DuneNews
Duneland School news for parents, students and teachers
Thursday, March 4, 2021 Vol. 55 No. 25
A message from the Superintendent...
Long-Term Capital Improvements
Dr. Chip Pettit, Superintendent of Schools, presented solutions to identified needs and objectives at the March 1st School Board Meeting. The Board of Trustees unanimously voted to accept the recommendation and advertise the 1st Notice of Preliminary Determination Hearing as required by statute for April 5th and the 2nd Preliminary Determination and Project Hearing Notice be advertised as required by statute for April 12th. Please review the presentation and an FAQ document that will be continuously updated throughout the Spring at the DSC website.
1:1 Devices for Students in Grades K-8
LAST CHANCE to complete the 4th Quarter Student Transition Request Form
This is the last chance to switch your student(s) from in-person to remote or remote to in-person for the 4th nine weeks.
In alignment with the DSC reentry plan, we are providing families with an opportunity to change their selection between desired learning models (in-person or remote) for the 4th nine weeks.
If you are interested in switching your student from in-person to remote or remote to in-person for the 4th nine weeks, please complete the form at the following link now:
https://forms.gle/Goj3C2PUc9NzULy36. If, however, you wish for your student to stay in his/her current learning model, then you do not need to complete the form.
The window for completing this form is February 18, 2021 – March 4, 2021. Requested changes will take effect on Monday, March 29, 2021.
Families with more than one student must complete a separate form for each student.
Based on the number of changes that take place, particularly at the elementary level, some students will receive teacher/class changes. All schedule changes will be shared by your student’s respective school prior to March 29th.
Selections will be in effect until the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
Questions should be directed to your student’s school.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
CHS Family Theatre Production March 12-14
The Show Must Go On...
Once upon a time, The Crayons Quit. They, like many of us almost a year into a global pandemic, were overworked, stressed out, exhausted, and ready to give up. But as the old saying goes, the show must go on, and Chesterton High School's Family Theatre is up to the task.
This year's production, The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, based on the best-selling books by Drew Daywalt, will be livestreamed only. Showtimes are Friday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. All tickets are $10.00, and proceeds go toward future Family Theatre productions.
Please join us for the 21st annual, first-time-ever 'livestream' event on March 12, 13, or 14 to find out exactly what made the Crayons Quit, and how their buddy, Duncan, convinces them to Come Home.
Please visit our website ( www.our.show/crayonsquit ) to purchase tickets and find out more.
Duneland Schools Celebrate National Breakfast Week
Thank You DSC Child Nutrition Staff!
In addition, March is School Nutrition Month. Take a moment to thank the DSC School Child Nutrition Managers and Associates in your student's school location and those leaders at the district level. This year has been especially busy for all of these nutrition staff members. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication!
Child Nutrition staff members at all of our locations are highlighted below.
Bailly Elementary
Brummitt Elementary
Jackson Elementary
Liberty Elementary
Yost Elementary
St. Patrick School
Liberty Intermediate
Liberty Intermediate
Jenni Ondras and Desiree Perez
Westchester Intermediate
Chesterton Middle
Chesterton High
Clockwise from top left: Richard Newton and Lisa Hoover; Catherine Brown and Barb Melcher; Michelle Jaroszak, Heather Morris, Gwen Lane, Sue Kirk and Lisa Hoover; Maureen Tuter, Nancy Seter and Tina Rycek
Child Nutrition Headquarters
School Meals TO GO!
Meals continue to be free for all children through the end of this school year. Each week, parents will preorder online. Please visit our Child Nutrition Services for detailed information regarding meals and meal pickup sites. The links to the meal to go order forms are listed below for your convenience.
IN SCHOOL LEARNERS
Students who participate in the In-School Learning Model will be eligible for Free Breakfast and Free Lunch each day while in school. An order form will be available online to preorder 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch to be picked up on the Wednesday E-Learning day each week. Meals can be picked up between the hours of 9:30 am and 10:30 am each Wednesday. The form must be submitted online by 9 a.m. each Tuesday to receive meals. Click on link below.
Wednesday Meal To Go Order Form
FULLY REMOTE LEARNERS
Free Meal Pickup for Fully Remote Learners will consist of 5 breakfast and 5 lunch meals with instructions to be prepared at home and will be distributed once a week on Wednesdays between the hours of 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm. (Child must be fully remote to receive the weekly meals.) An order form will be available online to preorder meals. The form must be submitted each week by Monday at 9 a.m. to receive meals. Click on link below.
