PNBSchool

Wednesday, September 23 2020

Dear PNBS students and families,

The School year has begun and while we usually mark this occasion with sounds
of excited students crowding hallways and the highly anticipated first parent
watch day; this year is quite different. Despite restrictions, we are moving
ahead with education and dialogue.

Today, as I walked the halls of the Phelps Center, I heard
young men speaking via Zoom with new faculty member Ikolo Griffin. They
discussed the challenges of double tours en l’air, while a younger set spoke to
Jonathan Porretta about new steps and new combinations. Circuit training,
pointe, variations, choreography, pre-pointe and modern were being broadcast
from every studio in Seattle and in Bellevue as hundreds of students resumed
their study of dance. Thank you for your patience as we explore the safest
practices and best technology applications for students, families, faculty and
staff.

One of our Professional Division students has approached us about starting an
affinity group for Black, Brown, Biracial, and Multiracial students and their
families. We are wholeheartedly behind this idea and invite all students and
parents who would like to participate in this affinity group to join us. PNB
consultant and diversity strategist Theresa Ruth Howard will facilitate first
discussions. Student-led and PNBS supported, School leadership will participate
and engage with this group on a regular basis in order to  listen to
feedback and support the creation of safe spaces for students and families of
color.

PNBS is also open to the introduction of other affinity groups, and understand
that our approach to a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive PNB has many
intersections. If you have an idea for another student-led affinity group,
please contact Denise Bolstad at pnbschool@pnb.org.

We find ourselves living in an
altered world, and though we may not all be able to enter a studio at this time
or experience in-person instruction, PNBS is exploring every opportunity to
invite our students and families to be an integral part of how we shape our
future.  I hope you will join us as we move forward and embark on a new
year and a new era for our School.

Sincerely,

Peter Boal and Denise Bolstad

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Posted by PNB School
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Wednesday, September 9 2020

Hello PNB Families, 

Below please find the link to the email that was sent to families on September 3rd. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have issues accessing the email via the link. 

http://bit.ly/PNBSBacktoSchool

Best regards, 

PNB School

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Posted by PNB School
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Thursday, August 27 2020

PNB School is thrilled to introduce you to Josh Spell, former
PNB Company Dancer, and our new Consulting Therapist!  Josh officially joined our Consulting staff
in July to present health and wellness seminars for our 2020 Seattle Summer
Course students, and he will oversee student health and wellness programs and
initiatives moving forward. He will present and/or coordinate seminars
throughout the school year on topics based on “Creating the Holistic Dancer,”
including nutrition, mental health, and stress management; he will be available
to meet with students one-on-one as needed or requested; he will work with
Company dancers Cecilia Iliescu and Amanda Morgan to continue to develop the
mentorship programs that were established last spring for students in Levels
VII, VIII, and the Professional Division. More information on Josh’s background
can be found below. We are so excited to welcome Josh back into the PNB family,
and he is looking forward to working with our students.

Josh Spell
is a licensed social worker in the state of Washington. He has a master’s
degree in social work from the University of Washington and received his
undergrad from Seattle University. He began working with eating disorders in a
partial level of care setting in 2017 and has also worked in a generalized
partial hospitalization program for mood disorders. Josh offers a compassionate
and direct approach when working with clients in order to break down perceived problems
into manageable steps, remain in the present moment with curiosity, provide a
willingness to learn from distress and identify specific goals that are in line
with overarching values. He has been intensively trained in Radically
Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy and utilizes principles of Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, among others. Josh danced
professionally with the Pacific Northwest Ballet for ten years and the Kansas
City Ballet for two years. He trained at School of American Ballet and attended
the summer program at PNB School. His former career as a professional ballet
dancer informs his current approach, and he is passionate about working with
dancers and athletes. Josh is currently a Primary Therapist with Opal Food +
Body Wisdom in Seattle, WA. He is excited to return to the dance world in a new
role consulting with professional and aspiring dancers from a holistic
perspective.

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Posted by PNB School
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Wednesday, August 26 2020

Dear School families,

Now that Fall Registration information has been sent, we
would like to update you with additional information regarding fall classes, online
instruction, and our re-opening plan.

