Coyle School: General Class Info; Eileen Henry

General Class Information
Eileen Henry
NO-NO's and Other Things for Parents and Students of Irish Dance

Website and emails Phone Calls Payment Parents Class Cancellations Attendance Attitude Practice Music Attire Feis Information Competitions Performances Special Needs Dance Supplies

Website and emails:

The dancing school website URL is http://www.coyleschool.com All correspondence is done via this website and email. If you haven't given me your email address or if it has changed, please let me know. There will be no paper hand outs. Monthly newsletters are posted on the website. The website and emails should be checked regularly for any updates - schedule changes, things needing to be handed in, etc. Check before coming to class, there may be an update or change that is important for you to know about before coming to class.

Phone Calls:

If there is any time that you need to talk to me please call or email me. The dancing school number is 215-836-9300 and my email is leener1617@aol.com. Email is usually the best way to contact me, I usually reply right away, but phone calls are fine too. It is really hard to continue on with classes when parents have questions after each class. It is not fair to the class coming in because their class does not start on time. So please call or email me even if you think it is a really stupid question, it may end up not being a stupid question. Also, if you give me anything at class, and it is important, remind me with a call or email that you gave me something.

Payment:

There are two payment options this year
A. Pay in full the first day of class and receive a 10% discount
B. Trimester payments that are due the first class of each session. Payments are the same for each session. Fall Tri-mester-September; Winter Tri-mester-December; Spring Tri-mester-March
****If budgeting requires you to make payments on a bimonthly basis please contact me.
* Bimonthly payments are due on the following months.
September - November - January - March - May

Tuition for the 2005-2006 year will be based on trimester sessions - Fall, Winter, and Spring. Dancing class year is the same as your child's academic school year - September to June. Each trimester will consist of 11 classes.
There are no refunds, nor is credit given for missed classes. Dancing class year is the same as your child's academic school year. When you register you are registering for the full year, not part of it. If your child is a beginner, you do have a trial period for the first two months. If your child (beginner or current student) stays through November you are responsible for the full payment - not just up to December, but up to June. Remember you and your child/children are signing up for the full year, not part of it. It is your responsibility to make up classes that are missed. Students are welcome to make up classes at other locations. We have three teachers with different nights and times. Check the website for other locations and times and if you are still unsure ask your teacher.

Parents in the room:

Parents are not to be in the room during class time. I would prefer if you do not stand in the doorway or watch through the windows. However, the first class of each month you may come into observe. Please remember that conversation is distracting to the students and teachers. It seems, the louder the music, the louder the conversation. Quiet or no conversation is highly suggested and greatly appreciated. If you must bring a sibling to class on this night that is fine, but if they start to run around or cry I would appreciate them being taken to another room or outside. The teacher has the right to cancel this policy at any time. It is not a problem if you would like to videotape the class. Just let me know.

Class Cancellations:

If class needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather (or for any other reason) there will be a message posted on the dancing school message board, a message on the dancing school phone, an email will be sent, and we will try to have a message posted on the home page of the website. As a rule of thumb for Wednesday and Thursday night classes: if the kids get out of school early or are off there will be no class that evening. Saturdays, I will have all the above messages done by 8am. Classes will be made up if more than two classes need to be rescheduled.

Attendance

Consistent class attendance is crucial for evey dancer when it comes to remembering their steps.

Attitude

Everyone is here to learn. I would hope this is taken seriously. With everyone's attention and cooperation, class time will be a fun learning experience! They should act as if they were in a classroom setting. No running around or disrupting the class or the other students. I will not accept a bad attitude from any student. Attitudes need to be left at the door before they come into the room for class.

Practice

Practice is a MUST!!! Click here for a practice guide. Even if your child is in a non-competitive class he/she still needs to practice in order to remember the steps taught in class each week.

Music

Each dancer should have music to practice to. It is not the teacher's responsibility. It is your responsibility to have the appropriate equipment.The following tapes/CDs are the ones used in class. Any one listed would be good to get.

Tapes used in class
See Links page for purchasing info

Pat King (any by him)	Tony McQuillan
Bradley Brothers	Mike Shaffer (any by him)
Chris McLaughlin	Brian Glynn
Ann Marie Acosta	Simply Open (Gerry Conlon)

Attire

Shoes: Every dancer must have a pair of dancing shoes. A second year dancing student should have the required shoes. Beginner students can wear the ballet shoes with the elastic across the arch. NO SNEAKERS. If your child forgets to bring their shoes to class, then he/she will not participate in class. And if your child has lost his/her shoes, then we will know that you child has not been practicing. If you need to purchase shoes I have included the phone numbers of places that you can call. When purchasing shoes, either soft or hard, make sure that the shoes fit properly. Do not have the shoes too large. This will make your child's feet look larger than they are and it will make it difficult for them to perform the steps correctly. We do have a shoe swap in existence. The person in charge is listed on page 5. Those students in a competitive class must and should have the appropriate shoes. I know that we all have busy lives and money is tight, but if they were involved in any other sport they would have the right equipment or they would not play. I do not want them to become injured because they do not have the right "equipment".

