Policies & Procedures
Class Activities
While activities will vary from day to day and depend on the class subject, all classes are designed around the principles of broadening creativity, building confidence, and communicating with each other and the audience. Students will learn these through participation in games, activities, crafts, movement, and exercises.
What to bring
Students are allowed to bring a water bottle to class, but are asked to refrain from having food during class time. Snacks are permitted in the waiting area, but please keep all food peanut-free.
Please come dressed in clothes that are suitable for moving around and being comfortable. If there is a specific need, such as painting clothes, they will be communicated via email ahead of time.
Release of children
All children must sign in and out of the building before they can join class or leave the building each day. They are allowed to sign themselves in, but are not allowed to sign themselves out or leave unaccompanied.
End of Session Showcase
Students love sharing their hard work with friends and family at the end-of-session showcase. This is also a valuable opportunity for experience in speaking in front of an audience. We ask that you make every effort for your student to attend this even, but if for some reason they will not be able to be at class that day, we ask that you notify your teacher by the 2nd week of class so that they can accommodate for it in the casting of the show.
Illness and Cancellation
If you have experienced signs of illness, please do not come to class until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours. We will follow the Johnston School District for weather cancellations. If they have a weather-related cancellation, early dismissal, or if after-school activities are canceled, we will also cancel class. This will also be communicated via email to the email provided during registration.
Refund Policy
You may request a refund by email or by calling 563-676-2069 up to 14 days prior to the start of class. If your registration in canceled at least 14 days before the class starts, we will issue a refund minus a 15% fee per class.
If you registration is canceled less than 14 days before class starts, no refund will be given.
Full refunds will only be issued if October Elephant Youth Theater cancels the class. Where possible, refunds will be via the original payment method or check.
Please allow up to 14 days for your refund to arrive. Classes will not be prorated, and no other credits or tuition transfers will apply or be offered.
Refunds will not be given if:
A child is sent home for behavioral issues.
A student decides to drop out of the program, leaves class early, or withdraws mid-session.
Your child is sick and either stayed home or was sent home from class.
If there are multiple classes being offered during a session, we would be happy to accommodate switching classes as long as there is space available and it is more than 14 days before the original class starts. There is no fee for changing classes, but you may incur additional costs if the new class has a higher tuition cost.
Electronics and Toys Policy
Students should not bring cell phones, electronics, tablets, games, or other non-essential personal items. If you prefer, they keep a cell phone/ watch with them, it needs to remain in a bag or pocket and not pose any distractions during class times. If it becomes a distraction, the teacher will take possession of the device until the end of class, when it can be returned to a parent or guardian.
Incident Reports
We work hard to ensure that parents remain informed about their child’s class experience. We email incident reports to the primary email address on file for medical, behavior, or injury events. Other communication is likely, including verbal communication at pick-up, and may include follow-ups including phone calls, emails, or disciplinary notes.
While we will make every effort to ensure parents remain informed, minor interactions or events may not be reported (for example, a small cut, minor behavior that was resolved in class, etc..).
Discipline and behavior management policy
Philosophy- October Elephant Youth Theater Behavior management policy is a guidance policy that focuses on providing all students with the opportunities for conflict resolution, self-direction, and behavioral success. We establish fair and reasonable behavior expectations considering each child’s age and developmental stage.
Primary guidelines:
All students will respect others and will avoid disrupive behavior that would interfere with program activities.
Violence or other aggressive behaviors will not be tolerated.
All students will follow directions given by the teachers or staff and will remain with the group for all scheduled activities.
There is a strict, zero-tolerance policy on the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, including electronic cigarettes or vaporizer pens.
All students will respect the property of others and understand that stealing or vandalizing will not be tolerated. Repair for any maliciously caused damage will be the responsibility of the child who caused it.
Students must not negatively disrupt the experience of other students.
Behavior Management Procedure:
When a student engages in inappropriate behavior that threatens the health or safety of themselves or others, or causes a disruption to other students’ ability to learn, the following steps will be taken
Immediate action will be taken to stop the behavior and redirect to appropriate behaviors.
If the behavior persists, a verbal warning will be given.
If the behavior further persists, an in-class timeout will be given.
If it reaches a point that the teacher decides it is too disruptive for them to continue handling in the classroom, parents will be informed of the behavior and may be asked to remove their child from class immediately.
A positive attitude and cooperation from students are both vital for the success and happiness of the group as a whole. Positive reinforcement is a key component of classroom management in the pursuit of confidence building and an overall upbeat and positive classroom environment.