Saddleback

I sent an email to the school with an intensive schedule question on March 1 and only got a reply today. So unfortunately I think the response time is quite delayed. 

4 hours ago, Cluelessballetmumof2 said:

No just the one, I’m going to call them again x 

They are slow to respond, FYI. Both email and phone.

On 22/02/2023 at 03:42, BTL2101 said:

Hi - Wondering if anyone has info about what the RBS Hong Kong spring intensive is like?

I'd like to know too. My child got into HK and Friday is the deadline to decide. 

I agree, used an iPhone and had a teacher help and then select the best photos from the bunch. And gotten Yeses. 

5 hours ago, twinballerinas said:

In prior years, there was a simple accept or reject the invitation. My girls are not going but there is no place to state they aren’t attending. Should I just email them letting them know?  

In the spirit of making the dream come true for a girl on the waitlist I suggest telling them as soon as possible and not waiting for a follow up email when payment is due. They seem to have changed a lot this year. No waitlist confirmation for those on the WL, no accept or reject on the Yes emails, no audition request at time of application. 

5 hours ago, Thelittleswans said:

My daughter has started asking soooo many questions so I thought I’d ask as they come so not to overload the chat. Those parents that have had children at SI before might be able to help! 
 

do they need a mobile phone? 
 

if so, how is that regulated? 
 

Dorms: how many per room? If the children know someone who is also boarding can you request for them to share a room? 
 

how many leotards should they bring? 
 

do they arrive on Sunday eve? Or is registration on Monday? 
 

Is there a performance/demonstration for parents at the end of the week? 
 

What sort of things do they do in their “free” time? 
 

other than deers, are there any other animals that roam in Richmond park to observe? (Random one!)

 

 

 

They will send information about all of this. Unfortunately every student had a phone. It's actually a problem in my opinion. My child said during breaks people were buried in phones instead of playing pick up games or talking. And phones were lightly regulated. They got phones during every break. Literally every morning, class break, after class, after dinner. All the time. 

41 minutes ago, lanczievamuzsa said:

Can you clear this to me? Is it like this? We are absolutely new to this whole thing and not living in England we don't have any info about how the school works ... -->They have hundreds of photos of applicants (just for the 10-12 years old category) and they have a look at every one of them (I suppose, very shortly) and try to see the skills and attributes of the candidates. If they see something, they put the photo to the yes folder  if not, to the no folder if it is a maybe then in the waiting list folder... to put it very simply...

and then if someone is applying another year, and the supposed skills/attributes are not changed according to the photos, it is obvious that the applicant will be chosen another time. No?

I've heard that the evaluators don't know when reviewing photos who attended previously and who didn't. And I believe the application doesn't even ask previous attendance data. They look for body fit, which changes. And it depends on the pool of other applicants. That's why some who got a yes one year will get a no the next. Or two years of a yes. Or a no then a yes. It all changes each year. Standouts will always get in but that's what makes the school desirable. I think this year they have had an explosion of candidates post covid. Also they are promoting like heck and becoming quite commercial, so more applicants as a result. 

8 minutes ago, lanczievamuzsa said:

I have no idea how many applications they could have this year, but does anyone know anything about the previous years?

Their annual report indicated around 2,500+ SI applicants each summer. 

Wonder if there are 2 waitlists, one where you confirm that's priority, one that's everyone else. Heard rumors of 2 waitlists before. 

Last year waitlisters were asked to confirm their waitlist place by filling out a form. Did they do the same this year for those on WL?

2 hours ago, Pointeperfect said:

Website now states ‘results sent out w/c February 27th latest’

 

 

Yup. Means they were overwhelmed with applications. Not surprised. 

I also believe this year will be especially competitive as many people held off due to lingering Covid travel restrictions when applications were due last January 2022. Especially from Asia. My child's SI group was almost all local UK students. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a record number of applicants this year.

My child got into RBS SI last year from the wait list. We were notified in late May of an open spot. It does happen. Also the reviewers for the SI applications are different than the full time placement team, so they aren't coordinated.

The boys had 22 

28 minutes ago, Lilidance said:

And she is worried about being the only one who doesn’t speak English enough ! Do you know if there was child in that case too ?

Last week there was a boy who spoke no English. He understood, but didn't speak. It seemed like a range of English skills. I'd ask the school how this works if you get accepted. 

26 minutes ago, KeenButClueless said:

Is anyone else a bit disappointed with the course length this year? They had a whole extra day last year for the same price - and we weren’t given the pick up date until after full payment was made. I’m feeling a little robbed for 4.5 days of training to be honest.

I have no prior year of comparison but I wouldn't be surprised if it was so they could clean the rooms before Sunday and have time between residents due to lingering Covid precautions. I was just thrilled they didn't bring in some last minute mask mandate. I did think the instruction quality was very good, even if a short period. 

37 minutes ago, Dancingpotato said:

Hi everyone just looking for a few bits of advice!

What is involved in the Friday showing?

Also, is it fairly easy to keep in touch with your child do they get there phone back quickly in the morning?

Any other advice greatly appreciated!

My son seems to constantly text me after breakfast and during breaks so I think they are pretty liberal about devices. Though they seem to keep them at night thankfully. When we video chat all the kids around him also have their phones, so I'd hate to be the only child without one. The wifi is good enough for Zoom. My child's iPad doesn't even have mobile capabilites so we only use the zoom app over wifi only and it works great. 

Do they help the young kids make up their beds with the bed sheets we have to bring? Also, the emails mention summer intensive clothing and shirts you can pre-order, but I haven't seen any communication on this, or taxi park passes. When did everyone get this information? 

11 minutes ago, Mum to a boy dancer said:

Just had an offer for Wk5 from the waitlist for my DS! 
I’ve just paid for a summer school in Denmark so looks like mum and dad are eating baked beans for the next month 😂

Congrats! If anything it shows waitlist can activate! 

19 minutes ago, BisforBallet said:

We have a Wk5 place. Can someone tell me drop off and pick up times for residential please? Thank you 

You should get an email soon. I just got the email with details for Week 3 a few days ago, so you'll probably get yours soon. I also was told he arrive at 9:30am on pick up day for the demonstration. 

17 hours ago, BalletBoysDad said:

Congratulations 🎉 I asked my DS is he remembered what that age group did last summer. He seemed to remember short structured activities like some kind of treasure hunt in the grounds, a tik tok challenge, some kind of movie quiz. But it all sounded very relaxed and perfect for ‘down time’ after a full busy day. There was the opportunity to play football, and they had a relaxed ‘pizza night’ mid week. White Lodge has very beautiful grounds, and is the perfect place for the children to ‘hang out’ on a lovely summer evening. 

This is so helpful, thank you. You mention TikTok, did all the kids have devices and phones with them? Or is it pretty digital free?

My DS just got accepted off the WL W3 waitlist, for residential. Can anyone tell me what the kids do when not dancing? Are there structured activities like football and movies? 

Anyone have waitlist updates?

So registration deadline was today. For those of us on the wait list for summer please post when/if you hear news so we all have a sense of the draw. I'm assuming very few wait list admits but never know. 

47 minutes ago, Lilidance said:

As we had a no what other ballet intensive in the il do you recommend ?

Too late for this year, but heads up the School of American Ballet in NYC now has a summer intensive for ages 10-12. My son attends year round and the training is excellent. I'm sure they do an amazing summer program, and it's only 1 week for juniors. Consider it for next year.