Welch Parent News
Week of October 6, 2025
On the Prowl... What is coming up at Welch?
Friday, October 3rd -
- House Sorting Assemblies - Wear your House Color!
Monday, October 6th -
- 5th Grade Prelude Assembly 9:30 AM
- Fire Drill with Naperville Fire Department (rescheduled from this past week)
Tuesday, October 7th -
- Choir (5th Grade) 8:00 AM
- Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling Opens
Wednesday, October 8th -
- 2nd Grade Harry Potter Club (Session 2) 3:35 - 4:30 PM
- 4th Grade Playground Club 3:35 - 4:30 PM
Thursday, October 9th -
- 2nd Grade Harry Potter Club 3:35 - 4:30 PM
- Camp Connections 3:35 - 4:30 PM
White Tiger Houses and Sorting Assemblies
To continue to support our ongoing goal of cultivating strong relationships throughout our school community we will be introducing a house system this year for all of our students (and staff!). The core goals of this include:
- Foster cross grade level relationships and strengthen the connection to our amazing school
- Build student ownership and mutual accountability
- Strengthen our PBIS and SEL practices
What does this look like?
All students will be placed in one of four "houses". This will be driven by our White Tiger mascot. (Think Harry Potter, but without the wands or magic!). On Friday, October 3rd, all White Tigers will be sorted into their "house" and together will participate in some fun games! We encourage ALL White Tigers to dress in their house color (indicated below).
Our entire school remains our "Pride". The four houses have been named after characteristics of white tigers: Aurora, Harmony, Valor, and Ember.
Aurora House (Represents Brilliance & Hope) - Wear BLUE
Inspired by the northern lights and the glow of a white tiger’s coat—symbolizing positivity, curiosity, and bright thinking.(Students from KM, 1M, 2MK, 3B, 4C, 5A, Daly)
Valor House (Represents Courage & Strength)- Wear BROWN
Reflects the fierce bravery of tigers—encouraging students to be bold, resilient, and stand up for what’s right.
(Students from KK, 1C, 2EK, 3J, 4O, 5N, Luporini)
Harmony House (Represents Kindness & Unity) - Wear GREEN
Symbolizes peaceful cooperation, respect for all, and the quiet power of working together.
(Students from KC, 1W, 2V, 3M, 4K, 5K, McKinney)
Ember House (Represents Passion & Determination) - Wear RED
Though white tigers may be cool in color, this name reflects the fire within—drive, motivation, and never giving up.
(Students from KH, 1B, 2O, 3A, 4L, 5P, Wild-Leon)
Vacations and Chronic Absenteeism
Regular daily attendance is important to student success. Ensuring that a student maintains regular attendance requires cooperative effort by the student, parent(s)/guardian(s), and school personnel. The student who is frequently absent misses class instruction, social interaction, and discussions, even when work is made up.
District 204 expects parent(s)/guardian(s) to inform the school of any absences and their causes. A parent/guardian should report absences via ParentVUE or call the school attendance line prior to the start of the school day on each day the child will be absent. In the case of a known extended absence of one week or more, only one call is necessary. For convenience, absences can be entered in ParentVUE/attendance line 24 hours a day seven days a week. School officials will determine if an absence is excused or unexcused. If the school is not contacted by the start of the school day, administration or a designee, reserves the right to call and confirm with the parent/guardian the reason for the student’s absence. Failure to provide the school with a valid cause for the absence will result in the absence being classified as unexcused. The school will monitor each student’s attendance and inform parents or guardians of any attendance concerns. In addition, students who are excluded from school for non-compliance with the vaccination requirement can be considered truant if the vaccination requirement is not met within five attendance days of the exclusion date.
Definition of Attendance Terms Parent(s)/guardian(s) are responsible for the daily attendance of their children. However, Illinois School Code does not grant them the authority to excuse their children from attending classes without valid cause.
1. Excused Absence – A valid cause for absence includes illness (including mental or behavioral health of the student), observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, attendance at a civic event, family emergency, other situations beyond the control of the student, other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or safety, or other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee. Students who are absent with a valid cause may make up missed homework and classwork assignments. The number of days they are out will determine the number of days they have to complete the work upon their return.
2. Absence Due to Illness – A student who has been absent 5 or more consecutive days due to illness must present a physician’s statement or visit the school nurse to be readmitted to classes. When an illness is determined to be contagious, District 204 will follow the infectious disease guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Center for Disease Control.
