Summer Sign Up for early drop off!
Summer Season Morning Drop Off Hours - 7:30 to 8:00am begin JUNE 14TH
All families are welcome to sign up for early drop off and these earlier hours are included in your tuition if you use them, however, if you sign up and arrive after 8am, you will owe a $20 no-show fee.
Sign ups will be locked 2 days prior. Summer dates are available 14 days out. You are responsible for either showing up or the 'no show' fee if you do not cancel 2 days ahead of time.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-morning
June is Pride Month
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. We are here to help you promote awareness, celebrate, and provide examples on how to be a fantastic ally!
Here at Common Ground, we love every member of our community. All are welcome here! Because educators are a foundational part of a student’s life, we do everything we can to support them with love, understanding, and humility. That last one is super important, because it stems from the simple truth that we never stop learning, especially as educators. Once we have decided we know everything, the world keeps turning along without us.
Our children look to us to teach them how to be the best people they can be. Kindness, openness, acceptance, these are the tools that help them navigate the world with love and, in turn, help to shape the world into a more beautiful, gentle place. I would hope that my children are better than me, and that their children after them are better than that. We must always be growing, changing, learning.
Our LGBTQ+ friends have faced so much adversity. Our children learn from early ages how people are supposed to dress, what they are supposed to look like, how they should act, and it shapes their perceptions before they even understand what the ramifications of those perceptions. I have heard three year olds on the playground tell their friends that “only girls wear pink” or “you can’t play with us, the boys are over there.” Little children constantly look for guidance on how to act, they pick up on social cues and paradigms so much earlier than you could ever imagine.
How do we combat this? Reading to them. Answering their questions. Changing our vocabulary and helping to educate them. Simply admitting that we don’t know everything, but that our love is boundless, uncompromising. It allows them to feel free to explore their world without fear, leaving wonder in its wake.
Educate Yourself:
The Trevor Project offers free education on how to support youths, and offers support to those who need it. They also offer news and information about the state of LBGTQ+ kids and what they need.
Introspection and Self Awareness:
Be aware of your gender biases.
Do you hesitate to allow your kids to wear certain colors or themes? Why? Are you afraid they’ll be made fun of? Are you uncomfortable? Explore those feelings within yourself.
Do you find yourself suggesting certain shows or books to your children/students/etc. based on their sex? Is there anything in their books or shows that enforce gender stereotypes or even passively utilize homophobia as humor? These moments can often be teaching moments, if we catch them in ourselves or in others.
Do you find yourself trying to discourage gendered imaginative play? Children explore their world and try to discover/practice what they’ve learned through imaginative play. Consider what you’re teaching them when you try to guide their games through your biases.
Consider the behavior of others.
Once you have considered your own language and biases, consider those people who interact with your children. Do they exhibit any of the gendered language above? Do you allow it because of the source? Remember your children are watching what you do.
If there is resistance from a friend, a family member, a teacher, to avoiding teasing, consider speaking with them consistently rather than changing your child’s behavior/outfit/etc. Even if they don’t, your child will see you support them, and will support others that same way.
Small, Everyday Support
Add your preferred pronouns in your signature line. It normalizes the practice.
Use people’s chosen names and pronouns. If you are corrected on someone’s pronouns, thank them and move on.
Instead of “boys and girls” say “people/folks/friends/students/kids.”
Support local LGBTQ+ businesses, artists, entrepreneurs, non-profits, etc.
Stand firm in these beliefs and don’t keep silent.
Stay aware of how LGBTQ+ youths are being affected by the local school system, in local politics. Become their advocate with your money, your voice, your vote.
Kid-Friendly Media to Consume together: Did you know that a beloved character in a book can have the same empathetic effect on a person as a real life friend? Stories have power, and sharing them with your children can help them have an awareness of the world around them that they wouldn’t normally have.
Julian is a Mermaid: An imaginative and insightful book that captivates the imagination while showing, without a doubt, that boys make beautiful mermaids too.
Prince and Knight: This is the cutest, most incredible picture book. It’s one of my absolute favorites. It is a rhyming story about a prince whose parents are struggling to find him a partner to rule the kingdom. But when a dragon threatens his kingdom and he races to the rescue, perhaps he finds what he’s been looking for all his life…
Steven Universe: A hilarious, fun, adventure cartoon that introduces a lot of complex concepts of identity and love in charming, bite sized pieces. You’ll find yourself singing along to the amazing songs that encourage self-love and confidence. It also covers issues like anxiety, fear of failure, and unconventional families.
Mommy, Mama, and Me: A sweet picture book for young readers that helps show that a family isn’t just a mommy and a daddy.
Pink is for Boys: A fun picture book about smashing down gender stereotypes!
The House in the Cerulean Sea: This is a chapter book for older children and young adults. It is one of my personal favorite books ever. The story is fantastical with laugh-out-loud moments. The message is wholesome: Who you are is enough.
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo: The story is so sweet and the illustrations are so cute.
How are some other ways we can widen our impact in the community? How are some other ways we can support our students? What are some other ways we can talk about these issues with our children? We would love to hear from you.
