Happy Friday, PSD Families! Please read this email thoroughly (and save it) so you’re up to date on all of the important things you need to know to be in the loop at The Pointe!
Parent Participation Week is NEXT WEEK (Feb 21-26)! We have all of our best tips to make it a great week on the blog here. Our instructors are SO excited to welcome you to their classes to show you what dancers have been working on! A few guidelines to make the week smooth for everyone:
- Talk to your dancer (especially young ones!) ahead of time so they know you’re coming in the studio just this time and see what they’re most excited for you to try!
- Plan to be active and move! Wear clothing that’s comfortable for you to move in. Consider that most classes include some stretching on the floor in addition to standing.
- Wear socks or be ready to go barefooted – street shoes often carry in sand/salt/dirt/etc that is damaging to our specialty dance floors. Street shoes must stay in the hallway, lobby, or lounge.
- This week is for parents to participate – not younger siblings or friends. We ask for one parent or adult per dancer. Of course, an aunt or uncle or grandparent can step in!
- Try to remember what you saw earlier this year at Parent Observation Week – look for the growth in your student! Not only in new skills learned, but in the mastery and consistency of performing skills. Professional ballerinas still work on perfecting their plies and tendus!
- This is a fun way to learn more about what your dancer does and learns in class each week – approach it with an open mind and be ready to try something new. Your dancer will love getting to teach you a little bit! Our instructors are planning fun things to do to include parents this week.
Dancers at The Pointe can bring in their recital costumes for complimentary minor alterations!
Veteran dance parents with experience making costumes fit just right will be available in the studio lobby! We are able to help make costumes fit great with small adjustments – things like adjusting leotard straps, hemming pants, etc. These small adjustments can make a big difference! We love offering this service to our dance families to help dancers feel confident and excited to perform at recital. Costume alterations days are at the studio, in the lobby, from 9 AM – Noon on February 26 and March 19.
Our summer camp schedule is online now (here) and registration is open NOW (here)!
Summer dance at The Pointe is creative & active fun! Summer class schedules (a 6-week class session running June 20-July 29) will be out soon, and registration for summer classes will open March 10. Graded Technique evaluations and recommendations will be sent home on March 12, so dancers know the best classes to sign up for!
Dancers who take classes over the summer benefit from keeping their technique strong, and can really focus in on specific skills to reach their goals. Summer dance is the best way for students to keep their skills, strength, and flexibility strong!
Summer details are online here: www.thepointeschool.com/summerdance (see our camp schedule there now, and stay tuned – more schedules coming in the next week!)
Summer Class Session: June 20 – July 29
Intensive Week & Choreography Camp: August 1-5
Bookmark this page – it will have EVERYTHING you need for a stress-free, organized recital season! www.thepointeschool.com/recital2022
Up NOW:
Coming SOON:
- Grand Finale Details (new this week!)
- Quick Reference Guide – all recital event dates/times in ONE line for each class!
- Picture Week & In-Studio Dress Rehearsal Schedule (April 3-7)
- Dress Rehearsal Schedule (June 7-9)
- Hair/Makeup Tutorial video
- Guide on shade options for shoes/tights
- Recital practice music
- Recital practice videos
- Recital Handbook (everything you need to know in one packet)
- Recital timeline (dates for tickets, merchandise orders, & more!)
- Show Orders
- Recital Program ad and shout-out orders
- Flower and merchandise pre-orders
- Online ticket orders
NEW FOR 2022 – The Pointe is adding an easy method of communication to get relevant information directly to families – right on your phone!
- Click the links on your phone to download the BAND app and join these groups 🙂
- Please join the Studio-wide BAND here: https://band.us/n/aba6607526O3B
- If your dancer is in COMPANY, please join the Company BAND here: https://band.us/n/a4ac627b2aNdR (dancers can and should join, too!)
- If your dancer is in COMMUNITY TEAM, please join the CT BAND here: https://band.us/n/a7a9687a26O1J (dancers can and should join, too!)
- We’re still tweaking the settings and figuring out how to make this work for us in the best way, but I think this will be a nice way to communicate better to our families where you are 🙂
- Coming soon – specific additions for each unique class (this is in progress – you’ll get an email for each class with a unique link to join for that specific class!)
