Ballet Gloria Christmas Party

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

I'm writing to remind everyone that the Ballet Gloria Christmas Party is this upcoming Monday, 12/14 from 2:00pm-5:00pm. From 2:00- 4:00 we will be in the B2 wing visiting, enjoying refreshments, doing crafts, having an ongoing story time in one of the classrooms where parents/teens take turns reading to all ages of children. At 4:00pm dancers will make their way to foyer to get ready for a 4:30 demonstration while parents and siblings continue to enjoy stories, refreshments, etc. The demonstration will include memory verse, class dances, and then a special slideshow. We can't set up chairs in this area due to fire codes, so if you want to bring a blanket or cushion of some sort, that's completely fine (it shouldn't be very long).

Please wear your favorite Christmas sweater and black pants.

If you have any questions, please email Linda Ronald at ronaldfamily@att.net.

This will be our last Ballet Gloria meeting until 2010. Classes will be back to normal 1/4/10-1/11/10. There will be no classes on 1/18/10, but after that there are no more absences (that I know of right now).

Thank you all so much!
Grace and Peace
Josie

Ballet Gloria December

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

Here is our plan for the remainder of November and December (so far):

11/30/09 Normal Classes

12/07/09 Normal Classes

12/14/09 Ballet Gloria Christmas Party
2:00pm-5:00pm
B2 Gathering Area at Oak Hills Church
(We will not be having classes on this day, but each class will have a chance to demonstrate part of their class material as well as Scripture memory work as a part of celebrating what God has done in this year so far. I will be contacting some of you who have volunteered to bring and/or help with different things within the next couple of weeks--Thank you so much for your hearts of service!)

The Ballet Gloria Christmas Party will be the last time we meet in 2009--we hate to take so much time off this year, but Miss Olivia, Miss Sophie, and Miss Josie are all dancing in Nutcracker through 12/26 and we figured that everyone would need some down time between Christmas and New Years. We're still trying to figure out exactly when we will start up again in January, but I will let you know as I know.

I am so grateful for all of you and can't wait to see everyone again on Monday!

Grace and Peace
Josie

Classes 10/26

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

Because of the rain (praise God!) and flooding today, we want to encourage you to exercise an extraordinary amount of caution in traveling about today. We will be holding all classes. However, we will not be working on choreography or going forward in Scripture memory, and I would like to encourage you to stay home if you have to go through low water crossings on the way to Oak Hills--absences will not be "counted" today.

In addition, the last class will be shortened to 1hr for today--meaning that the Psalms classes will meet from 4:30pm-5:30pm.

Be careful!
Grace and peace
Josie

No Classes Next Week

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

I have been feeling a little icky for the past couple of days, had a fever yesterday, and went in to the doctor today--he said I have H1N1 flu and that I should not be around people until 24hrs after the fever is gone. I didn't have a fever on Monday, but I'm not sure at what point I started being contagious. If you start getting a sore throat, please go to the doctor (especially if you're pregnant or have a chronic condition like asthma).

I think that it might also be a good idea to cancel classes this Monday and give everyone a break from all the germs floating around. So classes on October 12th will be canceled. We will resume classes on October 19th (please pass this around in case I'm missing someone's email).

Wash your hands, get vaccinated whenever the vaccine comes out, and go to the doctor if you start to feel sick.

Grace, peace, and my apologies,
Josie

Tomorrow!

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

I'm so sorry I'm getting this email to you so late! I've been without internet for a little while and am struggling to catch up.

Here's the locations and times for classes tomorrow:

Genesis 1 Miss Olivia D2 Gathering Area 2:30-3:30pm
Proverbs 1 Miss Josie B2 Gathering Area 2:30pm-3:30pm
Genesis 2 Miss Josie B2 Gathering Area 3:30-4:30pm
Proverbs 2 Miss Olivia D2 Gathering Area 3:30-4:30pm
Psalms 1 Miss Olivia/Miss Kendra D2 Gathering Area 4:30-6:00pm
Psalms 2 Miss Josie B2 Gathering Area 4:30-6:00pm

Please be prepared to fill out a Minor Release form for each child attending (adult students--please also be ready to fill out a "volunteer application" as well)--this is all for the Oak Hills risk management/insurance guidelines.

Please look for your room moms--your dancer will be greeted, given a nametag, and highlighted in an attendance sheet by one of the room moms.

