Series of 3 Re-opening notices

PART 1:

Hello Studio Families! 
We hope this email finds you well and we are excited to be gearing up for our September Re-Open! 
Congratulations again to all on a fantastic virtual recital. To all those who were able to participate and to those who could not, we appreciate your hard work during last season’s many challenges. We made it through! 
To new prospective families, we welcome you to our Studio K family and look forward to meeting you next month! 
We will be sending you 3 updates in preparation for our re-opening on September 8th. There is so much information regarding our new policies that it will easier to impart this information in 3 parts rather than all together which would be very overwhelming. Each will detail a little more how we plan to keep dancing in our new normal. These new guidelines will also be on our website. 
Our theme for the re-start is:
Ready,........Get Set,..........Go!! 
This email is the “READY” part of our announcements and the first installment of our  re-start information. 
Look for our “GET SET” email this weekend which will include a video that shows examples of how we will implement our new safety procedures. 
There will be many changes but the most important thing to us is the safety and well being of each student, teacher and staff member who will be at Studio K. 
Our priority is to re-open our studio in a way that allows us to stay open and to continue our goal of, at some point, returning to normal operating procedures. 
Having said that, we realize that everyone has varying views on the current pandemic and the restrictions that are upon us as a community. Please know that our stance on adapting to the required procedures is simply based on our desire to re-open our doors and get back to dance. 
If we do not comply with the required state guidelines and CDC recommendations, then we risk having to close once again and continue virtually. 
Due to the circumstances we will need everyone’s complete cooperation with regard to our new policies. We cannot risk this new dance season and we intend to enforce all policies diligently until we are told by the appropriate agencies that we can discontinue them. 
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and  will view your finalized registration as an agreement to adhere to all newly implemented studio procedures. 
Here’s where you can start! 

1. REGISTRATION- Registration is now open on our website and must be completed on our website. 
2. ACCOUNTS- Please make sure to update any changes to your account information on file to help us better serve you. For your convenience we offer monthly automated withdrawals for tuition if you would like that option. 
3. FRONT LOBBY- At this time we are not able to have parents or siblings in our lobby or common areas. We ask that you email the studio with questions. We appreciate your help with this. We want to be attentive to your needs and questions but also need to stay within our recommended guidelines. 
4. PAYMENTS- This season we are accepting payments on our website as our lobby will remain closed until further notice. If you need to pay with check or cash please have your dancer put it in the white payment mailbox located just inside the front door.
5. EMAIL- You can submit email questions on our website by clicking on “Contact” and scrolling down to “Send Us A Note!”
6. CLASS TIMES- We have had to restructure our schedule to accommodate our sanitation process. Classes will be 45-50 minutes in length to allow for proper changeover of classes and cleaning.  
7. CLASS SIZE- Class sizes have also been limited to meet our guidelines. Only the downstairs studio will be utilized at this time with a maximum of 10 students. 
8. MAKEUPS- There are no Drop In classes or In Person make ups allowed at this time due to class size limitations. It will be possible to schedule a specific makeup in an open class through the office. 
9. WAIT LIST- Should an In Person class be full, you may put yourself on the waitlist for that class. 
10. ATTIRE- Students will need to arrive in the proper dance attire for their class as the dressing room facility will need to remain closed until further notice.

We encourage all families to register now as our schedule will fill up quickly with smaller classes. We will add on class options as our schedule allows. 
If you require a Zoom class option please contact us as we are considering a weekly virtual dance club. 
Please contact us with any questions you may have and look for the “GET SET” email soon!


Best Always,
Katy Abrego Cortines
Owner/Artistic Director

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PART 2:

​Hello Studio Families! 
It’s time to GET SET! and get dancing again! 
This is our next step in making sure that everyone is set to return to class and knows our new policies and procedures. 
Please watch the video at this link to see exactly how we will be conducting classes under the new guidelines. 
Here’s an overview!

1. Students with a cough, runny nose, fever or other viral symptoms will not be allowed to take class. Do not come to the studio if you have recently been around someone with CoVid-19. 
2. Parents please drop your child off no more than 5 minutes before class begins.
3. It will be necessary for us to use the space outside the front door to line up each class. Please leave this area open and properly distanced for dancers only.  
4. Please do not allow the kids to hug outside while waiting. Yes, this is hard. It's so tough for us to not have that physical contact with everyone, but if we want to continue to meet in person it is important to follow the rules. 
5. Your teacher or someone from the office or administration will let you know when you may enter the building.  
6. A mask must be worn in the studio and when entering and exiting at all times. 
7. No parents are allowed to watch classes at this time. We are not able to have our lobby and common areas open yet. 
8. Dancers will have their temperature taken upon entering the building. Any student with a temperature of 100 or higher will be asked to go to the end of the line for a re- check. If that student registers a temperature of 100 or above again, they will be asked not participate in class. 
9. Dancers will be given hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the studio rooms.
10. Dancers are permitted to bring a small bag with water and dance shoes. 
11. Students will be exiting the back door of the downstairs dance room. Parents should come to the back patio to meet their child. 
12. Please exercise caution when driving as we have new pathways where pedestrians will be walking. It is very important that you be on time to pick up your dancer. 
13. Any student who is waiting to be picked up can wait at the green picnic table at the front of the studio. 
14. Students who have 2 classes in a row, will exit the building for a short break and some fresh air.  They will line up with their next class and then follow regular entrance protocol. No students will be allowed to gather in the danceroom, kitchen or lobby after class.  
15. In all areas of the studio physical distancing will be practiced. No hands on corrections by teachers will be given until it is safe to do so.  No holding of hands or partner work will be done in classes at this time. No class curriculum will include shared mats, props, stickers, etc. 

