ActonArt Policies

2011-12 TRIMESTER SCHEDULE — Drawing classes and Fine Arts curriculum span the entire school year. Classes meet once a week and are ongoing from September 7, 2011 through June 18, 2012, followed by a summer program. The Academic School Year is divided into three 12-week trimesters. Consistent participation is encouraged to maximize artistic skill building and confidence. Full trimester tuition and $25 non-refundable Annual Registration/Portfolio Fee ($15 if first class is on or after 3/17/12) and a completed registration form are required to hold student’s place in class. Students may enroll at any time during the year if there is availability.
FALL TRIMESTER - Studio Opening Day Wednesday, Sept. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011
WINTER TRIMESTER - Dec. 5 through Mar. 18, 2012
SPRING TRIMESTER - March 19 through Closing Day on June 18, 2012
SUMMER SESSIONS - to be announced

Registration & Payment

Upon submitting the registration online you will be emailed a receipt confirmation which contains a copy of the class information you submitted. THERE IS A CHART ON THIS PAGE WHICH DETAILS TUITION DUE FOR ALL CLASSES. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE FOR TUITION PLEASE email us or call 978-266-1600. If there is any problem placing a student in the requested class we will contact you soon after we receive your registration. We will confirm all students approximately 3 to 5 days before classes begin. It is not possible to do this earlier because we routinely have to shift students around to accommodate change-of-class requests, other program conflicts, etc.

Since ActonArt does not accept credit card payments we will hold your registration while waiting to receive payment. Online registration is time/dated and WILL TEMPORARILY SECURE a student's place in class in the order of receipt. Fall class payment is due within 7 calendar days of registration and no later than the first class if less than a week remains before the first class. It can be sent via U.S. Postal Service (see address below) or hand-delivered to the studio as a check or cash payment. Upon receipt of payment we will complete your registration. Pending registrations NOT PAID within 7 days (or prior to the first class if less than 7 days remain) may be canceled. Please call us at 978-266-1600 if you have any questions. We will contact you if there are any questions or problems with your registration request.



Tuition —2011/2012 trimester tuition rates are indicated on the Tuition page. Tuition and registration forms are due no later than 7 calendar days after registration is submitted and may be personally delivered to the studio or mailed to: ActonArt, P.O. Box 2743, Acton, MA 01720
 
Discounts — Discounts are available for families with multiple students, home-schoolers and senior citizens. All discounts are detailed on our tuition page.
 
Refunds & withdrawals— ActonArt does not offer refunds for classes missed by students. Refunds will only be granted if a class/program is cancelled by the school or if a student registration is received for a class which is full.

TRIMESTER WITHDRAWALS - Students who withdraw from classes prior to a trimester class start date will be refunded tuition according to the following schedule:

• 100% refund minus reg. fee if written notice of withdrawal is given more than two weeks prior to class start date;
• 50% refund minus reg. fee if written notice of withdrawal is given between 1 to 14 days prior to class start date;
• 0% refund if written notice of withdrawal is provided on or after the class start date.
• Full refunds may be offered if the withdrawal vacancy can be filled immediately.

SUMMER CLASS/PROGRAM WITHDRAWALS - There is a $25 non-refundable deposit built into the tuition. Class/program participants who withdraw prior to May 31, 2012 will receive a tuition refund minus the $25 fee. NO refunds will be provided to participants who withdraw after May 31, 2012.
 
Arrivals and Departures — ActonArt classes ALWAYS START ON TIME and students need every minute of the class time to work on projects. We must take a strong stand on delivery and pick up of your children at the designated times of the class. It is essential to arrive on time. Late arrivals are disruptive to every other student and penalize them even though they arrived on time. Students who arrive late may be denied admission if the project has already been started.
STUDENTS WHO ARRIVE LATE SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. LATE ARRIVING STUDENTS MAY NOT BE DROPPED OFF AT THE DOOR. EACH STUDIO DOORWAY WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL 5 MINUTES PAST THE PUBLISHED START-TIME OF THE CLASS. ONCE THE STUDIO DOORS ARE SHUT NO LATE STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED. Students must be picked up promptly at dismissal time. Parents of children age 8 and under should come into the studio at the time of dismissal and accompany their children. We have arranged for a limited number of drop-off /pick-up parking spaces at the rear of our studio building to facilitate a quick transition.

We do not wish to impose inflexible policies on our students or families but the impact from late arrivals is serious enough that we must enforce this consistently. Every week, the first minutes of class are important to introduce the project, explain the learning objectives and teach students how to organize their thinking around the "process" we will follow. To accomplish this the studio environment must stimulate and engage them, allow them to focus without distraction and integrate information about both the drawing and the process. Late arrivals can negate all of these desired results for the entire class. Timely arrivals will go a long way to help us maintain the quality of our classes and give students all their allotted time to finish up projects in class. Please allow adequate time to arrive at the studio on time for the beginning of the class.

Current Student Priority Re-enrollment — At the end of the Fall and Winter trimesters enrolled students will be given a limited time, first-opportunity to re-enroll in the class of choice before classes are opened to the public. ActonArt cannot guarantee placement after that limited time expires. Students who do not respond during the re-enrollment period may lose their place in a class.

Guests and Try-outs — A one-time class fee of $25 is required for all try-out students. Try-outs are available in classes with openings only. Guests (family members, friends, etc.) are welcome on an available space basis at the hourly rate for the class that is attended. Please schedule in advance by calling 978-266-1600.
 
