Clow School News

• Important Upcoming Dates
• Treats for Troops
• 2026 Safety Poster Contest
• Cold Weather Reminders
• District Inclement Weather Plan
• 26-27 School Yearbook Orders
• LMC Birthday Book Club
• Elementary School Early Release Days (1:00 PM Dismissal)
• School Attendance
• School Hours
• Reporting Student Absences & Late Arrival Procedures
• District 204 Visitor Procedures
• District 204 Online Volunteer Application
• Secure Vestibule Procedures
• Clow Quick Links

Friday, November 6th - Spirit Day (wear green/gold or school spirit wear today!)

Tuesday, November 10th - PTA Meeting (9:30 am, LMC)

Thursday, November 19th - PTA Family Paint Night

November 23rd - 27th - No School - Thanksgiving Week

Tuesday, December 1st - PTA Meeting (9:30 am, LMC)

Tuesday, December 1st - Family Winter Chorus Concert (4:30 pm, Gymnasium)

Friday, December 4th - School Spirit Day (wear green/gold, Clow Spirit Wear)

Tuesday, December 15th - Elementary School Early Release Day - 1:00 PM Dismissal

Friday, December 18th - PTA Winter Parties (2:15 pm)

December 21st - January 1st - No School (Winter Break)

Monday, January 4th - School Resumes

If you find yourself with extra Halloween candy, please consider bringing it into Clow. The PTA is collecting candy that will be donated to Treats for Troops! A collection box is located in the front office.

The last day to drop off candy will be Tuesday, November 10th.

Thank you in advance for sharing and caring!

Indian Prairie School District 204 students are invited to help promote safety in their school by creating a poster that could be displayed in schools across the district. Winning students will also receive a $25 gift card.

Students at all grade levels will have the opportunity to submit original artwork that focuses on safety themes important in IPSD 204 schools. Winners will be selected at elementary, middle school, and high school levels.

Posters are due to the front office by the end of the school day on Monday, November 30th.

See the rules and learn more about the 2026 safety posters themes.

We've been fortunate to have experienced a relatively warm fall. But, the mornings have been chilly and we've had bursts of colder days too. Living in the Midwest, we know that winter-like weather could arrive at any time. Here are some helpful reminders as we look to the colder months ahead!

Hats, scarves, gloves, and boots will all help to keep our students warm as they arrive and leave school each day. As a reminder, throughout the winter months, students will participate in outdoor recess when the conditions allow. The temperature and/or wind chill must be greater than 5 degrees and we also review the condition of the blacktop areas for ice, etc. to ensure that students can safely play outdoors on that day. Please anticipate that students will be outside for recess on MOST days and equip them with the cold-weather gear to stay warm outdoors.

Thank you for helping to make sure that students have what they need for the upcoming cold winter days.

As the winter season approaches, families are reminded that, in addition to closing schools or keeping them open, our district now has two additional options for responding to inclement weather:

• Delayed Opening: Schools start two hours later than normal and end at the usual time.
• Early Dismissal: Schools open on time but dismiss two hours earlier than normal. All afternoon activities and clubs are canceled.

Please make sure your family has a plan in place in case we use either of these options. Knowing who will care for your child during a delayed start or who can pick them up during an early dismissal will help ensure a smooth transition.

As always, decisions will be made with student and staff safety as our top priority. We will notify families as early as possible, but please understand that rapidly changing conditions may require a decision the morning of school.

For more details, please visit the inclement weather webpage and the e-Learning webpage.

Looking for a special way to celebrate your child’s birthday at school? Also interested in helping grow our school library? We invite you to consider our LMC's Birthday Book Program!

There are two ways to participate:

1) View our Amazon Wish List. You will find books that we are eager to add to our library. Your choice will be sent directly to Clow School. You can do this any time of year, and we will hold the chosen book until your student’s birthday week. (Please include your student’s name in the notes so that we can identify the donor.)

2) Send an email to nicole_fader@ipsd.org, indicating that your child has permission to come to the LMC during their birthday month to choose a NEW book from the birthday book cart in our library. After a book is chosen, you will receive a link to pay $15 in Pushcoin. (June/July birthdays will be celebrated at the end of the school year.)

Each donated book will include a special birthday bookplate recognizing the student who donated it. Your student will be the first to check out their birthday book and have their donation on our wall of fame in the LMC. Your book donation will help provide new and exciting books for our students for years to come!

Thank you for your consideration,

Nicole Fader

Library Media Specialist

This school year, elementary students will participate in scheduled early release days. The remaining two early release days, with dismissal at 1:00 pm, will be December 15th, 2026, and February 4th, 2027.

This dedicated time allows elementary teaching teams to analyze student assessment data and collaboratively plan targeted instruction to support every child's academic growth.

