Hope Academy’s Saturday Dance and Theater Program and Music Program have separate registration processes and online forms.

MUSIC PROGRAM REGISTRATION

1) INQUIRY FORM FOR PRIVATE LESSONS AND SUZUKI STRINGS
Before registering and paying for private lessons or the Suzuki Strings Program, you will need to fill out an Inquiry for Private Lessons form. This will give us the information we need to match your child with a teacher and find a schedule that works for everyone.  We will begin scheduling private lessons on August 15, 2018 and will start with returning students.

2) ONLINE REGISTRATION
Once a lesson day and time has been agreed upon, the next step is to complete an online Music Program Registration form and make payment within one week. If we do not received your registration form and payment in a week’s time, the lesson day and time with the teaching artist will be offered to someone else on the inquiry list. Most teaching artists fill their schedules before the beginning of September and there is limited availability after the school year begins.

SATURDAY DANCE AND THEATER PROGRAM REGISTRATION

Complete an online Saturday Dance and Theater Program Registration form.

PAYMENT

You can pay by credit card when you submit the online registration form. If you would like to pay by check. print out a copy of your submission (it will be emailed to you) and  mail it in with your payment (check made out to “ELPC”) to:

Hope Academy/ELPC
116 S. Highland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

If you would like to pay by cash or money order, contact Karly Threets (412-441-3800 x 117 or KarlyT@coh.net) to let her know when you will be dropping it off at East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT

The full-tuition amount, plus the $10 registration fee per term, is due at the time of registration. A spot will not be reserved for any student without payment.  Call-in registrations will not be accepted. If you would like to come in person to register and pay, contact Karly Threets to schedule an appointment: 412-441-3800 ext 117 or KarlyT@coh.net. Students will not be permitted to take any class or private lesson before paperwork and payment is received.

REFUND POLICY

A full-tuition refund is given for withdrawals from a course or private lessons 10 days before they begin. No partial refunds are given for missed private lessons. Only one (1) make-up lesson per term is given to each student. Registration fees are non-refundable.

Because tuition only covers a small portion of Hope Academy’s costs, there are no refunds for weather-related cancellations or other events that could create an unsafe environment for students and families.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Tuition covers only a small portion of Hope Academy’s operating costs. Your tax-deductible donation allows us to continue to offer high quality, affordable arts education to children and youth in our community. You can include a donation with your registration, or make a separate donation here.

HOPE ACADEMY’S EXCUSED ABSENCE POLICY
Hope Academy does not give scholarships, admittance into our Triple Threat program, or performance opportunities to students who have other commitments – especially sports, but also extra curricular activities such as school plays or participation in other performance groups. Social activities (birthday parties, sleep overs, ski trips); cultural activities (theater, opera, dance); academic activities (homework, project work) should all be scheduled on days and times when students aren’t scheduled to be at Hope Academy. The expectation is that Hope Academy classes, lessons, rehearsals, recitals and performances will be their first priority.

Families must complete an online Excused Absence Request Form for all scheduled and emergency absences.

Scheduled Excused Absence requests must be submitted before the beginning of the next term. If it is important enough to miss a class, lesson, rehearsal, recital or performance, it should be important enough to have been scheduled well in advance. For example, family trips, weddings, graduation ceremonies, CAPA auditions, SAT tests.

The deadline dates for scheduled excused absences to be submitted in 2018-2019 are:

• September 15, 2018 for the fall term
• December 15, 2018 for the winter term
• March 15, 2019 for the spring term (and end of the year performances)

Emergency Excused Absence requests, which include health related issues, should be entered into this excused absence form (and then, in the case of private lessons, the teaching artist should be contacted) as soon as you know, or expect, that you might not make it to a class, lesson, rehearsal or performance. Unexcused emergency absence requests include homework, projects, or punishments/consequences.

The first consequence of an unexcused absence is to reassign any private lessons the student receives a scholarship for to another student on the wait list. Teaching artists are paid whether or not the student is here for the lesson, so we want to make sure that we are being good stewards of the generous donations we receive for this program. The next consequence is to recast any performance opportunities the student has been given.

Scholarship and Triple Threat students should have no more than 2 excused absences per year – and no unexcused absences. They are also required to complete the entire year, from mid-September to end of May. Families who are unable to commit to this agreement will not be eligible for future scholarships at Hope Academy (this applies to all other siblings in the family).

It is difficult to have a policy that covers every variable so we try to take individual circumstances into account. The more information and time we have, the easier it is to schedule around absences. If there are circumstances that will make it difficult to attend private lessons and/or classes going forward, please schedule a time for a conversation with Hope Academy’s director before it becomes a last minute emergency. There are often ways we can work together to resolve scheduling conflicts so that the family remains in good standing.