GENERAL POLICIES
Only staff members are permitted in the office area at the studio. All patrons entering the Ward School of Dance Ltd. lobby are required to remove soiled footwear and store it in the spaces provided. Shoe racks can be found at the front entrance and or below all benches in the lobby area. Students will enter the classroom using the main entrance on the east side of the walkway. Classes are not to be interrupted by neither students nor parents.
Parking is located just north of the main entrance. Patrons are not permitted to park in staff parking stalls at any time.
If you wish to speak with your child’s instructor, please alert the front desk staff or email the studio with the subject “attention: TEACHER”. The instructor will phone you and/or set up an in-person meeting with you. This ensures that our classes remain uninterrupted and that the evening dance schedule is not postponed.
Students (or parents of students) unable to attend any performances should inform their instructors of their anticipated absence as soon as possible.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT
During Class Time:
Students will arrive to class with a positive attitude and ready to participate in class. Where appropriate, students should ensure that they have warmed up prior to entering the class.
Students who arrive without the appropriate attire will be able to purchase or rent the necessary clothing articles and their parent’s files will be charged accordingly. Cell phones must be stored in student bags.
Ward School of Dance Ltd. will not assume responsibility for any lost or stolen items.
Students will speak respectfully to all other class members & staff. If issue is taken with something that occurs within class time, the office staff should be informed immediately following the dismissal of that class.
Students will use appropriate language; swearing and derogatory comments are not permitted.
Cell phones are prohibited from use during class time and must be turned off or to silent mode. Students are not to look at their phones during class time unless there is an extenuating circumstance.
Water is the only acceptable beverage in our four dance studios and should be kept in a re-sealable container.
Students will abide by the dress code: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nNrFNAMXYpkEQ9qcjvN9Tnl1hdijc3I2vQdL2WPx4V0/edit?usp=sharing
Students will not take unauthorized pictures or videos in the classroom without teacher permission.
Students will not bring friends/siblings/parents to watch their class.
Students injured in class will immediately report their injury to their instructor.

Before/After Classes:
Students will use appropriate language; profanity and derogatory comments are not permitted while in the studio or at performances.
Students will ensure that lockers, classrooms and washrooms are respectfully maintained; all garbage and recycling is placed in the proper receptacles, lost articles of clothing are placed in the lost and found, any accidental spills are promptly cleaned up, soiled footwear is placed in the shoe rack, etc.
Students will act appropriately while waiting for class to begin.
Students will not run in the studios or hallways.
Students will ensure the same standards of cleanliness and appropriate behavior are maintained in performance dressing rooms.
Students of the Ward School of Dance Ltd. are expected to act in a respectful way and with a positive attitude. Any student’s action can be seen as a reflection of our Studio. As such, we do not tolerate speaking negatively about staff, students or families attending Ward School of Dance Ltd. or any other dance studio. This includes any actions that occur beyond the hours of studio operation or off of studio property, if the behavior or conduct detrimentally affects the welfare of individual students or the governance, climate of efficiency of the school. Doing so could result in disciplinary action.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Students/parents/guardians will not use any social media outlet to put down or in any way demean, exclude or otherwise bully Ward School of Dance Ltd. as a business, its patrons, its staff or any other member of the online community.
Students who post combinations/rehearsals/dances on social media sites are not permitted to use these articles in their entirety. Ward School of Dance owns the rights to all choreography taught at the studio.
Students/parents/guardians do not have the right to post any personal information pertaining to any other patrons or staff.
Parents will not use social media to reach out to teachers to report absences.
Please see our Waiver for Medical & Photo Release for more information.

DISCIPLINE POLICY
Dance is a sport that helps promote physical fitness, mental wellbeing and is a creative outlet for children and adults alike. Teachers at our academy do their utmost to provide inclusive classrooms that meet the needs of all of their students. All students are responsible for their own behaviour and will be held accountable according to the following standards:
No physical or verbal aggression of any kind will be tolerated towards teachers or classmates. Students will politely be asked to stop. If the behaviour continues, students will be asked to leave the classroom and a parent/guardian will be contacted.
No disruptive behaviour will be tolerated. Students will politely be asked to stop. If the behaviour continues, students will be asked to leave the classroom and a parent/guardian will be contacted.

ATTENDANCE
Class attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. Dancers are expected to attend all regular scheduled classes. If dancers need to leave early from a class, the parent will inform desk staff and the desk staff will retrieve the student for the parent.
Students who are ill (except with highly contractable viruses) should attend class in a mask and are expected to attend class to observe with the expectation of being distanced from their peers. If a dancer is too sick, or sick with a highly contractable virus, to attend, they must be excused (via an in-person conversation, email or phone message) from class by their parent/guardian. Reaching out via social media outlets will not be considered an excused absence. If a dancer is injured, they are expected to attend class to observe. The student will be expected to dance unless the parent has contacted the studio, as per the above point.

PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICY
Each dancer must have credit card information on file. All outstanding fees must be paid before a dancer can be registered for the upcoming season. Late fee payments will be charged to the above mentioned credit card. Updated account information is available on personal online accounts. Each client is responsible for checking and maintaining their online account. Clients will not be notified when outstanding fees are charged to the credit card on file.
Cancellations must be provided in writing (email) with 30 days notice.

Monthly Payments
Fees are due on the first day of the month and are non-refundable. Monthly payments become outstanding on the 15th of the current month.

Student and parent/legal guardian understand and expressly assume all risks involved in connection with dance instruction, rehearsal and training at Ward School of Dance LTD. including but not limited to risk of bodily injury occurring as a result of contact with other students, instructors, walls, equipment, floors, structures, poles and other objects located in or near dance studios, or the student’s physical condition or physical limitations.

