Policies and Procedures

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WEBSITE

Stay current with our monthly news by visiting our website. Our website is www.dancestudio88.com. We will update our website on the 1st of every month. Facebook & Instagram Visit our social media pages to see fun pictures, videos of the students and events going on at the studio. Facebook: www.facebook.com/dancestudio88,  Instagram: www.instagram.com/dancestudio88

HOUSE KEEPING

 We strive to keep a clean and tidy dance studio not only to create an enjoyable atmosphere but also for the safety and comfort of all dancers on our floors. Students must leave personal items in the dressing room area only. There is ample space for your belongings to be safely stowed.

No bags or coats are allowed on the floor as they may become a tripping hazard to dancers. Studio 88 does not accept any liability for your personal belongings. No food, colored drinks, or chewing gum on the dance floor or the carpeted receptionist area. You may only have bottled water inside the studio. Studio 88 is not responsible for lost items. Please check with the receptionist for missing items. Periodically, all items that have not been retrieved will be discarded or donated.

ETIQUETTE & CONDUCT

Please make sure small children have had a bathroom break before coming to class. This helps eliminate the need for “emergency” bathroom breaks during class. We care about your child’s safety. Please do not allow your child to run about on the grass. Encourage them to walk only on the sidewalks and hold their hands if they are small. Accidents can happen so quickly.

Our baby’s classroom (ages 18 months to 4 years) has a large window to the right of the front entrance doors. Because it does not take much to distract them, no one will be allowed to sit or stand at the front entrance windows until daylight saving time ends in November. Before each class, our teachers will come out to line up the students on the sidewalk entrance. At the end of each class, our teachers will bring the children out in a line to the sidewalk entrance and hand them off to their parents one by one.

Please note that we do have sidewalk seating to accommodate you while waiting for your child’s class to end. Studio 88 is a child/family-oriented environment so be mindful in your conversation content while waiting or visiting.

No cell phones allowed. Smoking and pets are prohibited inside the studio. We are thrilled to meet the many diverse personalities that join our school and truly believe that every individual’s personality should be allowed to shine. That said, anyone who is expressing a difficult, overly negative, inappropriate or disruptive attitude will be dismissed from any class at any time at the teacher’s sole discretion. Children are to be well behaved and respectful during class to fellow classmates, Studio 88 staff, and their teacher.

Please do not come into class to correct your child. The instructor will take care of any critiquing and disciplinary problems that might occur. The instructor will inform the parent at the end of class if there were any problems. If you need to speak with your child’s teacher regarding any aspect of their dancing, please e-mail Studio 88 for an appointment. Our teachers have very full schedules while they are teaching at the studio, so unexpected conversations can be difficult to accommodate. We will be happy to give you our undivided attention via phone call or personal meeting at a time that is scheduled specifically for you.

ARRIVAL & ATTENDANCE

Classes will start promptly at the designated time. Arriving late to class can be disruptive to other students, distracting to the focus of a learning atmosphere, and difficult on the groups’ progression in learning. If you arrive later than 10 minutes past the start time of class, it is up to your teachers’ discretion as to whether or not your child will be allowed to join the class on the floor, or be required to only observe. Notifying us of missing a class, or if you are running late is an appropriate courtesy. Please call 850-926-6088 to let us know your circumstances. Perfect attendance awards will be given to those students who have no absences for the year. Also, no missed rehearsals are allowed 1 month before a show in order to participate in the upcoming show. This is to include studio rehearsals and stage dress rehearsals.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU CANNOT ADVANCE IN DANCE IF YOU DO NOT SHOW UP FOR YOUR CLASSES.

ILLNESS

We seek to maintain the same high standards of physical wellbeing and good health that parents desire for their child. If your child has a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or any contagious illness, please keep them at home. If the student becomes ill during class, we will make the child as comfortable as possible and try to locate one of the parents. If your child develops a contagious illness a day or so after attending dance class, please notify us by phone. In case of emergency, it is imperative that parents make sure that the contact information we have on file is up to date and accurate.

