Faculty Hub
Everything you need to teach well and feel supported here — set up first, use it daily, and know exactly who to ask when something comes up.
Faculty Announcements
What’s changed recently and what needs your attention this week.
Lesson Plans — Shorter Template, and Yours Is Due
We cut the template down after the September meeting. It is now four fields: focus, weekly target, notes for a sub, and music. That is the whole thing.
A draft counts. Something on file beats nothing on file — you can refine it later. Plans can be texted, emailed or printed straight to a sub, which is half the reason they matter.
Writing your plan is paid admin time. Use the split function in Jackrabbit when you clock out.
Skills Assessments & Level Changes
Keep your Jackrabbit skill assessments current for every class. Skills are rated Learning → Practicing → Achieved, and they are the exit criteria for a level — mastery means ready to advance.
Families can see these, which is exactly why they need to be current before any conversation about moving a dancer.
Think a dancer should move? Send the recommendation to leadership first. We email the family before the dancer is told, so it lands as fit, not failure. Never tell a dancer they’re moving before that happens.
Harvest Night Open House — October 30
Free community event: drop-in classes, food, face painting, photo booth. Proceeds go to the competition team’s dress rehearsal showcase.
It’s also Bring a Friend week — expect high volume. Last year we had 100+ visiting kids. The studio closes at 6:30 on Halloween.
Every visiting friend is a Golden Ticket conversation waiting to happen. Have your link on your phone.
New: The Approved Sub List Is in the Staff App
The approved substitute list now lives in the staff app, under Subs — who’s cleared, what each of them can teach, and their contact details, filtered by genre so you’re not scrolling to find the right person.
The sub request is on the same screen. Find your sub, get a firm yes, enter your time off in Jackrabbit, then submit the request right there. The old email-to-hello@ step is retired.
📕 The 26/27 Faculty Handbook Is Live
The handbook has been fully rebuilt for this season. It is reorganized around when you need something rather than by category, and a lot of what previously lived only in meeting notes is now written down — the sub process, the spotting rule, the body-talk rule, communication channels, observation weeks, safeguarding, and how competition work is paid.
Two changes worth knowing now: faculty are employees this season, not independent contractors — and all dancer and family communication happens through Jackrabbit or Band only.
It is a living document. It will be updated during the season as decisions land. Always open the link rather than working from a printout, and check Appendix F for what changed and when.
Winter Registration Opens October 26
Winter session runs Nov 30 – Mar 13, $255 paid in full, with no annual registration fee on session classes. Winter does not perform.
This is the ask of you: when a family asks what’s next, tell them registration opens October 26 and that spots in popular classes go first. A sentence from their teacher moves a family more than any email we send.
Don’t quote anything beyond that from memory — the answers families ask has the rest.
🎫 The Golden Ticket Program
Every faculty member has their own invite link in the staff app. When a family you invite enrolls and makes their first payment, you earn a $25 bonus.
If you haven’t put the app on your phone and found your link yet, do it now — you want it in hand when a family asks you about classes in the lobby, not after.
Cameras in the Studios
Cameras are going into the studios this season. They are there first and foremost to protect faculty — so that when a question comes up about what happened in a room, you aren’t relying on memory to defend yourself.
Lori will also pull clips to review and give you feedback. Every faculty member will be reviewed at least twice this season, privately.
Please read how footage is handled — and bring any concerns to Lori or Billie.
Observation Weeks — Two Left This Season
Fall observation week is done. The next two:
Mon Jan 25 – Sat Jan 30, 2027
Mon Apr 5 – Sat Apr 10, 2027
Plan these classes ahead: real teaching, then 15 minutes of something to showcase (10 for early childhood) and 5 minutes with families at the end. Competition classes are exempt — no observation, no handout.
Monthly Faculty Meetings
Next: Sunday, October 25. We meet as a faculty on the 4th Sunday of every month:
10:00 – 11:30 AM
At Lori’s house
This is our standing time to talk through what’s working, what isn’t, and what you need — bring questions, ideas, and anything you want the team to weigh in on.
