Dear parents,
As you know, the Easter term has now ended (not the kind of ending anyone anticipated, but there you go!). I really hope your child enjoyed the online classes – I totally appreciate it’s not the same as face-to-face, but I really wanted to make sure the kids got the chance to finish the term.
And apologies to anyone who had technical difficulties – technology isn’t my strong suit, so it’s fair to say the last week has been a ‘learning curve’.
So, what to do about the summer term?
Well, if there is enough interest, we’re considering running the whole term online. Of course, if the schools re-open before the end of the summer term then we will, of course, re-open our doors straight away.
I appreciate that Instagram isn’t the best platform for live streaming, so we’re going to look into using Zoom – that way, the teachers and kids can all see each other and make the whole thing feel more like a normal class.
Regarding cost, it would be at a discounted rate to the normal term fee – as soon as I get an idea of the kind of demand there is I will crunch the numbers and let you know.
Regarding dates, the term would start earlier than planned, on 12th April and run for 12 weeks continually with the last class on 20th June.
Without wanting to make a sales pitch, here’s why I’m thinking the online classes will benefit the whole ESDA family:
1) The wonderful ESDA kids – it’ll give them some much-needed continuity, and a chance to keep in touch with the teachers and their friends.
2) The wonderful ESDA parents – it’ll hopefully give you guys some much-needed respite (even if it’s only for an hour!)
3) The wonderful ESDA dance teachers – they’re all self-employed, and while the Government promised to support the self-employed, that support may not come through until as late as June.
4) ESDA itself – as a business that has been forced to close to the public, running classes online will enable us to continue operating.
All that said, I’m very aware that everyone is in the same boat – it’s an incredibly tough time, and it’s likely that everyone either has or will be affected financially, to some degree.
So, I’d really like to make it clear that if you’re unable to enrol for the summer, or just feel that online classes aren’t right for your child and would rather wait until we return, that’s absolutely fine.
If you could let me know as soon as possible whether you’re interested in signing up, I’ll see if we have enough children for each group to make the online classes viable. Please contact me separately, not on the WhatsApp group chat.
Just before I go, I’d like to say a MASSIVE thank you for all the messages over the last few weeks. I know everyone is frantically trying to weather their own personal storm, which makes it even more humbling to receive such kind words of support and encouragement – it makes me even more determined that ESDA will bounce back!
Take good care of yourselves.
With love and thanks,
Ruth xxx