Category: Uncategorized

We are so excited to be able to tie up our season with an outdoor recital.

Here is how it will look:

Date: Saturday, August 29th. Rain Date – Sunday August 30. If signing up for recital please be available for both as this will be calibrated based on audience numbers.

Time: TBA once audience numbers are in

Location: Oakeside Mansion – 240 Belleville Ave, Bloomfield. The show will take place behind the mansion. When standing on Belleville Avenue and looking at the front, there is a gravel driveway to your right, you will follow that back and you will find the show.

Parking: There is parking by Memorial Park (follow the signs, left at light just past the mansion). You could also choose to park on side streets Williamson, Spruce or any others and it’s just a short walk up.

Audience: We are asking to limit the audience to parents and siblings with a maximum of 4 per family (Performers not included). We only have so much space to work with and will social distance chairs by family. We are looking to keep it to 10 families or so per show. You will be able to enter the performance area 5 minutes before your show time. If you arrive early please enjoy the community gardens while you wait.

Masks: Though we will social distance, we do still recommend a mask, but under executive orders it is not currently required. Performers if wearing a mask should take it off to perform as they will be socially distanced there too. Please know that as executive orders change this may need to change too.

Cleaning: All chairs will be wiped down between shows.

Performers Performers should come dressed in their first costume, stage ready with hair and makeup only needing to put shoes on. Please no jewelry. For 2 in one classes you will receive a bucket at your last class. Please have it packed with their change of bottoms. The bucket will come back to us after.

As soon as performers have their shoes on, staff will line them up.

Changing and bathrooms: There is a bathroom and changing areas directly off of the small yard we are in. Please make sure all costumes and shoes are labeled with your initials.

Viewing for those that are not in the audience: We are working on where we will live stream/or post the show (probably to facebook, though we have music rights issues sometimes. We are also working on finding a videographer to put together a digital download. Send you recommendations my way!

Recital shirt: makes a great cover up for costumes, but we will not be having a large finale so it is not necessary for the show. All performers will take a bow at the end of their last number.

Vendors: Oakeside hosts food trucks every day in the parking lot right next to the mansion so please feel free afterward to get some concessions. Please do not eat in costume before you perform at all and without a cover up.

Length of show: TBD – will depend on where the family numbers fall. We are estimating not more than 20 minutes (the older students show may be slightly longer).

Quick Links (But please read all policies):

Costume pick up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f45a4a62aa0f94-costume

Picture Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F45A4A62AA0F94-picture1

We have rebooked DancePix for Sunday July 26th.

Here is how this will work:

Everyone will be masked. Students can take the mask off for pictures.

Hand sanitizer will be readily available for all and used.

We had Germbusters come in last week and will do a thorough cleaning the day before pictures as well.

DancePix will be sanitizing all pens and any other common use items. We will not be using props for pictures.

DancePix also has a waiver that will need to be signed that you acknowledge that they are taking every step possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Only one parent/guardian please in the building.

When you arrive you will call 973-743-5030. Miss Nicole will take your name and phone number. We will be allowing one family into the studio area and one in the waiting room. We will call the next in from your car when the person ahead of you has moved into the studio.

Please come dressed with hair and make up done. All that you will need to do is take care of package selection and payment with Marisa when you get there. Miss Nicole will look over the costume and take care of any issues in the waiting room.

If taking multiple pictures (whether costumes or siblings) please sign up for back to back time slots when you can. You still need one slot per picture. For the sake of everything running smoothing please keep hair and make up the same between pictures.

Ready to sign up? Please do so here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F45A4A62AA0F94-picture1

Thank you as always for your cooperation.

Please read all the way to the end. Important thoughts and a survey link.

A lifetime ago I thought we were going to closed for 2 weeks and thought it may be a few crazy weeks life would continue by the end of Easter break at the latest. As we all know, that was an extremely optimistic view and not in the least realistic.

So here we are – almost 17 weeks later and still not there yet. When I say I make a new plan weekly it’s not a jest. The staff and I have planned, re planned and changed it some more. And most likely will need to do so again.