On-site childcare will be available during early release afternoons through our community partnerships with YMCA Safe 'N Sound and Right at School.

Click the button below for more information regarding the YMCA Safe 'N Sound Schools Days Out program. For questions regarding the program, please contact Safe 'N Sound at (630) 585-2207 or sns@ymcachicago.org.

School attendance is essential to academic success. Remember any lost class time, whether excused or unexcused, results in missed learning opportunities. All absences count toward chronic absenteeism. The State of Illinois considers a student to be chronically absent when they have missed 10% or more of school. Help your children develop positive habits for attendance from an early age! The resource linked below provides helpful tips and strategies to support your efforts at home. Thank you for your assistance in getting your students to school each day!

• Regular school hours are 9:05 am – 3:35 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students may begin arriving each of these days at 8:50 am.

• Wednesday school hours are 9:15 am – 3:35 pm. This late start allows time for staff to engage in professional development opportunities. All arrival procedures, student supervision, and bus service will be delayed by 10 minutes every Wednesday of the school year.

When students arrive to school on time, they are able to follow their classroom routine and get the day off to a great start. We do understand that situations may arise that can impact a child arriving to school on time. If you know your child will be arriving to school late on any given day, due to an appointment or other obligation, we encourage you to make the classroom teacher aware of the expected late arrival as well as ask that you contact our school office. Students arriving late to school should come to the front, main entrance doors. A parent/guardian must sign their student into the office and share the reason for late arrival. Students should not be dropped off without an adult. Thank you for your assistance in getting your child(ren) to school on time each day!

In an effort to maintain a safe environment for staff and students, District 204 adheres to the following practices during arrival and dismissal.

Arrival Procedures:

• During the period of time when children are arriving in the morning, no adults, without an appointment, will be allowed into the schools. Children will be allowed in through normal procedures.

• Any adult, without an appointment, who wishes to go into the school to talk with the administration or drop something off at the school will need to wait until arrival procedures are completed for the students or call the office for assistance.

For all elementary schools, adults without an appointment will not be allowed into the school between 8:50 am - 9:05 am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, that time is 9:00 am - 9:15 am.

Dismissal Procedures:

• At dismissal time, no adult will be allowed into the school during the time that students are being dismissed.
• Parents who need to speak with the office staff will need to wait until the dismissal process is completed for all students.

Any changes to dismissal plans need to be communicated to the school staff before 3:00 pm. Any students being picked up for early dismissal should be picked up before 3:15 pm.

For all elementary schools, adults without an appointment will not be allowed into the school between 3:35 pm - 3:50 pm every school day during dismissal.

Thank you, in advance, for adhering to these important safety procedures.

District 204 has implemented a district-wide volunteer tracking program using the Raptor Technologies system, in alignment with our Strategic Plan. This program aims to promote and recruit volunteers across the district to support areas such as Boosters, Fine Arts, LMC, PTA, and IPPC events.

All volunteers must complete the district's consent form and upload that into an online application via the Raptor Technologies system. To access the forms and the online application, please visit the Volunteer Program webpage. This process ensures consistency across all district schools.

PLEASE NOTE: All volunteers will need to complete this process. If you plan on volunteering in any capacity this school year (classroom parties, Field Day, Mystery Reader, field trip chaperone, LMC, extra curricular clubs, etc.), please complete the online application before your first volunteer session. Volunteer applications are valid for one year. You will receive an email notification when it's time to renew your application.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Matt Hanley, Assistant Director of Community Engagement, at matthew_hanley@ipsd.org.

When you come to Clow Elementary School, you will utilize our buzzer and camera system to share your name and reason for visit. Our office staff will greet you and provide you with access to the secure vestibule area. Once inside the vestibule, our office staff will greet you via a window. If you are dropping off something for your student, there will be an area where you may place the item(s). Please note the following:

• Items will be delivered to students at 9:30 am and then again at 10:50 am. After that time, deliveries will not be made to classrooms (aside from items that may be medically necessary), so as not to disrupt the classroom learning environment for our students. We kindly ask that you follow these timelines if you are needing to drop off an item.
• If you are choosing to drop off a "special" lunch for your student (birthday lunch), it should be dropped off five minutes before your child's scheduled lunch time. Those lunches will be delivered directly to the lunchroom by our lunchroom staff.

If you are dropping off your student for a late arrival or picking up your student for early dismissal, our office staff will guide you through the process of signing them in/out and then will assist the student in the arrival/dismissal.

If you are coming to the school to volunteer or attend a meeting, you will need to provide your driver's license (to be scanned) and then you will be provided access to our waiting area and/or directed to your next location.

Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation with adhering to these procedures so that we may maintain a safe environment for all.