Seeking Local Business Partnerships for 2021-2022 Program
CHS Internship Program for 2021-22 School Year
Chesterton High School is interested in establishing partnerships with Duneland businesses who would be willing to host a CHS student in an internship position for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond. If you have a business or know of any businesses that would like to participate in the internship program, please contact Chris Roof at croof@duneland.k12.in.us or 219-983-3770.
The goal of the CHS Internship Program is to provide students with structured opportunities to understand the relevance between classroom learning and the work environment, while participating as productive employees/volunteers in a company or organization. These internship opportunities allow students to explore areas of personal and career interests, acquire the skills necessary to be successful employees, and to formulate goals and plans for their futures.
CHS Football Boosters host annual "BAGS FOR BUCKS" Fundraiser
The Trojan Football Boosters will again host their annual fundraiser, "Trojan Bags for Bucks" from March 10 through April 5, 2021.
The group is hoping to meet their goal of 2500 rolls this year to assist in paying for team meals, player and family events, Gatorade, chocolate milk, protein bars, and athletic braces for the year.
All sizes of the garbage bags rolls will be sold for $13.00 each and may be purchased from CHS Football players. Quantity will vary according to the size.
Questions about orders? Please email Chsftballboosters@gmail.com or
DSC COVID-19 Support Center
Looking for COVID-19 Resources?
Duneland School's Daily COVID-19 Risk Level is located on our COVID-19 INFO Home page along with many other helpful resources.
COVID-19 Dashboard
The DSC administration has established a COVID-19 dashboard that can always be found on our COVID-19 Support Center webpage. The COVID-19 dashboard (below) will now be updated once per day with all active cases reported, and/or will include cases removed from active status (conclusion of the 10-day isolation period). Below is the COVID-19 Dashboard with the latest update available at time of this publication. Please visit the COVID-19 Support Center for the most up-to-date posting.
Quick Reference Guide for Attendance
COVID-19: Not sure when a student, faculty or staff member can return to school? Check out this Quick Reference Attendance Guide located on our website under COVID-19 INFO or by clicking the image below.
MARCH REFERENDUM SPOTLIGHT
Student / Teacher Ratios
The Duneland School Corporation 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.
In keeping aligned with its mission, Duneland hires qualified staff and provides effective professional development opportunities. This includes hiring additional support staff to assist in the classroom allowing teachers more time to spend with individual students. The more individualized attention a student receives, the greater the chance of increasing student learning and achieving academic success.
For more referendum information, visit: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/domain/367
Guaranteed & Viable Curriculum
The Department of Teaching and Learning continues to work with principals, teachers and staff in developing our guaranteed and viable curriculum in all courses and grade levels. Please review the linked presentation and value map outlining this outstanding work!
Birth-To-School Program
The School Corporation continues to develop a comprehensive Birth-to-School program to create outreach opportunities that will help children (age 0-5) and their families build relationships, access information, increase awareness of available resources to help foster Kindergarten readiness. The program will assist families in preparing their children to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Please review the linked presentation.
eLearning on Wednesdays
All students will work independently, via a traditional eLearning day, on Wednesdays due to the teaching constraints of preparing and providing instruction in a remote-only model. The eLearning module assignments will be posted in Canvas by 8 a.m. Students will need to complete an attendance activity each Wednesday to be counted present for the eLearning day. Teachers will not be conducting live (synchronous) class sessions or holding office hours on Wednesdays.
eLearning Guidelines for Students
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY & IT SUPPORT
Contacting IT Support
The Duneland School Corporation IT department is committed to making hybrid and remote learning models as successful as possible. To get your problems solved as fast as possible:
- Open a new Freshservice ticket:
- AV number is typically located on a sticker on the back/bottom of the device
- Serial number is also acceptable
- AV number is typically located on a sticker on the back/bottom of the device
- Open a Freshservice ticket by sending an email to: helpdesk@duneland.k12.in.us
- Please be sure to include email address, student or staff name, and a description of the problem
- Please use the above best methods to contact the DSC IT Department.
Device Repair
In some cases there will be issues that cannot be resolved remotely. If you have a device that has sustained physical damage (i.e. cracked screen, broken keyboard), please fill out the form below. After submitting the form, a member of the IT department will contact you to schedule your service appointment.
After-Hours Technical Support
After-hours IT Support hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - until 7:00 p.m.
Call: 219-983-3759
Internet Access for DSC Families
Duneland School Corporation understands that the pandemic has placed a heavy emphasis on internet connectivity in order to access learning within Canvas (our learning management system) and that there are several factors that may prevent you from receiving this service. We have provided information from our local providers below to assist you.