Can’t make it in person? We’ll set up a Zoom so you can join from wherever you are. Just let us know ahead of time.
Complete Your DEEA Training
All faculty are required to complete the DEEA training. It takes care of our shared commitment to belonging, psychological safety, professional boundaries, and supporting different learners.
Use coupon code: 509DEEA
📕 The Faculty Handbook
This Hub is the quick version — what you need in the lobby, mid-week, with a family standing in front of you. The handbook is the full version, and it’s the authoritative one. When the two disagree, the handbook wins, and we’ll fix the Hub.
509 Collective Faculty Handbook — 2026–2027
Read it once before your first class, then keep the link where you can find it. It’s organized by when you need it, not by category.
What’s Inside
- Part One — Start Here. Who we are, the Whole Dancer Method, your first two weeks, who to contact for what.
- Part Two — Every Class. The class flow and timings, coaching standards, the behavior ladder, safety, Jackrabbit, lesson plans and curriculum.
- Part Three — Every Month. Season dates and closures, faculty meetings, observation and coaching reviews, trials, the Golden Ticket.
- Part Four — People. Communication channels, boundaries, escalation, safeguarding and mandated reporting.
- Part Five — Your Job. Employment, pay and tiers, competition faculty, subs and absences, privates and studio space.
- Appendices. Incident report procedure, lesson plan template, the observation checklist you’re reviewed against, where everything lives, what’s still being decided, and the revision log.
New This Season
- Faculty are employees. All independent-contractor language is gone; individual employment agreements are being issued.
- Approved channels only. Jackrabbit or Band for all dancer and family communication. Email when appropriate. No personal texting, no social media messaging — ever.
- The body-talk rule is studio-wide. Never comment on a dancer’s body, including praise. Comment on the work instead.
- Spotting. Only the instructor of record or a Director-cleared spotter. No cleared spotter on the floor, the skill doesn’t run.
- Mandated reporting and the referral chain are written down, with the numbers to call.
- Stipends are gone — everything is hourly. Competition work is paid at the $20.00/hr Competition Rate. Meeting, showcase and camp time are paid hours too, so clock them.
- The approved sub list lives in the staff app, under Subs, so it stays current.
Found Something Wrong?
Out of date, unclear, or contradicting something you were told — tell us. That’s how a living document stays useful, and it’s a favour to everyone who reads it after you.
Start Here — Before Your First Class
If you do nothing else on this page, do these nine things. Work top to bottom — each one takes a few minutes, and together they mean you walk into your first class with access, information, and backup already in place.
Your Season Setup Checklist
- Read the 26/27 Faculty Handbook Start here, before anything else. It answers most of what you’d otherwise have to ask, and it’s the authoritative version of every policy on this page. Handbook →
- Log into Jackrabbit Do this before your first teaching day, not on it. Confirm your login works and your assigned classes look right. Jackrabbit details →
- Put the staff app on your phone Open it, add it to your home screen, and sign in with your code and PIN. This is where your Golden Ticket link, lesson plans, the approved sub list and the sub request all live. Setup steps →
- Review your schedule and flag conflicts Check every assigned class, time, and studio. Anything that doesn’t work — tell Billie now, while it’s still easy to fix.
- Complete your DEEA training Coupon code 509DEEA. Submit your confirmation through the studio process. Training details →
- Read your classes’ skill sets in Jackrabbit Your lesson plans teach to those skills. If something in a skill set needs changing, send it to Billie rather than teaching around it.