Throughout this process I have been blessed with the fact that so many of you have been keeping the lines of communication open. Talking to you and hearing how it has or hasn’t affected you has helped shaped our decisions thus far. But as we reach a crossroads here I don’t want to assume – I need you to weigh in. From there we can decide how we proceed.

There are 7 questions to this survey and only 6 need to be answered (one question depends on one of the answers)- it should take just a few minutes to fill out this survey. At this point the questions are pretty straightforward. I know we all have a lot to say and we can get into comments after we get past this stage and start to get things in place.

Please find the survey here – https://forms.gle/CRkF13UHxosjb4Dt8

The more people that weigh in the better of an informed decision we can make. You are not held to your responses by any means, I’m not even asking for names, but please give us your gut feeling.

In the end you need to do what is best for your family and your family alone. Some will not be ready, some will and that’s OK either way. I have not decided if we will charge for the end of the year lessons (pictures are a separate issue) or what that charge will even be so please base answers on your comfort level around the health climate with money not a factor. No child should not finish out this year/perform due to finances.

We also have in the works our new policy and procedures to comply with any and all health mandates. As this is an ever changing process when we have our plan we will update to the latest info and release it all at once.

I thank you again for your time and consideration. I am doing my best to make decisions that majority is comfortable with and be able to keep the studio roof over our heads so we have it to go back to when we are able.

Written on July 12, 2020. Updated 8/8/20 with notes for September session. Updated again 12/27/21 to reflect ongoing precautions.

Please know our plans for opening is always a work in progress and we reserve the right to amend things as we need to to comply with state and local guidelines. We understand that everyone may not agree with these policies but they are in the interest of keeping everyone safe and the studio open.

I start off by saying if you or your child feel ill, or think you have been exposed to COVID-19 we ask that you stay home until you have been tested and cleared. We also ask that you just let us know what is going on by call, email, or text. Know that I can not always pick up phone calls while teaching, but leave me a message and I will return the call as soon as I am able to.

Before classes:

Germbusters will be coming in every sixty days (although their product lasts 90) to do a sanitation of the studio.

The Fire Department came in on July 23, 2020 to determine our COVID capacity. At present time we can have 15 in studio including staff. We are limiting class sizes to 7 for 2 year olds, 10 for all others

Everyone will need to sign a liability and COVID waiver the first day of class. (it is agreed to when you register online)

Miss Katie will be there 1 hour before classes start which will give us time to open up the windows and air out the studio, wipe all common surfaces down and make sure sanitizer is refilled.

We encourage all little ones to use the bathroom before coming to the studio, though of course the bathroom will be there for use.

Waiting Room:

The waiting room has been marked off with room for 12 students, which we will be keeping our numbers at or below according to capacity. The waiting room will open 5 minutes before class starts. If you are the first class of the day we will unlock the door then. If you are not, we ask that you wait outside or in your car until then. Miss Katie will turn on the front light and come out to let everyone know to come in. We can only allow one adult per student in. Everyone when they come in will sit on a star after sanitizing their hands. Miss Katie will monitor the waiting room and you can leave as soon as you drop them off if you like, or you can wait until class starts. Everyone will need to have a mask on that enters the building.

Age 2-10 students will have their bag waiting for them when they arrive. They need to bring nothing into the studio with the exception of what is in their bag.

Older students may bring a water bottle from home as well as a bag with their shoes. Bags and water will stay on the star in the waiting room. While we will make sure they are hydrated they will need to take water breaks as a class to prevent a lot of back and forth. Please no food.

The waiting room will close when class is in session. Miss Katie will again come out 5 minutes before class ends and at that point you can come in and wait. All announcements will be sent out via email.

During Class:

We have sectioned off the studio into 6’x6′ squares. Each student will be assigned a square for social distancing purposes. Combo students will keep their shoes at the back or front of the room.

All common surfaces have been eliminated from our lessons with the exception of barre for beginner pointe students. Ages 2-10 will receive a bag with individual props for their use only. The bag will not leave the studio until the end of the session and will be disinfected after use. If a family chooses they may leave their dance shoes in the bag.

