Important Things to Remember

Throughout the 2023/2024 Year

*** Classes begin the week of Sept. 3, 2024 All Monday classes will start Sept. 9th.***

PLEASE READ AND KEEP THIS AS A REFERENCE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. We want your year at Lakeside to be an enjoyable one for both you and your child. We make every effort to notify parents each step of the way with our marker board, facebook posts, and handouts. We are happy to answer questions, but please refer to this packet and all future handouts FIRST as we strive to make sure all information is in written form. Write all important date on your calendars. Remember, a happy parent is one that stays informed!

Announcement Board

There will be an announcement board to the left as you walk into the lobby. Please check this weekly for any announcements that may be pertinent to your child. It is your responsibility to be informed of all materials placed on the board. Parents who read the board weekly as well as the handouts are aware of important information that is pertinent to their child’s class.

Lakeside Dance Website: conneautlakedance.com Please reference our website and facebook for class closings due to weather, registration, the studio calendar, etc.

“Like” us on facebook for important updates!

Class Cancellations

October – trick-or-treat Oct. 31st no classes
November -Nov. 26-Dec. 1st Thanksgiving break
December – Dec. 23rd – January 1st Christmas break
January – 20th Martin Luther King Day
February – 17th President’s Day
April– 17th – April 21st Easter break
May – 5th – May 8th Last week of classes (There are no classes the week of the recital.)

I also am allowing teachers two sick days per class per year. My hope is that we won’t have to use these.

Contacting the Studio Via Facebook

We are happy to answer any questions you may have. However, out of respect to our teachers and their personal/family time, please do not message them personally over facebook. If you have any questions, please either call the studio, email us, ask your teacher before class (time permitting), ask our secretary during payment weeks, reference the “Important Things to Remember” paperwork and notes handed out throughout the year, read the marker board and signs on the front door, or message the “Lakeside Dance” facebook page. Many questions can be answered easily if you are reading the marker board weekly and all handouts.

Mailing Address

The studio’s mailing address is:
Lakeside Dance, LLC.
227 Grandview Ave.
Meadville, PA 16335

Lakeside Dance, LLC. is located on Charlotte Ave. in Conneaut Lake, PA. However, there is not a mailbox and mail will not be delivered to this address.

Please use my home address as the studio mailing address.
Kelly Lobdell • 227 Grandview Ave. • Meadville, PA 16335

Tardiness

If your child arrives to class 15 minutes late, he/she will have to observe class that day. Because of their tardiness they will miss warm-ups and it would be risking injury for them to join class after missing the proper warm-up.

Watching class is beneficial also. By observing, the child may be able to see mistakes in other students that they may be struggling with themselves. They will be able to see the mistake and the correction given. Therefore, they will be able to place that correction on themselves, thus benefiting from their observation.

Weather Cancellations

Please check this website or Facebook for weather cancellations.

I will make the determination as to whether classes will be cancelled by 2 pm. If you do not have access to the internet, please notify us of that so we can call you with any weather cancellations.

Payments

Please check the studio calendar to see the payment days.
The registration fee is non-refundable.
We accept cash, check, and money order only. We DO NOT have credit/debit processing, venmo, paypal, etc.
October’s payment (paid in September) is due no later than September 9th 2024, due to the fact that we do not begin classes until the 3rd.
All other months, October – May, payments are due the 1st of every month with a grace period until the 5th of the month. Please see the chart below as to the dates the studio will be open to collect payments. Oct. and April end earlier than the 5th of the month due to the 5th falling on a date the studio is not open. In this case, if paying at the studio, payment must be received then or mailed and received by the 5th of the month.
Please note we make payments a month ahead of time. September’s payment was due upon registration. October’s payment is due September 1 st, November’s payment is due October 1st and so on. This is so payments are done by April 1st and you may take your child’s costume home in time for alterations. Costumes are kept at the studio until the year is paid in full. With the pay a month ahead policy, it gives you time for alterations.
If payment is not received by the 5th, a $12 late fee will be charged. Once late fees are sent out there are no exceptions.
If your child is sick or if you know ahead of time you will not be in class to pay by the 1st of the month, it is still your obligation to pay on time.
If paying in cash, please have correct change with you. We do not bring money to make change. If you come with the incorrect change and decide not to pay that day, payment is still due on the 1st of the month. If not paid by the 5th, there will be a late fee issued.
If I receive your payment in the mail after the 5th, it is late. This includes bank-automated checks.
I cannot hold checks. If it cannot be cashed upon receipt, it is considered late.
If we don’t have class on the 5th of the month, payment is still due by the 5th.
Your child will have to sit out during class until your payment and late fees are paid. Please pay on time so that your child does not have to face the consequences because the payment is not paid. It is not fair to them.

