities.
Set the stage for good decision-making.
Intermediate students have little life experience or perspective and need help in identifying positive coping strategies. Be vocal about how you relax and manage stress in healthy ways. Similarly, acknowledge and give praise when you notice that a particular strategy is working for your child. Brainstorm positive ways of how to react when confronted with the choice to vape.
Provide good information.
Scare tactics do not always work. Instead, make sure your child has accurate information about the known risks of vaping. Your child may be getting her/his information (or misinformation) from other classmates, friends, or social media. Many simply don’t realize that vaping is harmful. Children can be influenced by the available flavors, the popularity of the activity, and a misperception that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking.
While talking to your child, if you remain nonjudgmental and calm, there’s a greater chance he or she will continue to come to you for advice and information. Aim to keep an open line of communication so that future discussions can take place.
Please watch the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFauveisbS8
Respectfully,
Mr. Longacre
Notes from Nurse Sosby
Medication pick up:
All medications that have been brought to school for your student must be picked up by Thursday, May 25, 2023 before 3:30 pm. After this time I will be disposing of all medications.
Due to construction and moving the nurse’s office, I will not be able to hold on to any medications past this time. Please plan accordingly to pick medication within the designated time frame.
Health Condition Action Plans:
I will be sending home health condition letters and action plans (Allergy, Asthma, Seizure and Diabetic Management Plan) to the student who had them on file this year with daily or emergency medication. I am providing the forms for the new school year so you have them on hand prior to making your health appointments this summer with your primary care physicians and/or specialists. Forms are on the Duneland website under Health Service Forms as well.
All letters and forms will be mailed home the week of May 15 thru May 19th.
Created by 5th grader Joshua Witulski
5th Grade Field Trip to the Westchester Bird Sanctuary
A look into WIS classrooms...
5th Grade Curriculum
Language Arts
Last week students completed their end of year NWEA testing for Reading and Language. Students worked very hard to achieve their goals and show growth over the year. This week we will finish reading the Holes novel, take our final book test of the year, and then watch the movie to compare and contrast the stories.
We are excited to end the year with our One School One Book program during the final week of school!
Math:
Last week, students worked on individual skills and completed a Real World Math Restaurant Project. Students designed a restaurant menu and determined prices for menu items. Once the menus were complete, students were able to “order” from menus and calculate the cost of a dinner for three - including tax and tip.
This week, students will take the end of year NWEA test. The Math department is excited to see how much our students have grown! Starting Tuesday, students will be going on a virtual road trip. This Real World Math project will include calculating miles traveled, figuring gas costs and finding the total cost for the trip. Students will also be using map skills to map their routes and find places to visit.
Social Studies
- Students read about the westward expansion of the United States in the 1800s. They worked in small groups on the following topics: Californios, Forty-Niners, Chinese Immigrants, Mormons, Oregon Pioneers, and Nez Perce. Once their group work was completed, they gave presentations to the class.
Science
- We had a lot of fun in Science last week! We began the week learning about all of the trades currently working at WIS directly from the tradesmen themselves. On Thursday, we walked to the Westchester Migratory Bird Sanctuary, and were able to enjoy a beautiful spring day birding and critter-spotting. Last week was peak migration week for birds, and we were able to use the Bird Merlin app to identify 15 different species of birds over the course of the day. This week, the students will begin creating a Battle Bot!
6th Grade Curriculum
Language Arts
Sixth grade ELA students will wrap up The Westing Game.
Honors ELA will finish up King Arthur and create a parody of their favorite chapter.
Science
- This week in science, the students will be making a poster, iMovie or Keynote presentation about a disease. They will present their project on Friday.
Social Studies
- This week in social studies the focus will be on economics. We will read the article "Putting More Teens to Work" and students will integrate information from the article into a chart, watch a video, and learn about child labor protections.
Related Arts
PE
- In PE this week, students will be starting their baseball unit. We will play lead-up games that will focus on skills needed for our wiffle ball game at the end of the week.
Music
- This week in music class, students will be learning to perform canons, and also finishing up our unit on time signatures and dotted rhythms. Students will be taking our Quarter 4 Quiz at the end of the week.
Join the 8:15 AM Club
Are you a 5th grader interested in being part of the 2023-2024 Westchester Intermediate School morning news team? If so. please fill out this form and return it to Mr. Doolin by Friday, May 12th. More information regarding try-outs will be sent out to those students that respond. This is a year long activity, so please only sign up if you plan on being a member for the entire year. As this activity is an optional part of the school day, it also requires that you do your best in class and in the school to be a good representative.
Click here to sign up!
Mark your calendar...
Thursday, May 18th
Our WIS Spring Orchestra concert is in GYM A and is scheduled for Thursday, May 18th. We will separate performance times to allow more space for the audience.
Orchestra 6 will perform at 6:30pm (arrive 6:15)
Orchestra 5 will perform at 7:30pm (arrive 7:15).
Wednesday, May 24th
Kona Ice during lunch/recess
Please bring $3-$6
Thursday, May 25th
Last Student Day
Have a great summer!
All lost & found items need to be collected by Thursday, May 25th
Football Camp TONIGHT, May 15th
Duneland School Corporation Camps
CHS Basketball Camp
Lady Trojans Basketball Camp
Chesterton Soccer Camp
We are excited to announce our dates and times for this summer Chesterton Soccer Summer Trojan Camp. We will be running the camp the week of July 24-27. The camp will be divided into three different age groups and run for one hour for second grade and under and one and a half hours for 3rd grade and above each evening.
CHS Summer Youth Football Camps
Football Call-Outs / Summer Camp
CMS Football Callout Meeting
All current 6th and 7th grade students and parents attending LIS /
WIS / St. Pat's and Discovery who are interested in Playing Football at CMS or Pop Warner in the Fall of 2023!
Click here to see the flyer!
Chesterton Football Position Camps
Intermediate and Middle School students entering Grades 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 in the Fall of 2023 (each camp is limited to the first 35 kids that sign up for that camp date)
Click here to sign up!
Helpful Links
2022-2023 Duneland School Calendar
(REVISED 6/6/22)
Skyward
Class schedules, grades, bus routes, ILearn, and lots more!
eLearning 2022-2023
Teachers will post schedules by 9:00 A.M. on the eLearning day. Click the image to download the pdf.
2022-2023 Procedures for Delaying/Closing Schools
Please review the DSC Procedures for Delaying/Closing Schools in case of inclement weather.
Westchester Campus
Westchester Intermediate School
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/