Hello! Welcome to the McKenna Academy of Dance family! We’d like to lay out some of our
policies here for you to read. Please discuss these things with your dancer as well, as many of
them pertain to expectation in the dance studio.
1. It is the expectation that when a student is enrolled, they are committed to attend class regularly until the completion of that season. In the event of withdrawal of classes, a written form of contact must be made with the Studio stating the student is withdrawing. If not, tuition will continue to accumulate.
2. Tuition is paid monthly from September to June. The first payment is made at registration (September) and all subsequent payments will be made through autopay.
3. Should an account become substantially overdue, you will receive a letter in the mail asking for payment. After 2 months of non-payment your child will be asked to sit out of class until payment is received. If you are having any financial issues, we are more than happy to work with you, provided that you simply communicate with us!
4. If parents or guardians are divorced and paying tuition separately, both parties must register with the Studio in order to obtain the studio calendar, account information, and for the student to participate in classes.
5. The costume rental fee is collected in the Fall to allow for lower production cost to the families so they do not have to purchase expensive costumes. In turn, the costumes must be returned to the Studio following the final Spring Production performance. If you have not arranged prior payment for costume fees, as they are ideally due when you register or shortly thereafter, your payment method on file will be charged by October 1.
6. If for some unforeseen circumstance a dancer cannot complete a production season, the costume rental fee is refundable until December 1. Tuition is non-refundable.
7. In the event of canceled classes because of inclement weather, if BOTH Dunkirk and Fredonia schools are closed, our studio will be too. Closures will be updated on Facebook, BAND and Email.
8. If a student misses 50% or more of classes during a production season, they may be removed from the class at the discretion of the Artistic Director and the student’s teacher.
9. It is the expectation that parents/guardians check the BAND App and registration parent portal for important studio information throughout the year.
10. Students are required to wear their class uniform every day, a black leotard, tights and dance shoes are necessary to participate in class. At the start of the season we are quite lenient with dancers not having a correct shoes for the first couple weeks, after this period, we will become less lenient. Dancers who repeatedly do not have the correct dancing gear for classes will be warned, then if it proceeds, they will be asked to sit out until they come to class prepared. (Hip hop classes do not have to wear leos or tights)
11. We want the dance studio to be a fun and friendly place for all. We WILL NOT tolerate bullying or disrespect of any kind. Please remind your dancers to be nice to one another, include others and be respectful to their peers, staff and all studio equipment.
12.We do allow food and beverages to be brought into the studio for the times that your child may have a break or comes right from school or other activities. We expect that they clean up after themselves and be respectful to the space. Please do not send your child with snacks if they are only going to be here for a short time as it becomes a distraction. We also ask that you do not send them with sugary drinks or candy for the sake of ant infestations and the instructors’ sanity :)
13. We stress the “keep your hands to yourself” rule in this studio. This includes keeping your hands off of other dancing friends unless asked to do such for dancing purposes but also keeping their hands off of any objects in the studio that they were not instructed to touch such as touching mirrors, workout equipment, teachers area objects such as their notebook, phone and bluetooth speakers. Our rule here is, if its not yours, please don’t touch it!
14. Many times students will bring phones, tablets or other devices to the dance studio for the times that they are waiting for classes to start or if they have a gap between classes. Devices in the studio are a privilege, not a right. We have had issues in the past with students playing on their tablets too loudly, making videos and pictures about other people that are not kind, telling the teacher to “hang on a minute” when they are instructed to put their devices down and start classes. If any of these become an issue, your dancer will have their device privilege taken away at the dance studio. Devices meant for homework, contacting parents for rides or keeping to themselves quietly to pass time are welcomed.
15. We want this dance studio to be a safe, fun, welcoming, creative learning environment for everyone. Please remind your children of these rules often. If any issues arise, we ask that you contact Miss Jessie as soon as possible via BAND private chat or phone. We cannot fix issues that we hear about through the grapevine weeks after they happen.
Thank you for being a part of our dancing family. We hope you and your dancer are happy here and we look forward to working with you and your children and sharing our love of dance with you!