There will also be tags attached to the bags in which we will put end of class stickers on.

Instructors will do their best to social distance during the entirety of class. All necessary precautions will be taken in regards to any contact.

After class:

The waiting room again will open 5 minutes before the end of class. Miss Katie will let you know when it is open. Anyone in the waiting room during class will be asked to leave, in order to limit everyone’s exposure to each other. There will be an exception for older students who have a break between classes.

We ask at class end you collect your child promptly and exit the building. There will be a 10 minute break between classes that switch entire rosters so that we can wipe down all surfaces that were touched and disinfect before the next class. For older classes where the majority of the class stays, we will do a quick wipe down when shoes are being changed, but not a full sanitizing as the population remains largely the same.

Masks:

In order to be the safest we can all students over the age of 2 as well as anyone who enters the building will need to be in a mask. If there is a medical reason for non use of a mask, please speak to Miss Katie. All instructors will be masked as well and will be planning the classes to accommodate this. We understand that not everyone will be comfortable with this policy and it may delay your return, but we must do what is best for the studio as a whole.

Make Up Lessons:

We will do our best to accommodate make up lessons, but it may not always be possible due to class size limits.

Over the past few weeks I have had questions about recital, pictures, costumes and summer classes. The short answer is I do not have any definites at this point, truly no one in our area does. What I can do is provide you with some insight into what we are tossing around that MIGHT work:

1. Going back to class: When we are able to reopen (again TBD) the plan is to wait at least a week after the date to make sure it is still ok. That will also give us time to deep clean the studio again. Even though no one but myself has been there since the last cleaning we want to clean everything again. From there we will need to adjust the Saturday schedule (weekday would have minor changes) due to class sizes and with more time in between to wipe everything down. The props and waiting room toys will remain away and we would need to close our waiting room. It would be drop off and pick up only most likely. There are more procedures like hand washing and sanitizing to put in place but that is the general drift.
2. Pre-Recital -we would like to have 6-8 weeks of class before putting on our show. During that time we would be going 7 days a week to offer make ups as well and depending on the month explore some daytime options for those who may be interested.
3. Tuition – If feasible we will be asking for the last month of payment when we resume. Depending on what the recital plan is it may be adjusted.
4. Recital – we would still like to have a show. We are unsure at this time about the use of Bloomfield High, but once we secure a date and a location we can work on a plan. Current thoughts run from having the class perform on stage in costume without an audience, or a very limited audience, smaller groups on stage, running maybe 2 classes at a time. Again it will come down to restrictions and guidance at the time. If we had to do it that way your recital video would contain all the numbers so you could watch the show from your home afterward.
5. Pictures – we have a tentative date for the first Saturday in June. Again that is dependent on restrictions and current guidelines.
6. Costumes – all costumes are measured for with an extra 2 inches in each measurement. We then look at the size chart and if need be size up from there. We can always alter a costume down is our theory. That being said that at the beginning of February or so when I tried them all on most of the kids had tons of room in them. Please remember with few exceptions they are very stretchy and we do have ways to alter them to add a little room if necessary. Before we get to a show we will need to retry on everyone and discuss.
7. Summer – at this point I believe there will be no summer session as we will be working to catch up on this year. If there is a possibility to fit a short one in or one off classes we will.

I thank you for taking the time to read through this. AGAIN NOTHING IS DEFINITE AT THIS TIME. As we all know things are rapidly changing day to day and we will see where everything falls. Thank you for your patience and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

• We hope this email finds you and your family in good health during these unprecedented times. Thankfully, despite having several people in my house that are considered essential, everyone here remains well and has survived the two weeks of remote learning.

• Over the past two weeks my staff and I have spent hours recording and uploading practice videos in your parent folder as well as we started short Facebook Lives daily during the week in the hopes of being able to keep connecting with the dancers.  The schedule will be tweaked for next week in order to be a little more smooth, but like you we are learning as we go along.  Starting today we are going to start meeting and dancing with certain age groups in google meet as well, so we can interact with our dancers a little more.  Please know this is heartbreaking for us as well, as we miss seeing them each week along with their smiles and energy.