3. Pre-Arranged Absence – When parents/guardians know in advance that their student will be absent, they should make every effort to report their absence at least two days in advance.
4. Mental Health Days - Students may take up to five mental or behavioral health days per year. A student is not required to provide a medical note and will be given the opportunity to make up any schoolwork missed during such absences. Following the second mental health day, a student may be referred to the appropriate school personnel for follow-up (Public Act 102-0321/Senate Bill 1577).
5. Unexcused Absences (Truant) – Absent from school without a valid cause. Unexcused absences include, but are not limited to oversleeping, missing the bus, car trouble, shopping, traffic, babysitting, etc. Students with unexcused absences are classified as truant.
6. Unverified Absences – These are absences not sanctioned by the school or by their parent/guardian. After 48 hours, an unverified absence becomes classified as truant.
7. Chronic Absenteeism - Absences that total 10% or more of school days of the most recent academic school year, including absences with and without valid cause.
8. Excessive Absences – Excessive excused absences interfere with student achievement. A student will be allowed nine (9) excused absences per school year without a doctor’s note. After 9 days, all absences without a doctor’s excuse may be considered unexcused. A doctor’s note must state the reason the student was unable to attend school and give exact times the student was seen in the doctor’s office. Once a student has accumulated nine (9) days of unexcused absences within the past 180 regular school attendance days, he or she is considered to be chronically truant by state law and a referral to DuPage/Will County truancy may be made. Individual intervention plans may be developed for students found to be excessively absent from school. These plans will be designed to remediate the attendance patterns by attending to and supporting the function of the student's barrier(s) to consistent school attendance. This will also help meet local and state attendance expectations.
9. Administrative Withdrawal – If a student fails to attend school for 15 consecutive days, the student will be deemed to have voluntarily withdrawn on the 16th day. The student will be removed from the District’s enrollment roster. Please know that while we do everything we can to ensure the student is placed in the same classroom upon returning from a 15+ day absence, we can not guarantee this.
10. Late Arrival/Early Dismissal – Students who arrive late or leave early must be signed in/out by a parent/guardian and a reason must be given. If a reason is not given, the late arrival/early dismissal will be marked as unexcused.
11. Tardiness – Consistent and regular attendance in all classes is an important component of academic achievement. Tardies to class interrupt this process and may negatively affect performance.
If you must be gone during the school attendance time and your child(ren) will miss more than 3 school days, please complete the form below to assist our office staff with accurate attendance recording. Upon completion, please return to the Welch Office. Welch Extended Absence Form
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent/teacher conferences for preschool, elementary, middle and high school will take place on Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm and Monday, October 20, 2025 from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to connect with your child's teacher to discuss areas of strength, areas of growth, and to collaborate with the teachers and staff.
Elementary, middle, and high school parents can begin scheduling conferences through ParentVUE on October 7, 2025 starting at 6:00 am.
To schedule your conference for elementary, middle, and high school students, log in to ParentVUE and select "Conference" from the menu on the left side to see the times available. Once you have scheduled your conference, you can click "Email Schedule" to have the details emailed to you. You can also go back to ParentVUE at any time to view the information. Conference scheduling will remain open through October 14, 2025 at 6:00 pm.
Additional Lunch
Please complete this form if your student has permission to purchase a second lunch entree and/or second meal. Each student will need this form completed in order to purchase a second entree or meal. The cost is as follows: Breakfast - Second Meal $3.75; Lunch - Second Entree - $4.40 and Second Meal - $5.75; regardless of Free/Reduced Lunch status, EVERYONE who takes a second entree and/or meal will be charged these amounts.
School Lunch Menus
Daily Snack
Each classroom has a time during the day to enjoy a HEALTHY snack. We ask that the snack be NUT free. Suggested snacks include fresh fruits and vegetables, crackers, granola bars, pretzels, and goldfish. Please don’t send candy, cookies, cakes, chips, pudding, soda, and other dessert-like items.
Student Health Forms and Medication
Students entering kindergarten and new students to the district, must present proof of the required state of Illinois physical examination and immunizations. The student history portion of the examination form must be completed and signed by the parent. If this is not completed, the student will be excluded from school on October 16, 2025. Out-of-state physical examinations written on approved forms, which meet current state of Illinois requirements, are acceptable if they are less than one year old.
All students entering kindergarten and second grade are required to present proof of an oral health examination completed by a licensed dentist. This will be due prior to May 15, 2026.
