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SissonneDoublee

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Everything posted by SissonneDoublee

  1. DD and I are really close, so the thought of potentially not being there to support her when she got her first period was a tough one. I made her a ‘kit’, a selection of sanitary products so she could choose what she preferred, feminine wipes, a microwaveable wheat pack, chocolate, and a long letter from me containing all the support and hints and advice that I would want to pass on when the time came. It meant that when the time came, she had my support already there waiting for her. The houseparents were, of course, wonderful. They are first period veterans like no others! I think making the first period kit was more help for me than it was for DD! It was something we were both glad that I had done, though.
  2. Us too! It’s happy news for DD! Hope yours is too xx
  3. Sorry, you are talking about lower schools I think xx
  4. RCS and Central still to go. Elmhurst only came out a couple of hours ago for upper school.
  5. This year’s students won’t have all their responses yet, and are still under huge pressure, so hopefully you are referring to previous year groups.
  6. Not an answer to your question, exactly, but I would think applying to a course that her teacher says would not stretch her would probably be frustrating (and a waste of time/ money). Would waiting a year, doing dance and starting A Levels or other academics, and reapplying for diploma courses be an option?
  7. For year 7 places, the physios assess for available range of turnout, rather than working range. A child at age 11 that is not working with flat turnout can still have the hip joints to allow it later. This is far more important for Year 7 places, and the ability to use their potential turnout is something they work to increase over years.
  8. DD’s vocational school takes phones off students throughout the school day, so this isn’t the case everywhere. It’s hard, as if she has had a stressful day the day before, it isn’t until the next evening that I get any update, so can worry all day (generally unnecessarily!).
  9. UCAS Conservatoire applications run separately from the main UCAS, and students can hold up to five offers at each. It’s not until you confirm a place that you gave to lock in with one or the other, so DC can have 5 conservatoire applications and 5 academic applications on the go.
  10. Hi, not an answer to your question I’m afraid, but something to bear in mind before you put too much time into writing letters… A potential issue with securing financial assistance is that it has to be declared on the MDS form, so then increases the parental contributions as the ‘unearned income’ section is then higher. This wouldn’t hit in the first year, as each form is on the previous year’s income, but the following year you would be left with a greater amount to cover.
  11. We definitely know of people that auditioned for London and were offered their next closest centre in previous years. Sometimes because they had it as a second option, sometimes not. RBS know who they want, and shuffle some people around to make it happen.
  12. I loved it! Having taught the novel for years as an A Level Spanish teacher, I felt that the magical realism of the novel was captured perfectly. The rapid progression from one event to another is very true to the story, and casting-wise I wouldn’t have made any changes at all. Gertrudis’s scandalous flight from the ranch had the mix of comical and lascivious, which is exactly how it comes across in the book, and the exit on horseback is exactly as it is written. I love a traditional ballet, but felt that the choreography in LWFC conveyed the feel of the novel better than a more traditional style. The Mexican feel and sensuality of the piece might have been lost with the precision of such measured and controlled movements. My A Level students were in the audience too, first trip to a ballet for all of them, and first trip to the theatre for several. They loved it, and are planning to return to watch the nutcracker at Christmas! It would have been nice to include the national anthem before the performance, but the omission was not the stand-out memory of the evening for me.
  13. I watched this last night, and like many audience members was left unsure at the end if it had finished. I even checked with an usher before leaving! I had previously really enjoyed a Ballet Central performance, so was looking forward to it, but was disappointed with the lack of classical ballet. I suppose I should have expected it from the list of choreographers that was given… The students performed what they were given well, but it wasn’t as varied as I had seen in the past with Ballet Central. As an evening of modern ballet and contemporary dance it was great, just missing the pure classical piece that was previously my favourite.
  14. Like others have said, if it’s full-time Elmhurst, rather than YDs, then it will definitely not be allowed. Lots of YDs do both, but the full-time students are not allowed to attend associate classes anywhere, and have RAD class on Saturday mornings. The rest is more needed than additional training, as they are doing so much already, and the school take a very dim view of anyone wanting to supplement what they are already getting at school. Congratulations to your student! And to everyone with a yes. To those that didn’t get the response they were hoping for, don’t give up. A lot can change in a year, so although you are feeling battered by the process at the moment, it is worth another try. Most of the children in DD’s class had MA offers that they handed back, so there would have been over 20 places returned just from that small group, so don’t lose hope on the waiting list. It may take some time, though, as going to boarding school is a huge decision, so people often hold onto their place until they are 100% sure. Most of the waiting list movement that we knew of took place in June-July time, rather than quickly.
