The Pointe’s Friday FYI – 3/10/23

Happy Friday and happy March, PSD Families!
This Friday FYI 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:
– SPRING BREAK starts Saturday, 3/11! No classes, front desk, or boutique hours 3/11-3/17. We return to our normal schedule on 3/18! Our team takes the week off, too – so instructors will be back in their studio inboxes and BAND apps on 3/18 🙂
– Summer Dance Camp priority registration is open now to the community! See details below and on our summer dance page.
– RECITAL INFORMATION is beginning to come out! More recital information will keep coming – and we know it can be a lot to keep track of. We keep EVERYTHING you need to know on one page: www.thepointeschool.com/recital-2023 – bookmark this page and check it regularly!
– Highlighted THIS WEEK on the recital page: Quick Reference Guide! This guide details EVERYTHING you need to know for a smooth, low-stress recital experience – everything you need in your calendar or packing list for each class on one line!

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

• March 11-17 – Spring Break – Studio Closed (no classes, front desk, or boutique hours)
• March 19 – Family Dance Registration DUE (sign up here)
• March 25 – April auto-pay processed
• April 1 – Class Evaluations & Recommendations Emailed Home
• April 1-21 – Priority Class Selection & Rollover Registration Opt-Out Period (forms open April 1)
• April 5 – 11 – Studio closed, Easter & Intersessional Break
• April 21 – Priority Class Selection & Rollover Registration Opt-Out Forms Due
• April 22 & 29 – Free Costume Alterations (details and sign-ups coming soon)
• April 25 – May auto-pay (final installment of the 2022-2023 school year!) including 2023-2024 Membership Payment

A few important things to know:

• Registration for camps is open now!  Get the best deal with early bird pricing by registering by April 30!
• Priority class registration for current PSD students will open on Monday, March 20.  Class registration will open to the community on March 25.  See below for more information on class selection.
• Over the summer, we fit classes into just 4 days per week as opposed to 7 days a week during the school year – so we have some combined-level classes.  These allow us to offer more schedule options for families.  A Level 3/4 class, for example, is suitable for dancers recommended for either Level 3 or Level 4.  These are not new levels (Level 3/4 is not “in between Level 3 and Level 4” – it is a mix of dancers in both levels). 
• We are still offering packages for classes (this is the best way for your dancer to get the most out of their time at the studio – and the best value for tuition).  To keep things simpler and cleaner on the administrative end, register for all of the classes in the package you want – then our team will adjust your tuition right before tuition is added to your accounts so you get the package pricing.  This is different than registration last season – it should be more straightforward for you, and will be easier for our teachers to just keep one class roster 🙂  
• At registration, there is a $20 deposit due per dancer.  This holds your spot in classes and will be credited back to you when tuition is processed before summer classes begin. 
• Questions about summer registration?  We can help you by email, over the phone, or at the front desk when we return from spring break 🙂 (reminder – spring break starts this Saturday!  We are closed 3/11-3/17 and return to class 3/18)

Class Selection:

• If your dancer is 1 or 2, register for My First Dance Class (my Ray will be taking this class this summer and I can’t wait!)
• If your dancer is currently in Mini Movers or My First Dance Class and will be 3 by July 1, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 1, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 OR Dance & Discover 2/3 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 2, enroll in Dance & Discover 1/2 OR Dance & Discover 2/3 and/or Hippity Hop.
• If your dancer is currently in Dance & Discover 3, enroll in Level 1 classes (we recommend the Level 1 Core Class Package + any specialty classes)

If your dancer is in a Graded Technique class, they may want to wait to register until class recommendations and evaluations come out April 1.  Here’s a tip – if they are in a level now, they could register for that level (ex: a dancer in Ballet/Tap/Jazz 1 this year should register for Ballet/Tap/Jazz 1/2 – they will either be in Level 1 or 2).  

Here are some important dates for longer-term planning 🙂
April 30 – May 4 – recital picture week
May 10 – Pre-Audition Parent Meeting
June 4 – 2023-2024 Company Auditions
June 5 – last day of classes (this is different than past years – Monday classes get one more class after Memorial Day!)
June 6-8 – Dress rehearsals @ Paramount
June 11 – RECITAL!
June 12-23 – Studio break between recital and summer classes (two weeks this year, based on feedback from families!)
June 26 – August 4 – Summer session (6 weeks of classes)
August 7-11 – Intensive
August 12-19 – Studio closed
August 20 – Start school year 2023-2024 classes
June 4-6 (2024) – Dress rehearsals
June 9 (2024)- Recital

Recital 2023 preparations are happening in classes and behind the scenes! Stay up to date on EVERYTHING you need to know for recital here: www.thepointeschool.com/recital-2023 – this page will hold all of the information you need for a smooth and low-stress recital experience. Bookmark this page and revisit it regularly – we’ll email home when we add updates, and keep everything you need on this convenient page.

As we prepare for recital, we often have families wondering what tights and shoes their dancer needs for their classes. All of the details are on the costume label on the garment bag for your dancer’s costume, and the quick reference guide on the recital page. Here are details on the shade options that we have. If your dancer’s class has skin tone tights and shoes as an option or the required shade, we mean the closest match to the dancer’s skin tone. We ask that tights and shoes match (not ballet pink tights and caramel shoes or vice versa). Samples of these shades are available in our boutique – and we have most sizes in these listed shades available in stock, and anything we don’t have in stock at the moment you come in can be easily ordered.

Create memories you and your dancer will cherish for a lifetime – dance with them in their Recital! We are SO excited to be bringing back a special tradition to Recital 2023 – the Family Dance (formerly known as the Father-Daughter Dance). We haven’t been able to make this happen since Recital 2019 – and after a three-year break, we can’t wait to see our studio families get involved with Recital in a new and revamped way! The Family Dance is a special Recital performance created for a dancer and ONE adult family member. Dads, Moms, Aunts, Uncles, Family Friends, or any significant caregiver is welcome to perform with their dancer. This structure gives more of our studio families the option to get involved in this performance opportunity – and the more the merrier! The dancer and their chosen adult will learn and perform the routine as a pair. This is open for dancers in Level 1 and up – learn more about this dance and get signed up here!

We can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about next year – we’re working hard behind the scenes to build our schedule for an incredible 2023-2024 season. To make things easy for our families and to optimize our schedule based on our community’s needs, we utilize an automatic registration process called “Rollover Registration”. Everything happens in April – we’re sharing early so families have lots of time to think about their plans for next year and choose the best registration path for them! Here are the three next year registration options – forms will be available beginning April 1.

1. 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 on April 25 with the final tuition and costume installment for the school year unless we receive the membership change form from you by April 21. We can add or change classes easily at any time (pending availability).
2. 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!
3. 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 21 to avoid the annual membership payment processing on April 25.

Families will be notified by email when costumes for their class(es) are in and ready to go home. We do a quick costume try-on in class, then dancers take their costumes home that day. We have a handy guide to keep your costumes recital-ready & some information about the timeline for recital costumes below.

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 using this link!

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/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!) 
• 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!

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