Newsletter: April 6
Laundry Sign-Up I Late Drop-Off/Early Pick-Up Form
Hello CG Families!
Today is the 50th anniversary of Common Ground filing with the State Corporation Commission! So today kicks off a YEAR of celebrating Common Ground’s 50th year. The timing of the start of this celebration couldn’t be better. Two years ago, we weren’t sure Common Ground would survive the closure due to the pandemic. It was the generous donations from families, the willingness of families to pre-pay tuition, not knowing when or how they would get it back, the aggressive pursuit of COVID relief funding, the generosity of our landlord to provide an 8.9% rent discount for our first year back in operation, and hours on the phone with every vendor we work with to negotiate plans to keep us afloat that got us to where we are today.
While we have made it through, a big part of our celebration will be fundraising for the future. Common Ground is doing better than most, but we are not exempt from the struggles of the entire child care industry. Our costs outweigh our tuition revenue because we choose to prioritize our teachers. Currently the childcare industry is funded by what the market can support - the amount that families can “afford” (and I use that term loosely) to pay. It’s an unsustainable model. In order to provide quality care and education, the child care industry needs a substantial investment from the federal level. We devote time, in partnership with the National Association of the Education of Young Children and our local affiliate, to advocate for that necessary funding. But until that happens, we will work hard to secure grant funding, ask for donations, and host fundraisers to support our non-profit mission.
We are so grateful to have you as a part of our community and ask that you help support our efforts by:
supporting legislators that support funding for early childhood education
participate in our fundraisers and share them with your network
find out if your company has a donation matching program and schedule a time to speak with Liz on how to leverage that program!
refer donors to us
volunteer your time and skills to help support our fundraising efforts!
donations can be made year round through our PayPal Giving Fund page
Thank you for being a member of the Common Ground Community and helping us celebrate the past 50 years and prepare for the next 50 plus years!
COVID, Flu, and Allergy Season… what to do!
Until today, we hadn’t had a COVID case connected to the center since the Omicron Surge at the beginning of the year. However we are seeing a rise in confirmed cases of INFLUENZA (Flu) and flu negative Influenza Like Illness (ILI).
The health department defines Influenza Like Illness (ILI) as:
a fever >100.4 AND cough or sore throat
As you can see, that overlaps the symptoms of COVID in young children which are:
fever >100.4
chills
cough, shortness of breath
fatigue
muscle aches
headache
loss of taste or smell
sore throat
nasal congestion or rhinorrhea (runny nose)
vomiting or diarrhea
skin rashes
We have to report outbreaks of all respiratory illnesses, including FLU or ILI to the health department if they exceed 10% of our school or 20% in a “grade” (we use our teams as a determination for that). Due to that requirement, we ask that you report any and all illnesses and test results immediately through our absence report form and use the notes section to describe any additional testing or pending physicians visits. You can also use it in the same day to update us after appointments and when you receive test results.
We understand that there is a delicate balance between your need for care and being health protective for the sake of our community. If you ever have a question, please reach out to our office staff so that we can help guide you in your decision making process. Our goal is to keep kids in care and keep everyone healthy! When we communicate and cooperate, we are able to achieve that goal!
We know that kids also have allergies and that a lot of allergy symptoms mimic those of COVID. For children over the age of 2, we have proctored rapid tests available. If you are ever in doubt, we are happy to run a rapid test for you or send one home for you to complete with the proctor on your own time. Just as a note, seasonal allergies generally do not develop in children under the age of 2. The average onset is between 3 and 5 years of age. For more information: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/seasonal-allergies.html
Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!
CHIPS, DIPS, AND PARTNERSHIPS: Chipotle Fundraiser!
RSVP to our Facebook Event and let your friends and family know so they can join the fun! Here is our Flyer
Our next Family Fundraiser Night is at CHIPOTLE NEXT MONDAY April 11th from 4-8PM!
It is at the Sunset Hills location: 12152 Sunset Hills Road, Reston VA 20190.
Stop by the store or order Online. Pickup Orders Count! Order through the Chipotle App or on their website.
Use this Coupon Code: KG3Y7KQ
Note: ubereats, doordash, and other delivery sites like that DO NOT COUNT
We get 33% of the sales, so share with everyone you can!
Can’t do this fundraiser? That’s okay! We have Family Fundraiser Nights each month! Check out our calendar and find your new local favorite dinner place! How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
Nando’s Peri Peri: May TBD I On the Border: June 2nd
Earth Day is April 22nd
A lot of our classrooms have done Creative Curriculum Units, like Trees and Recycling, about protecting their planet. They have learned poems about The Litter Monster and read books on all the wonderful things trees do to keep our planet healthy and safe. Even in the Busy Bees’ Space Unit, they cover that Earth is our little blue dot in the vast expanse of the universe, and the only known one to hold life!
In celebration of Earth Day, rather than focusing everything on the one day, we have provided a month’s worth of activities, songs, and experiments to awaken curiosity and excitement for the subject from a bunch of different avenues!
Read More About It HERE
Have a Good Week and Stay Safe!
Your CG Family
Newsletter: March 31
Dear Parents,
We have exciting news to share this week!
NOTE: We are expecting TORRENTIAL STORMS today between 4:45pm and 5:30pm. We are remaining open, however, if you are able to pick up before the storms, it would be helpful for our staff.
COVID Updates:
We were excited to share that we are participating in Test to Stay last week! We have been lucky that we have not had an exposure yet, but there have been a few small outbreaks at other local schools, so we are staying vigilant. Forms to participate in Test to Stay will begin going out next week.
We also have TWO vaccine clincs to announce!
