Newsletter: January 9, 2024
Hello Common Ground Parents and Caregivers!
Happy New Year! Thank you for making 2023 an incredible year at Common Ground. We are excited to continue to care and grow in 2024. We also wanted to express our sincere appreciation for your participation in our staff bonus fund! We were able to meet our target for the first time since the winter of 2021! The next round will open in May, but we are always open for donations, year round though our PayPal Giving Fund or directly by e-mailing Liz!
Brightwheel CHECK IN/CHECK OUT
It important for us to have accurate ratios in our classrooms at all times, and to know which children are in our direct care, so we ask that you:
CHECK IN AND OUT:
check your child IN to brightwheel BEFORE dropping them into their class.
check your child OUT of brightwheel AFTER you have received your child from their teachers
Absences:
Unplanned: Please make sure to communicate through brightwheel when your child will be absent and use the absence report form
Planned: use the absence report form to communicate planned absences
Parking Lot Reminders
Please make sure that you drive slowly and carefully through our parking lot at all times.
Car Line/morning drop off:
car line is from 8am to 8:30pm
do not get your children out of the car without a staff member there to receive them. We are doing the best we can to move the car line quickly, but are also dealing with staff shortages, so some mornings may take a little longer than others.
please only drive through the car line if you plan to have staff members get your child(ren) out of the car. If you plan to park and walk your children in, please pull into the parking lot and park. There is only one lane of traffic through car line, to the left of the driveway.
if you walk your children into the building, we ask that you try to limit your time in the classroom to less than 8 minutes. This helps:
mitigate spread of illnesses
allows teachers to have the time to greet each child for the day
helps ease the child(ren)’s transition into school
If you would like time to speak with the teachers, we are happy to set up a time during naps
please check your child in ON THEIR WAY to their classroom
Pick Up:
please drive slowly and carefully through our parking lot
please pick up through the office, unless you see your child(ren)’s class or an admin outside
remember to check your child out AFTER you have received them into your care
Upcoming Events
We have quite a few upcoming events and are always adding more! Make sure to check out our CALENDAR for all of our center events!
Kindergarten Information
Fairfax County Public Schools will be sending information out about kindergarten registration shortly. We will update you with all the information we receive from them as well! For planning purposes, we can usually serve all of the Reston schools. Here’s some helpful information for Lake Anne and Forest Edge
Spanish Immersion at Lake Anne Elementary: https://www.fcps.edu/registration/dual-language-immersion-programs-registration
Place based on Child Care Hardship (Forest Edge Elementary): https://www.fcps.edu/registration/student-transfer-information#child-care-hardship-k-6
We will also be running a private kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. It is a great option for children who might benefit from a smaller class size for one more year. While most children who attend our kindergarten, enroll in kindergarten the following fall, children who are 6 by September 30, 2025 who complete our private kindergarten could be eligible for either kindergarten or first grade in the fall of 2025.
Check Out our BLOG
Our blog has lots of amazing information for families about child development and updates about upcoming events!
Staff Updates
We are excited to announce that Miss Kiara has officially moved from our Infants team to our Preschool team after filling in during staff absences. She will primarily working with Miss Yolanda and the Love Bugs.
We have also hired a new teacher, Miss Bethany, to join the Little Penguins classroom. We are excited about these changes and think they will have a positive impact on our school.
Since our last newsletter, Miss Wendy also joined our staff in the Rising Stars Classroom and we’ve had quite a few of our summer college kids stop by to work over their winter breaks!
In the coming weeks we will have some more high school students joining us in the afternoons as well. But not to worry, they are always paired with a full time teacher!
Summer Camp information is coming soon!
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. Please reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions via email or brightwheel admin message.