  15. They normally calculate based on the previous financial year, so the P60 you get this month will normally form part of the evidence along with the March payslip for this year. If you have evidence that your income is going to decrease (such as a later payslip that shows the reduction in income), you can request a current year assessment. In the case of a significant drop after the calculations have been made (several thousand pounds), you can request an in-year assessment, but I’m not sure how those work or how easy they are to get. The MDS process is very evidence-based, so you need documentation for everything. The travel group for DD’s school is on Facebook, and I joined by requesting (stating who my child is, and in which year group). If you know parents further up the school, you can ask them to add you to any relevant groups, too.
  16. On the MDS forms there is a section where you can fill in a current year assessment following agreement with the school. Another thing to send to school is a bank card, so you can top up pocket money remotely if needed! We sorted out DD’s first current account just before she went off to vocational school, and have been so glad we did. Skills to practice between now and September: changing bed sheets, sorting washing, sewing pointe shoe ribbons, doing a bun. The older students (and house parents, of course!) will help, but the more independent your DC is, the easier the first term will be! The schools all have travel groups, where you can coordinate with older students to take public transport on exeat weekends, which has been a lifesaver for us, as I have no flexibility in my working schedule and can’t book an afternoon off work to collect DD from school every three weeks.
  17. Try contacting Devoted to Dance via Facebook. Scott is great at working out comparable sizes in different brands.
  18. DD’s friend ticked ‘MAs only’ and was invited to finals. RBS see who they want to see regardless of what was ticked on the form! She still didn’t want full-time training, but was advised by their JA teacher to go, as being seen an additional time would help her chances of a MA place.
  19. When it comes to MDS, any award is ‘full MDS’ because it is awarded on a means tested sliding scale and is the full bursary available to that income bracket at that time, and at the two schools you mention the award is made before the school sees any financial paperwork. There have been several new starters in DD’s class, and all bar those that are overseas students have been awarded MDS. Places become available as students do leave, and the awards are distributed as needed. Given that the two schools you reference are single form entry, the number of available spaces is very limited unless students leave the year group, regardless of any funding required. With regard to the upper cut-off for MDS funding, for many families to pay upwards of £30,000 a year in school fees would be a stretch, even at the upper end of the scale. The way the sliding scale works means that the parental contribution increases greatly as the means allow. This time of year can often get very stressful for parents of children applying for vocational schools, but it is best to focus on the affordability to your own family, rather than being drawn into a ‘we need/ deserve it more’. There are excellent fees calculators on the RBS and Elmhurst websites that show a very close approximation to what you would actually need to contribute.
  20. Do look at CAT at your nearest centre, as this is funded by MDS, which is means tested. A lot of summer schools and associate schemes will also provide bursaries to students from low income families. Once established at a local dance school, you could also ask if there are opportunities for DD to help in the baby classes in exchange for lessons. If she is thinking about a career in dance, the experience of helping in younger classes will be really valuable even if it doesn’t result in any fees reduction.
  21. If it is most likely to be general dance or musical theatre that she will pursue, depending on her interests (and also singing ability), keep classes like jazz, modern and tap going, and consider adding singing lessons. Following a good exam system helps to give structure and progression. RAD, ISTD, IDTA are all good, and ensure that the teacher is trained and following a recognised training model. Exams are good for this, and give a good focus and a measure of how your DD is progressing, but they are not an ends in themselves. If there are exams available and you choose to opt out, you may find that your DD doesn’t get pushed to reach the standard as the teacher’s attention will likely be on those that will be assessed. The pressure of exams can be good preparation for auditions too, in some ways. If the school only teaches exam work, though, this is to the detriment of the student’s ability to pick up new choreography, and has other drawbacks too. The lack of pointe is a worry, because it indicates that the older girls are not reaching the standard in ballet that they should, or that they lose students as they get older. There might not be lots of pointe mentioned on the timetable, as this may take place in higher grade ballet lessons, but it’s definitely something to ask about. Even for ‘non-ballet’ dance training, the ballet class is still an important part of most auditions as the technique underpins other dance forms. Pilates, strength and conditioning or PBT are all good things to add in to support technique, but only if done well (and safely!). Extreme stretching shown online is a red flag rather than a positive, though.
  22. I might have misunderstood, but I think the grosgrain ribbon that is sold as narrow ballet shoe ribbon is not the texture that Mamtoballetgirls is looking for. Pointe shoe ribbon is soft on both sides, and much more silky from a sensory point of view. Somewhere like Hobbycraft or a haberdashery would have the softer ribbon, if that is what you are looking for, but not specifically for ballet shoes (in fact, it doesn’t work well for ballet shoes because it is too silky and comes undone!).
  23. If you are taking your son, CadburyWorld, Legoland Discovery Centre or Sea Life are all fab and most can be done on Tesco vouchers.
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