We will be running a “spring vaccine catch up” clinic with CVS for adults to update any vaccines they may need.
When the COVID Vaccine for children under age 5 is approved (hopefully mid-April) we will be hosting an on-site vaccination clinic! We were excited to be offered this opportunity by the Health Department to help both protect our community, but also make the process of getting your child vaccinated easier! As soon as we have all of the details, we will pass them along
We have some staff shout outs we are so excited to share!
Ms. Kisha is now working with Ms. Petty in the Rising Stars and we are so thrilled with their pairing! Their team exudes creativity and patience and they are so amazing at inspiring exploration of their Creative Curriculum activities. We look forward to seeing what they do next!
Saying farewell to Ms. Vanessa was hard, but we know she’s on to the next beautiful chapter of her life and we could not be more proud of her! We look forward to her visiting the kids and hearing about all of her adventures. Thank you for everything, Ms. Vanessa!
Ms. Celestine has stepped into a role where she assists in multiple classrooms. She has been instrumental at providing quality care and support in every classroom where we have needed an extra helping hand. We are so happy (and lucky!) to have her.
Ms. Casey from the Busy Bees has expanded her role to include assistance in the Playful Pandas in the afternoon! She is getting experience with multiple ages and the kids are so excited to get to spend time with her.
Our beloved Summer Counselors are returning in May! Ms. Katie has already returned to Common Ground and has been helping us out on Fridays. While we know this experience is invaluable to her as well, we are so grateful to have her here.
That’s all for now! But stay tuned for more updates as the Summer comes closer!
CHIPS, DIPS, AND PARTNERSHIPS!: Chipotle Fundraiser!
Our next Family Fundraiser Night is at CHIPOTLE on April 11th from 4-8PM! It is at the Sunset Hills location: 12152 Sunset Hills Road, Reston VA 20190
Stop by the store or order Online. Pickup Orders Count! Order through the Chipotle App or on their website. Here is our Flyer
Use this Coupon Code: KG3Y7KQ
Note: ubereats, doordash, and other delivery sites like that DO NOT COUNT
We get 33% of the sales, so share with everyone you can!
Can’t do this fundraiser? That’s okay! We have Family Fundraiser Nights each month! Check out our calendar and find your new local favorite dinner place! How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
Nando’s Peri Peri: May TBD I On the Border: June 2nd
Thank you for being a part of our Community and make sure to check out the upcoming events below!
Love,
The Common Ground Team
Newsletter: March 24
Dear Parents,
We have some exciting spring updates to share!
Test to Stay is here!
We are excited to announce that we will be participating in the Virginia Department of Health pilot Test to Stay program for Early Childhood Education Centers!
You can read more details here, but the TL;DR version is that with your consent, children age two and up who exposed to COVID at Common Ground may remain in care provided:
we have a signed consent form to participate in test to stay - Keep a lookout for a Brightwheel message for when your class has been sent the consent forms through Adobe Sign. Participation is not required.
the tests used are proctored by eMed (we will provide tests)
the child wears a mask while attending the program
the child remains symptom free
the child continues to test negative for COVID during the required period
the family agrees to continue to quarantine, other than attending school, during the full 10 day quarantine period
We are sure that this program will evolve over the coming months, and we are prepared to evolve with it, but excited to be able to offer an option to keep your children who remain well after an exposure to COVID in care!
We will be working on an FAQ about the program in the coming week. If you have any questions we should consider, please email them to Liz.
Spring is Here!
And with it, our second installment of Simple, Screen-less Activities you can do at home! We have provided three types of activities that require very few supplies and even less prep time. Create a timeless memory tonight!
Enjoy your Weekend!! Please let us know if you have any questions!!
Love,
Your CG Family
Newsletter: March 15
Dear Parents,
Virginia (early) Spring Weather is doing what it always does: catching us by surprise! One minute it’s sunny and warm, the next it’s rainy and chilly! We have been going on a lot of nature exploration walks with all our classes and enjoying ample time outside, so thank you so much for making sure your kiddo has appropriate weather attire and shoe attire.
Reminder that Saturday hours are THIS WEEK from 9:00AM-2:30PM! If you haven’t signed up but would like to partake, check it out HERE.
Thank you all so much! You were good company with the noodles :)
Between the Mod Pizza Fundraiser and the Noodles and Company Fundraiser, our families earned $218.29 for the center! We are so glad that we got to “eat dinner” with you, even apart. Did anyone in your family try something new? Is there a restaurant you would love to see featured this way? Let us know in the comments!
We have Family Fundraiser Nights each month! Check out our calendar and find your new local favorite dinner place! How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
We have a few posts from the last couple of days to share with you.
One is about the Persian New Year’s Celebration Nowruz! Ms. Gitti taught our four-year-old classes all about it last week. The holiday occurs on the first day of Spring each year!
Read more about it Here.
We also have written a post about how to talk to help out the Ukraine. One of the main ways we suggest is encouraging them to think about how to be helpful and comforting to those in need.
Read more about it Here.
If you like these posts, you should subscribe to our blog! We write posts about holidays, recommended books, issues children face, and family friendly activities! We love sharing our world and thoughts with you, so if there is ever anything you’d like to see OR share, let us know.
That’s all our news for today! Stay tuned to find out how we are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day later this week!
Love,
Your CG Family
Newsletter: March 1
Dear Parents,
Thank you for giving us this week to roll out our plans for masks in response to SB739. The Virginia Department of Education released these guidelines on Friday evening that include encouragement for us to allow parental choice, and a reminder that since we received federal covid relief funds, we should follow the CDC guidance on masking. We set our policies based on the most up to date science and evidence based practices that are also in line with the wishes of our community.