Please remember not to leave any children unattended--we can't keep track of everyone on our own, but must know that every child is accounted for for safety reasons.

The following classes will open on 9/28:

Genesis 3 Miss Aline C2 Gathering Area 2:30-3:30pm
Proverbs 3 Miss Alex C2 Gathering Area 3:30-4:30pm
Psalms 2A Miss Olivia C2 Gathering Area 4:30-6:00pm

Please be patient for these first few weeks--it is always slightly crazy and there are always kinks...let's all be ready to extend an extra measure of grace to one another.

Thanks so much!
Grace and Peace
Josie

Online Registraion is Open

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

Registration is now live at www.oakhillschurch.com and/or www.oakhillschurchsa.org

I apologize that it did not go live at 4AM - we were told to expect this, but it needed to be turned on manually and thus it waited for staff arrival at OHC this morning. Another glitch with this system is the automatic capping process is not functional. We are keeping track of numbers manually. We will make every effort to, and fully expect to, be able to accommodate everyone who registers today. However, registration is not a confirmation that you have gotten in the class. There will still be a cap and we will still create a waiting list. However, if a waiting list becomes large enough for another class, we will make every effort to open up a new class for that group.

Registration will close on September 10th and classes will begin on September 14th. If classes are not full, we will continue to welcome walk in registrations as we have in the past. Thank you all for your patience with this new process.

Grace and Peace,
Josie

Ballet Gloria 09/10

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

Tomorrow will be the first day for online registration--it should go live at 4:00 in the morning. In order to register, please go to http://www.oakhillschurchsa.org, click the "event registration" button on the left side of the page, and look for Ballet Gloria. Then follow the instructions--if you run into difficulties, please call Melissa Ortiz at 210-698-4650. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out--I've just moved into a new house and I don't have internet yet. If you know previous Ballet Gloria dancers not on this email list, please forward this to them.

Also, videos from the Summer Workshop are now online at http://www.youtube.com/user/magnificatphoto.

Thanks so much
Grace and Peace
Josie

Ballet Gloria 2009/2010

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Parents!


We are very excited about the start of the 2009/2010 season and about the opportunities it holds to grow in Jesus and closer to each other through learning the discipline of dance.


As we approach the beginning of this season, please keep in mind that Ballet Gloria is not designed to be a free substitute for traditional dance instruction. Ballet Gloria is designed to be a community of blessing and discipleship of the dancers and their families, and we ask that everyone pull together as a community to benefit those around them.


One of the ways that we are trying to serve this community this year is by limiting class sizes to 15 children per class so that no dancers get “lost”. Online registration will open two weeks prior to class start, and each class will automatically cap at 15 dancers—once this limit is reached, the registration form will switch to a waiting-list form. If there is another class available for your child’s age group, you may check for space in the other time-bracket. However, if all options for your child’s age group are full, please put them on the waiting list for your preferred time slot for their age group—we must keep everyone in their age brackets in order to serve the other dancers in the class. We will do our best to make room for waiting-list students as spots open up.


If you register, please consider this a long-term commitment (September-April). We will have occasional breaks for holidays, etc., and we do understand that absences are sometimes necessary, but if you don’t think that it will be feasible for your family to be there (on average) 3wks out of the months from September through April, please allow us to give your “spot” to a dancer on the waiting list. If you are absent for more than four weeks without prior notice, we will contact you and ask if we can transfer your spot to a waiting-list student.


We understand that Ballet Gloria will not be a fit for every family at any given time and we are more than happy to assist you in finding other venues for dance instruction that fall in line with the life of a disciple and work for the well-being of your family—we definitely do not want to put strains on your time with your family for any reason.


Another way that we ask that you participate in this community of blessing is by being ready to keep your children (dancers and siblings) under your supervision and discipline and being ready to help other parents do the same. We are so grateful for all of our dancers and their spirits of grace and joy, but dance is very much a discipline and that concept can sometimes be foreign to children. We ask that all parents stay on campus during their child’s class, and that all siblings stay with their parents at all times.


Also, please be mindful of the building. Oak Hills Church is so generous as to provide space and time to bless these dancers--please make every effort to bless them in return, as your brothers and sisters in Christ, by helping to care for the building in which they meet.


As our classes begin to fill, we will be sending out a request for “room parents”. We would be very grateful for anyone who is willing to volunteer one day a month to stay in the classroom with your child’s class, take attendance, put up the memory verses, know fire-escape routes, and be available to find other parents in case of “potty-breaks”, etc. In order to hold these classes, Oak Hills asks that we have two non-teacher adults in each class at all times for the protection of the dancers.