- Save your four contacts Elise, Billie, Libby, and Lori — know which one to text before you need to. Who to ask →
- Find the Subs screen in the staff app Open it once now so you know where it is. The approved list and the sub request are on the same screen — you don’t want to be hunting for it at 6am with a fever. Open Subs →
- Add the season dates to your calendar Faculty meetings are the 4th Sunday of every month, 10:00–11:30 AM at Lori’s house — set it as a repeating event. Add the three observation weeks when families come in to watch class. Meeting details →
- Plan your first two weeks Pull your curriculum and the lesson plan template. First impressions set the tone for the season. Lesson planning →
Set Up Your Apps
Two apps run your season: the 509 staff app for your own tools, and Jackrabbit for schedules, rosters, attendance and your time card. Both live on your phone. Set them up once, at home, with a few quiet minutes — not in the lobby with a parent waiting.
The 509 Staff App — Your Individual Setup
1. Add it to your home screen
Open staff-509collective.lovable.app/unlock on your phone, then:
- iPhone → tap Share → Add to Home Screen
- Android → tap the menu → Install app
It behaves like a normal app after that — no hunting for a link while a family stands in front of you.
2. Sign in with your own code
- Your faculty code is your first initial + last name (all one word).
- Your 6-character PIN comes from Billie. If you don’t have it, ask — don’t guess.
- Signing in this way means you see your own dancers, bonuses and requests.
3. What’s in it
- Golden Tickets — your personal invite link, your leads, your bonuses
- Lesson Plans — where plans are written and submitted
- Subs — the approved sub list and the sub request
- Competitions — including the Monday check-in
- Staff Guide — the everyday answers
Jackrabbit — Your Staff Portal Setup
1. Log in before your first teaching day
Use the staff portal link below and confirm your access works. If it doesn’t, email Elise at accounts@509collective.com — don’t wait until you’re standing at the front desk on day one.
2. Put it on your home screen too
- iPhone → open the portal in Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen
- Android → open in Chrome → menu → Add to Home screen
3. Check these four things
- Your assigned classes, times, and studios are correct
- You can open a class roster and take attendance
- You can clock in and out — you do this every shift now
- You can see studio announcements
🎫 The Golden Ticket Program
A Golden Ticket is a week of unlimited trial classes we give to families you invite. About half of our families already found us through a friend, a referral, or a returning family — this program simply pays attention to how this studio has always grown, and pays you for your part in it.
For Faculty — Five Steps
- Sign in Faculty code = first initial + last name, plus your 6-character PIN. You see only your own dancers and bonuses. Setup steps →
- Share your link or QR code Your personal link is /i/your-code. Anyone who claims a ticket through it is credited to you automatically — nothing to log, nothing to remember, no telling anyone.
- Met someone in person? Log the invite Log it on your dashboard. If that family has already been invited by someone else, the app flags the duplicate for you.
- Follow your leads Each lead moves through four stages. If a family says they never got the email, tap Resend trial email and tell them to check junk mail — that’s where it usually is.
- Get paid When your dancer enrolls and makes their first payment, your $25 bonus appears in your totals.
- Invited
- →
- Pass claimed
- →
- Trialed
- →
- Enrolled
At the Front Desk
- A dancer arrives with a Golden Ticket → open /redeem, enter their code, submit. That checks them in and starts their week of unlimited trial classes.
- Don’t record the faculty code. It’s already attached to the lead. Nothing for you to track.
- Expired or unknown code? The screen will tell you. Look the family up on the dashboard, or ask leadership to extend the trial.
- Ready to sign up? Use View schedule and sign up to open the live Jackrabbit schedule and select the trial option.
- Walk-in with no ticket but a faculty referral? Log the invite and pick that faculty member, so they still get credit.
Leadership Handles
- Reviewing unmatched Jackrabbit enrollments under Needs review
- Confirming first payments
- Marking bonuses paid
- Extending trials
- Managing the faculty roster
If something looks wrong in your totals or a lead seems stuck in the wrong stage, send it to Billie rather than trying to fix it yourself.
Jackrabbit — Schedules & Attendance
Jackrabbit holds schedules, rosters, attendance, skill sets, time off and your time card. Lesson plans are not in Jackrabbit — those live in the staff app.
Every Class, Every Time
- Clock in at the start of your shift and out at the end.