DROP OFF & PICK UP

We do not have a lobby for waiting, so please do not drop off students before class and pick them up promptly at the end of their class. Students not picked up on time must wait inside the building with the receptionist for their parents. If a student is picked up later than 10 minutes after their class time, you will be charged $5.00 for every 5 minutes after their class has ended. If you arrive late to pick up your child you will be billed. Please notify us in advance if anyone other than the parent will be picking the student up. If the studio is not notified in advance the student will not be allowed to leave the studio until we speak with the parent (or guardian). All students must be picked up by an adult, if you send a child/sibling in to pick up a student, we will send them back to get the adult. If you are running late to pick up your child, please call us as soon as possible. This will help us ease your child’s concerns and make arrangements for them to wait for you. We do not allow students to go outside anywhere without supervision. Please remember this is for their safety.

CLASS ENTERING & EXITING

The baby room Studio 1-C ages 18 months to 4 years will enter and exit through the front entrance. Studio 1-B students will enter and exit through the front entrance. Studio 1-A students will enter and exit through the front entrance. Studio 2 (our portable classroom) students will enter and exit through the front entrance. We have parking in both the front and back exits along with sidewalk seating for the parents.

VISITATION

In the best interest of the students, parents and friends are requested not to visit the classes except by invitation of the instructor. Dance students are not to attend classes other than the day(s) they have class unless they are approved as student demonstrators by the Director. There are scheduled parents’ observation days listed on the school’s calendar so that you can occasionally see how well the students are doing. Please remember every time the class is interrupted, it breaks the concentration of the teacher and the dancers. If due to an emergency you are unable to make it on parents’ observation day, you can email the teacher to schedule a date to observe your child’s class.

NATURAL DISASTERS DAYS

For the safety of our students, when Wakulla County Schools closes for natural disasters, so will Studio 88.

REGISTRATION, WITHDRAWALS, OR CLASS CHANGES

There is an annual registration fee for all students unless you are on the family plan. Students must be registered, and the registration fee and first month’s tuition must be paid before entering the class. A class with less than five students is subject to cancellation. If for any reason you decide you would like to withdraw your child from Studio 88, you must provide written notice in writing to the office before the 1st of the month. Should there be any cancellation or changes to your regularly scheduled class time, we will post it on the Studio website www.dancestudio88.com or by your e-mail contact information that you have provided. Additionally, you will be notified the same way of all class changes and cancellations. You are responsible to take note of your class changes. So please check our website on the 1st of each month and your e-mail daily.

TUITION

The Dance Season is August through June. Tuition rates remain the same during months with holidays as well as those months with 5 classes. Students receive an average of 4 classes per month, sometimes less, sometimes more, according to the calendar and scheduled events. Monthly tuition payments are due on the 1st of each month and are considered past due after the 5th. Billing set to “Monthly Draft” (debit/credit) will occur on the 1st of each month and you will never be late.  There is an additional late fee applied on all tuition paid after the 5th. If tuition is not paid by the 10th then your child/children will not be allowed to participate in class until your account is current. No dancewear, shoes, costumes, jackets, shirts, workshops, etc. will be purchased unless tuition is current. There will be a $30.00 charge for all returned debit or credit card purchases denied. After 2 returns you will be on a money order only basis. Tuition is non-refundable and adjustments to accounts are allowed only when a student must discontinue taking lessons due to serious illness certified by a physician. Parents will be contacted twice on delinquent accounts. If accounts are not brought up to date by the 15th of the month, parents will be asked to keep the student at home. We reserve the right to drop from our register any student for any reason including excessive lateness or absence, disruptive behavior, and non-payment of tuition or other charges.

AFTER SCHOOL

Studio 88 offers after-school classes to children who attend all Wakulla elementary schools. When public schools have early release, we will be here to receive your child at no extra charge. If payment is not received by the 15th of the month, your child will not be allowed to participate in the after school. Please notify the Director, Miss Lauren by email when your child will be absent.