Clothing: Please make sure that you child is wearing shorts, a skirt, or stretch pants so that their legs are visible. In the colder months sweat pants may be worn over the shorts, but must be removed during class time. NO JEANS!! If your child is wearing jeans they will not participate in class. For the boys in the class, please do not let them wear the baggy shorts that fall off. They are in the class to exercise and sweat so please dress them accordingly.

Jewelry: Please do not let your daughters wear big jewelry to class. Save the jewelry for dress-up. It is a distraction to your child and to the others as well.

Hair: Girls hair should be up and off their face.

Gum chewing: There will be no gum chewing. Gracefulness and gum do not mix. This also means none of the chewy candy that every child loves: Starburst, Skittles, Now and Laters, etc. Keep that for after class.

Feis Information:

A feis (fesh) is the word used for an Irish Dance competition. A competition is a social way for the students to display their talents and hard work in the Irish dancing world. The students in our school are permitted to compete in competitions since our teachers are certified through the official Irish Dancing Commission, An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha, in Dublin, Ireland. It is not mandatory that students compete; however, those who choose to compete are highly supported in their competitive endeavors. Competitions are held throughout the year and all around the world. All registered North American feisanna are listed on the North American Feis Commission's website - http://www.Feiseanna.org.

Coyle Feis
The dancing school hosts a dancing competition each year. If you would like to be involved let us know. We always have very strong parent involvement with the feis, which helps it run so smoothly. If you are a new parent and are unsure about being involved, please talk to one of the "experienced" parents. The first two items listed below are required only by those families with children entered in the feis and the third item is required by ALL families in the dancing school: (If your child is not competing but you would still like to volunteer or place an ad you can.)

Volunteers for the Feis: One family member from each family (with a participating student) is required to volunteer at least 2 hours before, during, or after the feis.
Ad Book: If you have a child dancing in our feis your family is required to place one ad - any amount - in the ad book.
Tickets for the Trip to Ireland: Each family in the school is required to sell 20 tickets for a chance to win a trip for two to Ireland or the cash value.

Competitions

There are feisianna all summer long. The more competitive students should attend competitions that are held in New York and New Jersey to get more experience. I usually have copies of feis syllabi when they are made available to me. If your child does not want to compete, that is fine and I will not push any child into competing. Nor will that child be punished in any way for not competing. Irish Dance should be enjoyable no matter what you choose ‚ competitions or not. If you do not know if your child wants to compete, the best way is to go and check out one of the closer feisianna; and if you are still unsure, talk to one of the "experienced" parents. I know that they will be willing to help you out.

Havertown Feis, PA	Glen Echo Feis, VA
Coyle Feis (mandatory)	Baltimore Feis, MD
Brick, NJ	Smith Feis, NJ
Washington, DC Feis	Delaware Feis
Ryan School Feis, PA

The dancing school has set in place the following requirements for our students in regards to "moving-up" in competition levels. Please read them carefully. These rules should be followed when entering the students in competitions. Each student needs to move at his/her own pace. The students should not be compared to any other student because each student progresses at his/her own individual pace. Each student's "moving up" will be monitored by the teachers and decisions will be made at the teachers' discretion.

A Beginner is a student that has just started dancing. Example: if your child starts class in September 2004 then he/she can remain a beginner until the following September. Unless your child attends numerous feisanna and wins consistently, then the student can move up to Advanced Beginner.

Advanced Beginner: A student that has danced for more than one year, regardless of wins in the Beginner category. Advanced Beginner dancers remain in this category until they place at least two firsts, seconds, or thirds. Then they move to Novice in that dance the next year - or move at the teacher's discretion - and remain in Advanced Beginner for their other dances.

Novice dancers remain in Novice until they place at least two first, seconds, or thirds in a particular dance. They move to Prizewinner in that particular dance the next year - or move at the teacher's discretion - and remain in Novice for their other dances.

Prizewinner students must place at least two firsts in all Prizewinner dances - reel, slip jig, treble jig, treble hornpipe - before entering Preliminary Championship.

Preliminary Championship: A dancer who wins two 1st place Preliminary Championship awards in one calendar year will move on to Open Championship competition the following year. In the case of the two 1sts occurring in different years, the dancer will move on to Open Championships immediately after the second win is achieved in any age category.
IMPORTANT: The status of a dancer does not change unless there are more than five (5) dancers in the competition at any level.

