Policies and Procedures
Attendance
All students are expected to take ALL classes as per the requirements of each level in order to advance their technical training. We request that you notify us by calling the school at 978-263-6572 if your child is going to be absent for their class or by emailing the Administrator. Students may make up a missed class in another section of their level within the semester they missed if class size restrictions allow. Please notify the teacher if she/he is taking a makeup class.
Tardiness
If a student is more than 5 minutes late to class, she/he must ask the teacher for permission to enter the classroom. Entry is at the discretion of the teacher and my be refused. Students late to class by 10 minutes or more will be marked absent and may not enter the classroom. A student may not be asked back to the school for a subsequent semester or promoted to the next level if she/he has been chronically tardy, as it erodes the classroom experience for the other students.
Drop-off/Pick-up and Parking
Students may be dropped off in the lower parking lot and should enter the building from the side entrance. Students may leave the building either through the side door on the upper level or through the back door on the lower level. If a parent is not present for dismissal the student should wait in the building after class until their parent arrives. All lower school students will be escorted to the lower level by the Assistant assigned to their class and dismissed out the back door to a parent. All parents should either park in the lower lot or on the street. Please avoid all spaces in the upper lot marked Cafe Parking before 3:00 on weekdays or anytime on the weekend, as well as the marked Residential spaces in the lower lot.
Cancellations and Notices
All cancellations will be posted on the website and emailed to families as soon as possible for inclement weather or other cancellations. We often, but not necessarily, follow the public school snow closings, so please be sure to check the website. We must take into account the travel concerns of students and faculty from over 30 communities. If we must close the school, students are encouraged to make up their class in another level of their section before the end of the term.
Vacations and Holidays
The studio will observe the public school calendar for most holidays and school vacation weeks. Please visit the Calendar page of our website for specific dates and closings.
Allergies
All allergies should be noted on the student's registration form and this information will be noted on the class attendance form. It is the expectation that any child with an EpiPen must keep it in their dance bag and must bring the bag into their classroom, so that it is easily identifiable in case of emergency.
The school is not guaranteed to be nut-free, but we do not knowingly serve any peanut products at school functions. We encourage families not to bring these products into the school, but we can’t always enforce this recommendation. Parents of children with allergies should consider whether the school policy is consistent with their expectations and/or doctor’s directives.
Illness
Due to Covid-19, we ask that if your child displays any symptoms of illness that you please keep them at home. Students are expected to be fever free for 72 hours before returning to classes. Students may attend a make-up class in another class of their level before the end of the term. If your child is going to be absent from class, please call the school or email the administrator that they will be absent and we will let you know what their make-up options are.
Placement
Students are placed in a specific level based on a variety of parameters including age, grade, previous experience, physical development, and readiness for pointe. If at any time the Director feels a student’s placement is incorrect the student may be changed to the appropriate level.
All students transitioning to ASB from another school will be assessed for the correct level by taking a placement class. Please call the school to schedule with the Administrator. Students will take one of our regular syllabus classes as a guest to give us a chance to ascertain a proper level for your student. Our goal is to place new students in levels which are challenging, but not overwhelming.
Pointe Policy
Students begin pointe study only after passing our Pointe Readiness Evaluation generally given during the year in Level 5, depending on their age and growth. Students who do not pass the evaluation the first time may take it at a later date, usually at the suggestion of their teacher.
Many students do not start pointe work until midway through Level 5 through Level 6. Students may be required to take a second year of Level 5 or 6 to strengthen pointe work before advancing to Level 7. Transfer students are required to take a placement class en pointe to determine if she is ready or needs more preparatory work.
Parent Expectations
Parents are expected to support their child’s dance education at the school. We expect our students to arrive on time for their classes with proper, clean attire and hair supplies, be rested, in good health, with nutritional support before aerobic work.
The number one stress that afflicts students is the fear that they may arrive late to class. We ask parents to try to alleviate this by allowing extra time to navigate traffic and parking. If a parent wishes to have a conference to discuss their child they should email the Director.
Tuition
The school operates on a semester calendar. Tuition is due prior to the beginning of each semester payable by cash or check to Acton School of Ballet and is non-refundable after September 30 for the Fall term and February 28 for the Spring term. Payment is non-refundable, except in the case of injury accompanied by a doctor’s note. If due to injury or you decide your child will not be performing in the end of year performance, your costume deposit is only refundable before December 1st. After this date a costume will be ordered for your child.
In light of the potential for future Covid-19 related closures resulting in all virtual classes, not wishing to participate in virtual classes will not result in tuition refunds. Continued study, regardless of in studio or at home is essential to the continuity of a student’s ballet training.
Photos/Phones
Please notify the Administrator to request that photos not be taken of your child for marketing purposes or general public use. This does exclude the video taken of the year-end performance, which is only for families of students.
No phones are allowed in the studio. We find that students also take photos of each other and post them on social media sites. We please ask that you do not mention or tag the Acton School of Ballet to provide additional privacy for our students.