School Policies

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

Echo Theater typically follows Portland Public Schools regarding closures and late starts. In the event of a schedule change due to weather, we will email registered students at least 2 hours in advance and post an update on our website and Facebook.

If we cancel a class due to inclement weather, we will do our best to offer a make-up class. If we are unable to schedule a make-up class, we will issue a credit for the missed class. We are unable to offer refunds.

If we are running classes and you do not feel safe travelling to Echo due to weather, please stay home! We will issue you a voucher for open gym.

WHAT TO WEAR

Please come to class in comfortable clothing that allows freedom of movement and is not distracting. Sweatpants, footless tights, leotards and unitards are all great. Shirts should be tucked in. Classes are generally taken barefoot. Long hair should be tied back. Skirts, jeans and loose long hair can be dangerous and are not allowed! Eyeglasses are allowed if they are secured. Jewelry should be removed before class or left at home; wedding rings are permitted but can be painful on the trapeze.

All-day campers should wear shoes that they can walk to the park in and dress in layers appropriate for indoors and out. Our current face mask policy can be found here.

OBSERVING CLASS

To help us boost focus and foster independence, we ask that anyone not participating in class refrains from staying to watch. If your child requires support, and you need an exception to this rule, please contact us.

If do you choose to enter the theater with your student, you are welcome to help your child transition into class or camp and watch for a few minutes. We want you and your child to feel comfortable with us and will support you in any way we can. That said, we will encourage you to leave as soon as you feel comfortable. Experience has taught us that the presence of family members is often a distraction to students and can make it more challenging for students to focus. 

Live end-of-term and end-of-camp performances are back! Generally these take place in the last 15-30 minutes on the final day of class or camp. Students may bring up to 4 guests to watch them perform.

PLEASE BRING

A water bottle with your name on it. We have limited cups!

PLEASE DO NOT BRING

Toys, games, stuffed animals or any other objects that are not essential to camp.

DAY CARE

Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to look after children before or after class. Parents who drop their children off unsupervised more than 10 minutes early or pick their children up more than 10 minutes late will be charged a day care fee of $10 per quarter hour.

OPEN GYM 

Echo Theater Company’s open gym offers an opportunity for established students to train on their own, without instruction, to build strength & flexibility, solidify existing skills and build performance skills at their own pace.

To attend open gym, students must:

• Complete a full term of Eccho classes or complete a skills assessment


• Be at least 6 years of age (ages 6-12 must be accompanied by a supervising adult).


• Use only apparatus they have been assessed on or taken a term of study in.

Under no circumstances may a student perform their own rigging. Only instructors may perform rigging.

Although there is a trained ETC School instructor present at all times, this is not an opportunity for instruction from staff or from other students. Students are responsible for their own warm up, conditioning, and general safety at all times.

For our open gym cancellation policy click here. 

MISSED CLASSES

Baby Circus Classes: If you are unable to attend a Baby Circus class, you may schedule one (1) makeup class each half-term. Any other regularly scheduled Baby Circus class works as a “Makeup,” as long as there is room in the class. Classes must be made up within one (1) term of your missed class.

Youth Classes & Camps: Unfortunately, due to the sequential nature of our youth classes and for the safety of our youth students, we are unable to offer make-up classes or credits for missed classes. We value continuity of instruction and a safe student/teacher ratio and can not accommodate additional students in our series’ classes. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

Adult classes: A student who misses up to two (2) classes per term may schedule a makeup during open gym. Classes must be made up within one (1) term of your missed class.

If you miss class due to symptoms of, or exposure to COVID-19, please contact us. Please stay home if you are sick.

PAYMENTS/REFUNDS/CREDITS

Tuition payment is due at the time of registration.

Account credits can now be viewed through our online registration system. They are applied automatically at checkout unless deselected.

Discount, credits, and special offers cannot be applied after a transaction has been processed. If you have questions about how to apply a discount, credit, or special offer, please contact us before completing the transaction.

Once a transaction has been processed, the payment is immediately subject to our refund/withdrawal policy.

If a student must withdraw from a class or workshop the following applies:

If a student withdraws more than 14 days before class begins, the student will receive: A refund of class tuition paid less 10% (per each enrollment) in the original form of payment OR an account credit for the full amount of class tuition paid.

If a student withdraws less than 14 days before class begins, the student is no longer eligible for a refund, but will receive an account credit for the full amount of tuition paid.

If a student withdraws less than 5 days after class begins, the student will receive a prorated account credit based on the tuition paid and the number of classes that have already occurred.

If a student withdraws more than 5 days after class begins, the student is no longer eligible for a refund or account credit.

If a student withdraws more than 120 days after enrolling but before class begins, we will only be able to issue a refund of class tuition less 50% (per each enrollment) in the form of a paper check OR an account credit for the full amount of tuition.

If a student must withdraw from a camp the following applies:

If a student withdraws up to 14 days before camp begins, the student will receive: a refund of camp tuition less 10% in the original form of payment OR an account credit for the full amount of camp tuition paid.

If a student withdraws less than 14 days and at least 48 hours before camp begins, the student is no longer eligible for a refund, but will receive an account credit for the full amount of camp tuition paid.

If a student withdraws less than 48 hours before and up to 10 hours after camp begins, the student is not eligible for a refund but will receive an account credit for 50% of the camp tuition paid.

If a student withdraws more than 10 hours after camp begins, no refunds or credits will be issued.

Private lesson cancellations require notification 24 hours prior to scheduled lesson time. If notification is not given 24 hours in advance full payment is required.

For our open gym cancellation policy click here. 

Account credit can be applied to any ETC purchase (including tuition, tickets, merchandise, etc) and expire one year after the date it is applied to the account. If you need assistance using your credit, please contact our office BEFORE completing your purchase.

Account credits cannot be converted to a refund unless both of the following are true:

• The credit was originally offered in a situation where a refund was an option, according to our policies.


• It has been less than 30 days since the credit was issued.

If the credit is converted back to a refund, that refund is subject to the above policies, so the amount refunded may not always be the full the amount credited.

PLEASE NOTE:

Classes with fewer than 3 students enrolled may be cancelled 1 business day before the class. In the event of a cancellation, a full refund or credit will be issued. Be sure to register in advance to ensure that your favorite class will not be cancelled.

If the class/camp you wish to register for is full, you may join the waitlist for that program. This is now done directly through our registration system (you will see the option on the class if that class is full). Please add each student individually. If a space becomes available, you will receive an email with a link to register.

Make sure you have everything you need on hand before clicking the link to register from the waitlist, including your payment method, any discount codes you may be using, and, if it is your first time registering this student, proof of vaccination. Do not click the link unless you are ready to complete registration, as you only get one chance. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us before clicking the link!

In most cases, you have 4 days from the time the email is sent before your place is given to the next person on the waitlist. In some situations where the class/camp begins imminently, we may offer open spaces with a shorter deadline for registering, or on a first-come, first-serve basis. If this is the case, we will let you know.

For most classes, we do not allow late joiners after the 2nd class of the term has occurred. For this reason, all waitlists are deleted after the late-join period has elapsed. If you have questions about whether a class can be joined after the 2nd class, please contact us!