Lily Lake E-News

E-newsletter

Hi Lily Lake Families,

I hope your family has had a positive start to the school year! Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we continue to fine-tune our arrival and dismissal procedures. We know these routines are important to families, and our goal is to make the process as safe, smooth, and efficient as possible for everyone.

To help improve the flow of traffic, we are asking buses and car pool families to take a right onto Pine Street when leaving Lily Lake. There is an image attached that shows the route to return to Stillwater Boulevard. We understand this may add a couple of minutes to your drive, but believe that it will significantly reduce the amount of time families spend waiting in the drop-off and pick-up line—potentially saving you around 10 minutes in the line.

We truly appreciate your partnership and willingness to help us make arrival and dismissal work as smoothly as possible. Thank you for your patience as we continue to make adjustments that benefit our entire Lily Lake community!

In partnership,
Jeff Stensrud

Arrival/Dismissal Procedure

Each week we will highlight one of our most Frequently Asked Questions:

Background Checks:

If you plan to volunteer in a classroom or chaperone a field trip, you will need to have a current background check completed before you visit. This process can take up to two weeks to complete.

The great news is background checks are good for four years!

● To request a background check (or check the status/expiration of a previous background check) please email your legal first and last name, along with the name and grade of the student(s) you are associated with to the office.

● You will receive an email within two to four business days containing a custom link for you to complete your free background check. The link will come from Trusted Employees. Links expire 48 hours from when they are created, so please try to complete the background check within that time frame.

● Once approved, your background check is valid for 4 years.

Thank you for your willingness to volunteer at Lily Lake!

VESL (Volunteers for Elementary School Literacy), a program sponsored by our Stillwater

School District and administered by the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club, is looking to expand the

number of volunteers supporting Lily Lake Elementary.

If you have a love for reading and a heart for helping children succeed, consider joining the VESL team. Together, we can help every child discover the joy and power of reading. We believe this creates a wonderful opportunity for our Lily Lake community to support our teachers and students!

As a VESL volunteer you will spend time working one-on-one or in very small groups with students who are developing their literacy skills. Typically, volunteers come in once or twice a week for 1 to 2 hours at a time.

For more information please email VESL@sunrotary.org.

Please join us for a fun evening at the playground. This is an opportunity for kinder students and their families to connect and make new friends. Hope to see you there!

Who: All Lily Lake kindergartners and their families

When: Friday Sept 11 from 6-7:00 p.m.

Where: Lily Lake Playground

Please join us for our next PTO meeting:

September 14, 6-7:00 p.m. in the Lily Lake Media Center.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend!

PTO is once again offering Lily Lake apparel for purchase.

Order forms are due to school no later than September 10, 2026.

You may also order directly using this QR code and selecting "Lily Lake" as the category.

Catching up with our wonderful Staff Members of the Week so far this year, we will start with the honorees from Week One and Week Two:

Thank you for everything you do, Mrs. Balfanz and Mrs. Hilgers!

This week, we are excited to celebrate our wonderful kindergarten teacher, Ms. Whisler and amazing paraprofessional, Mrs. Petrich!!

Ms. Whisler is a caring and passionate educator who builds meaningful relationships with every student. She creates a classroom where children feel loved, supported, and eager to learn. Her dedication to strong academics, combined with her genuine care for her students, makes a positive impact every day. Thank you, Ms. Whisler, for your passion, commitment, and for helping our kindergarteners grow both academically and personally!

Mrs. Petrich brings so much joy and positivity to our school and her classroom each day. Her warm, caring personality makes students feel welcomed and excited to be at Lily Lake. Students love working with her, and she has a special way of creating a positive, encouraging classroom culture where everyone feels valued. Thank you, Mrs. Petrich, for the joy and positivity you bring to our school community every day!

Mark your calendar for this FREE, family-friendly event on Friday, Sept. 25 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Stillwater Area High School. All ages are invited to join us for traditional carnival games and activities, prizes, inflatables, and food trucks just before the football game.

Volunteers are needed to help out with games. Sign up online.

Each year, families are asked to review and acknowledge important district forms in PowerSchool, our parent portal for reporting absences, viewing student information and more.

Please take a few minutes to log in and complete the following forms:

• District Handbook Review Form

• Field Trip Form

Please note: students will not be allowed to participate in any field trips this year without the completed online Field Trip Form.

When you log in, select the Forms button and complete each form.

Need help logging in? Learn more about how to access PowerSchool.

Need additional assistance? Our Family Help Desk is available to help with technology-related questions. familyhelp@stillwaterschools.org or 651-351-8404.

Sept. 3: Fire Drill

Sept. 4: No School

Sept. 7: No school

Sept. 10: Lily Lake Apparel order forms are due

Sept. 11: Kindergarten Popsicle Playdate 6-7:00 p.m. on Lily Lake playground

Sept. 14: PTO Meeting 6-7:00 p.m. in Lily Lake Media Center

Sept. 15: Stable Pizzeria Give Back Night 4-8:00 p.m.

Sept. 21: Oasis Cafe Give Back Night

Sept. 25: Pony Homecoming Carnival at SAHS

Sept. 28: No School - Professional Development day

Sept. 29: Lifetouch photo retake day

Lily Lake Calendar

Looking for more photos of the wonderful things happening daily at Lily Lake? Please visit our Lily Lake Facebook and Instagram pages.

Here is a list of Lily Lake's most frequently asked questions, with links to detailed answers:

• Attendance / Early Pick Up: When to call, when to use PowerSchool
• Background Checks: For all volunteers and chaperones
• Bus Transportation: Get the app, bus company phone number, etc.
• Car Pool: No student drop off before 7:35am, other directions, rules, and expectations
• Log into PowerSchool - tutorial
• Pay for a field trip - tutorial
• Preschool Arrival and Dismissal: Where to park, how to walk students in
• Walkers - Arrival and Dismissal: Intersections with staff support, behavior expectations
• Lunchroom Schedule: What time is lunch? Visitor check in procedure and lunch cost

Email: comments@stillwaterschools.org
Website: lilylake.stillwaterschools.org
Location: 2003 W Willard St, Stillwater, MN 55082
Phone: 651-351-6800
Facebook: facebook.com/Stillwater834

Instagram: instagram.com/stillwater834