The Policies and Procedures of The Pennington Studio for Dance and Creative Arts is designed to maintain the decorum required to excel in the art of dance while observing maximum safety for your student and their peers.

COVID-19 Studio Policies
The following guidelines will be evaluated and updated regularly based on the latest CDC and government guidelines:

Arrival Procedures
Please arrive on time! Punctuality is crucial in order to properly enforce our safety procedures.

To minimize exposure, dancers will be escorted into the building by a staff member maintaining social distancing after the previous class has been escorted out. Procedures will be in place to ensure that this process happens safely and smoothly.

All staff and students are required to wear a face mask while entering the building.

Staff and students will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entering the building.

The lobby will be closed to families until further notice. Only staff and students may use the lobby. An exception will be made for younger children who are adjusting to our studio and teachers. One parent per child will be allowed in the lobby as needed, and will be asked to maintain social distancing in the lobby at that time. 

Class Procedures
All staff and students are required to wear a face mask while in the dance studio.

There will be no physical contact between dancers at any time.

Water bottles and dance shoes are the only personal items allowed in the classroom.

Students will not be sharing items. Please send students with their own snacks, water bottle, yoga mat, and any other necessary supplies.

The bathroom will be designated for one person per use. Our youngest dancers in Preschool and Kinderdance levels will be escorted to the bathroom by a staff member, but will need to be able to use the bathroom on their own. To make this easier, dancers in this age group are asked to wear a leotard and dance shoes only (NO TIGHTS).

Dismissal Procedures
Classes will be dismissed from the dance room approximately 5-10 minutes early to allow for time to clean and safely line-up for pick-up.

Maintaining social distancing, students will be escorted out by a staff member and released to their parent/guardian once they have been identified. 

Cleaning/Safety Procedures
Staff will sanitize the ballet barres, door knobs, and other hard surfaces between all classes.

Illness Procedures
If you have a cough, fever or are sick please stay home. You are welcome to participate in virtual classes; please notify staff in a timely fashion.

Please do not come to the studio if you or someone you have been exposed to tested positive or had COVID-like symptoms within the past 14 days. Please contact us to let us know if your child will participate from home via Zoom instead until contact tracing or conclusive testing has been completed.

At the entrance, dancers and staff will be screened for signs of COVID-19 illness prior to being permitted to enter the studio.

Dancers who test positive for Covid-19 must remain home until they have been cleared by a doctor and must provide documentation.


Attendance and Tardiness
Good attendance is imperative to the growth and success of your student. If more than 20% of classes are missed, your student may not be eligible to be promoted into a new level for the next year. Please make every effort to attend every class. Missed classes may not be deducted from tuition payments. Make-Up classes should be attended.

Holidays
Yom Kippur: Mon. 9/16/21
Fall Break: Mon.-Sat. 11/22-27/21
Winter Break: Mon.-Sat. 12/20/21-1/1/22
Wildcard Wednesday: Wed. 1/26/22
Presidents' Day: Mon.-Wed. 2/21-23/22
Hopewell Valley Night Off: Thurs. 2/224/22
Spring Break: Mon.-Sat. 3/28/22-4/2/22
Easter Weekend: Fri.-Sat. 4/15-16/22

Make-Up Classes
If a student misses a class, they are encouraged to attend a make-up class within the month. For make-up classes, students may attend class with the level immediately below their own. For example, if your student in Ballet 3 has missed a class, they may take class with Ballet 2. Alternatively, students may take class in the same level in another discipline. For example, if your student in Ballet 1 misses a class, they may take a Jazz 1 class. When making up a class, please fill out a make-up slip at the front desk.

Inclement Weather Procedures
The Pennington Studio will post updates on our website, www.thepenningtonstudio.com, regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. The Pennington Studio reserves the right to close classes at our discretion. We will not put any student or family in danger due to weather. Any classes cancelled or missed may be made up according to our Make-Up Class Procedures listed above.

Lobby Area
The Lobby Area is a shared by all families and patrons of The Pennington Studio. Please be courteous and mindful of conversation topics in the lobby area. All dance bags and personal items are to be left in the lobby area when a student goes in to take class. Observation windows may be used to see what your student is learning in class, please keep distractions to a minimum.

Payment and Late Fees
The Pennington Studio is based on a 32-week year (9/8/21 - 5/26/22). There is a one-time registration fee of $40 per family. If you withdraw from The Pennington Studio for any reason, it is your responsibility to contact the studio immediately. A notice of 30 days is required to drop a class as well as a fee of $25. May tuition will be collected with September tuition on September 1st. Commitment to program participation and and tuition payments is enacted after attending two weeks of classes consecutively or by October 1, whichever comes first. Recital tickets will not be sold to delinquent accounts. A class with less than 5 students may be cancelled at the discretion of the owner. There are three different payment plans available. (1) Payment paid in full upon registration. (2) Payment in two installments: first installment due at registration and the second installment due on January 1st. (3) Payment in nine installments: first 2 installments due at registration; the remaining installments due on the 1st of each month. Regardless of payment plan option, a $25 late fee will be charged 5 days after payment is past-due.

Dress Code
Proper uniform is required for all classes. The students are expected to provide, at their own expense, proper attire and footwear for all classes. This includes but is not limited to, leotard, tights, dance shoes, dance pants, and hair accessories. Students must abide by the designated hair requirements for the class they will be attending, as listed below.

The dress code uniform per level is as follows:


ABC Pre-School Dance
Light pink cap sleeved leotard with attached skirt. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.


Kinderdance
Cerise leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.


Recreational Ballet 1
Purple leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.

Recreational Ballet 2
Juniper leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.

Recreational Ballet 3/4
Black Cherry leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.



Junior CORE Ballet
Navy blue leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.

Intermediate CORE Ballet
Mulberry leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.

Senior CORE Ballet
Eggplant leotard. Pink tights and pink ballet shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun.


Tap Classes
The designated leotard for your ballet level. (see above) Black jazz pants, black bike shorts or caramel tights.  Hair worn up in a tight bun or ponytail. Black tap shoes: full sole lacing Oxford. The Bloch Respect is great for younger kids. The Chloe and Maudes are recommended for more advanced students. No split sole "jazz" style, please. A lacing Oxford is also acceptable.  


Jazz Classes
The designated leotard for your ballet level. (see above) Black jazz pants, black bike shorts or caramel tights. Caramel jazz shoes. Hair worn up in a tight bun or ponytail.


Hip-Hop Classes
The designated leotard for your ballet level. (see above) Black jazz pants, black bike shorts or caramel tights. Caramel jazz shoes. Hair worn up out of the face in a ponytail. A T-Shirt can be worn over the leotard, if desired.


Boys’ Classes
White or black fitted T-Shirt. Black bike shorts, tights, or leggings. Black ballet shoes. Hair worn out of the face and eyes.


Students may wear a ballet skirt during class, if desired.

All students are REQUIRED to wear proper cover up attire to and from the dance studio. (This is simply for safety.) Students must also refrain from walking outside in their dance shoes.

There is to be no jewelry worn during any dance class. (Exceptions include stud earrings.)
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There should be no chewing gum in classes.