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:

• Get ready for The Nutcracker 2025! Weekly updates will be shared here as we continue preparing for performance day! Please see all new updates below. In-Studio Scene Rehearsals are NEXT WEEK during Inter-Sessional Break!

• Recital Costume Sizing wraps up on Saturday! See details below and bring your dancer in to get sized!

• We will be CLOSED for our Fall Inter-sessional break Tuesday-Thursday next week - October 21-23rd. There will be no regular classes, boutique, or front desk hours during those days. There IS Nutcracker Scene Rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday - see schedule below if your dancer is performing!

• PSD is hosting a Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 25th from 1-3 PM! See details below.

• Costume Week is October 24-30! Wear your Halloween costumes to class and enjoy our Recital costume reveal!

• Wiggle Wednesdays at The Pointe are back! See below for all information and registration for our free dance & story time program.

• We are starting up some Mini Acro Private Lessons for the first semester - see details below!

• 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 6-18 - Recital Costume Sizing

• October 21-23 - Fall Inter-Sessional Break; CLOSED

• October 22 - Nutcracker Act 1 In-Studio Rehearsals (exact times listed in Performance Handbook)

• October 23 - Nutcracker Act 2 In-Studio Rehearsals (exact times listed in Performance Handbook)

• October 24-30 - Costume Week

• October 25 - PSD Trunk or Treat (1:00-3:00 PM)

• October 25 - November Tuition and Costume Payments Process

• October 31 - Nutcracker & Holiday Merchandise Orders CLOSE (theturningpointeboutique.com)

• October 31 - Halloween; CLOSED

• November 1 - Acro Mini Private Lessons (2-5 PM)

• November 12 - Wiggle Wednesday (11:15-11:45 AM)

• November 18 - Nutcracker Performance Tickets go on sale (12 PM)

• November 24-30 - Thanksgiving Break; CLOSED

• November 29 - Nutcracker: Land of Sweets Party @ Marion Public Library (12:30-4:30 PM)

It's time to start planning for winter and our 3rd Annual Performance of The Nutcracker! Our Nutcracker webpage is now LIVE! You will find everything you need to prepare you and your dancer for a successful Nutcracker season. Check out thepointeschool.com/nutcracker regularly for updates.

Here are new updates to the website this week:

Act 1 & Act 2 In-Studio Rehearsal Schedules - October 22nd & 23rd: 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 NEXT WEEK, and will replace the dancers regular classes. Please plan on attending the following rehearsals based on your dancer’s routine assignment. Full schedule details are in our Performance Handbook, on the Nutcracker webpage: thepointeschool.com/nutcracker

Nutcracker & Holiday Merchandise Orders are OPEN!: This includes a variety of Nutcracker merchandise AND Holiday clothing items to have your dancers ringing in the season in style! This special pre-order is open until October 31st and will NOT be available after that date. All orders will be available for pick up the week of November 17th so dancers can wear their gear all season long :) If you selected the Add-On Performance package for your dancer and wanted to order a cast T-Shirt separately for your dancer - this is the opportunity to do so! Place your orders here: https://theturningpointeboutique.com/

Gifts, Flowers, DVDs and Digital Downloads: This year, we are introducing a special series of Nutcracker gifts to help celebrate your dancer on all their hard work leading up to this performance! We have Nutcrackers, snow globes, ornaments, jewelry and accessories available to gift to your dancer to celebrate the holiday season and a job well done. Please look through this catalog to see all available options. Orders must be placed at the front desk at the studio or at the merchandise table on Dress Rehearsal and Performance days.

Flowers, DVDs, and Digital Downloads can all be purchased at https://theturningpointeboutique.com/ Flowers pre-orders are due December 1st. DVD and Digital Download orders are due January 1st.

Nutcracker Ticket Sales: Online Nutcracker ticket sales begin November 18th at 12:00 PM and end on December 13th at 12:00 AM. Your Class Performance Package includes 4 tickets to the performance of your choosing. Additional tickets will be $15 each. If tickets remain available, they will be sold at the door for $20. Please see all details for receiving your ticket code, purchasing, and downloading your tickets in our Performance Handbook on the Nutcracker webpage: thepointeschool.com/nutcracker

Dress Rehearsal Schedule - December 7th at Linn-Mar High School Auditorium: We will put the entire Nutcracker together for the first time on stage and in costume at this mandatory rehearsal. Dancers are required to attend for their class section AND to run the full cast bows. Full schedule details are in our Performance Handbook, on the Nutcracker webpage: thepointeschool.com/nutcracker

There will be no regular classes, front desk, or boutique hours on October 21-23 for our Fall Inter-sessional Break. All operations will resume as scheduled on Friday, October 24th. To learn more about why we incorporate Inter-sessional Breaks into our schedule, please read the following blog post: https://thepointeschool.com/news/b/why-intersessional-breaks**For the classes participating in The Nutcracker - we will still be holding our Act 1 & Act 2 Staging Rehearsals at the studio on Wednesday, October 22 and Thursday, October 23. See schedule below.

Save the Date! Bring your family & friends to The Pointe on Saturday, October 25th from 1:00-3:00 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! Featuring: special performances from our Company dancers!

Costume Week begins at the end of next week! 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 :)

Wiggle Wednesday is a free monthly story time and dance demo at The Pointe School of Dance! Children aged 1-5 are welcome to visit 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

Our next event of the year is Wednesday, November 12th from 11:15-11:45 AM!

NEW! We are now offering monthly Mini Acro Private Lessons with Miss Laura throughout the fall semester! These are great for students looking for individual feedback for a specific skill or working towards a specific goal. These lessons are only offered on the specific dates below - giving the benefits of a private lesson at a great value.

These lesson dates are:

Saturday, November 1st - 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (3 SPOTS LEFT!)

Saturday, December 6th - 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

• These will be 20 minute private lessons offered once a month and will focus in on 1-2 specific skills of your choice. **With teacher discretion - for example, we will not have your dancer work on aerials if they cannot do a cartwheel.

• All lessons are $25 + tax, due with this form at sign up.

• All time slots are first come, first serve.

• If you cannot make these dates or want more frequent lessons - please reach out to request a standard private lesson.

• Please fill out one form for each lesson if you are signing up for multiple dates.

If these lessons are successful, we will look into adding spring dates and options for multiple mediums (ex. hip hop skills, turns and leaps, etc.) in the future.

Grab a lesson spot today by filling out this form!

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!

• Contact Us: [email protected], (319) 302-3880

• Boutique & Front Desk Hours: Monday-Thursday, 4:30-8:30 PM. Saturdays: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

• View our Studio Policies and Full Calendar

• Get Connected: Join our Studio-wide BAND App and our Family Facebook Community

• View our Dress Code requirements for all classes.

• Absences: Report you dancer’s absence through your parent portal with these instructions

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