Please contact us via email on our website with any questions. Registration is open so go online now and let’s “GET SET” to dance! We can’t wait to see you! 
Best Always, 
Katy Abrego Cortines
Owner/Artistic Director

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PART 3:
​Hello Studio Families!
Finally! It’s time to GO!
We have more information for you as we are very close to our reopen. Read on for answers to questions we’ve received, as well as our usual new season start reminders!

1. When you arrive for your first class, take a selfie in front of our SKDC banner and post it on Instagram to enter our registration raffle! Be sure to tag the studio (@studiokdancing) in your pic and use the hashtag #studiok2020. Be sure to either make your post public or follow us so we can see your post. Winners will be announced in a couple weeks!
2. Please make sure to send your dancer with plenty of water in a water bottle clearly marked with their name. Water only is allowed in the studio- no soda, Gatorade, etc. With this heat wave we need students to stay hydrated! We cannot sell water at this time and do not have a drinking fountain in the studio.
3. Our dress code is on our website. Please make sure that your dancer has proper footwear as we cannot have bare feet in the studio due to guidelines. Previously, if a dancer had worn uggs, toms, crocs, sandals, we would have them remove them but that is not recommended. If your child does not have their dance shoes for the first week, please send them in a pair of tennis shoes or with socks.
4. MASKS: Masks need to be worn in class and when entering and exiting the studio. Dancers will be given water and mask breaks during class. The faculty has been educated on the use of masks during physical activity and at different levels of exertion. The faculty has modified our lesson plans to include a portion of class that allows for a “cool down” period in which students can appropriately social distance, temporarily remove their masks, hydrate, and be challenged with a short mental dance activity! We are happy to share our detailed safety plan for dancing in a mask should anyone like more information. Please note - we are adhering to the plan outlined by the California Department of Public Health in regard to Proper Fitness Establishment Protocol. In their guidelines, our facility would only be allowed to have unmasked cohorts (classes) outside only. Outside classes would prove difficult due to heat, dance surface needs, and sound issues.
5. Our studio policies will align with the state guidelines; as those hopefully begin to lessen over time so will our need for these current restrictions.
6. Studio K’s safety plan, reopening procedures, and a copy of the CDPH guidelines can be viewed on our website.
7. We recommend that parents of young children remain at the studio during class (outside or in your car). Should your child need assistance with using the restroom for example, we can briefly have you come inside with our guidelines of a mask, temperature check, and hand sanitizer.
8. Parents can view class in the back patio area as long as social distancing is maintained.
9. Once class begins, if there are only 1 or 2 dancers in attendance that day, they will be given a 30 min semi-private class and receive a makeup class credit to be used anytime during the season.
10. Please remember that makeup classes need to be scheduled through the office due to class size restrictions.
11. Our class schedule is subject to change. Classes with 4 or less dancers may be combined with other classes or suspended. Parents will be emailed if it is necessary for us to change, cancel, or combine their student’s class.
12. If your child would like to do a trial class, please check with the office for available class space and to make an appointment to try class. We encourage our students to try new dances styles! 
13. Dancers who prefer to continue dance virtually, can join our Zoom Dance Club on Wednesday evenings! 
14. Finally, we ask that you remain flexible. Our process may need to change as we troubleshoot and discover exactly how things work best once our doors are actually open. Thank you again for your patience. Studio K, nor the rest of the dance community, has ever had to take these actions. We are learning as we go and will continue to revise our plan in the best interest of our students. This is a new experience for us and we appreciate your cooperation as we navigate through uncharted territory!
15. Email questions can be submitted on our website by clicking on “Contact” and scrolling down to “Send Us A Note!” or by simply emailing us at studiokdancecenter@gmail.com
16. If you missed any of the previous 2 emails in this series, please reach out so we can forward them to you.

I wish everyone a fun, safe (and cool!)  Labor Day weekend and we’ll see you soon!
Let’s GO!


Best Always,
Katy Abrego Cortines
Owner/Artistic Director