October Happenings
Happy Fall Studio M!!
Yay for FALL!! In my opinion, it’s the best time of the year…the smell, the colors, the temperature & Halloween! Below are all of the FUN fall happenings at Studio M.
STUDIO M PODCAST LINK
Click the link below to listen to this entire email while you stay efficient and get other things done.)
Attachment: OCTOBER-HAPPENINGS-2024.mp3 (9.3MB)
SPIRIT WEEKS – BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL & HALLOWEEN COSTUME
Because of the way that UM Homecoming landed on the calendar, we get TWO SPIRIT WEEKS this month!
Our first Spirit Week for October – BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL – will be NEXT WEEK October 7th-October 11th! Please wear spirit gear or colors from your favorite school: UofM, Sentinel, Big Sky, Hellgate, Jeanette Rankin, Meadow Hill, Studio M, etc. Even Bobcat gear is acceptable this week! Hahaha! Basic dress code rules apply: midriff & bottom covered, hair pulled back & appropriate shoes.
ADULT CHALLENGE: We are adding a FUN new challenge for our grownup fans! The parent/guardian that has the most spirit this week – you need to dress the part – has a chance to win a $50 credit on their account! You need to ROCK your favorite school gear to the studio, have someone in the Star Shop snap your photo & we will have our social media audience vote on the winner!! STUDIO M = SO MUCH FUN!! Fingers crossed we see alllll the vintage high school tees & letterman’s coats too!!!
Our second Spirit Week for October – HALLOWEEN COSTUME – will be October 24th-30th. Please have your dancer wear their Halloween costume to dance. If they have a costume that isn’t movement friendly, feel free to have them wear Halloween colors or themed clothing. Almost anything goes except: weapons, full face masks or anything that will inhibit their movement. If they come more than one time per week, they can wear multiple costumes. The teachers will fill the rooms with fun Halloween music and each dancer will get a treat as well! (no food or candy – just a little toy)
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA HOMECOMING
UM Homecoming is Saturday – October 12th! Any & all Studio M dancers are invited to participate in the parade with us!! If your dancer is under 8yrs of age, they can either walk behind the dancers or ride along in the trailer. If your dancer is a TOT or LITTLE, we ask that a parent stay with or near them the entire parade route. If your dancer is older and YOU still want to participate in the parade, PLEASE DO!! We love having entire families walk with us!! Plus we need help passing out goodies too!!
Dancers that are 8yrs & older who would like to learn the choreography need to be at our parade practice on Friday – October 11th from 6:15pm-7:45pm.
Once we get our lineup position, start time & parade map, we will let you know!! Please be on the lookout for another email next week.
MDAA FALL WORKSHOP
Our first workshop of the season is right around the corner – FALL MDAA!! We will be traveling to Great Falls this time & the workshop dates are October 17th-20th. Due to the workshop beginning on Thursday evening, and because so many STUDIO M STARS will be attending this fall, we will be canceling a few normal classes. You will receive an email if your class will be canceled.
If you aren’t familiar with Montana Dance Arts Association, please visit the website. These workshops are open for any dancers 9+ and we encourage all to attend. If your dancer is 10+ and wants to travel with us, we have spaces in our hotel rooms & chaperone vehicles. Please reach out for more information!!
http://www.montanadancearts.org/
RECITAL COSTUMES
Believe it or not, we will be ordering Recital Costumes…SOON!! Recital costume measuring week will be NEXT WEEK – October 7th-11th. We give about two inches of room to account for growth and we will require that parents sign off on the size before we order.
Costumes are $75 for Tots, Littles & Combo classes. Costumes are $90 for all other classes. The costume fee includes tights when applicable.
We have a costume re-stocking fee of $20 for any costume that needs to be returned due to sizing issues. There is a $20 late fee per costume for any payments made after November 15th.
COSTUME PAYMENT DEADLINE – Friday- November 15th, 2024
Costumes are a huge endeavor (time, effort & money) but they are so worth it at the end of the year when they shine on stage at our show. Please help us by making sure you sign off on all costumes sizes!! We try to offset the costume payment with monthly tuition which is why the fee isn’t due until November 15th however, we have to begin ordering before the end of this month to ensure that we get the majority of our costumes before May. I know that seems crazy but if you think about it – every studio across the country has their recital at the same. This is why we need to order early & why there is a $20 charge for late payments. PLEASE let us know by October 25th if your dancer is not participating in recital. Thanks so much for understanding!!