A vision examination is required of all students entering kindergarten or enrolling in an Illinois public school for the first time. Written proof of having been examined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches or a licensed optometrist will be required. This will be due October 16, 2025.
If your student needs medication administered during the school day, please refer to the information below: https://www.ipsd.org/departments/health-services/medication-at-school. All medications must be turned in with the appropriate forms and order.
Fall Celebrations and Costume Parade
On Friday, October 31st, all students/staff will be invited to dress up! Students may choose to wear a *costume, fancy clothes, or Welch spirit wear or Welch colors (green/white). Students that choose to wear costumes should follow the guidelines below:
Student’s heads and faces must not be covered
Costumes should not be scary or gory.
Costumes should not impact a student’s ability to learn
Props including look-alike weapons are NOT allowed at any time during the school day.
We will have a parade in the back of the building where parents are invited to come to view at approximately 1:55PM on Friday, 10.31. All students will participate in the parade. Students will be coming out of door #8 in the rear of the building and will be walking the blacktop before going back into the building via Door #4, located by the playground. We are excited to celebrate fall and continue this fun tradition! We ask that families refrain from picking their children up after 1:45 PM on this day to ensure the safety and security of all Welch White Tigers. In the event of inclement weather the outdoor parade will be canceled. I will notify families of any changes by 1:30 PM that day.
Following the parade we are THRILLED that we will be having fall celebrations in each of our classrooms. From 2:15 - 3:00 PM all Welch White Tigers will be participating in fall games and a craft. Parties will end by 3:00 PM and we ask that parents refrain from taking their child(ren) with them at the conclusion of the parties. All students will be dismissed at the end of the school day.
If you do not wish for your child(ren) to participate in the celebration, please complete this form by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 29th:
This year our amazing PTA will be providing the games and crafts for each of the classroom celebrations, so volunteers do not need to plan for these - they are invited to sign up, attend and enjoy! Parents/Guardians that are interested in volunteering for these fun celebrations should sign up at the link below:
These celebrations are such a fun time for the students and it is essential that we have three volunteers for each classroom to make them a success! Please consider volunteering!
Wickedly Wonderful PTA Updates
Classroom Candy Competition
The Classroom Candy Competition is still going strong and will close next Friday, 10.10. Thank you for the sweet donations already sent in!! Every bag helps fill the trunks for our upcoming Trunk or Treat, and our families who signed up to host are going to love handing it all out. Check the chart below to see the current standings and keep the candy coming this week.
Trunk or Treat
🚗 Trunk or Treat - Friday, October 17th at 5:30pm
• Put on your costume and collect candy from decorated trunks
• We do still need more hosts. Sign up to host a trunk
Spooktacular Dance
🪩 Spooktacular Dance - Friday, October 17th at 7pm
• Dance under the lights with music, glow fun, and friends
• Tickets are required for all children ages 1 to 18: $10 in advance or $15 at the door
• Want free admission for your kids? Volunteer at the dance and they get in free as a thank you
Other Reminders....
Other reminders for October:
🗓️ Our October PTA meeting has moved to October 17th at 9:30 AM (instead of October 10th).
🧽 EcoClean Fundraiser runs October 1st to 31st. Use code Welch25 when you book your cleaning so 20% comes back to Welch.
🎁 Charleston Wrap Fundraiser officially begins October 3rd, but shopping is already open. Start your holiday shopping now and help us reach our goal!!
Thank you for your incredible support. We can't wait to see you at Trunk or Treat and the Spooktacular Dance for a night full of spooky fun!!! 🕷️🦇🎃
Your Welch PTA
Pop Tabs
Start saving those shiny little pop tabs! We’re gathering them to help families stay close to their sick or injured children at the Ronald McDonald House. Every tab you bring in adds up—and with the help of United Scrap Metal, each pound of tabs helps raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana. Bring your tabs to the office or classroom 239 in the 5th grade hallway, and let’s see how many pounds we can collect together!
Bread Tags
Welch will be collecting plastic bread tags to donate to SCARCE for recycling in partnership with Danielle Cares for Chairs. Plastic bread tags are those square clips commonly used to seal bags around a loaf of bread, bagels, or even produce. If you are trying to reduce your plastic use, they can be hard to avoid. Further, plastic bread tags are not recyclable in your curbside recycling bin. Therefore, millions end up in landfills each year, just adding to our disposable plastic problem. it takes about 260,000 bread tags to purchase a basic wheelchair – so every bread tag counts! We will have collection bags at Welch, so please feel free to bring yours in or send them with your child!