The PNB School year will begin on September 14^th
with online instruction; HOWEVER, we are in the process of developing detailed protocols
and procedures for safely welcoming small groups of upper level students back
to the studios as soon as we possibly can for limited face-to-face instruction (starting
with Level VIII and Men’s Division).

Our goal is to begin offering limited face-to-face
instruction for upper levels (VI-VIII) this fall or later this year (meaning
upper level classes would shift to a hybrid mix of online and in-person
instruction). Our re-opening plans must remain in accordance with state and
local regulations and guidelines, which limit the number of people allowed in a
studio (small groups of no more than three to five students). Enrollment
numbers will determine how often students will be able to take class in the
studio each week. In addition to class sizes, we are reviewing studio space
availability for this limited in-person instruction. While the Company’s need
for studios present a challenge for us at the Phelps Center;  the Francia Russell Center, we are happy to
report, is full of school Zoom classes. Class times, studio space, faculty and pianist
schedules, health and wellness for everyone, approval from state and local
officials, and building occupancy are all contributing factors for us to
consider as we plan this next phase for our students.   

There is no way to fully express our excitement and sheer
anticipation over working with students in the studios again! We will continue
to communicate updates to you on our re-opening plan; on a monthly basis and/or
sooner, as developments occur.

Thank you for your commitment to our School.

Denise
Bolstad

Managing
Director

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Posted by PNB School
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Thursday, June 11 2020

Hello,

As you know, PNB has been greatly affected by the pandemic.  Our
offices will temporarily close from June 15^th until June 28^th
and all staff will be furloughed.  Our faculty and pianist are normally
off during this time and will return to work on July 6^th for our
virtual summer courses.  We are looking forward to being back to assist
you via phone and email starting June 29^th.   Please be
patient and we will respond as soon as possible upon our return to the office.

PNB School appreciates your support!

 Best regards,

PNB School

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Posted by PNB School
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Tuesday, May 5 2020

Dear Velocity
Physiotherapy Family,

As we continue to navigate these uncertain times the safety of
our patients and staff continues to be important to us. Velocity Physiotherapy
will continue to stay OPEN to serve your health care needs per Federal, State,
and Local Public Health Guidelines. We will provide you with options of an
In-Person visit or TeleHealth, restricting In-Person visits to those that are
medically necessary.  At this time, TeleHealth is the only option with no
risk of exposure and is recommended for all patients.

This is our current
procedure for in-person visits.

• Patients must pass a screening
  process before their appointment. If you have cold or flu-like symptoms or
  have had exposure to someone with these symptoms, please call the clinic
  to cancel your appointment. All late cancellation penalties have been
  suspended during this time.
• Universal masking for both
  physical therapists and patients will be required. Patients supply a mask
  for their appointment.
• A limited number of staff and
  patients will be allowed in the clinic. No more than one additional person
  may accompany the patient to the therapy session.
• Hand washing and cleaning
  protocols will be in place.
• Social distancing will be
  implemented as much as possible. Only one person can be at the reception
  area at a time
• Please arrive on time for your
  appointments. If you arrive early, please wait outside or in your car
  until your appointment

If you are interested
in scheduling an appointment please call our office at (206) 905-8575. Due to
the current restrictions online scheduling is unavailable.

Sincerely,

Henry Lu, PT, ATC
Owner   

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Posted by PNB School
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Friday, May 1 2020

PNB
School Zoom Safety Statement:

In order to keep our Zoom
meetings secure and to ensure students’ safety while using Zoom, PNB staff
follow best practices for securing our
classrooms, including, but not limited
to:  

·        
E-mail invitation link, Meeting ID, & password are required
to participate in meetings

·        
A PNB staff person will be the administrator of each
class/meeting

·        
All video guests enter a “Waiting Room” and the hosts (PNB
School staff) manually accept guests to enter the meeting.

§ 
Please use your first
& last name as your user/display name so we can easily
identify you! If we do not recognize your display name, we will not let
you into the meeting. (To quickly change your Zoom
display name:  click the “…” button in the corner of your video screen
OR right click your video, then select “Rename.”)