With that, we ask that you please fill out this survey. We are not requiring that you share any identifying information, however, if you do, your answers will be kept confidential within the admin team:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us as we navigate another new chapter of the pandemic.
The Blood Mobile is coming this Friday and we still need 20 slots filled!
With everything going on in the world, we need blood donations more than ever. Please take the time to sign up. Let’s help any and every way we can. Together, a little at a time, we can make the world a safer place for families like us. Register here: https://bit.ly/StAnnesEC0304
Can’t Donate Blood? You can donate funds to Common Ground that help us run things like this Blood Drive HERE!
Our Mod Pizza Fundraiser Participation was the best we’ve ever had at a Family Night Fundraiser!!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. It was so cold that day! It was in the middle of the week! But you all SHOWED UP. Common Ground always shows up and makes any event we have memory worthy, and we love you for it. Also that pizza was ridiculously yummy. Did your kids try any new toppings? Did you have fun?
Our next Family Fundraiser Night is at Noodles and Company on March 9th from 4-8PM! Same deal, you just show up, say you’re from Common Ground, order your favorite noodly meal, and skip cleaning your kitchen for an evening while supporting your school!
Can’t do this fundraiser? That’s okay! We have Family Fundraiser Nights each month! Check out our calendar and find your new local favorite dinner place! How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
Noodles and Company: March 9th I Chipotle: April 11th I On the Border: June 2nd
Read across America is this week!
We have had so much fun these last two days reading your kids’ favorite books and dressing in goofy hats and socks! Tomorrow is “Wear as many colors as you can” day, and we can’t wait to see your creativity!
What is “Read Across America” and why is it important? Read more about it HERE!
That’s all! Check out our blog and our social media for updates throughout the week until our next newsletter!
Love,
Your CG Family
Newsletter: February 22
Dear CG Family!
We hope you enjoyed the federal holiday yesterday! It is the LAST time Common Ground will be closed for a holiday until the Friday before and the Monday of Memorial Day weekend! We have a lot of great information packed into this weeks newsletter, so make sure to read on!
Today is our Mod Pizza Fundraiser! Support your school by ordering from the Plaza America Mod Pizza. We get 20% of sales! Show our flyer in store or use the code MODF2789 when ordering from the website or app.
Can’t do this fundraiser? That’s okay! We have Family Fundraiser Nights each month! Check out our calendar and find your new local favorite dinner place! How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
Mod Pizza: February 22nd I Noodles and Company: March 9th I Chipotle: April 11th I On the Border: June 2nd
Is your kid into Disney’s Magic Bake-Off?
We know how hard it can be to plan any evening activities that do not involve a screen, especially when the weather has been so unpredictable! We want to be creative and fun for our kids, but it can be so hard to muster the energy.
We have done a write up with some simple, easy to clean up baking activities you can do with your imaginative youngster HERE. If you try them out, let us know, and share your own baking recipes and stories in the comments!
Read Across America Day is Wednesday, March 2nd - Whacky Wednesday!
NEA's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading with the theme: Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers.
It’s also a celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday! If your students haven’t started reading Dr. Seuss in their classroom to begin their celebration, they will soon! Here is a picture of Ms. Petty reading Dr. Seuss to the Rising Stars.
How can we celebrate together?
Reading isn’t just for quiet time! Reading is for together time. Reading is for adventure time. Reading is for silly, fancy, wonder time.
We will be celebrating all next week! We will send out exactly how tomorrow, so stay posted!
See you next week!
Your CG Family
Newsletter: February 17
Dear CG Families,
TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE WARM AND WET! Please make sure to pack extra clothes, rain boots, and a lighter jacket. The kids, because of the weather, may be a little muddy at pick up! We will do everything we can, but play is important, and a little dirt is good for everyone. Please note that it is very helpful to our teachers to have all extra clothes and weather gear properly labeled! Kids have their own cubbies and hooks, but there are still dozens of adorable jackets and gloves that we want to make sure get home to the right person.
If you need any extra labels check out our MABEL’S LABELS fundraiser! They have all of the most adorable labels and stamps for every kid and every occasion. Just search “Childcare of the Common Ground Foundation” and get shopping!
REMINDER: We are CLOSED on Monday, February 21st for President’s Day!
Mod Pizza Next Week!
ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, MOD PIZZA IS HOSTING A FUNDRAISER FOR US ALL DAY!
RSVP HERE in our Facebook Event to let us know you’re coming. Please share it with as many of your local friends and family as possible!
A fundraiser where you get your delicious, fully customized pizza, and your school gets 20% of what you pay!
You an order in store, through the Mod Pizza App, or directly on the website! Whether or not you do sit in or carry out, it counts! If you are ordering online, make sure to use the code MODF2789. If you are ordering in person make sure to show this flyer! Please note: ordering through apps like UberEats, DoorDash, etc WILL NOT COUNT toward the fundraiser!
Extended Hours Sign-Ups
Please make sure to sign up for extended hours if you need them! Remember, extended hours sign ups done two days prior are included in your tuition.
Winter Season, through March 18th: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-winter
Spring Season, through May 26th: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-spring1
Please keep in mind that we only schedule to keep staff here based on sign ups. If no one signs up, the center will open at 8am and close at 5:30pm
If you need emergency extended hours, please get in touch with Liz.
More about Jiji!
Has your love bug, busy bee, or kindergartener come home and told you about Jiji the penguin!? Miss Victoria rolled out our implementation of the Mind Institute’s ST Math program in our preschool classrooms at the beginning of this year.
