Dear Common Ground Community,

Our school year is off to an amazing start! As the weather cools and the leaves begin to change, we’re excited to share the latest updates, reminders, and celebrations. Thank you for being part of our community and for supporting our teachers and children as we grow together this school year.

🎃 Halloween Party - 10/29 from 4-5

We will be having a Halloween Party on site from 4-5 with something for everyone! Parents are welcome to attend, but do not have to. Please send your child with a costume to wear. Teachers will help the kids change into their costumes after snack!

This event is special because the school aged children will be getting out of school early and will be facilitating the party for the younger kids. It’s an opportunity for leadership within our center.

We will have a “Costume Parade” on the blacktop and “trick or treating” in the playhouse village!

If you’d like to volunteer or donate treats, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4FACA723ABFF2-59690337-halloween

We know that there is a chance of rain, so we have both an indoor plan and a rain date (10/30) built in.

🛫 Vacation Planning and Closed Days

Just as a reminder, our website contains the most up to date calendar. Looking ahead, if you know that you will be taking a vacation, please let us know using the absence form. This helps us plan events and around holidays, allows us to grant staff PTO based on who we expect at the center.

We have had some questions about the upcoming federal holiday - we are OPEN on Veterans Day, November 11th.

Common Ground will be closed the following days:

Early Close at 5:30 on Halloween, 10/31
Closed for Thanksgiving Break, Wednesday 11/26 through Friday 11/28
Closed for Winter Break, Wednesday 12/24 through Friday 12/26
Early Close at 4pm on New Years Eve, 12/31
Closed New Years Day
Closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 1/19
Closed TWO DAYS - Presidents Day 2/16 and Tuesday 2/17 for a Teacher Workday
Closed 5/22 for a Teacher Workday and Memorial Day 5/25
Closed Juneteenth, 6/19
OPEN July 3rd!!

🚗 Drop Off/Pick Up - Best Practices

Brightwheel is our official record of attendance. To help us be in compliance, please:

check your child into Brightwheel BEFORE you bring them to their classroom in the morning
check your child out of Brightwheel AFTER you have collected them from their teacher in the afternoon

We also ask that if you need to take a call from your car before picking your child up, please park on Wainwright Drive. Kids recognize their parent’s cars and get antsy when they see them in the parking lot, but they aren’t being picked up.

If you need extended hours, you can sign up for those here.

🐧 ST Math in Preschool

This September marks the fourth year that Common Ground has been using ST Math in our preschool classrooms. Our Hedgehogs and Busy Bees kicked off the year with JiJi the penguin, and in January, our Love Bugs will join in too. ST Math is a visual, problem-solving program that helps children build a strong foundation in early mathematics by using puzzles and games rather than numbers and symbols alone. This approach keeps learning engaging and encourages children to experiment, explore, and think deeply.

Over the past several years, we’ve seen firsthand how ST Math strengthens children’s confidence in math while supporting their natural curiosity. Teachers weave the puzzles into classroom routines, and children quickly become invested in “helping JiJi” get across the screen. Families often notice their children talking about the puzzles or proudly sharing how they solved a problem, and that excitement shows the power of this program.

Research shows that ST Math boosts achievement, but what we value most is how it nurtures perseverance, spatial reasoning, and logical thinking—all skills that prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. We’re thrilled to continue offering this program as part of our STREAMin3 curriculum and can’t wait to see how our preschoolers grow through another year of hands-on, joyful math learning.

🚽 Potty Mastery in Our Twos Classrooms

At Common Ground, we take a “potty mastery” approach to toilet training in our Twos classrooms. We recognize that this milestone takes time, patience, and consistency—and that each child will move at their own pace. In general, we recommend waiting until a few weeks after a major transition (such as moving into a new classroom or welcoming a new sibling at home) before beginning potty training, so that children feel secure and ready to focus on this new skill. Our teachers support children with encouragement, gentle reminders, and plenty of opportunities to practice.

We also want to remind families not to compare their child’s potty progress to others. Just like walking and talking, potty mastery develops on an individual timeline. Some children take to it quickly, while others need more time—and both paths are perfectly normal. With patience and support at school and at home, every child will figure it out eventually. Our goal is to make this a positive, stress-free process that builds confidence and independence for each child.

For more information on this approach, here’s a great video on the approach: https://player.vimeo.com/video/923542324?h=0d989ed7a1

💰 Teacher Bonus Fund

It’s time to make your pledge to our Teacher Bonus Fund. This is the BEST way to show your appreciation to our teachers. If you have any questions, please reach out to Liz.

🏰 Fundraisers and Sponsorships

In addition to our bonus fund, we also are fundraising for our general operating support. The cost of providing high quality care and education out paces market tuition rates, so these fundraisers help us with our goal of getting our staff up to the livable wages for Fairfax County. Here are some free and easy things you can do to help us:

the YARD SALE is back! Bring your gently used items that you would like to donate the week of November 3rd, and we will have our sale on Saturday, November 8th from 7am to 11am! Items that sold well last year: household goods, baby items, kids toys, kids and adult shoes and clothing, kids books. Please make sure that everything can be carried in and out by one person.
The Stuffy Sleepover and our Giving Tuesday Campaign
Restaurant nights - come and join us at local restaurants that give 20-25% sales to Common Ground! Check the calendar for dates!
Participate in our DoubleGood Popcorn fundraiser! The next one is 12/2-12/6, click here to sign up!
Maximize your corporate match! Reach out to Liz on how we can help you do that!
Help us get Sponsors! We have multiple opportunities for businesses of all sizes to advertise to our community and help us at the same time. The Stuffy Sleepover is back to kick off Giving Tuesday and we are looking for sponsors for that event:
- Stuffy Sleepover Sponsorship Menu
Set up a fundraiser to support Common Ground on Facebook or GoFundMe!
Subscribe to our YouTube so that we can meet the threshold to monetize it!

🤐 Shutdown Assistance Available

And after all of the asks for funding, we did want to mention that if you are impacted by the Government Shutdown, we have assistance available to bridge the gap. If you need anything, please email and we can help!