Our guidelines for dress are also based around the idea of this community of blessing. One of the fundamental principles of Ballet Gloria is that the human body is designed to be a temple of the Holy Spirit and an instrument to proclaim the glory of God to the community around each believer. When choosing apparel for our classes, please look through the eyes of one who wants to draw all attention away from them and onto the Father. For girls, our general rules-of-thumb are: no spaghetti straps, no low-cut fronts or backs, always wear tights, wear skirt/pants/shorts over tights, and always wear a cover-up to and from classes. For boys, we recommend sweat pants and t-shirts.


Also, please remember the importance of your words and actions to the other dancers around you—always approach your relationships with classmates with the purpose of blessing them and bringing them closer to Jesus, and never approach a situation with an attitude of competition or a desire to draw attention toward yourself. Especially when boys are in a class, please protect them from distractions (as your brothers in Christ) by dressing, acting and speaking in a way that brings the close to Jesus rather than close to you.


Please remember that Ballet Gloria is not a ministry of performance. We will have a small end-of-year demonstration on the last day of classes as a celebration for the dancers and their families of the work that God has done in us through the 09/10 season, but expect that there will not be presentations in Oak Hills corporate worship settings. We dance for an audience of One.


Thank you for bearing with all of these guidelines—please know these are not rules that we will keep legalistically, but guidelines that we ask for everyone to abide by for the good of the community. We are so grateful for each one of you and the unique stories and perspectives you each bring to the table, and we will do our best to serve you according to the place where you are now—please do the same for the dancers and families around you.


Here is our schedule of important dates and times as we approach registration:


Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009—Online registration opens (Check blog for directions http://balletgloria.blogspot.com/)


Monday, Sept. 14, 2009—Classes begin:

2:30pm-3:30pm Genesis 1 class & Proverbs 1 class

3:30pm-4:30pm Genesis 2 class & Proverbs 2 class

4:30pm-6:00pm Psalms 1 class & Psalms 2 class

Class Descriptions:

Genesis 1 & 2—These classes will be identical offerings for 3-5 year-olds running at 2:30pm and 3:30pm on Mondays at Oak Hills Church, starting on September 14 and running through April 26. In this class, we will focus on movement as a means of storytelling and expression as well as basic stretching, introduction to rhythm, and scripture memory.


Proverbs 1 and 2—These classes will be identical offerings for 6-8 year-olds running at 2:30pm and 3:30pm on Mondays at Oak Hills Church, starting on September 14 and running through April 26. In this class we will learn about our body being a temple of the Holy Spirit and learn how dance can serve the two-fold purpose of communicating truth and protecting the body for the service of God. We will learn to recognize variations in music, rhythmically and tonally, learn the basic ballet positions and some basic steps, and work on memorizing longer passages of scripture.


Psalms 1—This class is our offering for 9-10 year-olds running from 4:30pm-6:00pm on Mondays at Oak Hills Church, starting Sept. 14 and running through April 26. This class will start with an introductory ballet barre-work warm-up, progress through one cohesive piece of choreography every 2 months, work on chapter-long passages of scripture, and encourage a free-flow of worship through movement in every exercise (rather than progression toward perfect ballet technique).


Psalms 2-- This class is our offering for 11 year-olds-adults running from 4:30pm-6:00pm on Mondays at Oak Hills Church, starting Sept. 14 and running through April 26. This class will start with an introductory/intermediate ballet barre-work warm-up, progress through one cohesive piece of choreography every 2 months, work on chapter-long passages of scripture, and encourage a free-flow of worship through movement in every exercise (rather than progression toward perfect ballet technique).



We’ll look forward to seeing you all soon!


Blessings of grace and peace to all of you,

Miss Josie

210-213-2831

balletgloriasa@gmail.com

http://balletgloria.blogspot.com/

Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop 2009

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

We are so looking forward to tomorrow! We ask that you extend an extra measure of patience and grace for the first day as everyone will be figuring out the flow at the same time (including the volunteers).

We have had some unexpected growth in the past couple of days and have had to rearrange classes in order to accommodate everyone comfortably, so please do not be alarmed if your child's class name looks different than the one I sent earlier.

