Clow School News

• Important Upcoming Dates
• Parent/Teacher Conference Reminders
• Quarter One Report Cards
• Last Chance to Choose Yearbook Photos & Online Orders
• Cold Weather Reminders
• Safety & Security
• PTA Fall Classroom Parties
• Neuqua Valley High School Spooktacular Concert
• 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

Thursday, October 22nd - Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:30 pm - 8:00 pm)

Friday, October 23rd - No School - Institute Day

Friday, October 23rd - Report Cards Posted in ParentVUE at 4:00 PM

Friday, October 30th - PTA Fall Classroom Parties

Friday, October 30th - PTA Trunk or Treat (details shared in PTA communication)

Monday, November 2nd - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences (8:00 am - 8:00 pm)

Tuesday, November 3rd - No School - Election Day

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

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

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

Our staff looks forward to meeting with you for a parent/teacher conference either tonight, Thursday, October 22nd, or on Monday, November 2nd. Parents can now see their student’s conferences in ParentVUE on the Conference tab. For parents with multiple students, change the student focus to see the next student’s schedule. If you have not yet scheduled a conference with your child's teacher, please reach out to the teacher today to schedule.

When you come to the school for your conference(s), you are welcome to go directly to the classroom. There is no need for you to sign in at the school office. Please plan to enter/exit through Door 1.

For your reference, room numbers for our classrooms are:

• Kindergarten Miller - Room 109
• Kindergarten Notariano - Room 112
• 1st Grade Mulacek - Room 141
• 1st Grade Park - Room 140
• 2nd Grade Hogan - Room 102
• 2nd Grade McLearen - Room 103
• 2nd Grade Siegler - Room 101
• 3rd Grade Berta - Room 209
• 3rd Grade Mackowiak - Room 210
• 3rd Grade Stipp - Room 211
• 4th Grade Andrews - Room 201
• 4th Grade Street - Room 202
• 5th Grade Beck-Waller/Koz - Room 203
• 5th Grade Vicencio - Room 204
• RISE Fasel - Room 153
• RISE Guleserian - Room 155
• RISE Karabetsos - Room 154
• PA Mackey - Room 208

It may be hard to believe, but we've already completed the 1st quarter of the school year. Report cards will soon be available for your review. This is a great time to review your child's progress, celebrate successes, and talk about areas of growth. Please contact your child's teacher with any questions or concerns at report card time and throughout the school year. Parent/teacher conferences are a great opportunity to have these discussions as well.

Report cards will be posted in ParentVUE on Friday, October 23rd at 4:00 PM.

The final deadline for selecting your student's photo for use in the yearbook will be Tuesday, October 27th. If you do not select an image, VIP will choose the pose to use in the yearbook.

To view your student’s school portrait look for an email sent to you by “Visual Image Photography”, or go to vipis.com (student ID number may be required).

If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service:

email: support@vipis.com

Phone: 262.375.4457

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.

At Indian Prairie School District, the safety, security, and well-being of our students, staff, and school communities is our absolute highest priority. To ensure our schools remain safe, welcoming, and focused environments for learning, we are reaching out today to provide an important reminder regarding district safety expectations and student conduct.

No weapons or guns of any kind are allowed on school property. Additionally, toy guns, look-alike guns, BB guns, gel blasters, or water guns/blasters are not allowed on school property. This also includes pocket knives, key knives, 3D printed, and look-alike knives. Bringing any item that looks like a weapon to school is a significant violation of school rules. Any student who brings any of these items to school will face serious disciplinary consequences, which may include suspension or expulsion as well as legal action.

Please talk with your child and remind them of our strict policies related to these types of items on campus. Thank you for your continued support, vigilance, and commitment to keeping all of our Indian Prairie students, staff, and schools safe.

On Friday, October 30th, we will have a Fall Celebration at Clow School! Many thanks to the PTA for organizing this event for our students. From 2:15 pm – 3:10 pm, the students will participate in a classroom celebration that will include a craft and/or a game.

As we want to ensure the safety of all students during this celebration, as well as maintain an environment conducive to learning the day of the celebration, we are asking that you talk with your child about the following guidelines:

• Students are not to wear costumes to school at the beginning of the day (including make-up and hair dye); time will be provided at 2:00 pm for students to change into a costume. Costumes should be able to be put on in the classroom and not require visits to the bathroom to change.
• Parents should assist their child(ren) in making appropriate decisions about what students wear for costumes, ensuring that costumes worn at school are school appropriate and meet all of the District 204 Dress Code Guidelines.
• Sharp objects (i.e. wooden swords, etc.) and play weapons may NOT be part of any costume, as we want to ensure all students’ safety. This will be strictly enforced.
• Only those volunteers helping with room parties will be allowed into the building during the celebration. Parents will receive communication through the PTA regarding volunteer status.
• Students will be able to go home in costume, if they choose to wear a costume that day.
• After school pick-up procedures will be the same as they are on all other days; we ask that if parents pick their student up after school by Door #3 or Door #4, they wait in the grass to alleviate crowding by the doors and to assist students with being able to locate their parent(s).

Thank you for your cooperation and support, as we enjoy this time of celebration as a school! If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the main office or your child’s classroom teacher.

If it is your family’s preference that your child not participate in the classroom celebration on October 30th, please contact the main office. An alternate activity will be provided.

The Neuqua Valley Wildcat Fiddlers will perform some traditional Irish and Celtic fiddle tunes, along with the Curse of the Rosin Eating Zombies and the classic Van Morrison song Moondance.

The Neuqua Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform music by Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky, along with current hits such as Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters and The Avengers Theme.

The performance will end with a traditional costume parade and candy giveaway!

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.