• While that has taken and will take a lot of work yes, we know this is no substitute for real classes.  And rest assured there will be a make up scheduled for every class missed.  We may need to combine classes, work 7 days a week and go into summer, but my staff and I are committed to making them all up.

• That being said, we are doing our absolute best to take every situation into account. i have already spoke to some parents who have found themselves out of work due to this pandemic.  I can only imagine how scary that is, we have been able to avoid it, but my husband may be joining you soon in the same situation.  I spent the week going over numbers and figuring out what the best way to make everything work was.  In short here is the solution:

• We are asking that whomever can pay half the class tuition and the entire recital fee for April (please see chart below for a general breakdown).  Please remember that part of your tuition is recital fees.  I cannot say this enough – we WILL have a recital.  If we have to postpone so be it, but there will be one.

• If you can pay in full we appreciate that as well.

• If you can’t pay this month – all we ask is that we put the recital charge as a note in your file and when you can pay you catch up with it.   When things are up and running again we will cross the payment bridge, but I will not charge back tuition, just recital if applicable.

• Any payments made for April (half, full or those who have prepaid for a half year or two months) will get a credit on their account equivalent to half the class tuition (again see chart).  This credit can be used for summer classes or September tuition.  In order to make this happen I cannot refund only credit.

• What do you need to do?  Please think things over.  If you can do tuition at half plus recital, you don’t need to do anything.  It will have an invoice on the 1st and run on the 8th as usual.  If you cannot pay or want to pay in full, please email me by 3/31 so I can mark my notes.  You have until 4/7 to make any changes before things run.  I know how things change minute by minute, so I will accommodate as much as possible.

• We are going to leverage everything possible to make this happen and I appreciate everyone working with me.  Stay safe, stay sane, stay home and I truly hope at the end of April I am able to write to you that we will be opening again in May.

• Basic Chart for half tuition:  (students with siblings, students that are not in combo classes, or have discounts please contact me for your figure).
• If you chose to pay in full you will receive the half rate as credit.  Again, remember most students 3 and up have a recital cost included in their package, that is not discounted.  Recital ranges from $27.50-$77.

Hello!

As news continues to spread about the COVID-19 we have been working diligently here at Shooting Star to make sure we are planning for multiple contingencies.  Here is the game plan moving forward, please keep in mind that this is a day to day reevaluation as more information becomes available:

• We have always done our absolute best to keep the studio clean and sanitized.  We will up the cleaning  and sanitizing of common surfaces as often as possible to keep things in the best possible condition.
• We will be limiting the need for touching common surfaces and props for the little ones.  We will be suspending use of our wall barre for the time being except in pointe classes.  Other classes can do the same work center floor which will have the added benefit of developing core strength.  We will be adding more action songs to the Sparkling stars classes and suspending hand held props.  Balls will still be used but sanitized after each class.  Props that are only walked on will still be incorporated.
• Please avoid bringing more people than necessary to drop off and pick up.  If you can during class please consider not hanging out in the waiting room.   You will not be asked to leave at all, but there is not a ton of air circulation in the waiting room, so the less people the better.
• We have removed all toys and books from the waiting room for the time being.  They will be sanitized and brought back  when the time for caution passes.
• Windows will stay open in the studio.  We will keep the heat running, but it may be a little chillier than usual.  If you child tends to be cold please put a long sleeve shirt UNDER their uniform.  Their uniform should be the topmost layer.
• We will be doing our best in as many cases as possible to keep our distance from students.  It is not possible in all cases, but caution will be used in as many instances as possible.
• As long as we can get it  – and we have had no luck so far, we will provide hand sanitizer for all students before class.  We will also be reminding everyone to cough or sneeze into their elbow.
• As of today (3/12) Pictures are ON for next week.  Our photographer is fastidious about sanitizing their hands and have everyone’s health and safety in mind.  My recommendation if you can is to bring someone with you that can stay in the car with the child until it is their turn, thus limiting the amount of people in the waiting room.  We will do our absolute best to move things as quickly as possible that day.
• Performances will continue as scheduled and will be reevaluated as we get closer.
• I think at this point it goes without saying – if you are sick please stay home.
• Drop in and dance as well as our library programs have been suspended for the time being.
• At this moment we plan to remain open short of a government mandated shutdown.  We will reassess daily and inform you if plans change.  We are currently working on how to deliver at least some classes virtually, make up classes on Sundays have been discussed as well.  We still have an extra day built into to calendar for snow that hasn’t been used either.  As things change we will continue to update you through email.