Because we have changed classes a little, we've decided to do first day check-in by ages rather than classes. Here's how we are arranging it:

Morning Classes
Ages 5-6 Upstairs Foyer (by auditorium--away from IH-10)
Ages 7-9 Downstairs Lobby (by offices--close to IH-10)

All Day Classes
Ages 7-10 Upstairs Foyer
Ages 11-16 Downstairs Lobby

We have had to close classes, so anyone coming to register tomorrow will be put on a waiting list and called later on in the day if there are available spaces.

I cannot wait to see you all!

Grace and peace
Josie

P.S. Please let me know if you have missed any of my previous confirmation emails with more detailed instructions so that I can get the information to you.

Schedule

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

I am writing with an updated schedule for the rest of this season:

April 9 -- No Classes Happy Easter!

April 16--Normal Classes

April 23--No Classes (work commitment for Miss Josie)

April 30--Normal Classes

May 7--Last Classes with 15min demonstration in the Mall Area at the end of each class

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience of all the changes this spring--hopefully, next year will be better.

Also, I wanted to give an update on what things are looking like for next year. My work schedule is changing to a day-time rotation that would completely cut out the possibility of doing Ballet Gloria on Thursdays. However, Mondays are completely open--would this be a workable day for you all? If so, are there any comments or suggestions that you all can give as to how to make thing better/easier for next year? Do you like the way the class schedule is now, or are there things we are overlooking?

I'd also like to remind you all about the Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop (registration form below in a separate post). We would love to see you all there! If you who have registered could do me a huge favor and email me to confirm that I do have your form, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for all that you all do for us--our Ballet Gloria dancers, parents, siblings, and grandparents are such blessings...we never stop thanking God for you all!

Grace and Peace
Josie

Classes Ending Early 3/25

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

We will be ending classes at 4:30pm tomorrow due to a scheduling conflict with a rehearsal for Miss Olivia and Miss Josie. So sorry for any inconvenience.

We will look forward to seeing you all there!
Blessings
Josie

Ballet Gloria 3/5/09

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Families,

Unfortunately, we are having to cancel the 3:15pm classes of Ballet Gloria this week, 3/5/09. Olivia and I are involved in a performance downtown this weekend, and have had a couple of last-minute schedule changes that require us to be at the theatre earlier. The earlier classes will go on as scheduled.

We will be having Spring Break next week, and will resume classes the following Thursday, 3/19/09--so sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks
Grace and Peace
Josie

Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop 2009

Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop 2009

Hello Ballet Gloria Dancers and Parents,

Ballet Gloria will host its 4th Summer Intensive, to God be the Glory! Dates for 2009 are July 6^th through July 10^th. Please feel free to invite your friends.

We offer a daily ballet class with scripture memory for children in Kindergarten-8yrs. Mothers would be more than welcome to participate with their children, but would also be welcome to simply observe. This age group would meet from 10:00a.m.-11:00a.m.

We also offer daily intensive training for ages 10yrs. and up from 11:00a.m.-4:00p.m. Their classes could include: Bible Study, Ballet Technique, Hebrew Dancing, Choreography Composition, and Musical Worship Styles. Mothers would be welcome to participate in and/or observe all of these classes. We would ask that this age group bring sack lunches.

If you and/or your child would like to participate in this workshop, please fill out the attached registration form and return it to me (either via email, USPS, fax, or turn in to me at the end of class).

This has been a wonderful year and I thank God daily for you and for the opportunity to work with such wonderful young men and women as your children! I have been so blessed by your hard work, smiling faces, encouraging words, and sweet spirits. Thank you so much! I am really looking forward to next year!

God Bless,

Josie Arnold

Send registration to:

Josephine Deahl Arnold

8303 Greatview #704

San Antonio, TX 78230

jsdeahl@swbell.net

Fax: (210)-481-2303

Phone: (210) 213-3831

Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop 2009

Registration Form

First Name: _____________________

Last Name: _____________________

Age: _____

Program Applying For (Circle One): July 6-10, 2009 July 6-10, 2009

10:00a.m.-11:00a.m. 11:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

Kindergarten-8yrs. 10yrs. and up

Parent/Guardian: _____________________

Home Phone Number: (_____)-______-__________

Parent’s Cell Phone 1: (_____)-______-__________

Parent’s Cell Phone 2: (_____)-______-__________

Email: ___________________

Street Address: ______________________

City, State, Zip: ____________________, ____ _____________

Emergency Contact: _________________________

Emergency Contact Phone Number: (_____)-______-______________