RECITAL THEME
It’s almost time for the VERY anticipated RECITAL THEME REVEAL!! We can’t wait to witness the excitement & begin theming the rest of the season to match our show!! The reveal will begin next Thursday the 10th & will continue through Wednesday the 16th then the Company will put together the final bit of the puzzle! YAY!
PERFORMANCE COMPANY FUNDRAISERS – YOU’VE BEEN BOO’ED!! & MABEL’S LABELS
Our Performance Company originally performed at the mall on Halloween but when Covid hit, we created our BOOING fundraiser. We now perform 4 times around town & we invite YOU to come watch the evening of October 26th!! We are hoping to HAUNT a large group in each location & receive some HAIR RAISING donations in the process. It’s the best of all the goulish worlds…a performance for the company kids, fundraising for the families & spooky entertainment for you!! If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please come cheer us on!! We would love your support!
Attachment: BOOing Ad.PNG (723.0kB)
Mabel’s Labels – name labels for all your kids stuff!
These labels are dishwasher safe and machine washable and stick on clothing tags, shoes, water bottles, lunch box items, etc. so you don’t lose your stuff! Choose Studio M (Missoula) at this link to find an exclusive STUDIO M LOGO LABEL PACK – plus all sales through the link support Studio M Performance Company Dancers! https://mabelslabels.com/fundraising/support
STUDIO M CLOSED ON HALLOWEEN
We want our dancers to get to have EARLY, safe, fun – so we will be closed on Halloween this Season. Have an amazing time & enjoy the night off from dance!!
STUDIO M DANCE FAM – FACEBOOK GROUP
If you aren’t already a member of our Studio M Dance Fam page, please request to join!! This is used as a digital bulletin board for all things dance & Studio M related. Sell old dance shoes, find new sizes, plan play dates, offer shuttles, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/329363027967124
CLASS ETIQUETTE REMINDERS
Please be aware of standard dance class etiquette: no street shoes in the dance studios, only water (not sparkling water or flavored water) in the dance studios, no gum or food in the dance studios, bathroom visits before class. Please be sure that your dancer is not wearing jewelry to class as it could get caught on something and be a safety issue…especially dangly earrings.
REMINDERS
- Masks are optional for all students.
- Only Tots & Littles parents allowed to stay in the building during class.
- One parent/dancer. Minimal siblings.
- We do not have a water fountain so make sure your dancer has their own water bottle.
- If your dancer is sick at all, please stay home and use our Zoom option. Parents are welcome to watch class with this option.
- We will continue to use hand sanitizer upon entering & leaving the classroom, running air filters with cracked windows, cleaning between classes & fogging each night. We want to avoid alllll the germs!
- LABEL ALL BELONGINGS WITH YOUR DANCERS NAME OR INITIALS. #MABELSLABELS
LATE PAYMENTS
We understand that automatic payments don’t always go through. We will however be assessing a $30 NSF fee if account balances aren’t paid by the 5th business day of the month. We will continue to communicate any issues from our end & appreciate you taking care of them as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT DATES
Please check out the below document for all important dates through the season. If we update this at all, we will send another version. You can also find this by visiting our website.
Attachment: Important Dates 24-25.pdf (108.5kB)
LOCKERS
If your dancer would like to rent a locker for the season, let us know. It will be $5/month if they keep a lock on it. We have a limited number available so it will be first come, first served. They are going FAST!!!
ZOOM
We are encouraging parents of Combo & Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 plus Medley & any other class on our schedule to watch class via the Zoom link located on the dashboard of your parent portal. This is an easy way to observe class since we are not allowing parents to stay in the building during class times. Feel free to come in to pick up or drop off your child but remember that our space is limited. The Zoom recordings will also serve as the best way to make up a class. If you miss a class, you can email the studio for access to the recordings for up to two weeks after missed class.
UPCOMING…
BRING A FRIEND WEEK
Our November Spirit Week will be themed 2 OF A KIND & you can bring your favorite person to class with you. Bring a Friend week is fun for all & we love seeing family members or school friends experience the magic of Studio M along side their dancer.
FALL BREAK
Studio M will be closed for Fall Break November 25th-29th.
PARENT PORTAL
The parent portal link will be added to the bottom of every Happenings email for easy Zoom access.
https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/jr3.0/ParentPortal/Login?orgId=538031
We hope that you are soaking up as much outdoor fun as possible!
Happy Dancing!!
Meagen