- You will get all of the information you need for the classes and programs you’re involved in, without being overwhelmed by information for classes/programs that don’t apply to you
- We know email inboxes are full and tough to keep up with, and we have families that aren’t on Facebook – this app is something private, safe for kids who have a phone but are not connected to social media, and customizable to work for us 🙂
- Please continue to primarily communicate with us by sending us emails – email continues to be our primary and best method of communication.
- Automatic Enrollment – You won’t need to do ANYTHING! Your dancer(s) will be automatically enrolled in the class(es) they are recommended for (we’ll match your current schedule as closely as possible). Your annual membership will process April 25 with the final tuition and costume installment for the school year unless we receive the membership change form from you by April 20. We can add or change classes easily at any time (pending availability in the class).
- Choose Your Own Classes – To choose your classes and guarantee a spot in your preferred time slots, use our convenient Class Choice form (coming in March). Your annual membership will process April 25, and we’ll take care of getting you set up and registered in our software system!
- Opt-Out – We’d hate to see you go! If you are not planning on continuing in dance next year, use the membership change form to opt out. This must be received by 10 PM on April 20 to avoid the annual membership payment processing on April 25.
Because you are an important and valued part of our studio community, families who successfully rollover their registration with us this year will receive a free gift from us when the process is complete!
Weather Cancellation Reminder
- If we need to cancel classes due to inclement weather or road conditions, we will notify families by email and post on Facebook by 2 PM for afternoon/evening classes and 8 AM for morning classes. If you don’t have an email at that time, we are on our normal schedule 🙂
- We do not necessarily follow the schools – sometimes, schools cancel for low temperatures based on students who walk or bus to school. Please wait for an email from the studio to confirm if studio classes are cancelled.
- To make up a missed class due to weather, dancers may attend any class at their same level or one level lower within two weeks. No need to email us to get it scheduled – just come to class and let the instructor know you’re there for a makeup.
- To help our staff spend working time on the projects that best serve the studio, please do not email or call with cancellation-related questions – it takes a lot of time for us to respond to every family that comes to class on a certain day asking if classes are still on. We can serve you better if we just need to send out one piece of communication related to weather cancellations 🙂
Studio Lobby & Lounge
How to get connected at The Pointe!
We ask that families limit lobby visitors to one parent per child if you’ll be waiting in the lobby during class. We also ask that families ONLY have food in the lounge, and that families pick up after they eat. We have wipes, paper towels, and a small broom/dustpan in the lounge so the space can stay nice and neat for the next group to use the space.
We love our studio community and truly believe we work with the best families in Cedar Rapids. We know that it takes a village to raise up awesome kids, and our studio community can be a part of your village. We have a private Facebook group just for studio families – click here, let us know the dancer you’re connected with, and we’ll add you to the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1921735994748769 (you MUST answer the questions to be approved for the group) Please also join our studio-wide BAND app: https://band.us/n/aba6607526O3B (dancers can and should join, too!)
Absences
Attendance in class is crucial for dancers to learn and grow. We can only teach students who are in class 🙂 However, we know that things happen and kids may need to miss occasionally. To report an absence so your instructor knows what’s going on with your dancer, follow the steps in this 40-second video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nstwEOf7e58&list=PLZkeFgMt7mR63GMRqwjdoIM8-U1mxAx-3&index=2
Boutique & Front Desk Hours
We’re happy to help ! We catch up on studio voicemails, emails, and are available at the front desk from 4:30-7:00 Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 AM – Noon on Saturday mornings.
Dress Code
Stay Tuned For:
Students who are dressed for dance perform and progress better in class! Find out what your dancer needs for their classes and easily order online here: www.theturningpointeboutique.com
Summer class and camp schedules
February 8-11 – Intersessional Break (no classes or front desk/boutique hours)
February 21-26 – Parent Participation Week
February 25 – Auto-pay processed
February 26 – Alterations Day #1 (9 AM – Noon in the studio lobby) – Facebook event for more details and to share here.
February 28 – March 5 – Skills Testing Week (Graded Technique Classes)
March 12 – 18 – Spring Break (studio closed, no classes or front desk/boutique hours)
Have a wonderful weekend!
– Miss Vanessa & your PSD Staff
