Welch Parent News

Monday, November 10th -

• Mathletics Club 3:35 - 4:30 PM
• Robotics 3:35 - 4:30 PM

Tuesday, November 11th -

• Veterans Day - Wear Red, White, and Blue
• 5th Grade Choir 8:00 AM
• Club Elevate 3:35 - 4:45 PM

Wednesday, November 12th -

• Support Professionals Day!
• Robotics 3:35 - 4:30 PM

Thursday, November 13th -

• 5th Grade Choir Concert at Scullen Middle School 6:00 PM

Friday, November 14th -

• PTA Meeting 9:30 AM
• Welch Feed My Starving Children Event (see below for more information)

Mesón Sabika is once again offering complimentary to-go Thanksgiving dinners to those in need.
The Naperville restaurant and it's sister restaurant, Tapas Valencia in Chicago, will offer 4,000 free take-out turkey dinners with all the trimmings to be picked up on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27.
Reservations are required and must be made by Thursday, Nov. 13, by calling the restaurant at 630-983-3000. As there are a limited number of dinners, orders should be made as soon as possible. Meson Sabika has been providing this service since 2001.
These meals go very quickly, so please sign up as soon as possible!

The holiday season is quickly approaching and we would like to extend the spirit of the season to you and your children. The Welch community is collecting gifts for many children this year and would like to include your children on our list. As recipients, names are kept confidential; however, I would like to gather suggestions from you regarding what items your child(ren) may like or need. Below you will find a form to complete for the children in your family. Please complete a separate form for each child. If you are interested in participating in this program, please list your child’s name, age, gender, sizes, and interests. Please complete the detailed list and submit by Friday, November 14th at 3:00 PM. Please keep in mind that families/staff members will be purchasing the gifts so please list items that are within a reasonable price range.

The curiosity, strong spirit, and enthusiasm your child(ren) possess are recurrent gifts we receive each day. They touch our lives and make us proud to be a part of the Welch community. We hope that these gifts will help to enrich the holiday season for your family.

Please contact myself or Mrs.Ditmar, our school social worker, with any questions you might have. We will contact you no later than December 12th to make pick-up arrangements.

It is a GREAT day to be a Welch White Tiger!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe33GDKOPt_iHtt2lnIYiZea5AisE8CjGlrURNJWBV-egMEGA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Families - View your School Portraits, and select your yearbook/class picture* before the deadline:

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

• Selection Deadline: November 7th

• After the final deadline, VIP will choose a yearbook image for you

There is no deadline to order pictures. If you have questions, please email support@vipis.com

During inclement weather, the district may adjust the school schedule to ensure the safety of students and staff. New this year, in addition to e-Learning Day and Emergency Day, we’ve added Delayed Start and Early Dismissal options to allow greater flexibility in responding to changing weather conditions.

A delayed opening means schools will begin two hours later than normal. This option allows time for road conditions to improve and for our crews, along with local municipalities, to clear and treat roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Schools will still dismiss at their regular times.

An early dismissal means schools will open on time but end two hours earlier than normal. For example, if your child’s school typically dismisses at 3:00 p.m., an early dismissal would mean a 1:00 p.m. release. On these days, all afternoon activities and clubs will be canceled.

Please see link below for more information: https://www.ipsd.org/resources/essentials/inclement-weather

The recent changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not impact free and reduced-priced meals for eligible students provided through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in Indian Prairie School District 204. The NSLP is a separate program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals through this program will continue to receive meal benefits during the school day as usual.

If your income status has changed or if you lose SNAP benefits, families can apply for free or reduced price meals directly through the district’s website by completing the Household Eligibility Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals. For more information or to apply, please visit the District’s Free and Reduced-Price Meal Information on our website.

We remain committed to ensuring that every student has access to nutritious meals each day. If you have any questions, please contact our Food Service Department for assistance.

We’re pleased to share that the IPSD CARES Clinic is back in operation for the new school year and will be offered at Welch Elementary School! This year, students will have access to six no cost after-school visits with a licensed therapist. Clinics will run at Welch on Wednesdays from 5:00-8:00. For more information, please visit https://referralgps.com/ipsdcares/.

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.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEXO7stk8NiVvGaE4q0JLWS7Upzw1PViq0xphie8kYvE00aQ/viewform?usp=header

Stay connected with school news, calendars, and important updates - all on your mobile device! For instructions and more information, please visit BIT.LY/204-CONNECT

Keep your students safe online with Securly Home! Getting started is easy; simply use your ParentVue school email to create your account. You will be able to monitor your child's online activity with the securlyhome app, receive weekly email reports summarizing internet activity, and use insights to start conversations and support your child's digital well-being.

For more information and instructions, please visit bit.ly/ipsd-securly

Give Back Night at Feed My Starving Children 🍽️💙

Join your Welch Elementary friends and families for a heartwarming evening of giving back! We’re teaming up to pack nutritious meals for children and families in need through Feed My Starving Children in Aurora.

📍 Where: Feed My Starving Children, 555 Exchange Court, Aurora, IL 60504
📅 When: Friday, November 14th
⏰ Time: 5:00–6:30 PM

This hands-on volunteer experience is a wonderful way for kids and adults to make a real difference—together! Spots fill up fast, so gather your family and sign up today to be part of this meaningful event.

👉 Sign up here: Feed My Starving Children – Welch Give Back Night

Let’s show our Welch spirit by helping feed kids around the world! 🌎💛

💚✨ Welch Read-A-Thon: “Reading is Wicked Fun!” 📚 💚

Something Wicked is coming to Welch… our first annual Read-A-Thon!

Grab your broomsticks, books, and a little bit of magic—students will log their reading minutes and collect donations to support our school. Every page you turn helps Welch soar!

There will be spellbinding prizes for both minutes read and funds raised, with teachers joining the fun too. Who will be our most wickedly good readers this year?

Stay tuned for all the enchanting details on how to sign up, track your minutes, and help make this year’s Read-A-Thon the most magical one yet. Want a sneak peek? Defy gravity and soar on over to our Campaign Page to learn more.

Because at Welch, it’s good to be wicked… good at reading! 💚📖

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!

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!