DuneNews
Duneland School news for parents, students and teachers
DSC Staff and Families,
The Duneland School Corporation (DSC) belongs to the Porter County Education Services (PCES) interlocal for special education and career and technical education programming and services. In April 2022, DSC stated the following in a letter submitted to PCES:
(We) hope to participate in conversations with the other six PCES districts to decentralize many of the current special education programs, services and/or personnel…preserve programs and positions that provide unique student supports that cannot be replicated in individual districts and/or retain personnel due to financial benefits associated with a shared model.
Any party to the Agreement may withdraw (from the interlocal) by providing notice of such intent two years prior to the expiration of a two-year term. In the event the interlocal is unable to make adjustments within the existing Agreement that align with DSC long-term goals, this letter shall serve as notice pursuant to Section 5.02 of the Agreement that DSC intends to withdraw from the interlocal effective May 1, 2024.
At the PCES Board meeting on December 6, superintendents voted to employ their own building-based special education teachers and paraprofessionals beginning in the 2023-24 school year. This means that the full-time, regular special education teachers who have previously served our district through employment arrangements with PCES, will now become direct employees of our DSC. This is a positive change that DSC has been looking forward to for some time, and it will become a reality in August 2023.
There will not be any change in the delivery of career and technical education programs and special education shared services, such as: speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, deaf and hard of hearing, blind and low vision, and SELF school programming. These services will continue to fall under the PCES umbrella. The interlocal will evaluate the current shared service model during the 2023-24 school year. Any adjustments to the shared services model will not be considered until 2024-25.
What does this mean for my child?
Overall, DSC anticipates improvements in the special education services that are provided to our students and families
With direct oversight over special education staffing, the district will:
Have the ability to streamline and manage the recruitment and retention efforts for the special education staffing in our classrooms.
Have the ability to offer, lead and evaluate professional development opportunities for special education teachers and paraprofessionals.
With a Special Education Director recruited and hired by DSC, this new change will bring about organizational structure and leadership clarity.
The new director will report directly to the DSC Department of Teaching & Learning, which oversees curriculum and development for all students.
The director position will serve in the Superintendent’s leadership cabinet.
With directly employed special education teachers and paraprofessionals, as well as with the addition of the special education director position, our students and families will experience more streamlined and efficient communication channels.
Will Duneland still be a part of PCES in 2024-25?
We look forward to additional conversations about further decentralizing the current model, while preserving shared services that cannot be replicated (at scale) in individual districts. To that end, I’m hopeful we will build on this positive first step for the betterment of our students.
Sincerely,
Chip Pettit, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
On December 2, the HUB was invited to present to Mrs. Fortney's Principles of Teaching class at Chesterton High School. We talked about family as a child's first teacher, family engagement and cultural awareness when working with families.
We are looking forward to our Winter Wonderland Trojans Together event tonight. Next week ends quarter 2 for the HUB. Quarter 3 will begin the week of January 9. Registration is available for classes on our webpage; families must be enrolled. https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/Page/1860#calendar4786/20221207/month
See ya at the HUB!
The goal of the Duneland School Corporation district school newsletters is to inform students, parents and the school community about school-related information.
This year, the Duneland Schools will share information that pertains to opportunities our students may be interested in outside of school on a special page on our website. These available opportunities are offered by not-for-profit partnerships and organizations within our school district boundaries and local communities. Follow this link to Community Opportunities.
2022-2023 Procedures for Delaying/Closing Schools
Please review the DSC Procedures for Delaying/Closing Schools in case of inclement weather.
2022-2023 eLearning Guidelines
Guidelines for Students 2022-2023 School Year
Follow the links below by grade level to find the appropriate Unplanned (Virtual - Synchronous) eLearning Day Plan for your student.
Grades K-4 Synchronous Plan - NEW UPDATE!
DSC 2022-2023 Calendar
The REVISED 2022-2023 Duneland School Corporation Calendar is available on our website. Click on the link above to open or visit our website at Resources > Documents and Forms
👀 Looking for dates for NEXT school year? Here is the NEW DSC calendar for 2023-2024
CHS Maroon & Gold Calendar/Bell Schedules
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
DSC Strategic Plan
The Duneland School Corporation Strategic Plan provides the focus and alignment for the school district over the next 3-4 year. These timelines were revised as of June 2022 to reflect the necessary adjustments to the plan.
Duneland School Corporation has partnered with NorthShore Health Services and has established a school-based health clinic that is now located in Chesterton Middle School.
This partnership provides access to healthcare for ALL Duneland School students.
Some of the services include:
- Strep Throat
- Ear Infections
- Immunizations
- Sports Physicals
- Treatment for pink eye
- Rashes
- Behavioral health services and referrals
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.
Internet Connectivity
Families without internet due to financial hardship have access to programs from two local providers.
Comcast Internet Essentials:
Families that qualify for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI and other programs may also qualify for the Internet Essentials program from Comcast.
This program offers internet for as low as $9.95 per month.
Additional options and services are also available
More information is available at this Comcast link
Frontier Lifeline Program:
Families that qualify for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI and other programs may also qualify for the Lifeline Program from Frontier.
More information is available at this Frontier link
Duneland School Corporation
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
Duneland School Corporation is located in Northwest Indiana and serves over 5875 students from a 92 square-mile area including Westchester, Jackson, Liberty and parts of Pine Townships, all located in Porter County.