PAYMENTS, DISCOUNTS & FEES

We accept all major credit cards, checks, and money orders. No cash payments accepted. A $30.00 fee will be charged for all returned checks. Any tuition payment made after the 5th will have a $25.00 late fee applied. Family discounts are given to those who have a family member attending dance classes at the studio. The term “family member” is defined as a child or sibling. The second family member will receive a $10.00 discount and each subsequent family member will receive a $5.00 discount. Classes will not be pro-rated for absences planned or unplanned.

PRIVATE LESSONS

Private lessons are for Solos, Duets, and Trios with Studio 88 teachers and are scheduled by appointment only. Private lesson payments are to be paid prior to each lesson. If no payment is received, there will be no lesson taught. You will be charged $25.00 for the teacher’s travel and time that will be due at your child’s next lesson. Notification of cancellation of a lesson must be made to the teacher no later than 2 hours prior to your child’s lesson to prevent the teacher from traveling to Studio 88. You will be charged a $25.00 no-show fee if the teacher is not notified of your child’s cancellation, and this fee is due at your child’s next private lesson. Private lessons are non-transferable and are provided only to the intended student. The cost for private lessons are: 1 student $30.00 for ½ hour, 1 to 2 students $30.00 each for an hour, and 3 students $20.00 each for an hour.

COSTUME

Costume Payment will be posted in your parent portal. If your child’s costume is ordered late there will be a $35.00 late charge per costume. If a costume is ordered LATE there is no guarantee that the costume will arrive in time for the recital.  Cancellations are not allowed after orders are made. Although allowances are made to all costumes for growing room and it will be the parents’ financial responsibility for any alterations that might be necessary. Costume payments are non-refundable. 

RECITAL FEES

Each child will have a Recital Fee. Recital Fees are non-refundable.

RECITAL TICKETS

All seating will go on sale in April for the June recital.

RECITAL DATE, DRESS REHEARSAL & POLICIES

The studio will present our annual production to include all students in June. The schedule for June will be our schedule class or classes, a dress rehearsal and the June Recital. Our dress rehearsals will require MANDATORY attendance. Students will only be excused from these rehearsals for illness or death in the family. Participation in team sports, vacations, and social activities are not considered excusable absences since the dates for these rehearsals are announced months in advance, and reminders are sent out through April and May. Students will not be allowed to participate in the recital until all monthly tuition and dancewear bills have been paid in full. Any unclaimed costumes will be held up until June 10th. If your costumes are not picked up after being informed by the studio, they will be donated. We do not have a storage room for costumes.

STUDIO CHOREOGRAPHY

All choreography taught at this studio is the sole property of Studio 88 Dance Productions and is not to be used by any other organizations or taught without written permission from the owner, Miss Lauren Holley. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU BRING A VIDEO CAMERA TO THE RECITAL SHOWS WE WILL ASK YOU TO PUT IT UP. IF YOU DO NOT WE WILL ASK YOU TO LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO VIDEO TAPING WITH CELL PHONES.

DRESS CODE

Students are required to adhere to the following dress code: Recreational students do not have to purchase their uniforms from the studio, but I do require all shoes to be the same so we will match at Recital time. Shoes need to be purchased through the studio. Make sure your child’s initials are written in all of their dance shoes. All students must wear their hair in a bun (except Hip Hop and Acro). Please secure your bangs with hair gel. Dancers get into bad habits when they are constantly moving their hair out of their faces. Hair is considered part of proper attire; no scrunchies are allowed as they do not hold your hair. Students will not be allowed to participate in class if they are not in proper attire. This rule will be strictly enforced.

Also, there will be no visible belly rings, tongue rings, tattoos or other body accessories of the permanent nature worn at any performances or seminars where you represent Studio 88 Dance Productions (this is especially for all older students).

ALL DANCEWEAR (EXCEPT POINTE SHOES) CAN BE PURCHASED AT STUDIO 88.

QUESTIONS

Class times are very valuable and should not be interrupted. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Director at (850) 926-6088 or email at [email protected]. Also, the receptionist is always available to answer your questions. If she is unable to answer your question, she will relay the question to the Director or another teacher and we will contact you within 24 hours by phone or e-mail.