·        
Meetings will be locked after 10 minutes.

·        
Zoom’s new “Security” button provides immediate tech support
help.

·        
Students agree not to share links or record sessions for any
purpose.

·        
PNB School will not make recordings of class sessions public for
any reason.

PNB
School Zoom Class Etiquette

Please review this great article
from Pointe magazine regarding student etiquette for Zoom classes:

The Dos and Don’ts of taking Zoom Dance Classes

https://www.pointemagazine.com/zoom-dance-class-etiquette-2645744981.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2

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Posted by PNB School
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Friday, May 1 2020

Dear PNBS Students
and Families,

We are so pleased to
see so many students participating in PNB School’s weekly Zoom classes.

While we understand
that online classes are not the same as working together in the studio, we do
want to remind you once more of the Zoom class protocol we have established. We
have added some information requirements listed under “During the Zoom Class,”
as we have had a few students log into the class without their cameras on. The
teachers MUST be able to see the students during class, or students will not be
allowed to participate. These guidelines have been put in place to make these
classes as positive and productive as possible for our students; and we require
that students and parents/guardians follow the established rules in order to be
able to continue taking classes:

List of requirements for Zoom class participation:

·        
Hair as you would wear it for studio classes

·        
PNBS Dress code leotard, tights, technique
shoes: there are no exceptions to this requirement (no extra layers such as
sweatshirts or vests)

·        
Safe, well-cleared space

·        
Minimal distractions

Before the Zoom class:

·        
To make these classes as productive as possible,
we ask that students log in early to the Zoom waiting room (give yourself 5-10
minutes prior to the start of the Zoom class). Students should be ready to go
when the class is scheduled to begin.

·        
For more efficient check-in, please include the
student’s last name (or full name) on your Zoom account; this will allow us to
verify students accessing the class.*

·        
Students who log in late to the Zoom class will
not be admitted.

During the Zoom Class:

·        
Please
set your device’s audio on “Mute” until the end of class, when the instructor
says to unmute

·        
Consider
the Zoom class like a regular classroom; there should be no chatting among
students during the class.

·        
Do
not play with any Zoom features while signed in for your PNBS class.

·        
Students must have their camera turned on and be
visible to the teacher for the entire class.

·        
Please make sure the student has their whole
body visible on screen so instructors can give them corrections.

·        
Please have the student’s name on the screen if
possible.*

*How to change
your name after entering a Zoom meeting:

1.      
Click
on the “Participants” button at the top of the
Zoom window.

2.      
Hover
your mouse over your name in the “Participants” list
on the right side of the Zoom window. Click on “Rename”.

3.      
Enter the
name you’d like to appear in the Zoom meeting; check
“Remember my name for future meetings” and
click on “OK”.

Thank you again for
your continued support, and for working with us to get the most out of these
online classes.

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Posted by PNB School
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Thursday, April 30 2020

Level
IV, Level V, and Intermediate Boys students

Click on the link
below to access the following video:

·        
Barre with Abbie Siegel

Below
is the link to a PNB Vimeo page:

https://vimeopro.com/user26787876/pnb-school-classes

Password: PNB
(all upper case)

If
your video is having trouble streaming, click the settings icon on the player
bar below the video. Lower the ‘Quality’ of the video. For example: If
your setting is on ‘Auto’ or 1080, switch it to ‘720’ and give the video time
to adjust.

Levels VI,
VII, VIII, Men’s Division, and Professional Division students

Click on the link
below to access the following videos:

·        
Barre with Peter Boal

·        
Barre with Jonathan Porretta

·        
Mat Class with Lesley Rausch

·        
Circuit Training with Ben Griffiths

Below is the link
to a PNB Vimeo page:

https://vimeopro.com/user26787876/pnb-upper-level-classes

Password: PNB
(all upper case)

If
your video is having trouble streaming, click the settings icon on the player
bar. Lower the ‘Quality’of the video. For example: If
your setting is on ‘Auto’ or 1080, switch it to ‘720’ and give the video time
to adjust.

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Posted by PNB School
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