Updated on March 12, 2020

Dear Parents,

In light of the ongoing updates and information provided by the CDC and GA Dept of Public Health, and in regards to questions we have had from a handful of parents, we wanted to update you on our Covid-19 plans for the near future. We are putting together plans on what we would do if there were widespread school closures or further recommendations from public health officials. For full disclosure and transparency, we want all of you to be aware of these plans and how we will communicate any changes.

Communication

  • Updates will be communicated via email, posted on our website, Facebook, and Instagram, and a text will be send out via Remind.
  • If we should need to close, an alert will be sent out via Remind to that location (we offer classes at 9 locations), sent via email, and posted to our website, Facebook, and Instagram.
  • Please note that if a school/preschool that we have dance classes at is closed, we do follow the closure for that school.
  • If DeKalb County schools were to close, we would assess whether or not to close the studio and would send out an alert to let you know either way.

Cleaning Procedures

  • The toy bins and books have been removed from the lobby to prevent the spread of germs.
  • As mentioned in our last email, our front desk workers are cleaning and disinfecting the barres between classes, cleaning and disinfecting doorknobs, light switches, surfaces, the bathroom frequently.

New Dropoff/Pickup Procedures Effective Today

  • Dropoff/Pickup Procedures at our school/preschool locations will stay the same. Dance teachers will make sure that children use hand sanitizer upon arrival to dance.
  • Parents of children ages 3-5 are asked to walk their dancer in to the studio, ensure that their child uses hand sanitizer upon arrival, and then leave the studio once class has started. At the end of class, please walk in and pick up your child.
  • Parents of children K and up are asked to please pull up to the curb and drop off their dancer at the studio entrance.
    • A staff member or teacher’s assistant will be at the studio door to ensure that children safely enter the studio, and will direct them to use hand sanitizer upon arrival.
    • Please do not drop off more than 10 minutes prior to class time.
    • Please pull up to the curb so that the passenger side of your vehicle is closest to the studio doors, and have your child exit on the passenger side so that children are not crossing the parking lot.
    • Please be patient with other parents and our staff as we adjust to this new drop off system.
    • At the end of dance class, please pull up to the curb to pick up your dancer.

What can you do?

  • If you believe you may have come into contact with someone who may have or been exposed to COVID-19, you are asked not to enter the Pointe of Grace studio under any circumstances.
  • Please DO NOT allow your child to attend classes if they are showing ANY OUTWARD SYMPTOMS… even that of the common cold.
  • Please DO NOT come into the studio facility yourself or bring siblings/family members into the studio if they are showing ANY OUTWARD SYMPTOMS… even that of the common cold.
  • Remind your child to THOROUGHLY wash their hands (with SOAP for 20 seconds) prior to coming to the studio as well as after using the restroom.
  • Implore upon your children to NOT SHARE WATER BOTTLES OR FOOD OF ANY KIND.

What will happen if we Need to Suspend classes?

  • We will not suspend or halt classes unless mandated by the government  to do so (whether it be county, state, or federal).
  • I have discussed with my staff about the manner in which we will be offering VIRTUAL CLASSES via the internet if a mandated closure occurs. This will allow the staff of Pointe of Grace to continue the progression of our dance education, as well as offer a bit of normalcy (and fun!) for kiddos that may be going stir-crazy at home.
  • Today I am going to be hopping on both a Zoom call and a webinar with industry leaders with the intent of discussing the most effective way to provide a virtual dance education. We are preparing to setup and test virtual dance classes with our staff to ensure that we can still offer classes if we should need to close.

Also, Recital Ticket Sales will be postponed to start on April 15th. We will be putting out an email next Thursday, March 19th with information and a link to preorder Recital T-shirts and advertisements/shoutouts. We want to wait a bit and have more time to evaluate this fast growing situation, in case we should need to reschedule our Recital. We hope that will not be the case, but would rather be prepared, just in case.

Of course the safety of our students, staff, and dance families are of paramount importance to us. Thank you all for your ongoing attention to the above… this is certainly uncharted territory for us all.

If you have any questions, please email me at amy@pointegrace.com or my Office Manager, Beth at beth@pointegrace.com.

Thank you,

Amy Gilbert
Director, Pointe of Grace