If your child does not want to compete, that is fine and I will not push any child into competing. Nor will that child be punished in any way for not competing. Irish Dance should be enjoyable no matter what you choose - competitions or not. If you do not know if your child wants to compete, the best way is to go and check out one of the closer Feisanna (like ours); and if you are still unsure, talk to one of the "experienced" parents. I know that they will be willing to help you out.

Regional, National, and Overseas Competition Qualifications:
1) A student will qualify to compete in solos at the Eastern Region Championship, the Oireachtas (o rock tus), if he/she has qualified for Preliminary Championship and has placed at least in two Preliminary Championship competitions by September 1 of each Oireachtas year.

2) Students will be invited at the discretion of the teachers to participate in team competitions at the Oireachtas.

3) A student will qualify to compete in solos at the North American Championships (Nationals) each year if he/she meets the following
criteria:
a) The Under 8 and Under 9 competitors will be left to the discretion of the teacher.
b) All open championship dancers.
c) All recalled dancers from the previous year's Nationals.
d) Top 10 placers and 33% of the dancers at the Regional Championship in each age group.

4) Eight hand teams will qualify to compete at the Nationals if they place in the top 20 at the Oireachtas.
5) To qualify for an Overseas competition - other than the World Championships, where a student qualifies at the Regional Oireachtas - a student must meet one of the following criteria:
a) Be an Open Championship dancer.
b) Recalled at the Nationals
c) Have one first place in a Preliminary Championship which had five (5) or more dancers.
d) Teams, if any, will go at the discretion of the teachers.

Transfer Rule: Since the teachers of the Coyle School of Irish Dance are certified dance teachers and adjudicators and are registered members of An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha in Dublin, Ireland we must adhere to the following transfer rule.

A dancer transferring from one certified teacher to another certified teacher will undergo a six-month suspension from competition. The suspension will be imposed beginning with the postmark date of the notification letter that is sent to the Transfer Secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Region. This letter is to be sent by the new teacher/school.

Any transfers from one school to another may not take place until all debts owed (tuition, fees, dues, etc) are paid to the satisfaction of the (teacher) school the student is transferring from.

There is a $25, per family, transfer fee which is to be paid to the Transfer Secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Region by the transferring family or by the new teacher/school.

The Transfer Rule is suspended for a dancer who transfers to another teacher for any of the following reasons:
1) if the family moves to a new area
2) if the former teacher(s) closes the class
3) if the dancer has not been to a class for 12 months
4) if the new teacher is not a registered/certified teacher
Under these circumstances a transfer notice must be sent to the Transfer Secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Region indicating that there is no suspension. The former teacher should also be informed of the transfer in all cases.

Costumes: If you would like to have your child participate in the St. Patrick's Day parades, competitions, or performances, he/she will be required to have the school costume/jumper.
Girls: All girls should either have a wig or hair must be curled (ringlets) and poodle socks (or leotards for parades) -Beginner/Advance Beginner (up to age 10): royal blue embroidered jumper, white long sleeve Peter Pan collared blouse or white turtle neck for the parades.
Beginner/Advance Beginner (ages 10 and up): Novice/Prizewinner (all ages): Coyle school costume. We have two fittings each year usually in February and September. Everyone will be informed when the fitting will be and if you need a new dress please contact Eileen at leener1617@aol.com. New dresses cost $500.
Prizewinner: Students who compete in prizewinner competitions may begin to consider purchasing a "personal" costume.

Boys: Beginner, Advanced Beginner and Novice: Black dress pants, black socks, and royal blue vest and tie. Contact your teacher for information regarding the royal blue vest and tie. Prizewinner: Boys may choose their shirt and tie options.

Performances

The dancing school does perform at many functions during the year and St. Patrick's Day. If you have a group, organization, Nursing Home, wedding, or whatever, that would like to have dancers, just give the organizations the school's number and I will talk to them.

Special Needs

Please make us aware of any special needs or medical conditions that you child may have. Knowing this may help the teachers during class.

Dance Supplies

T-shirts, jackets, bags for shoes and costumes. Order forms are handed out during the course of the year. If someone would like to be in charge of collecting and sorting these types of orders please let me know.

Phone numbers for dancing shoes and music
See Links page for more info

Irish Shop Owner: Eileen Kuntz 1106 Pawlings Road Audubon, PA 610-666-5855	Fays Dancing Shoes Owner: Patrick Fay 123 Kimball Terrace Yonkers, NY 10704 914-237-1435
Oxford Hall Owner: Cindy Washburn 311 Bridge Street New Cumberland, PA 1-717-774-8789	Irish Dancers Catalogue 1-800-222-2088