Lilja Lions

Dear Lilja Families,

Welcome to a new school year! It has been wonderful to see our halls filled with the energy, excitement, and joy of our students. We are looking forward to a year filled with learning and with plenty of opportunities to celebrate our Lilja community. Each week, our newsletter will be an important way to stay connected with what is happening at school, including upcoming events, important reminders, celebrations, and ways families can support our shared work.

We encourage you to make it part of your weekly routine. We are grateful to have you as partners in making this a wonderful year for every Lilja student!

Best,
Dr. Marscher

Dear Lilja Families,

Welcome to a new school year at Lilja! Whether your family is joining us for the first time or returning for another year, we are excited to partner with you as we continue building a positive, supportive, and inclusive school community.

At Lilja, we use a framework called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to help students learn the skills they need to be successful academically, socially, and emotionally. PBIS is not a program or a curriculum, it is the way we teach, reinforce, and support positive behavior across all school settings.

Our work is grounded in Lilja's five Core Values:

Perseverance – Keep trying when things are difficult.
Respect – Treat people, spaces, and materials with care.
Inclusivity – Help everyone feel welcome and valued.
Dependability – Be someone others can count on.
Empathy – Understand and care about the feelings of others.

Throughout the year, students will learn what these values look like in classrooms, hallways, the cafeteria, recess, and other school settings. Staff members use common language and consistent expectations so students experience a predictable and supportive environment.

Families may also hear students talking about our Compliment System. Staff members recognize students and classes when they demonstrate our core values, helping us celebrate positive choices and strengthen our school community.

For returning families, thank you for helping us build this culture over the past year. For new families, we look forward to welcoming you into this work. Together, we can help every student feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.

Thank you for your partnership. Throughout the year, these brief newsletters will provide updates and reminders about how PBIS supports students at Lilja.

Warmly,

The Lilja PBIS Team

To help maintain a focused, equitable, and safe learning environment, students should leave toys, trading cards, collectibles, personal fidgets, and other non-school-related items at home. If brought to school, these items should remain stored in backpacks throughout the day and may not be shared, traded, sold, or displayed.

School-provided or school-approved fidgets may be used when they are identified as an appropriate support for a student’s learning, regulation, or sensory needs.

Families who have questions about sensory supports are encouraged to connect with their child’s teacher, counselor, special education team, or administrator.

Natick nurses perform mandatory school health screenings every year. Please see this link for information and directions to OPT OUT if preferred

The Lilja PTO would like to invite you to the 2026 Kindergarten Picnic which will be held on Thursday, 9/10 at 6pm at the Lilja Playground. All K families are welcome to bring their own picnic dinner (food will not be sold/available) and join other K families to enjoy live music and kick off the school year! Please note, ASAP has the blacktop/playground until 6pm, so please do not arrive earlier than that.

Additionally, all Lilja families/caregivers are welcome at the first PTO meeting of the year on Tuesday, 9/8 at 7pm in the Lilja Library to learn more about events like this.

Questions or want to help out at the picnic: pto@liljapto.org.

Want to learn more about the PTO? Have a question or suggestion?

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5