Comcast Internet Essentials - https://www.internetessentials.com/
About Comcast Internet Essentials:
Internet Essentials is a program for families and other income-limited households who currently do not subscribe to Internet services at home. Xfinity Internet customers are not eligible for Internet Essentials.
For all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service has increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream.
Households with outstanding debt owed to Comcast may be eligible for Internet Essentials. Comcast is waiving this qualification if you apply and are approved by December 31st, 2020 (standard eligibility rules apply).
Here are some quick links to the program and direct to the application. https://Apply.InternetEssentials.com = English Application Portal https://Aplicar.InternetEssentials.com = Spanish Application Portal
Frontier Lifeline - https://frontier.com/resources/discountprograms/lifeline-program
About the Frontier Lifeline program
If you have been living without phone service because you cannot afford it, you may be eligible for this government assistance program. Frontier is committed to helping qualified income-limited individuals pay for telephone service or qualifying internet access services by supporting the principles of Universal Service. The goal of Universal Service is to make telephone or qualifying internet access services affordable, by participating in low-income Lifeline (or Tribal Lifeline/Link Up) programs in all the states where Frontier provides service.
You can apply your Lifeline discount to qualifying standalone internet access services. If you do not have voice (traditional telephone) services with Frontier, but you have standalone internet access, you may be able to qualify for the Lifeline discount. Services and availability vary by location, so contact Customer Service and a Frontier representative will be happy to see if you have qualifying internet access services in your area.Did you know that several local businesses offer free WiFi?
Several local businesses in both Chesterton and Valparaiso offer free WiFi for community members. For locations please see this map. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1RlCX9awpwFhyLyo6cU252WWRFg10nC9T&usp=sharing
Families that continue to experience issues receiving internet service or if you have other extenuating circumstances, we ask that you please contact your building principal to discuss alternative options.
Anonymous Tip Line
Do you have a safety or security concern at Duneland that you'd like to make us aware of? Please contact us by email or phone (contact information), or Use our Anonymous Tip Line
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Quick Links to the DSC Website
Remote Learning Student Expectations for 2020-2021
Required Face Coverings/Daily Screening Tool
Reentry Plan 2020-2021
Questions about school, procedures, daily schedules during the 2020-21 school year. Please consult the DSC Reentry Plan for details
DSC Calendars
The 2020-2021 Duneland School Corporation Calendar and the NEW! 2021-2022 DSC Calendar is available on our website. Click on the link above to open or visit our website at Resources > Documents and Forms
Maroon & Gold Calendar/Bell Schedules For Semester 2
Parent Observer Account
Parents are encouraged to set up their Canvas observer accounts to monitor their students' progress.
Parents can click this link to view how to set up their Parent Observer Account
Link to the Canvas Log In
Celebrate Your Favorite Duneland School Teacher
Nominate DSC Teachers of Excellence today!
View DSC Teachers of Excellence on our website
UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This calendar of events is subject to change
Thursday, March 4, 2021
CMS NWEA
4:30 p.m. CMS Girls 7th Grade BB Game @ Ben Franklin
4:30 p.m. CMS Girls 8th Grade BB Game @ CMS
Friday, March 5, 2021
TBA CHS/CMS (Jazz Band) ISSMA Jazz Contest - TBA
CMS NWEA
5:30 p.m. CHS Boys V BB-Lowell vs. Winner Game 1 @ CHS
7:30 p.m. CHS Boys V BB-Crown Pt. vs. Winner Game 2 @ CHS
Saturday, March 6, 2021
(Virtual Event) CMS/CHS ISSMA Solo & Ensemble (Vocal/Piano)
CHS SC - Competition @ Jefferson High School, Lafayette, IN
TBA CHS/CMS (Jazz Band) ISSMA Jazz Contest-TBA
11 a.m. CHS Girls V GYM-IHSAA Regional-Valpo
Virtual Event LES VEX IQ State Competition @ WIS
7 p.m. CHS Boys V BB-Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 @ CHS
Monday, March 8, 2021
National Breakfast Week Begins, March 8-12
LIS Book Fair - March 8 - 12th
CMS NWEA
4:30 pm. CMS Girls 8th Grade BB Game @ Hobart Middle School
5:00 p.m. CMS Girls 7th Grade BB Game @ CMS
7 p.m. LIS Band Concert - LIS
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
eLearning Day
CMS NWEA
4:15 p.m. CHS Boys & Girls V TR-LaPorte-H
4:30 p.m. CMS Girls 7th Grade BB Game @ CMS
4:30 p.m. CMS Girls 8th Grade BB Game @ Thomas Jefferson Middle School
7 p.m. LIS Orchestra Concert - LIS
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
eLearning Day
CMS NWEA
Thursday, March 11, 2021
LIS Class & Panoramic Pictures
CMS NWEA
4:30 p.m. CMS Girls 7&8 Grade Girls BB Game @ Krueger
7 p.m. WIS Choir/Orchestra Concert - WIS
Friday, March 12, 2021
11:30 am - 12:45 p.m. LIS Spirit Day
CMS NWEA
4:30 p.m. CHS Boys & Girls V TR-Trojan Distance Invite-H
7 p.m. CHS FAMILY THEATRE PRODUCTION - Livestream - visit website for details
Saturday, March 13, 2021
CMS Wk1 ISSMA Organization Contest (B/C/O) - TBA
CHS IBA All-State Band - TBA
TBD CHS Boys V IHSAA BB Regionals-Michigan City
Noon CHS Girls V GYM-IHSAA State Championship-Ball State Univ.