You can read all about how ST Math uses a spacial-temporal approach to ensure a conceptual understanding of math that align with the Virginia standards! Not only that, it’s FUN!
Read more about ST Math here: https://www.stmath.com/how?hsCtaTracking=17ac1579-3838-4668-90cb-9ce4576ac329%7C5c60d7ba-408d-4e43-b1c7-821a20ef9932
And here’s a great post on how using games like ST Math can help with Social Emotional Learning: https://blog.mindresearch.org/blog/can-a-math-game-improve-social-emotional-learning-skills
You may be thinking that you’d love to let your kids play at home too, right? Well, the brilliance of this program is that preschoolers only need 30 minutes a week (kindergarten does 60 minutes per week), so we ask that if you want to have your child do ST Math at home, that you limit it to just 10 minutes per week!
Thank you so much for reading this weeks newsletter and we hope to be able to share more updates from our classrooms next week!
Love,
Your CG Family
Newsletter: February 11
Dear Parents,
It’s Black History Month! We recommend reading Children’s Books to your kids about subjects we all still have a lot to learn about. Learning together is the way we teach our kids that learning is a lifelong necessity to create a better world. If you want more recommendations for teacher recommended books and learning resources about why we celebrate Black History Month, check out these previous blog posts about Juneteenth and MLK Jr.
It is also American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health. Last week we were going for percent improvement in our steps challenge and we were astounded!! In the last two weeks we have traveled over 1400 miles! That means we could have walked to Cuba (bring your water shoes!). We also could have hiked to Austin, Texas if we wanted to enjoy their sunny, 64 degree weather. Digging the cold? We could have hoofed it north all the way to Newfoundland! Look at your steps from the last week if you have a tracker and let us know where you could have traveled! Every step counts for your health.
It’s Kindergarten Registration Time!
We will be having a parent meeting for our Rising Kindergarteners on February 16th at 6:30pm.
This meeting will go over how to register for public school kindergarten, an over view of our kindergarten program, and information about our offerings for before and aftercare. If you can please help us out with planning and fill out the form below:
Kids Supplies and the importance of LABELS!
We have had some truly Virginia weather these last few weeks! One minute it’s 18 degrees and blustery, the next minute it’s close to 60 degrees and rainy! We really applaud your efforts to make sure the kids have whatever they need, be it gloves and snow boots or rain gear and umbrellas! That being said, when we are getting all the kiddos ready to brave the elements, it would be helpful to have labels on their clothing and items so that we can tell the difference between three different little blue jackets and 12 pairs of cotton gloves! That’s why we recommend every kiddo have their names on the tags of all their gear.
We are hosting a fundraiser with MABEL’S LABELS now until June! You can purchase anything from stickers to stamps to tags. We especially recommend this to our kids who will be campers, as they will be outside a lot of the time and not have their own cubbies! CLICK HERE, then Search for “Childcare of the Common Ground Foundation” to support our fundraiser.
We have Family Dinner Restaurant Fundraisers planned every month (May pending!) until June! We are picking local restaurants with family friendly options for all your eaters. How can you help make these succeed? Share our Facebook Events and Flyers with all your local friends and family! Who doesn’t like a ready-made, delicious family dinner?
Mod Pizza: February 22nd I Noodles and Company: March 9th I Chipotle: April 11th I On the Border: June 2nd
Our Love Bugs and Busy Bees classes have started doing ST Math with Ms. Victoria! ST Math is the program they use in FCPS to help supplement the math curriculum. Read all about their journey with Jiji
HERE.
Have a wonderful weekend guys! See you Monday!!
Your CG Family
Newsletter: February 1
Dear Parents,
February is heart month! Our staff step challenge has been going strong for eight days now. This week we are aiming for percentage improvement, because the most important race you run is the one against yourself! Did you know that by Sunday night the teachers, as a team, had stepped almost all the way to Disney World? Join us on our journey and see where we go to next!
Speaking of fun activities, don’t forget to sign up your kiddos for our Saturday Hours. Sign up for February 12th Saturday Hours and make your donation HERE.
What else is going on at our center? Check out our blog here and read more below!
Lunar New Year is Today! Read Here to get a brief history of the holiday along with how we are teaching about the traditions in our classrooms. We also have some really cool books and crafts you can use in family time at home!
On Friday, February 18th, Mod Pizza will be hosting a fundraiser for us ALL DAY LONG!
Where: The Mod Pizza in the Plaza America Shopping Center: 11642 Plaza America Drive, Reston VA 20190
When: Friday, February 18th from 10:30AM-10:00PM
What: A fundraiser where you get your delicious, fully customized pizza, and your school gets 20% of what you pay!
In the spirit of being more active… WE JUST GOT THREE NEW PIECES OF PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT!
The 2s playground has a new seesaw, and the infant playground has new baby swings and a crawling/sensory area! COMPLETE WITH ADORABLE FISH IMAGERY!
Rain or shine, the outside is mighty fine!
That’s all for now, but please stay tuned! We have more Family Fun Fundraiser Dinner Nights already scheduled on our calendar for the spring months, but we are also already thinking about how best to celebrate our 50TH BIRTHDAY! We are so excited we get to celebrate all days great and small with you.
Have a Good Week!
Your CG Family
Newsletter: January 25
Dear Parents,
We are stepping into this frosty 2022 with a step challenge for our staff starting this week! Six weeks of “steps per day” based competitions, team rivalries, and fabulous prizes! Read more about it here and follow our progress on instagram, twitter, and facebook!