It is understood that dance instruction is a physical activity and art form. It may be necessary for instructors to place hands on the student for proper placement and correction of body alignment. Student and parent waive all claims arising out of dance instruction, rehearsal, training, and performances at Ward School of Dance Ltd. and or/other performance spaces and/or venues, whether caused by the negligence, breach of contract, or otherwise, and whether for bodily injury, property damage or loss or otherwise, which student may have against Ward School of Dance Ltd., its owners, officers, directors, shareholders, employees and agents, and their heirs, executors and administrators.

The parent/legal guardian of the student requests and authorizes that in his/her absence, the student may be admitted to any hospital or medical facility for diagnosis and treatment and authorizes physicians, or other such licensed professionals, to perform any diagnostic procedures, treatment procedures, operative procedures and x-ray treatment of the student. There is no guarantee as to the results of examination or treatment. Parent/legal guardian authorizes Ward School of Dance Ltd., its owners, members, Board of Directors, and all employees and agents of these parties to act for the student according to their best judgment in providing or arranging for emergency care in any emergency situation requiring medical attention.

The Personal Information Protection Act (the “Act”) regulates the way private sector organizations within Alberta collect and disclose personal information. “Personal Information” means information about an identifiable individual. This studio recognizes the importance of privacy and recognizes the sensitivity of personal information received by us in the course of our business practice.
We recognize our professional obligation to maintain the confidentiality of our clients’ information, and also our obligations concerning all individuals’ personal information which we collect, use or disclose in our practice. This policy has been developed with those obligations in mind.

Our Need for Personal Information
To be able to provide quality dance services to our clients, we need to collect all relevant facts and information that relate to our clients. We may also need business and credit information so we can ensure that we will be compensated for our services. This information will necessarily include personal information about our clients.

Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Where practical, we will try to collect personal information directly from the person to whom the information pertains. Where necessary, we will collect personal information from other sources. We will collect only the personal information necessary for the purposes stated in the previous paragraph.
The Act provides that an individual is deemed to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information about that individual for a particular purpose if the individual voluntarily provides the information for that purpose, and it is reasonable that a person would voluntarily provide that information.
By registering for classes at our studio, we consider that an individual consents to our collection, use or disclosure of the individual’s personal information as necessary to properly provide the services enrolled in.
It is our policy to collect personal information about individuals other than our clients in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
When we collect personal information about individuals directly from them, except when their consent to the collection is deemed, we will tell them the purpose for which the information is collected, and the name of a person who can answer questions about the collection.
The Act also permits us to collect, use or disclose personal information about an individual in some circumstances without the individual’s consent. Such circumstances include (but are not limited) to where:
• The collection, use or disclosure is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way;
• Collection, use or disclosure is reasonable for the purposes of an investigation or proceeding;
• The personal information is available to the public from a prescribed source; or
• The collection, use or disclosure is required or authorized by a statute or regulation of Alberta or Canada.
When we collect, use or disclose personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to ensure that it is accurate and complete. The Act also allows us, for legal or business purposes, to retain personal information for as long as is reasonable.

Security of Personal Information
We recognize our professional and legal obligations to protect the confidential information of our clients. We recognize as well our legal obligations to protect the personal information we have gathered about our clients. We have therefore made arrangements to secure against the unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information.

Requests for Access to Personal Information
The law permits individuals to submit written requests to us to provide them with:
• Their personal information under our custody or control
• Information about the purposes for which their personal information under our custody or control has been and is being used by us; and
• The names of persons to whom and the circumstances in which their personal information has been and is being disclosed by us.
We will respond to requests in the time allowed by the Act and make a reasonable effort to assist applicants and to respond as accurately and completely as reasonably possible. All requests may be subject to any fees and disbursements the law permits us to charge.
An individual’s ability to access his or her personal information under our control is not absolute. The law provides that we must not disclose personal information where:
• The disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of an individual other than the individual who made the request;
• The disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual; or
• The disclosure would reveal the identity of an individual who has in confidence provided us with an opinion about another individual and the individual providing the opinion does not consent to the disclosure of his or her identity.
The law further proves that we may choose not to disclose personal information where:
• The personal information is protected by any legal privilege;
• The disclosure of the information would reveal confidential commercial information and it is not unreasonable to withhold that information;
• The personal information was collected by us for an investigation or legal proceeding;
• The disclosure of the personal information might result in similar information no longer being provided to us when it is reasonable that it would be provided;
• The personal information was collected or created by a mediator or arbitrator in the conduct of a mediation or arbitration for which he or she was appointed to act
• Under an agreement; or
• Under an enactment; or
• By a court; or
• The personal information relates to or may be used in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.
The Act indicates that it is not to be applied so as to affect any legal privilege. We will not disclose information that is privileged where the applicant is not the client in whom the privilege is vested.
Requests for Correction of Personal Information
The law permits individuals to submit written requests to us to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that is in our custody or control. We will:
• Correct the personal information and, if reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to any other organizations to whom we disclosed the incorrect information; or
• Decide not to correct the personal information but annotate the personal information that a correction was requested but not made.

Contacting or Communicating with Us
If you have any questions with respect to our policies concerning the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to request access to, or correction of, your personal information under our care and control, please contact Kirsten McOuat or Kirsten Williams at 780-962-3283 or info@wardschoolofdance.ca.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your personal information, we invite you to contact us in writing, setting out the reasons for your concerns. If you remain dissatisfied after we have reviewed and responded to your concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner at:
410, 9925 - 109 Street • Edmonton, AB • T5K 2J8 • Telephone: (780) 422-6860 • Fax: (780) 422-568