***Please mark the 1st of each month on your calendar so that you do not have to receive a late fee. I do not like to hand them out, but I am forced to if the policies are not followed.

You are welcome to mail payments. My address is 227 Grandview Ave. Meadville, PA 16335
Please do not send payments to the studio address as I do not accept mail there.
Payments are the same each month regardless of the number of classes in each month. The monthly fee is actually a yearly fee divided by 9 months. Yes, I do studio work in the summer. Your payment includes our choreography time outside of class, bookwork for each class, snowplowing, cleaning, etc. It includes the tremendous amount of time we put into picking out your student’s costume, then choosing their size, and ordering the costume. It includes the cost of building props for the review, and the time setting up a space for a review. This is just a few of the behind the scenes work that is done for your child.

Diann Frampton or a designated secretary will come the five dance days closest to the 5th of each month to accept payments. This is so the teacher does not have to take valuable class time to accept and record payments. Please note, we are not open on Fridays and weekends.

Please make checks payable to: Lakeside Dance, LLC

Due to holidays, some payment weeks may be extended. Below are the following payment weeks.

September -(September 3rd – 9th) Octobers tuition is due
October -(Sept. 30th -Oct. 3rd) November’s tuition is due
November -(Nov. 4th-Nov. 7th ) December’s tuition is due
December -(Dec. 2nd-Dec. 5th) January’s tuition is due
January -(Jan. 2nd-Jan. 8th) February’s tuition is due
February -(Jan. 30th-Feb. 5th) March’s tuition is due
March -(Feb. 27th-March 5th) April’s tuition is due
April-(March 31st – April 3rd) May’s tuition is due

Payment Box

I have installed a payment box on your left as you walk into the studio. A designated secretary will be at the studio to accept payments on the five dance days prior to the 5th of each month. (Please note, the studio is not open on Fridays or weekends.) However, if you have any late payments, sweatshirt orders, tights orders, recital t-shirt orders. etc. that you would like to hand in, please place them in the payment box. If paying in cash, please put your payment in an envelope, which includes your child’s name and the amount of the payment sealed inside and what the payment is for.

Recital Dates

Stage Rehearsal – May 13th Tuesday (Your child’s class will be assigned to only one stage rehearsal day.)
Stage Rehearsal – May 14th Wednesday
Dress Rehearsal – May 16th Friday
Saturday Recital – May 17th Saturday 11am and 3pm

Withdraw Policy
For many years we have had students quit midway through the year, some as late as weeks before the recital. We begin learning choreography for the recital in October. If a child quits, the rest of the class suffers. They have to get used to a new spot in the dance and often have to learn different choreography, scrapping what they have previously spent weeks or even months perfecting. The committed child is left frustrated and often doesn’t look their best come recital time, all at no fault of their own. In an effort to promote teamwork and commitment (life lessons our students will carry on into adulthood) and to provide the best possible class for those students who are truly committed, we have enacted a $40 drop fee for all students who decide to drop a class from November until the recital. If your child does not wish to participate in the recital, please mark so on the recital commitment form done via your online registration or handout. We can easily put them in a spot where they may enjoy participating in the dance in class but will not affect the other dancers come recital time.

Parents of Young Children

Teachers are responsible for your child once he/she enters the classroom. Please stay with your child and supervise them until he/she enters class and be there upon the closing of class to pick up your child. Please wait for your child in the lobby as to not distract them from their lesson. Also, please make sure your child has had their bathroom break before class so that we do not have to waste valuable class time for such necessities.

Costume Payments

An optional $25 costume deposit will be due in October with November’s class fees. This means a $25 costume deposit for each class your child is taking. If they are taking 1 class your deposit would be $25, or two classes would be $50, and so on. Please note this deposit is optional and done as a convenience for you.