Missed Classes — ActonArt does not offer credits or refunds for missed classes. If a student is unable to attend a class, a family member or friend may take the student's place (they must be age appropriate). Alternately, STUDENTS MAY REQUEST ACCESS TO AN ONLINE VIDEO PROJECT AS A MAKE-UP PROJECT, OR THE STUDENT MAY ASK TO ATTEND A DIFFERENT CLASS DURING THE WEEK OF THE CURRENT LESSON PLAN. THE MISSED PROJECT MUST STILL BE THE CURRENT WEEKLY PROJECT. MAKE-UPS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY IN CLASSES WHICH HAVE OPENINGS DUE TO AN ABSENCE OR ARE NOT FULLY ENROLLED. This is a limited, first-come, first-served arrangement and once a class is full it is closed for additional make up students. ALL FULLY ENROLLED CLASSES ARE CLOSED FOR MAKE UPS. We have surveyed a number of local organizations and find that our policy is among the most flexible. Most art and music organizations offering group classes simply state that there are NO make-ups available. ActonArt students MUST receive permission to attend a different class day from the school director. Please DO NOT simply show up at a different class. Please call us at 978-266-1600 to arrange for make ups.


OPEN STUDIO will be available to students on occasional scheduled days. This is a time when registered students can use the studio and materials to complete unfinished artwork. There is no additional fee. To attend an Open Studio please note the following:

• This time is made available for students to work on UNFINISHED project artwork. It is not a free drawing time, nor is it daycare. We cannot provide materials to friends or siblings.
• Children under the age of 8 may NOT be left in the studio to work on their own. Parents or a guardian should be present.
• Older students may work unaccompanied as long as the parent or guardian can be contacted when they are finished with their artwork, or they can leave independently.
• Students should be prepared to work without guidance since there may not be a teacher present or the teacher may be too busy to provide individual assistance.
• Scheduled Open Studio days will be posted in the studio and are listed on the trimester calendar page.

Student Behavior — ActonArt classes are designed to provide the best possible learning experience for every student. Our standards are high and we constantly measure our performance. To create and maintain this environment we must require appropriate behavior from our students. Any activity which distracts/disrupts other students in the class (including late arrival) is unacceptable. Students will always be given reasonable opportunities to modify unacceptable behavior and remain in a class. However, if students persist with classroom disruptions we have no choice but to remove them. We understand that many children have behavioral and/or learning disabilities which may influence their classroom behavior. The ActonArt experience can greatly benefit these children, and we will always try to be as flexible as possible, however we cannot allow any class to repeatedly be disrupted. Please help us to help your children by reinforcing these classroom requirements. If you have questions or concerns please speak with us.

Class Observation — We strive to create a quiet, non-judgemental, safe environment where students are free to explore and create their art. If you choose to remain at the studio during your child's class you are welcome to wait in our lobby/gallery. Our studios have been designed with windows to provide clear visibility to permit viewing both in and out. Please try to remain discreet, and do not allow siblings or other children to gather at, or peer in during class. If the class is distracted by outside activity we shall have to ask observers to leave.

Bathrooms — The bathrooms at ActonArt are public bathrooms directly outside our studios. We encourage all parents to make sure that children use the bathroom prior to class. ActonArt staff cannot accompany any children to the bathroom in the event that they need to use the facilities.

Weather — We are often open for class on public school Snow Days! Always call ActonArt at 978-266-1600 or visit our web site (it's updated frequently) to find out if we are open or closed due to weather. Telephone announcements may also be available. We do not alway follow the Acton-Boxborough public school closures. Even if local schools are closed for the day, ActonArt may be open. If classes are cancelled due to weather, Make-up classes will be scheduled (see Weather Cancellations below). You can see current weather conditions in Acton here on our weather web page.

Weather Cancellations — In the event that we must cancel classes due to severe weather all canceled classes for that day will be rescheduled to the immediate following Friday at the same time as the regular class day. If there are multiple cancellations during one week we will post a schedule of make-up dates. The studio is in use every day except Friday so this is the only time we can hold an entire day's worth of classes like this. We recognize that not everyone will be able to attend a make-up class at this time, however it is the only option we have to provide a make up class. We know from experience that multiple make up dates will NOT satisfy everyone because some students will not be able to attend any other than their normal class time.

ActonArt Student Art Show is scheduled for Sunday, June 10, 2012. All students are encouraged to participate in the exhibit. The art show fee is a separate fee of $35 due at Spring enrollment. Fee provides for scanning and matting artwork, four personalized invitations, and an artists’ reception for family and friends. Students who enroll after the month of February may choose to wait until the following year to exhibit in the Art Show. All artwork displayed in the show will be returned matted and ready to frame.

Student Artwork — Each student's artwork may go home when it is complete. Students may not complete projects every week. Even the younger drawing students may work on extended projects for more than one week. Students will receive an appropriate size portfolio case at the time of enrollment to store their artwork. Portfolios must be kept at the studio until enrollment is terminated or classes end for the school year. Loss of the portfolio during the school year will require replacement which must be paid for by the student/family.

ActonArt Privacy Policy

OUR PRIVACY POLICY is very simple. We cherish our privacy and have no desire to infringe upon yours. At the same time we'd like to be able to tell you about what's happening at ActonArt from time to time. If you don't wish to receive any emails or mailings we understand. Just let us know and we'll take your name off our contact list. We will never share any information about our students without your permission. And just so you know, we wouldn't sell information to a marketing company about our students under any circumstances. Our personal data is not for sale, so we're certainly not going to sell yours.

APPLICATION & PERMISSION FORMS: All information gathered on ActonArt applications, enrollment forms and website is considered private and will not be sold or shared with any other vendors or businesses.

This policy may be updated as changes in our structure or organization occur. However, our basic belief in the right of privacy of each student and family will always be given priority in any future considerations. We will always treat our customers as we ourselves wish to be treated.