Happy Friday, PSD Families!

This Friday FYI email is our primary method of communication to studio families - please save it for a time when you can read through it thoroughly and bookmark it for reference!

New & Urgent this week:

• Our Holiday Showcase webpage is now LIVE! Please see below to learn about this special performance opportunity for our Dance & Discover, Beginning, and Chance to Dance Dancers!

• Recital Costume Sizing is continuing at the studio next week!! See below for instructions and details.

• Parent Appreciation Week is wrapping up on Saturday! See below for special details on how we want to celebrate YOU!

• Costume Week is in two weeks from October 21-26. Dancer's wear their Halloween costumes to class and we reveal our Recital music and costumes!

• We are bringing Wiggle Wednesdays back to The Pointe! Learn more about this monthly Story time and Dance Demo for littles below!

• Nutcracker Registration is now CLOSED. Please see below for new and important updates as we prepare to hit the stage!

• Save the Date for Trunk or Treat at The Pointe School of Dance on October 26th!

• We have new studio gear available online at theturningpointeboutique.com

• The Pointe has a new phone number! Please save this contact to allow you to reach out to us throughout the school year

• Stay tuned to these regular email updates - this is your primary source for all studio news!

Find all of the important dates for the year here: www.thepointeschool.com/policies - we list upcoming dates within the next few weeks in the Friday FYI as well for your convenience!

• October 7-12 - Parent Appreciation Week

• October 7-19 - Recital Costume Sizing

• October 19 - Halloween Parade & Choreography Camp

• October 21-26 - Costume Week

• October 25 - November Tuition and Costume Payment Processed

• October 25 - Holiday Showcase Registration Closes

• October 26 - Trunk or Treat @ The Pointe! (12:00-1:30 PM)

• October 28-November 1 - Fall Inter-sessional Break; CLOSED

• October 29-30 - Nutcracker Act 1 & Act 2 In-Studio Rehearsals (exact times listed below)

• November 25 - December Tuition and Costume Payment Processed

• November 25-December 1st - Thanksgiving Break; CLOSED

It is time to start preparing for our Holiday Showcase! Though the school year has just begun, we are ready to share with you our plans to dance into the Holiday Season with joy and cheer! This performance will be different than in years past, so please read all details thoroughly. Here is a short synopsis of what you need to know:

• This will be a informal, in-studio performance opportunity for dancers in Dance & Discover, Beginning, and Chance to Dance classes. It is designed to go alongside The Nutcracker so dancers of all ages get the opportunity for a holiday performance!

• The performance will be on Saturday, December 7th at the studio in Studio A with performances at 1 PM & 2:30 PM. We will divide classes between show times after registration closes to accommodate capacity needs.

• This performance is 100% optional, but encouraged! The dancers will learn and practice their routines in class starting in October.

• The registration fee for this performance is $25. We are asking that dancers wear all black dance wear as the base of their costume, and we will provide costume accessories to elevate their look and compliment their routine.

• Admission to this performance is free! We ask that you keep your party to 5 guests per dancer so we can make accommodations for capacity.

Registration for this performance is due Friday, October 25th! You can find the registration form and the performance handbook on our Holiday Showcase webpage: www.thepointeschool.com/holiday-2024 Save this page for future reference, we will post all updates there as well in your Friday FYI emails,

We are already starting to plan for our June recital! If you're new to dance or new to our studio, planning our annual recitals is a lot like planning a wedding - there are TONS of components involved! To be sure our classes have incredible costumes on stage, we start costume preparations in October!

From Monday, October 7 through Saturday, October 19, we will have a costume measuring station in the lobby! Stop by from 5-7:30 PM Monday through Thursday, 10 AM - 12 PM Wednesday morning, or 9 AM - 11 AM on Saturday morning. Parents, we recommend that you come with your dancer and have them wear dance clothes. We use a sizing kit from the manufacturers we order costumes from - dancers will try on a leotard or pants/shirt over their dance clothes to gauge the best size to order. Our sizing helpers will work with you to order the best size for your dancer. Parents, if you would like to give input for your dancer, please come with them to be sized! We do our best to order the size that will best fit your dancer for June performances, accounting for growth between now and then.