Coming up in February, we have our SATURDAY HOURS! You could do Valentine’s Day Brunch! You could get some cleaning done. You could read a book and do a puzzle. You can do whatever you like guilt-free because your kids will be with us having a ball! Sign up for February 12th Saturday Hours and make your donation HERE.
What else is going on at our center? Check out our blog here and read more below!
Kindergarten Registration AND Magnet School Lotteries are Now Open!
If you have rising Kindergarteners or first graders and are interested in Fairfax County magnet school programs, the lotteries are now open.
CLICK HERE for more information and to find links to the lottery sign-ups.
We will be sending out information about our kindergarten program as well as surveying who needs before and after care for next year in February!
Connect with the Hunter Mill School Board Rep!
Melanie Meren, our Hunter Mill School Board rep is hosting a video chat on Wednesday night at 6:30pm. You can register for the call here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScB-Rs4GF1Zr9onePRphq7XbTLJgr_L8I4nk0kVi3dLziioPQ/viewform
This is just a chat with Melanie about public education in Fairfax County, as well as in America.
What is “Wishing well” and how is it helpful day to day?
Wishing well is a way to instantly calm ourselves, and offer love and caring to others.
It is in our very building blocks to be helpful. When others are upset we want to make it better, but do not often have the tools to do so!
“Wishing Well” is a way for children to help others when there is no tangible way to offer their help.
Just Cats Clinic has been caring for our cats like they’re family since 2013.
Website I Contact Info and Hours I Directions
Now, when we need them the most, they have opened an Urgent Care clinic with extended hours.
For the first time in 20 years you can’t just go to an emergency vet. Imagine your animal is in trouble, you call their doctor, and they have to check to see which emergency vets might have space.
There are a lot of patients that NEED to be seen, but are not a life or death emergency. They are in pain, or vomiting, but would be turned away because the number of more urgent patients was just too high.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS STORY HERE
As always, thank you for your support and being a part of our community!
Love,
the Common Ground Team
Newsletter: January 18
Dear Parents,
We are kicking off this week with a list of GOOD THINGS:
FCPS did not close today, so we were able to run our regular programs!
We had enough ice melt to treat the parking lot before car line started!
Our board president welcomed her baby girl to the world this weekend!
Our new tent looks repairable!
None of the Rising Stars are showing symptoms of COVID!
Today is national gourmet coffee day!
Tomorrow is National Popcorn Day!
We have Mac and Cheese for lunch today!
we have a great blog post for Martin Luther King Jr.
More winter weather in the forecast!
We are currently watching two winter events coming up this week. The first is in the forecast for Thursday Morning. We will keep you up to date as things progress with this event through Brightwheel and through this post.
Universal Masking
We practice Universal Masking at Common Ground for all staff and students aged 3 and up. We also expect our community to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status for as long as it is recommended by health officials.
This applies to children who attend public school and also attend Common Ground.
Thank you for being a part of our Community!
love,
The CG Team
Newsletter: January 11
Dear Parents,
We are happy to announce at ALL of our classrooms have reopened! We still have a few students and staff members out in isolation or quarantine, but everyone is doing well and looking forward to returning when they are able.
Classroom Transition Meetings - Postponed
We need to postpone the transition meetings for our classrooms until next week. We will be doing a staggered transition, following the schedule below:
Students moved from Dancing Monkeys to Rising Stars this past Monday
Students moving from Playful Pandas into Dancing Monkeys will move on Tuesday, January 18th
Students moving from Little Penguins into Playful Pandas will move Monday, January 24th
Students moving from Bubble Buddies into Little Penguins will move Monday, January 31st
We will send the meeting registration links by the end of this week through brightwheel.
More COVID Updates:
Things seem to be changing faster than ever with the recent spike in cases in the area. We are doing our best to keep up with everything, but so that you are aware of some of the changes on our part, here’s a list of our updates:
Staff will no longer be eating in classrooms with their students
KN-95 masks are provided to staff in addition to surgical masks
More Outdoor Time
Classroom Cohors
We understand that it is more difficult to get a PCR test now. We ask that if anyone in your house develops any new symptoms and you do not yet have a negative PCR test result, please keep your child home until you have been able to perform two negative rapid tests at least 36 hours apart. This is a request, not a policy at this point. We are trying to keep the center open for as many people as possible.
Please note that children are excluded from care if anyone in the household has a pending PCR test for any reason.
Fun in the COLD!
Our Kids seem to be like Elsa - “The cold doesn’t bother them anyway!” - at least for short periods of time!
We are making sure that we are keeping our kiddos safe in the cold temperatures with your help! We appreciate that you have been sending your child ready to spend some time outdoors each day!
Miss LJ was able to collect extra coats, snow pants, boots and mittens in case any child ever need a loaner. In fact, if you have any winter gear that your little one has outgrown, send it our way! We can even see if we can swap you from our stash that will fit this winter!
Extended Hours:
Please make sure that you sign up for extended hours if you need them and please only sign up for the days that you need. We are basing our staffing decisions on the sign up list. It also helps us track if there is an exposure to COVID within the center.
We will also be assessing a late pickup fees if you do not sign up for extended hours.
Keeping Your Kids Home?
Please make sure to fill our the absence form when you decide to keep your kids home. You can find that form here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/absence
Are you planning an absence in the future? You can still share those dates here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2021/11/16/winter-holiday-vacation-planning
As a reminder, we are CLOSED on Monday, January 17th for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Thank you for being a part of our community!
love,
the CG team
Newsletter: January 4
Dear Parents,
2022 is off to quite a start! We are doing our best to keep the school and classrooms open in light of multiple challenges so far this year. Here’s what you need to know:
Car Line - in front of main entrance
Car line will continue to be in front of the main door until the risk of ice in the parking lot from the re-freeze subsides. Please use car line to drop off, as we are only making sure that the area right in front of the school is clear from ice.
