Attendance
Our school is creative, personal, and encouraging, however, we are not casual in our approach to training. We adhere to attendance standards and we are peevish regarding promptness to class.
Regular attendance is required both for the progress of the individual student and for the work of the class as a whole. Our year is divided into three terms. A maximum of three unexcused absences will be permitted per term. An unexcused absence is an absence for anything other than illness. You will be asked to withdraw from our program if you acquire more than three unexcused absences per term. There is no carry-over of unexcused absences from term to term. In the event where regular attendance is hindered by poor health, injury or travel, we will determine on an individual basis if withdrawal will be in the best interest of the student and class.
Regarding tardiness: While we ourselves experience the unexpected on occasion, we grant just a few "grace" days. After "grace" has been extended for lateness you may expect that subsequently if your child arrives late to class she will be asked to observe class and not participate that day. As a general rule, expect traffic. This is Atlanta, where all hours are rush-hour. Plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes prior to the start of class. We will work with you to find a class day and time that will work for your schedule.
Attire
Proper attire is required for participation in our classes. Being properly attired for ballet includes:
hair up and affixed tightly to the head (3 and 4 year olds excepted)
wearing the designated leotard and tights
wearing properly sized slippers or pointe shoes
Small earrings may be worn but no other jewelry is allowed.
Our dress code can be found at General Information/Attire. Please find the level of your child's class for the manufacturer, style number, and color of dress code items. Long or short sleeved leotards in the styles designated are permissible. During the winter, your child may wear a sweater designated specifically for ballet.
Class Observation
*In class observations are currently unavailable due to our Covid Safety Protocols. We are happy to provide parents with a glimpse of their student via Zoom instead.
We offer these recommendations:
Starting at the end of September, we invite you to observe your child’s class twice during the year. You will gain a better perspective into our curriculum and ballet training by taking the time to observe a full ballet class. We suggest observing during the months of October and January when our curriculum is rich with new skills. Please make arrangements for siblings to be cared for while you observe so that disruptions will be minimal. If possible, we appreciate notice in advance when you plan to observe.
Children who are interested in ballet and who can sit quietly without distracting the class are always welcome to observe.
Our younger students prepare a “gift of dance” which they will present to parents during their regular class time the week before we break for the Christmas Holiday.
And, finally, we will have a “Parent Preview” class the week before Spring Break. You will enjoy a first look at the spring program choreography, we will disseminate all the necessary end of the year information, and we will distribute costumes.
Holidays, Weather & Cancellations
We observe the following holidays throughout the season: Labor Day, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas/New Year Holidays, MLK Holiday, Presidents’ Day, Spring Break, Easter Weekend and an extended Memorial Day holiday weekend. Please refer to our calendar for the current season’s specific dates.
When weather threatens to close schools, we will send a message by email and post our status on our Facebook and Instagram pages. We do not necessarily close when our county schools close. In the event that we must unexpectedly cancel a class, every effort will be made to contact you by phone as soon as possible. Please keep phone numbers and email addresses current with our office.
Our students receive additional hours of instruction during the studio and stage rehearsals prior to our spring concert. This additional time is not included in the 33 week tuition schedule. Therefore, unexpected closings or cancellations will not be refunded or rescheduled.