Our sizing helpers do everything they can to make sizing a positive experience for our dancers! Dance costumes may be a different size than their normal clothes - and that's OK! They may also need different sizes from different manufacturers (I've personally ranged from an adult small to an adult large for costumes in the same year!) If a dancer is in between sizes, we always order the larger size. We can help with minor alterations for a slightly-too-big costume, but can't do much with a too-small costume. Exchanges are not often possible - many dance costumes ship several months after we order them. We order in November, and will receive some costumes within a few weeks, and others won't arrive until April. I know it seems wild to be ordering costumes for a June show in November - but this is what we need to do to ensure costumes arrive in plenty of time. November 1 is the deadline for parents to adjust the sizing for costume orders and for any class changes before costumes are ordered.

Parents, we are excited to celebrate YOU during Parent Appreciation Week October 7-12! During this week, we're excited to offer:

• Parent Participation in class! (One grown-up per dancer and no siblings/other children, please - we'll have another chance for parents to participate in February so both parents have an opportunity to attend)

• Special discounts on Parent-specific gear in the boutique (in-store and online)!

• Giveaways - enter to win a few fun items we know parents will love

• Warm beverages & treats in the lobby (these are intended for parents only - NOT dancers)

• Opportunity to try ANY adult class for free! Join us for Adult Jazz Monday from 7:00-7:45 in Studio C, Adult Tap Monday from 7:45-8:30 in Studio B, and/or Adult Ballet on Thursday from 7:30-8:30 in Studio A.

Our instructors are cooking up some FUN plans for their classes this week - you won't want to miss it!

Costume Week is in two weeks! We invite dancers to wear their Halloween costumes (non-scary, must be able to dance in them) or an old dance costume to class this week!  Parents are invited to join us for the last 5 minutes of class this week to see the costume and music for our June recital!

• Also - be sure you're following us on Facebook and Instagram to see the costumes first thing in the morning, guess which costume belongs to which class, and see all of the costumes for the day revealed at the end of the night! This is SO FUN - you don't want to miss it!

• One note - with over 80 classes per week and fewer reliable costume companies than ever, we may have costumes that multiple classes use in the same year.  We have made sure costumes won't be shared by the same dancer(s) or costume repeats in the same show. :) While it's certainly more stable than the last few years, the shipping and supply chain issues we're all experiencing are an issue with dance costume companies, too - and we're working hard to ensure that our students aren't affected by these issues.  Having a few costumes shared between different shows is a small price to pay for the confidence we have for using the few manufacturers we can count on :)

Join us for Wiggle Wednesdays at The Pointe School of Dance on the third Wednesday of the month, starting in October! Little ones ages 1-5 are welcome to come into the studio for a short story, dance activities, and movement games. Wiggle Wednesdays are active, creative FUN for your little one! Parents are invited to come into the studio room to participate with their child, or wait in our comfortable lobby.

Spaces are limited and registration is required - sign up today at thepointeschool.com/wiggle

Please use this Facebook event to share with your friends!

It's time to start preparing for our second production of The Nutcracker! Our Nutcracker webpage is now LIVE! You will find everything you need to prepare you and your dancer for a successful Recital season. Check out thepointeschool.com/nutcracker regularly for updates.

Here are new updates to the website this week:

• Additional Large Group Rehearsals: Students will primarily focus on learning their group choreography in class. However, there are a couple sections that include several classes. We want to run through both Acts of the show all together BEFORE dress rehearsal. That way we can get an idea for how a section will operate and to give the dancers a better idea of their placement on stage. These rehearsals will take place during our Fall Inter-sessional Break, and will replace the dancers regular classes. Please plan on attending the following rehearsals based on your dancer’s routine assignment.