More Winter Weather is Coming
Wednesday:
A special weather statement was issued for tomorrow morning that could impact our opening time. Please stay tuned to this post for updates: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2022/1/4/special-weather-statement-wednesday-morning-january-5-2022
There is already chatter about FCPS being closed again tomorrow. If that happens, Kindergarten will be closed, but the school aged program will run for our FCPS kids as well as our Kindergarteners, in line with our operating status for the school.
Friday:
We are expected to get another 3 to 5 inches of snow on Thursday evening. We will update you on our operating status by 5am on Friday morning.
Snow Policy:
We close when Fairfax County Government closes. Other than that, we will make our own determination. We will make every effort to update you by 5am each day there is a threat of a weather closure or delay.
Snow Gear:
We need to keep our kids warm and dry while they are outdoors, so it’s really important that you send your child with weather appropriate clothing each day. This includes a back up outfit and shoes!
Do you have any snow gear that your children have outgrown? Bring it in and we can find a home for it!
Covid Update:
Fairfax County has yet to update their guidance for child care centers. This means that will will continue to operate with:
a 10 day isolation for all people who are positive for COVID
day 1 is the first day symptoms begin OR the day of the PCR test for asymptomatic people
individuals who test positive for COVID may return on day 11, providing that their symptoms are improving and they have been fever free for 24 hours.
a 14 quarantine for CONTACTS of someone who has tested positive for COVID
day 1 for the 14 day quarantine begins the day after the last exposure to the COVID positive individual.
If we receive updated guidance, we will post an update to the website immediately.
Thank you again for all of your support!
Love,
the CG team!
Newsletter: December 30
Dear Parents,
We were all hoping for a better way to celebrate the new year, but 29 students/staff members have been out in either isolation or quarantine due to a covid exposure.
We need to reiterate the following policies:
Report absences every day your child is out: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/absence
Report positive COVID test results to Liz IMMEDIATELY via email and/or text
Report exposure to a COVID positive person to Liz IMMEDIATELY via email and/or text
If you suspect that your child has COVID, but you do not have results yet, please text Liz
Our Community Pledge: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/community-pledge
As a reminder, we follow the recommendations of the Fairfax County Health Department for licensed child care centers, which may be more conservative than the newest CDC guidance. We will update our policies as soon as the Fairfax County Health Department makes changes.
Up until this latest case of COVID, we had no spread within our center. However, we have had spread within one of our infant classrooms. This is slightly expected due to the fact that they are too young to wear masks. But in light of this spread, we are going back to the beginning with our mitigation practices beginning January 3rd.
Eating outdoors in March of 2021
Our COVID Mitigation Approach - OPEN AIR and OUTDOORS:
Beginning January 3rd, all classrooms will follow this schedule as much as possible:
8:00am to 9:45am: drop off and breakfast, indoors
9:45am to 11:30am: Outdoor Learning and Play
11:30am: Lunch (outdoors if possible)
Midday: Nap, indoors
3:15pm to Close: Outdoor Learning and Play
This is the approximate schedule each classroom will follow. Each teacher will adjust based on age appropriateness and weather. We did this during the winter of 2020-2021 with great success!
We do need your help! We need your child to come ready to spend the bulk of the day outside. This means making sure that they have clothing that is warm enough, including back up clothing that is warm enough if they become wet. We have a fantastic supplies list for wet and winter weather!
Learning happens where ever kids are!
Just because we are going back to being outdoors for more, doesn’t mean we are abandoning learning! In fact, our preschool classrooms are doing units that can easily be adapted to be taught outdoors:
Rising Stars - Trees
Busy Bees - Recycling
Love Bugs - Exercise
As you can see from the photos, we had a great time exploring the woods with the Owls Class, last year! And check out this great blog post from Miss LJ: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2021/2/3/i-met-a-pediatrician-in-the-woods
You can read more about how our classes embrace the outside as in integral part of our learning in some of the linked blog posts below.
Thank you for trusting us to help keep your kids safe!
We will make it through this latest challenge together.
Love,
The CG Team
Newsletter: December 21
Dear Parents,
Covid has once again impacted our center. With the omicron variant on the rise, the delta variant still circulating, and new CDC guidance being covered in newspapers, it can be hard to know what to do when your family has been impacted by a covid exposure.
At Common Ground, we are following the recommendations and guidance from the Fairfax County Health Department for child care centers. At this time, they still require us to observe a full 14 day quarantine, even though the CDC has guidance that ends quarantine early with testing. We will update our policies as the Fairfax County Health Department does.
With so many of our families in quarantine…
Miss LJ and Miss Victoria collaborated to come up with a wonderful resource of ways to celebrate from home.
These events are perfect if you’re in quarantine or just looking to limit your exposures while omicron is on the rise.
The list is being updated as we come up with new ideas, so if you have any crafts/activities/memory makers you’d like to share, please let us know!
Don’t forget we have our Story Time Section on the website and our YouTube channel filled with wonderful read-alouds. These are perfect if you’re stuck in the car waiting for a test or even if you’re just missing your Common Ground Teachers!
Tomorrow is Pajama Day!
We are excited to have a PJ day here at Common Ground to celebrate our last day of the week! So send your kiddos dressed in their jammies tomorrow!
We hope you have a wonderful long, holiday weekend!
Love,
The CG Team
Newsletter: December 14
Dear Parents,
Thank you to all of you who donated blood on Friday! The blood banks are still in need of donations, so if you can, head over to https://www.inovablood.org to donate in the next two weeks and you’ll be on cycle for our next bloodmobile visit later this winter.
