The Duneland School Board on Monday approved the dates for the 2012-2013 school year for the corporation.

Aug. 22, 2012, will be the first day for students in the new school year. June 5, 2013 will be the last day for students followed by Chesterton High School’s 2013 graduation ceremony on June 6.

Feb. 15 and April 26 of next year have been set aside for snow make-up days.

Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Monte Moffett also gave the proposed dates and fees for this year’s summer school sessions which the board also approved.

Session I will run from June 11 to July 3 with no class on June 22 and June 29. Session II will run from July 5 to July 26 with no class on July 20. Class will commence at 7:30 and end at 12:55 daily.

Bridges, a four-week preparation course to help struggling eighth-graders “bridge” the gap between middle school and high school, will start on July 16 and run through Aug. 10.

Summer school for grades K-8 in the district will begin on June 11 and continue until June 28 with no class on June 20.

Moffett said third-graders who fail to pass the state’s required reading test can take the test again at the end of the summer school session. Students must pass the exam or they will need to repeat the third grade, Moffett said.

Fees for all sessions will stay at 2010 and 2011 levels, $125 per class. Previously the costs were $60 per class but the 2010 school board approved administrators’ request to raise the fee to cover costs not reimbursed by the state.

For this summer’s drivers education class, the fee was also kept where it has been for the past two years at $375 for those who use the traditional classroom format, otherwise the cost will be $300 for those using the online portion of the classroom session for which parents must pay $99 to the online company offering the class.

Driver’s education sessions will be offered in various blocks throughout the summer with the first classroom session beginning June 11. The second classroom session will start on July 5. Class times include 7:30-9:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and 12:30-2:45 p.m.

Duneland saw a total of seven staff and aide retirements this month, including Chesterton High School assistant principal Tim McGinty. McGinty was a principal at Westchester Intermediate School for six years before becoming CHS assistant principal in 2009. McGinty taught in Duneland for more than 31 years.

Also from CHS, Michael Rouse retired his position teaching business at the school for the past 10 years, previously teaching general business and accounting at Buchanan High School for 26 years.

Two retirements were seen at Liberty Intermediate School. Sixth-grade teacher Nancy McGinty started teaching in 1977 when the school was known as Liberty Middle School.

Henry Matthys, who taught social studies at Liberty Intermediate, is retiring after 30 years with the school. Matthys also taught driver’s education in the summer.

Serving as Chesterton Middle School’s communications teacher for 40 years, John Norris will be retiring. He came to the middle school in 1972.

Moffett said the retiring educators have a combined experience of 141 and a half years. “This is a very accomplished group,” he said.

Also retiring are two instructional aides: Mary Kay Jeselnick of Yost Elementary and Fotini Pahos of CHS.

In appointments, Two Title I aides were added at Liberty Elementary School, Michelle Braun and Pam Mullin.

Posted 2/14/2012