WIS Weekly
September 12, 2022
September 26, 2022
It's all about OUR KIDS!
- Who needs 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!
A Message From Mr. Longacre...
Dear Families,
I need your help with our iPads. Sometime this week please look through your child's iPad. We are finding that some students have many non-school related pictures and videos on their DSC iPads. This is causing issues with iPad storage space, and at times, locking students iPads and/or not allowing students access to our curriculum. Please have your child turn off his/her iPad in the evening and charge it. Remind your child also that his/her iPad is the property of the Duneland School Corporation; therefore, it may be updated, searched, monitored, or modified at any time at the discretion of school personnel.
Respectfully,
Mr. Longacre
As always, please reach out to me anytime.
WIS College Week
This week is College Week at WIS. The goal is for our students to learn the basics about college. Each day a different college will be featured on the morning announcements. In Trojan Time on Wednesday, students will do a lesson learning about college. Posted in the cafeteria and outside WIS teachers’ classrooms during the week are placards featuring where teachers went to college, what they studied, and what was their favorite part of college. We end the week with two activities. For the first activity, students will take a college “quiz” to see what they have learned. Students who earn a 5 out of 5 on the quiz, names will be entered in a drawing to win college gear. The second activity is celebrating college spirit day. On Friday, come to school dressed in your favorite college gear!
As college is only one option for students after high school. We are excited to offer WIS Trades Week in the spring. During WIS Trades Week, our students will learn about the different trades.
Instructional Aide, Title I Paraprofessional, and Lunch/Recess Aide Needed
If you are looking for a position within the Duneland School Corporation, WIS in particular, please reach check out the link below. The positions noted above follow the DSC calendar and the school day. You can transport your children to school in the morning, home in the afternoon, and be available during all school breaks.
5th Grade Curriculum
Language Arts
What do Queen Elizabeth, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, the Beatles, J.K. Rowling, George Washington, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Beyoncé, and the brothers Grimm/Wright/Duff all have in common? These are just a few of the great choices of famous people from the Swindle Card projects from this week! Students did a wonderful job researching, using the priority standard of citing text evidence, and then editing with the 6-traits skill of conventions in order to complete these projects.
Next week in class we will focus on nonfiction articles from the “StoryWorks” magazine that your kids will receive on Monday and also begin taking notes on the different types of figurative language.
Math
Last week week finished our unit on Adding and Subtracting Decimals. Each class did a variety of review activities including the “Unfair Game” where even if your answers are correct, you can still lose points! We then started our unit on Multiplication of Whole Numbers. We have already learned about powers of ten and multiplication patterns.
This week, we will continue with Multiplication while reviewing Area of Rectangles and beginning to learn about Volume. As always, working on basic math facts is a great way to help your student be successful.
Social Studies
- Students are learning about Native American Cultural Regions in North America. We are focusing on the adaptations that people used to survive in different environments and how different ways of life were developed.
Science
- The students finished up the Skills Handbook unit by taking an open book assessment. We will begin the Earth and Space unit later this week.
The students put on their engineering hats last week and constructed towers. Tower number one was constructed out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Tower number two was constructed out of sturdy connecting straws. We took some time to compare and contrast how the different materials affected the building process and final product!
If you have any empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls laying around the house, please send them to us.
6th Grade Curriculum
Language Arts
This week sixth grade ELA students will continue to analyze a nonfiction text and draw inferences based on what they read in the passage.
Students will also continue to practice context clues while also exploring some literal and figurative meanings of words.
Math
Last week math students continued to study all operations with fractions. Students' next adventure will still be using fractions. In the weeks ahead 6th graders will be working with ratios, rates, and proportions. This week students will organize their ratios using tables, tape diagrams, and double number lines. Students will not be leaving the study of fractions for some time. Teachers encourage students to use IXL, Exact Path, Get More Math, and other programs to practice.
Please take time to help your student organize their backpack. They should have a folder for math, pencils, red pens, and good erasers. Teachers are also noticing that many students are not bringing a fully charged iPad to school. It is imperative that students charge their devices. Also, students should be carrying their charging cable in their backpack. With the charged iPads, students should also have earbuds for their iPad. Some students choose earbuds while others have headphones. Either is fine.
Social Studies
- Students will continue learning about Canada. This week, they will compare colonies and evaluate the developments and organizations of various systems. They will study Canada's government which is a constitutional monarchy while understanding the roles of the citizens.
