Clow School News

• Important Upcoming Dates
• Open House Thanks
• Valentine's Day Plans
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Winter Weather Reminder
• Cold Weather & Snow Gear Reminders
• District 204 Volunteer Program Information
• LMC Birthday Book Club
• School Hours
• Reporting Student Absences & Late Arrival Procedures
• School Lunch Menus
• Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
• Arrival & Dismissal Map
• Information on MyStop Mobile App

Friday, February 7th - School Spirit Day (wear green/gold, Clow Spirit Wear)

Friday, February 7th - PTA VIP Dance (6:00 - 8:00 pm)

Monday, February 17th - No School (Presidents' Day)

Thursday, February 27th - No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

Friday, February 28th - No School (Institute Day)

Cougar Spirit and Cougar Pride was alive and well at Clow School on Wednesday! Thanks to all of our families who were able to attend our annual Open House! What a joy it was to see our students shine and be so eager to show their families all that they have accomplished thus far this school year.

Thanks to you for sharing in their excitement and partnering with us this year!

Valentine’s Day is approaching and we are excited to celebrate at Clow School with the exchange of Valentine cards or special notes, if students would like to participate. Time will be scheduled on Friday, February 14th for students to exchange in their classrooms, as they celebrate a day of friendship with one another. As a reminder, we ask that families refrain from sending candy or food treats in with Valentines. These items cannot be distributed at school. We encourage you to send a card only to keep the focus of the day on kind words of friendship. Students may include a school supply item with their Valentines, if they choose. School supplies should be taped to the outside of the card. Other items (toys, jewelry, etc.) should not be distributed. We are excited to share in the joy of Valentine’s Day with our students and appreciate your support! Any specific grade-level information will be shared by your child’s teacher.

IPSD 204 schools will be holding 2nd semester Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, February 27th, from 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Conferences will be held in person, at Clow School. Traditionally, this second conference session is not scheduled for every family and instead based upon a teacher or parent request. Only one day is set for conferences and appointments are limited.

Next week, teachers will begin to communicate with families with whom they would like to schedule a conference. If teachers would like to schedule a conference with you, you will receive a paper form from your child’s teacher. If you do not receive communication by Friday, February 14th, regarding a conference and you would like to schedule one, please contact your child’s teacher after the 14th. Please know that our staff is always available via email or phone any time you have questions or concerns.

Please note that Thursday, February 27th is not a school day for students. Students will also be off on Friday, February 28th for a district-wide staff institute day.

District 204 follows a plan whenever there is consideration of holding an e-learning day or canceling school due to weather conditions. If the district holds an e-learning day or cancels school completely, the information will be announced by 6:00 am on www.ipsd.org. The district will also make a 204 Connect phone call by 6:00 am to alert parents and guardians of the information. Parents and students can also check the Emergency Closing Center for school closings. For more information, visit the district’s e-Learning webpage.

Know that additional information would be/will be shared by Clow teachers, if/when we would need to utilize an e-Learning day.

When it snows, students must have snow pants AND boots (in addition to the other cold weather gear) to be able to play in the snow during recess. Without snow pants and boots, students will be asked to remain on the blacktop areas during recess. We also ask that you remind your students that there is no throwing of snow on school grounds. Students may choose to build snowmen and do other fun things in the snow; however, we do not allow for students to pick up and throw the snow in any way, shape, or form. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe space for students to play during recess.

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!

District 204 is pleased to announce the launch of 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 original volunteer form and a new online application via the Raptor Technologies system. Upload the original volunteer form into the online application. Access the forms on our Volunteer Program webpage. This process ensures consistency across all district schools.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Jeannie Dina, Assistant Director of Community Relations, at jeannie_dina@ipsd.org.

Are you looking for a great way to celebrate your child’s birthday at school? Whether your child already had a birthday this school year, or it is coming up... Clow LMC has the answer! You can donate a book to Clow’s LMC to honor your student AND help build our library collection!

Here are two ways to participate:

1. Go to Amazon.com. Use the following link to access our wishlist:

https://a.co/3hgh2n9. You will find books to add to our library collection to purchase for the LMC. The book(s) will be sent directly to our school from Amazon. It's that easy!

2. Fill out the Birthday Book Club permission slip that came home and return to school at your earliest convenience. If you have misplaced that form, please send an email to nicole_fader@ipsd.org letting me know your student is able to participate. Shortly thereafter, you will see a $15 fee in PushCoin. Your student will be able to come to the LMC and select a brand-new book that we are eager to add to our collection!

With either choice, I will add your student’s picture inside the front cover of the book commemorating the donation and hang his/her picture on the wall of the LMC.

Thank you for considering this program! If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me @ nicole_fader@ipsd.org.

• 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.

If your child will be absent from school for any reason, please remember to call the school office to report the absence (630-428-6060, press option 3). Please also share the reason for the absence, as our attendance system requires that a reason for the absence be entered. If you report the absence on voicemail, please include both your child's name and the reason for the absence. If our school nurse should need additional information, she will reach out to you directly.

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 come in with the student to sign him/her 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!