Love, Love, Love,
Your CG Family
FUNdraiser: Little Caesar's Pizza Kit
Our next fundraiser helps you plan your next movie night!!
We are partnering with Little Caesar’s to sell pizza kits from JUNE 7TH to JULY 7TH. I honestly think this is the most family-friendly food fundraiser we have done yet.
Kids can help you create your perfect pizza! They can spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese, add the ingredients. Did you know that kids are more likely to try foods they help prepare? You can reward them with a scrumptious cookie they also baked themselves!
These are frozen! They keep for any occasion. Movie nights! Birthdays! Rainy days when you don’t feel like cooking. Rough days when you want to see a smile. Have a perfect memory stored away for when you need it most.
Anyone can buy them and support us! Share THIS LINK or THIS FLYER on your social media, with your office, with your fam! Anyone who buys a mouth-watering pizza, breadsticks, cheese bread, or cookie kit with our link earns us money!
This fundraiser is completely online and runs 24/7! The Pizza Kits get delivered right to your door, so it’s simple, easy, perfect. I will personally be trying out the personal combo kit. Six tiny perfect pizzas for 20 bucks is almost too good to be true, and it means we can have grandparents over one sunny Saturday afternoon.
Thank you so much for supporting our school every day. We have a lot of fun and try to make these fundraisers a win for everyone. But we couldn’t do all we do (and have a blast doing it!) without your love.
Have any questions? Email LJ DONNELL!
- Your CG Family
Summer Camp Information and Supplies
Hello Camp Parents!!
Summer is right around the corner, and we are so excited. We are going to go over some essentials now so that you can be ready when we start camp on June 14th:
FIRST UP:
There are TWO camp groups - The Rising K Camp (starts JUNE 1) and The Camp (starts JUNE 14). They will be following the same themes, but they will have different schedules. It’s pretty self explanatory, but if your child is a rising kindergartener, then they will be in the Rising K Camp, and if they have already completed kindergarten they will be in Camp.
SWIM DAYS:
Rising K Camp: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 11am at Herndon Swim Club, bus departs at 9:30am. They will do sprinkler water play on the other days of the week!
Camp: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays! Mondays and Wednesdays will be from 10am to 11am at the Herndon Swim Club, bus departs at 9:30am. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be from 1pm to 2pm at Uplands Pool in Reston. They will do sprinkler water play as well, so they should still prepare to get wet on Fridays.
NEXT UP - WHAT THEY NEED:
Supply List: These are all the things we recommend for camp!
T-Shirt Size Sign up: We will provide (2) camp shirts for every kiddo enrolled in more than 3 weeks of camp! Campers should wear their camp shirts everyday. We know that they will get dirty and grubby, but that is OKAY! Dirt is a sign that they have had a fun time! You may purchase additional Camp shirts up front now on our form, but we may also provide extra shirts as needed (and if we have leftovers as the summer goes on!).
Supply List
Hard FLAT TOP Cooler: This will be WAY more than your kids’ lunch holder. It will be your camper’s on-the-go camp chair. And an extra container for water.
Outdoor Backpack: This needs to be large enough to hold what your kid needs all day long. We will be outside, so there will be no cubbies or hangers! Make sure it has a chest clip, a side pouch for a water bottle, and that it can stand up to the elements and hard, outdoor use!
Camp shirt - provided
Gallon Ziploc Bag: For wet swimsuit
Swimsuit: We will be going swimming most days all summer long! Send your kiddo in their swimsuit if possible.
Dry underwear and shorts to change into after pool time.
Towel: Small, lightweight towel. Your child will be carrying all of their own things, so make sure it can fit in their bag!
Goggles (these are not required but they are pretty awesome)
Tough, outdoor shoes with good support: Make sure they are breathable and good for wet weather. EXAMPLES: Keens, Crocs, Nortiv, among others
Water bottle: 12-16 oz maximum, we will have the ability to refill the bottle
Extra clothes: ONE complete set - this should be packed in a ziplock in their backpack, as they will be carrying all of their things with them all day!
Optional Items:
One Long-sleeved sun shirt if you want them to swim in it.
Optional: Hat (baseball, visor, sun hat) or Sunglasses
A book! Kids will have some down time, or may want to take a breather. Nothing is better than a book to read.
Snacks: Even if your kid isn’t bringing a full lunch we recommend having snacks. It is a long day and we are really moving out there!
ONE toy: one car, one stuffy, one action figure, etc. One toy from home to play with can be brought (but we are hoping the natural items they find will suffice!)
A deck of cards: we will have our own, but having one means that they never have to wait to check one out!
Unnecessary Items: Because of the interference with the flux-capacitor of our time machines, we ask that any ‘tech’ items be kept at home!
No tablets/ipads
No smartphones unless absolutely necessary. These will be kept with a counselor in a waterproof container
No gaming systems
No toys with a lot of small parts
Curious about t-shirt sizes?
Please fill out the form below so that we can begin to get your camper’s kit together for them!
And here’s Miss LJ in all of our sizes - from Youth Medium to Adult Medium!