Hello and Happy New Year!

What a month it has been!  This honestly is one of my favorite months of the year as the 2 month hectic-ness of the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Winter holidays are over and a routine really starts to take hold.  Classes settle in and we start to see real progress.  And of course – recital costumes.

Let’s talk our Sparkling Stars classes.  This month our theme was circus.  This included 2 follow along songs the first of which being Circus Clown Circus Clown by The Kiboomers.  We get to run in place, beep our nose, pretend to paint our face and much more.  It is a great activity that bring a little silliness back to the group while also bringing them together to start the 2nd half of class.

Our large motor skill practice for the month was the Animal Freeze Dance also by The Kiboomers.   Here we got to challenge our muscles and balance as we stomped like elephants, waddled like penguins, swum like polar bears, hopped like kangaroos and swung like monkeys.  As an extra bonus sometimes we made the noises too!

Our small prop for the month was ribbon wands.  We used to work on tempo changes (fast/sl0w), directional changes (high/low, side to side, front/back) and also to be expressive as we moved to the music.

Our large prop for the month was the ever popular trampoline.  Safety was stressed here as hands MUST be held of the teacher/apprentice when stepping on, jumping, and stepping off the trampoline.  And anytime our dancers can jump you know they are smiling!  Our acro trick this month was crab walks.  Crab walks help to strengthen back, arm and leg muscles while working on coordination of hands and feet and moving backwards.

Our Sparkling Stars 3 and 4 also worked on dancers walks concentrating on moving forward and pointing the toe as they stepped.

All classes this month started their recital dances – the younger dancers have started their songs and the older have jumped right into choreography.  Our technique continues to grow and I am so proud of all the hard work they are putting in as we get ready for spring community performances.

Fun thing to note – last Saturday Miss Katie had the pleasure of taking Natalie and Grace to get fitted for their first pair of pointe shoes.  What an exciting day and the fitter was very impressed with their foot strength.  Great job girls!

Also thank you to all who attended the PJ party!  We had such a good time and can not wait to do it again in April!

Hello!

What a month November was!  We are settling in nicely to class and it was our first theme change, from Pumpkins to Tea Party.

This month we got to play dance, freeze, melt which not only experimented with different types of movement, but also had us counting the beat.

We introduced our balancing pods.  Not only do they have different textures, but also different levels of firmness so we constantly challenged core muscles to adapt as they moved between the pods, creating different combinations every time.

Our Sparkling Stars 2-4 also worked on baby bridges in acro this month.  This trick helps to strengthen the back of the legs, glutes and back.   It is an excellent starting point for actual bridges and helps them develop the strength they need to execute that.

Our littlest dancers added in more large motor skills work where we got to jump, gallop, march, tip toe and start skips.

Our small prop this month was scarves.  We can use them to practice hand eye coordination by tossing and catching as well as speed changes (fast/slow) and directional changes (front/back, right/left).  Sometimes we just like to put music on and let our dancers move where it takes them!

After all that we still had time to play ball, and add more ballet and tap steps to our repertoire.

As if that were not enough – our 6 and older students put on not one, not two but three performances of the winter showcase!  The first two took place on Sunday, November 17th at Park Crescent and Job Haines Homes respectively.  Our final and big performance took place November 22 at the Doris M. Byrne Performing Arts Center at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell.   They worked so hard to pull this together in just 8 short weeks and I cannot express how proud I am of them, not only for their performances, but also how when needed we shared shoes, provided hugs to each other and truly came together as the family we are to support each other.