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!
Graded Technique classes will have evaluation and recommendation forms emailed home Saturday, March 12! Read everything you need to know about our detailed recommendation and evaluation process, and our suggestions for making this a positive experience for your dancer on the blog here.
- Our instructors are dedicated to helping every student be successful, reach their unique goals, and help them get the most out of their dance journey. Teachers spend hours preparing these evaluations and do so with a heart for helping dancers be placed in the right classes.
- While our spring evaluations are the most detailed written feedback that goes home, they include pieces of feedback that have been given throughout classes and in those earlier evaluations this year.
- Every instructor fills out an evaluation form for each class using our syllabus for each level. The evaluation forms have three sections: Attitude/Attendance, General Technique, and level-specific Key Skills. Each item receives a 1 for a new skill/needs work, 2 for developing skill, and 3 for a mastered or completed skill.
- Technical details make dance so beautiful and breathtaking to watch – and difficult to achieve mastery! Professional dancers still consider themselves “working on” the basics – plié, tendu, etc.
- One goal of our instructors is for students to know objectively how they are progressing. Students take written feedback to heart when it’s sometimes easy to forget feedback given during classes.
- Parents, please remember that most students spend at least two years in every Graded Technique level. Sometimes, dancers who have progressed quickly through the early levels catch up to that average of two years in levels later on. Every dancer’s journey is completely unique. Your dancer may not progress at the same rate as their friends or classmates, and that’s OK!
- We email recommendations home because we know that dancers (and, therefore, their parents) may have an emotional reaction. We know that channeling your emotions (and your dancer’s emotions) into a fiery email can be a first instinct – and we kindly ask parents to step back, remember that your dance teachers are people who love your kids and want the best for them, and wait until emotions have cooled down before sending any communication.
- We can work together to make this evaluation process a positive one! Instructors would be happy to make a plan with your dancer to help them reach their goals, and will be there to help after we return from spring break.
Our summer camp AND CLASS schedules are 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 for PSD families on March 10 and for the community on March 14. Graded Technique evaluations and recommendations will be sent home on March 12, so dancers know the best classes to sign up for!
NEW this summer – get the most out of your time at the studio by enrolling in Class Packages (available for ages 3+!) We have some helpful videos walking through the registration process with all of the summer options: classes, class packages, and camps.
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 – class schedules coming soon!)
Summer Class Session: June 20 – July 29
Intensive Week & Choreography Camp: August 1-5
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.
Bookmark this page – it will have EVERYTHING you need for a stress-free, organized recital season! www.thepointeschool.com/recital2022
Up NOW:
Coming SOON:
- Recital Handbook (everything you need to know in one packet) – NEW this week!
- Grand Finale Details
- 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
- Show Orders
- Recital Program ad and shout-out orders (shooting for Monday!)
- Flower and merchandise pre-orders (shooting for Monday!)
- Online ticket orders (starting in May)
- 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 April 1). 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 (will be available starting April 1) to opt out. This must be received by 10 PM on April 20 to avoid the annual membership payment processing on April 25.
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 🙂
- Class-Specific Band App invitations have been emailed home to all recital classes! Check your email (or spam/junk folder if you haven’t seen it) for those links! Email us in the studio office or ask your instructor if you need the specific link for your class if you can’t find it in your inbox.
Because you are an important and valued part of our studio community, families who successfully roll over 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
March 12 – Graded Technique Evaluations & Class Recommendations Emailed Home
March 12 – 18 – Spring Break (studio closed, no classes or front desk/boutique hours)
March 7 – Recital Merchandise and Dancer Shout Out/Business Program Ad orders open
March 19 – Alterations Day #2 (9 AM – Noon in the studio lobby)
March 25 – Auto-pay processed
April 3-7 – Recital Pictures & In-Studio Dress Rehearsals
Have a wonderful weekend!
– Miss Vanessa & your PSD Staff