Science
- This week in science, we will begin studying ecology and the environment. Students will be issued a new text book (green on the cover). They no longer need to bring their technology text (yellow on the cover) to school. We will conclude the week with a short STEM bridge building project.
Related Arts
- This week in music class, fifth grade students will be learning to play melodies on the classroom instruments, and learning all about tempo and dynamics. Sixth grade students will learn how to play canons, or rounds, and reinforcing their rhythm counting techniques.
Art
- Art will be welcoming our new rotation of students. We will spend our first week learning procedures and expectations of the art room, conducting some SEL activities to become familiar with each other and the art room and planning/ brainstorming ideas for our first graffiti art name design project.
PE
- This week in PE we will be starting our soccer unit. We will be playing lead-up games and we will also be taking 2 fitness tests.
Reminder: All Related Arts switch on Monday, 9/26
Nurse Tina's Note
Dear Parent/Guardians,
Starting September 26, 2022 the Health Services at WIS will be conducting Vision Screenings of 5th grade students , according to Indiana Law they are required to have their vision checked.
We are asking that if your student wears glasses that they have them on their person daily so that there will be no delay in getting their testing completed. If you have any questions, please contact WIS School Nurse, Tina Sosby, R.N. at 219-983-3710 or via email at
Tuesday, 9/27 @ 7pm
Orchestra Fall Concert in Gym A
Wednesday, 9/28 @ 7pm
Band Fall Concert in Gym A
Friday, 9/20 @ 7pm
WIS PTO Movie Night!
(See below for details)
Suckers for Sale
This Tuesday and Thursday during recess, Science Olympiad will be selling suckers for $1.00 each. This is a fundraiser to help offset costs for materials, supplies and fees. Please send money with your student if they are interested in participating
Robotics
Monday: Club
Wednesday: Travel Team
Both meet after school until 4:30pm, please pick up at door 8.
Choir
Mark your calendar...Thursday, December 1 at 7pm the Winter Choir Concert will be held here at WIS.
Student Council
Homecoming Parade 2022
Wednesdays after school until 4:15, please pick up at door 8.
Any questions?
Please email me Brian Doolin
(WIS teacher and Nora Leader)
Click the image to order today!
Use order code 69472FA
Attention 6th Grade Students & Parents: Informational/Call Out Meeting for Science Olympiad Team
On Monday, September 26, 2022, there will be an informational/call out meeting for any 6th grader interested in participating in Science Olympiad and their parents/guardians. The meeting will be at WIS in the media center at 6:00 pm. Parents will need to enter through door 8. Science Olympiad is a competitive academic team focused on STEM activities. The team is composed of 15 participants and 2 alternates. This is an important informational meeting for ALL those interested in participating AND their parents/ guardians.
We will be discussing:
Practice times and commitments
Regional competition
Cost for building events
We look forward to seeing everyone on 9/26/22. If you are unable to attend, please contact either of us.
Mrs. Filipek lfilipek@duneland.12.in.us
Mrs. Balon kbalon@duneland.k12.in.us
Games Needed for Indoor Recess
Please donate gently used board games, decks of cards, dice, other card games (UNO, Skip-Bo, etc) for WIS students to play on rainy/snowy days.
Science Supplies Needed
If you have any empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls laying around the house, please send them to 5th grade Science teachers.
Does this pop up look familiar to your student?
Recently iPads were updated with a new operating system and unfortunately some students could not update their iPads due to their storage being full. We are finding that some students have many non-school related pictures and videos on their DSC iPads. Please help your student delete any personal photos and/or videos. Also, remind your child that his/her iPad is the property of the Duneland School Corporation; therefore, it may be updated, searched, monitored, or modified at any time at the discretion of school personnel. If your student needs help please direct them to the WIS media center to see Mrs. Michaels.
Helpful Links
2022-2023 Duneland School Calendar
(REVISED 6/6/22)
Skyward
Class schedules, grades, bus routes, ILearn, and lots more!
eLearning Updates for 2022-2023
Please read and make yourself aware of the updated eLearning guidelines. The biggest change will be how lessons are coordinated on unscheduled eLearning days. On these days, students will take part in Google meet sessions with their teachers to receive face to face instruction. Teachers will post schedules by 9:00 A.M. on the eLearning day.
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/