7 p.m. CHS FAMILY THEATRE PRODUCTION - Livestream - visit website for details
Sunday, March 14, 2021
CHS IBA All-State Band - TBA
2 p.m. CHS FAMILY THEATRE PRODUCTION - Livestream - visit website for details
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS
2021 Dodgeball League
2021 Liberty Rec Registration
Parenting the Love and Logic Way
DSC NOW HIRING...
Duneland School Corporation Transportation positions (Bus Drivers, Sub Bus Drivers) require eligible persons to operate all school vehicles or (Sub Bus Aides) to assist in the transportation of all special students needing additional attention. These positions are highly responsible roles in transporting and dealing with students and staff on a regular basis. Transportation personnel interact with individuals both inside and outside of the corporation and therefore, must have the ability to present a professional and organized image at all times. Click to apply online
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS*
Duneland School Corporation is seeking substitute teachers for all grade levels. Requirements include:
- Completed Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and verified by an original transcript from the accredited institution; or
- Completion of 60 semester hours or more college credit from an accredited institution verified by an original transcript from the accredited institution; or
- Completion of 30 semester hours or college credit from an accredited institution verified by an original transcript form the accredited institution and at least one year of successful additional work experience with children within the last three years.
- "Additional work experience" may be satisfied by the applicant having completed (within the last three (3) years) at least one (1) year of instructing and/or supervising children in a classroom as a teacher aide in a public or private school, working in a nursery school, coaching and/or primarily working with children at YMCA, Boys' or Girls' Club, camp counseling, etc.
Duneland Schools Spirit Store
Did you know that Duneland Schools has an online Spirit Wear Store where you can buy your Duneland spirit wear?
Purchase your CMS/CHS student P.E./Strength Training uniforms (shorts and t-shirts) online and arrange to have them delivered to your home or pick up at the store.
$50 Special Offer Lifetime Alumni Association Membership
Thinking about joining the Chesterton High School Alumni Association, but just haven't gotten around to it? Are you wondering why you should join this newly formed organization?
COVID-19 has limited our fundraising efforts this past year, so the Chesterton High School Alumni Association would like to offer an opportunity to former alumni, present and past faculty and staff members of the Duneland Schools to join the Association for only $50 for a Lifetime charter membership. This limited special membership opportunity will be available from March 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022.
The CHS Alumni Association was formed to help support the enhancement of the Duneland School Corporation’s educational processes and scholarships for graduating seniors at Chesterton High School. Your dues in the organization will help the group to continue to grow and present more and more of our graduates college assistance. We will also enshrine teachers, administration, support staff and graduates (alumni) into their respective ''Halls of Fame”. Just recently the Alumni Association inducted three retirees into the Hall of Fame - Becky Dunbar, support staff member; James Cavallo, teacher; and Garry Nallenweg, administrator. Read more...
FUNDRAISER FOR CHS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS - 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast
The Chesterton High School Alumni Association will host its 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast. Mark you calendar for Saturday, April 17 from 7:00-10:00 a.m. Drive-through only at George's Gyros in Chesterton.
CHS REUNIONS
If you are on a planning committee for your Chesterton High School reunion, please email us with reunion information so that we can include it on the DSC Website. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to contact you by phone.
For additional information on the currently planned reunions visit the website link above.
Duneland School Corporation
Inspire | Engage | Empower
Email: bmartinson@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: www.duneland.k12.in.us
Location: 601 West Morgan Avenue, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: 219-983-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunelandschools/
Twitter: @dunelandk12