  Tuesday, October 29th in Studio A - ACT 1

  • The Party Scene (Includes Party Kids, Party Adults, Clara, Dolls, & Drosselmeyer) - 5:00-6:30

  • The Dream & Battle Scene (Includes Big Mice, Small Mice, Soldiers, Mouse Queen, Nutcracker, Clara, & Drosselmeyer) - 6:30-7:30

  • Depart to Pine Forest & Waltz of the Snowflakes (Includes Small Snowflakes, Big Snowflakes, Snow Queen, Nutcracker, & Clara) - 7:30-8:15

  Wednesday, October 30th in Studio A - ACT 2

  • The Land of the Sweets (Includes Russian Candy Canes, Arabian Coffee, Chinese Tea, Spanish Chocolate, Marzipan & Marzipan Soloist, Gingerbreads & Mother Ginger, Flowers & Dew Drop, Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker & Clara) - 5:30-8:00

  • For this section, the dances are not as incorporated, but have quick transitions in between them. We want to rehearse each routine and practice the transitions in between each dance. Please plan on your dancer being there for the whole time frame, but we may dismiss certain sections early if we can.

• Class & Lead Costume Details: In the handbook, we have listed all the costume selections for each of the group routines. Remember, these costumes are being rented from the studio. This list details what pieces are included in your rental, and what items you are responsible for including yourself. Protocol for costume care, pick up, and turn in will be included later in the handbook SOON!

• Rehearsal Music and Practice Video Links: Now that choreography is well underway, we have added easy to find links to our practice videos and music folders right on the Nutcracker webpage. Please make sure your dancer is using these tools to review at home!

• Dress Rehearsal Schedule: The Nutcracker Dress Rehearsal is on Sunday, December 8th at the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium. We have the full schedule for that date listed in the handbook now. Please visit the Nutcracker webpage and place those times in your calendar! thepointeschool.com/nutcracker

Save the Date! Bring your family & friends to The Pointe on Saturday, October 26th from 12:00-1:30 PM for Trunk or Treat! Your PSD Teachers are so excited to decorate and celebrate the spooky season with you all with tricks AND treats!

New Studio Gear Alert! Visit theturningpointeboutique.com to check out our new specialty logo pieces. We are now taking pre-orders on a select few items, which will end October 17th. All Holiday orders with a guaranteed delivery before winter break are due by November 24th.

We have a new phone number and extended front desk hours to serve you better this year! Please save this number and feel free to call or text us with questions. (319) 302-3880 is the best number to reach us, and we are available at the front desk Monday-Thursday from 4:30-8:30 PM and Saturday Morning from 9 AM-Noon!

Did you know that we offer free trial classes for new-to-The-Pointe families - and we have a sweet deal for you if you refer a friend to our program? Families can schedule a trial class easily - just have them send us an email and we'll take care of it!

When a family you've referred signs up, please have them list your name in the "Where did you hear about us?" form in online registration. We will send them a $20 gift card to our boutique to help them get the gear their dancer needs for class - and as a thank you, we'll send one to you, too! Trial classes are easy to schedule online, and are FREE for a limited time!

• 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/a7aa9b43OcwbP

• If your dancer is in COMPANY, please join the Company BAND here: https://band.us/n/a1ae9741O1XbO (dancers can and should join, too!)

• If your dancer is in COMMUNITY TEAM, please join the CT BAND here: https://band.us/n/a7ab9544OeY4B (dancers can and should join, too!) 

• Families have received an email with a unique link to join the BAND group for each class - if you've joined us after that message went out, please find your dancer's instructor after class to get access or shoot us an email ([email protected]) and we'll get you added!

We've added another easy method of communication to get relevant information directly to families - right on your phone!

Studio Lobby & Lounge
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 to pick up after eating. 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.

How to get connected at The Pointe!
We love our studio community and truly 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: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1921735994748769 Please also join our studio-wide BAND app: https://band.us/n/a7aa9b43OcwbP (dancers, 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 during the summer. In the school year, we are also open 9:00 AM - Noon on Saturday mornings.

Dress Code
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 

Studio Policies & Full Calendar
Our Policies & Studio Calendar is online! Here you will find all the dates needed to plan a successful season, as well as all policies that help keep our studio running smoothly. You can find the Policies and Calendar on our website here: www.thepointeschool.com/policies

Have a wonderful weekend!
- Miss Vanessa & your PSD Staff