Blood donation is just one way that you can give back to our greater community by donating time. And coming in 2022, we will more opportunities for you to help us here at the center.
Teachers have already received their Christmas gift/bonus from parent donations and Common Ground. You will be invoiced for your pledges in January of 2022. If you have yet to make your pledge, you can do so here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/teacher-bonus-fund
Are you planning on taking some time off over the holidays? Make sure you let us know: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2021/11/16/winter-holiday-vacation-planning As a reminder, Common Ground is closed on 12/23, 12/24, and 12/31.
The winter season Early Morning Drop Off and Evening Hours sign-up is LIVE! You can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4FACA723ABFF2-winter You can also find this link on our Calendar page and on the Newsletter Main Page.
We are still trying to track absences to make sure that we stay on top of possible outbreaks of illnesses (other than Covid) in our center. So when you child stays home, please fill out the absence report form here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/absence
We LOVE Saturdays at Common Ground!
We have three more Saturdays planned where you can drop your kiddos off with us! Sign up here:
February 12th: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-forthe
March 19th: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-saturday1
April 30th: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4FACA723ABFF2-spring
The suggested donation for these events is $25 per child. You can make the donation via our PayPal giving fund: https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1778362
Our Busy Bees make great Actors!
We may be just rolling out Conscious Discipline to our classrooms now, but we have been practicing its core tenants for years. “Child-led” is a concept that our preschool teachers are keyed into in a big way. If a teacher knows what inspires curiosity and excitement in the students, they will always know how to teach them in a way that lasts.
During Circle Time the Busy Bees teachers often read a themed story that coincides with the curriculum. They noticed that the students wanted to be actively involved, not just sitting quietly listening! In the spirit of teaching with love, our teachers read the story again and again so that the students would know it, and then would let the kids pick a character to be. The results were incredible! The students are learning story structure, practicing call and response, and really digging into reading comprehension, all because they wanted to play act together. Think what we would have missed out on had Ms. Adella just said “sit down and be quiet."
And with that, we wish you well for this week and look forward to our last few weeks of 2021!
Love,
Your CG Family
Newsletter: December 8
Dear Parents,
Thank you for continuing to make pledges for our teacher bonus fund! We have already awarded the teachers their winter bonuses so that they could use them for Holiday shopping and they are incredibly grateful! Every staff member is so appreciative of the support that you, out families, show us!
You can still make your pledge here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/teacher-bonus-fund
We are also VERY EXCITED to have our kiddos here this Saturday! It’s not too late to sign up for our “Saturday Shopping Hours” - register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-saturday
We have another blood drive coming up on DECEMBER 10TH from 1:00PM-5:30PM
HERE IS THE SIGN UP LINK.
WE ARE SHORT 25 VOLUNTEERS. Blood donations are the lowest they’ve been in a decade. Please help us do our part to bolster our hospitals and protect our neighbors. The holidays are a time of joy, family, and giving. If you give blood, you may just give the gift of a life this year.
Help us give back to our community in the most essential way. If you can’t give blood but want to help, read more about how HERE
Can’t make our blood drive? You can sign up to donate year round at https://www.inovabloodsaves.org
Fully Vaccinated!
With the Pfizer Vaccine approved for 5-11 year olds under Emergency Use Authorization, Common Ground has not yet made the covid vaccine mandatory for children, however our community has taken it upon themselves to get their children vaccinated!
The kids have even been EXCITED to be a part of helping to mitigate the pandemic.
As your child becomes eligible, we have several parents that are willing to share their child’s vaccination experience and answer questions if you have them.
We are gifting every child who gets their vaccine a “Care, Quality, and a Vaccinated Community” shirt in blue! We also have adult shirts in red that you can purchase for $15! Just email with your size request - limited sizes available.
Virginia Families with Young Children Survey
If you haven’t completed this survey, please do so: https://bit.ly/va-family-survey
Participation in surveys like this help the childcare industry as a whole, advocate for what we need! We have been incredibly impressed with how participation in the Preschool Development Block Grant has validated what we do well and highlighted areas where we can be more effective.
This survey is voluntary and anonymous.
If you have questions about this survey, please reach out to Grace Kegley - kgk4pu@virginia.edu
Thank you for another great week at Common Ground!
-The CG Team
Newsletter: November 30
Dear Parents,
We had our first snow flurries of the season this morning which is a good reminder that “Winter is Coming!”
As a reminder, Common Ground follows our own closure policy for snow days that errs on the side of OPEN. We will send out messages via Brightwheel if opening is ever delayed, as well as updating the banner at the top of our website.
Our teachers were observed by CLASS observers earlier this fall as part of our participation in the Preschool Development Block Grant. We have the results from those observations and are happy to report that our teachers met or exceeded the benchmarks across the board! Our implementation of Conscious Discipline will only help to strengthen our classrooms and the relationships that our teachers build with your children. And the strength of the “School Family” is what the CLASS tool observes! To learn more, visit the Teachstone website.
Welcome back, Common Ground Families! Today is GIVING TUESDAY!
What is GivingTuesday? On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States people are encouraged to donate to their favorite non-profit organizations. It is a chance for people to give toward a cause that benefits the world, and to be mindful of others while shopping for one’s self and one’s family. It is touted as a "global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world".
You can help us support our staff, our students, our classrooms, and the future of early childhood education by donating to our Facebook Giving Tuesday Fundraiser. You can also share your donation to your feed to help encourage others! Many hands make light work.
You can also:
Make a pledge to our Teacher Fund for 2022.