Your final costume payment will be due Nov. 7, 2024. (Reminder – the last day the studio is open for payment this month is Nov. 2nd. If not received by Nov. 5th it must be received in the mail by Nov. 5th.) Last season we had great difficulty getting our costumes on time due to supply chain issues. In order to try to avoid this problem again, we will be placing our orders a month early. We will add extra room as we measure to allow for this. Also, costume companies give discounts for early orders in which we can pass onto the parent. Therefore, in order to give you, the parent, the least expensive costume rate, I require that costume payments be due by the 5th of Nov. There will be a $12 late fee for late payments. I know that December is a hard month with many bills to pay. Therefore, in order to save you some trouble, I like to let you know about this payment before hand so you may start saving money aside. My hope is that with this information it will help you budget out your payment for the months to come. You will receive your final costume payment information in early October.

We try our best to not only keep costumes affordable, but to also make sure they are age appropriate. Please note: we do take your child’s measurements but then I must fit them into sizes the company makes.

Costumes are not custom fit. Therefore, if your child has a long torso but a thin body, you may have to make adjustments in the waistline. In this case, I would buy the size that fit her torso and as a parent you would have to adjust the waistline.

When you receive your costume payment slip, please review the size and call me if you would like to discuss a size change. Once costumes are ordered, they cannot be returned or exchanged and refunds are not given. Please remember, costumes will go home once all class payments for the dance year are paid.

Once costumes arrive, they will be tried on in class. Costumes will be tried on over leotards when at all possible. They only exception to this would be if your child is wearing a tutu or puffy skirt that is attached to their leotard and would prevent us from being able to see if the costume fits properly. Teacher’s will assist the child in making the costume change. All of our teachers have their clearances. However, if you do not wish for the teacher to assist your child, please let us know beforehand. Your child will not try their costume on in this case the costume will have to be accepted as is. Unfortunately, for the safety of our students, we cannot allow parents to come in and assist in changes as we do not know who would have their clearances. We try to provide as safe an environment for our students as possible.

Costumes may go home once all tuition balances have been paid for the season. Please note, all tuition balances will need to be paid before taking part in picture day or purchasing recital tickets.

Dance Shoes and Clothing

In an effort to try and save parents money on dance merchandise, I will be offering dancewear and shoes merchandise during our August sale. (Aug. 22nd from 4-7pm) If you are unable to make the date, I am available for shoe fittings by appointment. Please contact us at lakesidedancellc@gmail.com. Please note, appointment dates and times are limited. Please try to make the sale to ensure your child is ready for their first day of class. Leotards and tights will be sold the first week of classes as well as payment week throughout the year.

Come to Class Prepared

Please make sure your child is dressed properly for class and has their hair tied back. Examples of proper clothing for each class are on the lobby bulletin board. Proper clothing is necessary so that I may make sure the child has correct alignment as well as helping to keep muscles warm to prevent injury.

Hair should be pulled up in a bun, ponytail, braid, etc. All loose hair must be tied back. Even short hair needs to be pulled back in a half ponytail so that the child doesn’t have to push their hair out of their face. If your child comes to class unprepared they will be asked to sit out and observe that day. Please help me to provide an injury free atmosphere for your child.

Makeup Classes due to School Cancellation

If your child’s class is cancelled due to a scheduled school cancellation day or snow day, your child may make up the class in a higher or lower level.

In this case, please ask me and I can let you know of the available day and time for makeup. Please note, not all classes have a higher or lower class that your child can enter to make up the class.

Attire

Ballet and Pointe-any color leotard and tights, ballet skirt or dance shorts. Leather or canvas ballet or pointe shoes (males please wear a white t-shirt, and solid color shorts or sweat pants, and black ballet shoes.)

Modern, Jazz, Tap, Tumbling-leotard with jazz pants or dance shorts and appropriate shoes. Tan jazz shoes and black tap shoes, Modern – tan dance socks, black tumbling shoes (Boys need black jazz shoes) (For safety reasons, no skirts for tumbling please.)

***Adult Hip Hop students wear a black glitter tennis shoe that we will fit you for the first week of classes.

***Adult Modern students wear tan jazz shoes

***Adult Tap students wear black tap shoes.

***Adults may wear comfortable attire of their choice to class.

No tank tops, sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, leggings (Other than adults)

Leotards must be worn in all classes.