Drawing Classes & Art Programs 2007 - 2008
ActonArt Policies
2007-08 TRIMESTER SCHEDULE— Drawing classes and Fine Arts curriculum span the entire school year. Classes meet once a week and are ongoing from September 5, 2006 through June 16, 2007, 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 3/17/08) 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 Sept. 5 through Dec. 2
WINTER TRIMESTER - Dec. 3 through Mar. 16
SPRING TRIMESTER - March 17 through Closing Day on June 16
SUMMER SESSIONS -To be announced
Tuition —2007/2008 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
Family Discounts — If two or more family members are enrolled in any class, a discount may be applied to the tuition fee of each family member. Discounts are not available for summer classes or programs due to the short session periods. Family discounts are indicated on the tuition page. Please call us for information about special discounts available for homeschool classes (morning and early afternoon) and full-year enrollments paid in advance.
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 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, 2008 will receive a tuition refund minus the $25 fee. NO refunds will be provided to participants who withdraw after May 31, 2008.
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 risk being denied admission.
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 consistantly. 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 alloted 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-out fees may be waived if there is space available and new students enroll in weekly classes. 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 the student is unable to attend a class, a family member or friend may take the student's place. Alternately, the student may request to attend a different class during the week of the current lesson plan. MAKE-UPS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY IN CLASSES WHICH ARE NOT FULLY ENROLLED. THE PROJECT MISSED BY YOUR STUDENT MUST STILL BE THE CURRENT PROJECT. This is a limited, first-come, first-served arrangement and once the class is full it too will be 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. Students MUST receive permission to attend a different class day from the school director. Please Do Not simply show up at a different class. We may, on occasion, offer a make up class at our discretion.
Alternately, we will hold OPEN STUDIO on scheduled days. This is a time when enrolled students can use the studio and materials to complete unfinished artwork (Open Studio is NOT a free drawing time nor is it a childcare opportunity. Student monitoring is NOT guaranteed. Parents may not leave children under the age of 8 unattended). There may also be a self-guided project available during Open Studio. Dedicated make-up classes have not proven to be workable solutions since students are rarely able to attend a class outside of their normal schedule.
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 opportunites 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. You can see current weather conditions in Acton here on our location web page.
ActonArt Student Art Show is scheduled in the Spring Trimester. All students are encouraged to participate in the exhibit. The art show fee is a separate fee of $25 due at Spring enrollment. Fee provides for scanning and matting artwork, 4 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 will 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 will be charged to the student.