Put “Childcare Center of the Common Ground Foundation” as your Amazon Smile Charity! Don’t know how? CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
Fill out the VA Families with Young Children survey below and shop at our Scholastic Fair!
Click here or scan the QR code for the survey!
We encourage our families to take the Virginia Families with Young Children Survey!
We want to hear about your experiences with early care and/or education programs for your child.
The survey is anonymous, and your individual responses will not be shared with anyone. The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer, and you may end the survey at any time. If you have any questions, please contact Grace Kegley by email (kgk4pu@virginia.edu) or by phone (434-297-6882).
Our Scholastic Book Fair is Live. AND AMAZING!!!
We have our Scholastic Book Fair set up in the curved hallway, so you can shop in warmth and comfort! Walk STRAIGHT THROUGH the garden. There are two doors that lead to the Book Fair that have posters on them (that’s how you can tell they aren’t windows!). Purchase your holiday gifts without worrying about shipping!
While looking at all the incredible books we have, make sure to help your child pick out a book for a kid in need. You can teach your child the Joy of Giving by letting them pick out a book for our RifNova Children’s Book Donation Drive!
If you aren’t worried about shipping and want a HUGE selection of amazing books for the children in your life, check out the online portion of our book fair HERE. The cool thing about the online book fair is that it goes for TWO WEEKS instead of one!
We hope you all had a wonderful break for Thanksgiving! As a reminder, please let us know if you plan on taking any time off over the winter holiday here.
Have a great week!
Love,
The CG Team
Newsletter: November 23
Dear Parents,
Thanksgiving week is here and we are thankful for YOU! REMINDER, we are CLOSED on Wednesday, November 24th.
Read our update from the Health Department…
The TL;DR update is:
covid numbers are back on the rise
vaccination is an important part of our layered approach and we are excited that ALL of our eligible kids have gotten or have plans to get their first shot!
Dancing Monkeys will be wearing masks indoors more to prepare for our next transition in January
please keep your kids home whenever possible when they are symptomatic, even if they are covid negative. We are trying to keep all illnesses from spreading within our center.
The STUFFY SLEEPOVER is THIS TODAY!
Don’t miss out on seeing your very own Stuffy participate in the Stuffy Sleepover this Tuesday night! Sign up here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2020/11/17/givefundsgivetime-the-stuffy-sleepover-np826-98jak
All families will get:
links to the sleepover video
links to NEW Mr. Josh recordings
links to the stories that are read
Stuffy Friends who attend get:
featured in videos participating in the event!
a coloring book and goodie bag
a bus ride to be dropped off at home on Wednesday morning!
Here are the links to Last Fall and Last Spring’s sleepovers!
Save some shopping for our BOOK FAIR!
We know that people love to knock out their shopping over Thanksgiving weekend - but save some shopping for our Scholastic Book Fair! We have all the books your child needs. You can teach your child the Joy of Giving by letting them pick out a book for our RifNova Children’s Book Donation Drive!
In Person: 11/29-12/3. Online: 11/29-12/12
Let’s Breathe Together!
Do you love our Sweatshirts? Want one!? We will be placing an additional order if there is enough interest!
BLEED RED OR GIVE GREEN
Our next Blood Drive is December 10th from 1:00PM-5:30PM! It is open to the public, and slots are already going fast.
Sign up to donate now! You may give someone the gift of life for the holidays.
Can’t give blood? That’s okay! Pledge your 2022 gift to the Teachers’ Fund to support our Teachers in the new year!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and remember that we are still collecting pledges for our teacher bonuses/gift this winter!
Love,
The CG Team
Newsletter: November 16
Dear Parents,
We are so amazed by the generosity of our community in response to the THANKSGIVING BOXES! We are just 4 x $25 gift cards and 5 full boxes short of our pledge of 20 Boxes! There is still time to sign up and help us complete our pledge! LJ will be dropping the boxes in the morning on Friday. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-thanksgiving
I spy our classrooms…
We missed the original airing of the PBS special on childcare that we loaned out center out for, but found it on youtube!
We are so glad to be a part of bringing attention to this very important issue!
Teacher Bonus Pledges
Thank you for signing up to pledge funds for our Teacher Holiday Gifts and Bonus Pool! We really appreciate your generosity and thank you for making the donations in 2022, so that we can maximize the pandemic funding that we are eligible for!
You can read the letter from the board and sign up to make your pledge here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/teacher-bonus-fund
You know us, we love to plan!
If you’re planning on missing some time here at Common Ground over the winter months, please let us know so that we can work to allow our staff to take some time off as well!
You can sign up for that here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/blog-1/2021/11/16/winter-holiday-vacation-planning
Have you been reading our blog?
We have a lot of great information about Conscious Discipline and Curriculum! We are in the infancy of implementing Conscious Discipline in our center and after the new year will be inviting our families to participate in the same training our staff have completed!
Hot Chocolate, Play Dates, and Saturday Hours!
Our first Common Ground Play Date was a success this past Saturday! We plan on hosting more get togethers for our families as the year goes on. But for now, make sure that you sign up for Saturday Shopping Hours: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4faca723abff2-saturday
Stuffy Sleepover and Book Fair
We have two FUNdraising events coming up! First, we have our annual Stuffy Sleepover! Make sure to sign your stuffy up for all the fun. We will be dropping off Stuffys after the sleepover and will send out the route so that you can be there to see the Common Ground Bus!
Then, on deck in December we have our next Scholastic Book Fair, since we all know that books are one of the 4 gifts to get a child - something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.
Thank you again for reading our newsletter and being a part of our community!
Love,
The CG Team