Lilja PTO Newsletter (12/6/21)
Upcoming events
Early Release Day 12/8
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Fundraiser 12/15
Winter Vacation 12/24-31
Book Fair - THANK YOU!
Thanks to all the families who shopped at our book fair, and to the volunteers who helped make it such a success! We sold 1,346 books, coming just shy of our $12,000 sales goal, and fulfilled all of the teachers' wish boxes. All profits from the event will go straight back into programs that benefit Lilja students.
Congratulations to all the winners of the coloring page prize draw:
Charlotte from Mrs Earner's preschool class
Finn O from KM
Luca Z from 1P
Lily K from 1/2A
Ayn S from 3W
Fiona B from 4Q
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Restaurant Night
On Wednesday, Dec 15 between 3-9pm, the delicious and generous Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza (219 N Main Street) is donating back 20% of Takeout, Delivery & Pick up orders to support a great cause - Lilja PTO!
You’re invited to join us and eat out, not only in support of the organization, but to show one of your Natick restaurants some love too!
We ask that you RSVP here: https://grouprai.se/e211834 (even if you’re not completely sure) so Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza knows roughly how many orders to expect & so you have access to all the event details.
We hope you can make it, and please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and family. Thanks in advance for your support!
Cultural Arts Programs
In a typical pre-Covid year, the PTO provides around $10,000 to cultural arts programs such as field trips and performer/author visits to the school. We have had to make some adaptations due to Covid, such as doing virtual visits instead, however we are still doing what we can to enrich student learning within Lilja.
Upcoming cultural arts programs include:
- 4th Grade: Melissa Stewart (pictured), author of more than 180 science books for young readers
- 3rd Grade: Rob Aptaker from the Ways of the Wampanoags program
If you would like to help support our Cultural Arts programs, please consider making a direct donation here. Many thanks to our Cultural Arts Coordinator Kristine Black for putting in her time to organize these wonderful programs for our Lilja students!
Natick Covid-19 Booster Clinic
Get your booster before winter break! The Natick Health Dep are partnering with V-Care Pharmacy to host a clinic on Saturday, December 11th at Natick High School.
Register for an appointment and make sure you bring your vaccine card! There are still plenty of slots available. The clinic is for fully vaccinated people aged 18+, pediatric doses will not be available.
hipaa.jotform.com/VCarePharmacy/NHSBoosterDoses
Staff Gift Policy Reminder
The holidays are a great time to show your thanks to staff who have worked hard to help our children all year, including not just classroom teachers but also paraprofessionals, specialists, nurses, custodians and front office staff.
Room parents usually organize group gifts for the classroom teacher, so reach out to them if you have any questions. There is no pressure on families to contribute to a gift, and often just a handwritten card or note of appreciation is just as welcomed.
As outlined in the latest NPS district blast, individual gifts to staff may not exceed $50 in value, while class/group gifts may not exceed $150 in value. You can learn more about the MA law on gifts to staff here.
Ongoing Partner Programs & Fundraisers
Minted (use code FUNDRAISELILJA to get a 20% discount and donate)
Amazon Smile (search for Lilja Elementary PTO to automatically donate)
Lost & Found
We hope everyone took a chance to look through the Lost & Found during the Book Fair.
ALL items left on the shelves right before winter vacation will be bagged and donated.
Keep checking the virtual Lost & Found and if you see an item you would like to retrieve, ask your child or contact the front office for help.
Staff Spotlight: Stefani Wasik
What do you do at Lilja?
Principal
Can you tell us about your family?
My husband and I have a son, Miller, who is 14 and a daughter, Anna, who is 12. Miller is a freshman in high school and Anna is in 7th grade. We also have a big, friendly Bernese Mountain Dog named Guthrie.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
It seems I spend most of time spare time these days driving my children to and from sports and activities! But what I enjoy most is spending time outside with them. We love to run, ski, and hike. We just started working on hiking all 48 of NH's 4000 footers!
You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life, what is it?
Anything by Brandi Carlile!
Finish this sentence: I can't live without...
My family.
What's a surprising fact about you?
I love all sorts of word games and am freakishly good at Wheel of Fortune! It's my hidden superpower. :)
If you weren't at Lilja, what would you be doing?
That's a hard question to answer as I've only ever wanted to be an educator! I do love writing, reading, and working with words, though, so perhaps I'd be a journalist or an editor.
Talk to us
Whether you're a new or returning family, we would love to hear from you! If you have any questions, ideas or suggestions, or want to help us out, please contact us at pto@liljapto.org. For PTO updates outside of this newsletter, visit our website or find us on Facebook. For the latest Lilja School Newsletter from the Principal, click here. If you have received this email in error, i.e. you no longer have children attending Lilja, please contact us at pto@liljapto.org and we can remove you from the mailing list.