Family and Student Expectations

Attendance: Attendance is required at all scheduled rehearsals and classes. There will be no refunds for missed classes. Students may make up missed classes within 30 days. Please, discuss with Helene what classes your child may attend in order to make up a missed class. Make-up classes may not be carried over to the next semester.

Absences: Ballet Wolcott staff will contact the parents of students who miss 3 or more classes in a row. If students miss 5 or more classes in one semester, the student may be asked to step down from roles in performances, pointe work, and Youth Company.

Cancellations: For information regarding class cancellations, visit the home of our website or call Helene. If the public schools are canceled due to dangerous weather, classes will automatically be canceled. Classes will be held on teacher in-service days and most state/national holidays.  Ballet Wolcott reserves the right to cancel a class or workshop due to low enrollment. Eight or more paying students must be enrolled in a class in order for it to run.  Some core classes may continue to run or be combined with another class.

Parking: We politely ask families to park in the large parking lot to the right of the post office. When cars park in front of or near the post office, it prevents the postal trucks from parking close enough to load and unload mail. It also blocks access to the mailbox in front of the building.

Arriving and Leaving Your Class: When arriving and leaving your/your child’s class, please be aware that another class may be in session and show them the respect that you would have them show you/your child. Please, enter and exit the studio quietly so that dance students may hear their music and teacher.  If waiting for your child, please, keep conversations down to a whisper while class is happening.
Parents must promptly pick up their children when classes and rehearsals have ended. Please, check your rehearsal schedule or class schedule to learn the time that the rehearsal or class ends.
In order to prevent injury and to allow for students to access the dance studio, please, line up shoes and boots neatly in the hallway; and, hang up your coat (and other clothing) on the coatrack.

Lateness: To allow preparation before class, students should arrive 15 minutes before class begins. It is very important for students’ safety to be present for the warm-up (first 20 minutes of class). Lateness also disrupts the class, distracting the students as well as the instructors.

Classroom Etiquette:
Please, enter and exit the studio quietly.
Please, do not wear street shoes in the dance studio.
Please, be respectful of all equipment and other’s belongings.
Please, be respectful of other’s feelings and personal space.
Please, do not loiter in the bathrooms.  Be respectful of others who may need to use them.  There is additional space on to change on the stage before/after class.
During class, please, do not go up on the stage unless it is story-time.
No sweetened drinks, food or gum is allowed in the dance studio.  It damages the dance floor. Water only.
Students must be wearing the dress code for their class. Please, see “Class Attire” below for your child’s requirements.
Students are asked to pay respectful attention to their instructors. For younger students who may have a difficult time with this, parents may be asked to attend class and supervise them.
If a student fails to follow these guidelines, our staff will make every effort to respond in a corrective, supportive, and instructive way according to each individual’s needs.  Should there be a problem, our faculty will consult with the parents/guardian by phone or in person.

Class Placement:  Students are evaluated during the months of September, December, and April in order to determine their proper placement in class levels. Faculty may consider age, class attendance, a student’s individual progression, negative/positive attitude, and ability to focus, among other criteria. Students normally spend two to three years in one level. New students should contact Helene for a recommendation.

Injury and Medical Conditions:  Parents/Guardians and dancers must make any injuries and medical conditions known to the instructor of the class being taken.

Food/ Drinks: Please, no food in the dance studio. Healthy food may be consumed in the kitchen and foyer during breaks and lunches. Water only in the dance studio, please.  Students/Parents who are preparing and eating meals at the Wolcott Town Hall must clean up after themselves. Please, do your dirty dishes, sweep crumbs off of the floor, and cover open containers of food. We do not want to attract pests.

Electronics: Please, safely stowe your electronics so that they are not damaged during class. Please, do not bring cell phones, tablets or computers into the studio. They may not be used during class time or rehearsals unless permission is given by a teacher or director (to call a parent for a ride home, to record a dance to practice, or to play a specific song).
If a cell phone or any other electronic device is found we will try to identify the owner by calling the parents/guardians in the contact list. If we cannot access this information, we will send out an email trying to describe the device. You will be expected to provide proof of ownership.

Safety: Please do not leave young children unattended in the lobby, on the stage, bathrooms, kitchen or outside. Children may not go onto the stage unless it is during an approved activity, such as “Story Time” in Stories in Motion and Pre-ballet.

Since we do not provide a lifeguard, students may not go near the river or down on the rocks.