COVID 19 Update: April 4, 2020

April 4, 2020

To Our Rachel’s Ballet Families:

Please be patient with us as we try our best to respond to each of your emails.

TEMPORARY CLOSURE & EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR:

Our school (locations in Fremont and Dublin) remains closed in compliance with the Alameda County “Shelter in Place” Order to limit and slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Our school will reopen when it is deemed safe to do so by the local authorities (Alameda County).  When that time comes, Rachel’s Ballet will do everything in its power to resume classes as soon as possible.  We will be extending our school year by the number of weeks missed during this temporary closure so the length of the school year will be the same.  We do not know if the “Shelter in Place” Order will be extended again and that is why we cannot provide a definitive reopen date at this time. We thank you for your understanding and appreciate the support for us and our community during this difficult time.

ONLINE INTERACTIVE CLASSES:

We introduced the Online Interactive Classes in response to the “Shelter in Place” Order.  These classes are for Rachel’s Ballet students only at no cost to stay fit and connected to our teachers and to be ready for exam work and Showcase.   The teacher can give instructions and also see/correct/encourage students because the class is interactive, not just a video to watch.  These classes provide a means to keep our teachers employed during the closure.  The Online Interactive Classes also allow students the opportunity to stay in touch with their classmates.  EMAILS have been sent to parents with SPECIFIC information about how to access these classes.  If you have not received the email, (check your SPAM folder too), email or phone us and we will resend the information to you.  Also please check with your child’s school if these interactive online classes can count towards their PE time.

RAD APP (optional only):

If your child is looking for something extra to do at home, students can download (purchase) the RAD App and practice at home to stay fit and practice.  The RAD App has both demo and music for Pre-Primary – Advanced 2 levels.  Some dance settings may be different, as RAD allows teachers to set their own choreography to some of the dances, but students can still do them as practice exercises.

ANNUAL SHOWCASE: 

Our staff is working hard on choreography, music, costumes, etc., as full planning of our Annual Showcase continues for now.  Ideally we would like to schedule it for a later date to allow our students more time to prepare, but Ohlone College is currently closed so we will have to wait and see if any schedule changes are even possible.

TUITION:

– All tuition payments/credits are suspended for now until our school reopens.  Tuition installments for March, April and May can be made when the school reopens.

(Reminder) RAD EXAMS and remaining MOCK EXAMS POSTPONED:

– RAD EXAMS:  The RAD-USA Director has POSTPONED our RAD Exams due to the COVID-19 situation.  RAD Exams are not cancelled, but will be RESCHEDULED when our school reopens and it is safe for the examiner to travel again.  RAD fees are non-refundable unless we are advised otherwise by RAD.

– MOCK EXAMS:  The remaining MOCK Exams for Fremont G3-Second Year students and all Vocational students have been POSTPONED. These MOCK Exams will be rescheduled after we are notified of the new exam dates from RAD.

(Reminder) PPDC (Pre-Professional Dance Company) UPDATES:

–  If you have existing Private/PPDC Solo/PPDC Ensemble Lessons, teachers will be contacting you when we reopen to reschedule these lessons.

–  ICON Dance Competition has been postponed and will be rescheduled.  Icon has confirmed with their host hotel (Hilton Juniper Cupertino), that they will transfer all room reservations under the ICON DANCE room block for free, with absolutely no penalty for changing.

–  YAGP NEW YORK FINALS have been postponed and will be rescheduled.

We hope everyone stays safe! We will continue to provide updates as we get through this time together.

Sincerely,

Rachel Tan and Staff