February 11, 2022

Dear MDU Families, 

Today the Onalaska and Holmen School Districts announced that due to a sharp decline in cases, they will no longer require the wearing of masks in their facilities as of Monday, February 14. We have noted the same sharp decline in cases in our programs and will be following suit. The updated policy for MDU will be effective Monday, February 21 as our studio is closed for Intersessional Break next week. 

Every day that we can get where children can fully express themselves in the classroom and teachers can have full communication, including facial cues, we will celebrate! And, if there are days ahead where cases rise to a point where we have to revisit our mask policy, we will do so. 

In meantime, all other risk-mitigating factors remain in place and parents are asked to keep their children home if they do not feel well and to keep up with other healthy habits such as good hand hygiene, hydration, nutrition, and sleep. Anyone who would still like to wear a mask to class for comfort is welcome to do so and plenty of masks will still be available at the front desk.

I want to thank our faculty, families, and students for their support over the past two years. Working together, we have kept our classrooms open continuously since June of 2020 and we are working on our return to the stage for Spring Recital! Now that’s some awesome teamwork!

Thank you for your support! With appreciation,
Miss Misty



Safer Studio Policy Archive
  • 923 12th Ave S, STE 103, Onalaska, WI 54650
  • 608.779.4642
  • info@mistysdance.com
  • 923 12th Ave S, STE 103, Onalaska, WI 54650
  • 608.779.4642
  • mistysdance@gmail.com

Safer Studio™ Policy 9/1/2020

At Misty’s Dance Unlimited, LLC (MDU) the health and safety of our members’ staff, students, guests, and communities have always been our highest priority;
a commitment that has only been heightened at this time in history. That’s why we have used local and national guidelines to inform our best practices for service continuity and re-opening.

Because dance meets imperative student needs for physical, social, and emotional well being, we are committed to helping our staff and students navigate reopening. We follow the Safer Studio™ standards put forth by our national association, More Than Just Great Dancing!® along with the utmost care and consultation of our local health departments and locally available information.

Governmental Regulations
MDU follows the Governor’s Executive Order #82, which mandates the use of masks inside buildings and advocates the same for clients until Sept. 28. We also adhere to the Governor’s Emergency Order #1, which allows for exceptions.

Education
MDU staff, parents, and dancers are informed about the symptoms of COVID-19 including, fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea (watery), sore throat/congestion, headache, chills, muscle and joint pain (multiple), nausea or vomiting, and, loss of sense of smell.

Dancers and staff should STAY HOME if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. They should also notify the studio owners/administrators and contact healthcare providers if they develop symptoms. If in doubt, sit them out.

Return to Training

  1. MDU follows a phased approach to reopening physical services.
  2. MDU’s reopening plan:
    1. Reinforces an attendance policy that does not allow employees to work when sick or students to attend classes when sick.
    2. Reinforces proper hygiene and health standards with all staff members and students, including frequent handwashing and/or sanitizing, not touching the face, and sneezing and/or coughing into elbows.
    3. Increases frequency of sanitation in high traffic areas and high touch surfaces of the studio such as barres, floors, counters, stereos, and bathrooms/locker areas.
    4. Adjusts studio operations based on public health guidelines and recommendations regarding PPE, assembly/gathering/occupancy size, and social distancing where possible and practical.
    5. Adjusts curriculum and teacher training to reduce or eliminate hand-holding, equipment-sharing, and mingling where possible and practical.
    6. Communicates a clear policy for each phase of opening regarding student drop-off and pick-up, lobby availability, and amenity use.
  3. MDU has a variety of service options available including private instruction, small group instruction, traditional classes, and online instruction where possible and practical, to meet the needs of students and staff as well as for the ability to maintain service continuity in any situation.
  4. MDU has a clear system of communicating the status of classes, such as a “green, yellow, red” protocol. Green indicates it is safe to attend face-to-face classes. Yellow indicates a cautionary change to service delivery. Red indicates clients should stay home and attend class online.
  5. MDU understands that unlike older children and adults, young children cannot be expected to maintain social distancing at all times. Therefore, we focus on a hierarchy of measures beginning with avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms, frequent hand cleaning and good hygiene practices, amplified cleaning, and minimizing contact and mingling.
  6. If MDU receives a report of exposure risk, any affected classes will be notified, and exposure-risk level cleaning will be enacted. There is absolutely no penalty for absence and classes may be made up in-person (space permitting) or online (anytime).


Additional Considerations
At MDU we are proud of the work our team has done since 1999 to create the highest quality experiences and environments for our staff, students, and guests. Because of this groundwork, and the strength of our network, we believe our studio is in a strong position for a gradual and responsibly phased reopening. We are honored to continue to serve our community at this time.

Sincerely,
Misty Lown