- When you clock out, use the split function to separate teach time from admin time. Lesson planning is admin time and it is paid.
- Review your schedule and assigned classes.
- Check announcements before teaching.
- Take attendance accurately at the beginning of every class.
- Keep your skill assessments current — Learning, Practicing, Achieved.
- Communicate questions or issues through the appropriate studio contact.
Attendance Is a Safety Procedure
Accurate attendance is not an administrative task. It’s how the studio knows who is in the building and who may need follow-up.
- Take attendance promptly.
- If an expected dancer is missing, notify the front desk immediately.
- Do not wait until the end of class to report missing dancers.
- Document concerns that may require follow-up.
Teaching Expectations
How we teach here — the shared standard behind every class on the schedule.
Whole Dancer Approach
Our goal is not only to teach dance skills, but to develop confident, healthy, resilient artists.
- Body: Strength, alignment, mobility, flexibility, endurance, and safe technique.
- Mind: Focus, confidence, goal setting, resilience, and the ability to reset after challenges.
- Recovery: Warm-up, cool-down, hydration, injury awareness, and listening to the body.
- Artistry: Musicality, expression, individuality, creativity, and connection.
Corrections That Build Dancers
Corrections should communicate belief and help dancers understand their next step.
- Be kind.
- Be specific.
- Be actionable.
- Explain the “why” when appropriate.
- End with encouragement and belief.
Teacher Self-Awareness
Notice what comes up internally while you teach. Awareness creates the pause between reaction and intentional response.
- What am I feeling?
- What story am I telling myself?
- Am I responding to this dancer, or reacting to an old pattern?
- What response best supports growth?
Power Dynamics & Boundaries
Teachers hold influence in the studio. Our attention, tone, corrections, and relationships shape a dancer’s experience.
- Maintain professional boundaries.
- Avoid favoritism or exclusion.
- Do not discuss studio decisions with families or dancers.
- Do not negotiate exceptions independently.
- Ask leadership when unsure.
Appropriate Touch
Touch is part of teaching dance. That doesn’t make it automatic — it makes it something to do deliberately.
- Be targeted. Touch the specific muscle you’re cueing rather than wrapping an arm around a dancer.
- Set the expectation at the start of a session — tell the class that physical correction happens and why.
- Say it before you do it. “I’m coming to move your ribs” takes a second and changes everything.
- Give them a way out. Make it easy for a dancer to tell you privately that they’d rather you didn’t.
- A dancer who says no doesn’t owe you a reason, and nothing about how you treat them changes.
Studio Expectations
What we hold dancers to — applied the same way in every studio, by every teacher.
Attendance & Readiness
- Dancers should arrive prepared and on time.
- Attendance must be completed promptly.
- Missing dancers should be reported immediately.
- Students should have appropriate attire, shoes, and supplies.
- Late arrivals should enter respectfully and follow instructor direction.
Phones & Devices
- No phones in studios during class.
- Devices should be stored away unless specifically approved.
- Students should be fully present during instruction.
- Faculty should redirect device use calmly and consistently.
Safety & Wellness
- Take injuries and pain seriously.
- Do not encourage dancers to push through unsafe pain.
- Use modifications when appropriate.
- Document concerns requiring follow-up.
- Escalate safety concerns quickly.
Studio Culture
- Respect peers, faculty, families, and shared spaces.
- No gossip, exclusion, teasing, or disrespectful behavior.
- Maintain a positive and professional environment.
- Model the culture we want dancers to create.
Lesson Planning
Lesson Plans Live in the Staff App
Plans are written and submitted in the Lesson Plans section of the staff app — not in Jackrabbit. Teach to your class’s Jackrabbit skill set, and if something in that skill set needs changing, send it to Billie.
The template is four fields. We shortened it in September because the old one was long enough that plans weren’t getting written, and a plan that exists beats a perfect one that doesn’t:
- Focus — what this class is working on
- Weekly target — what they should be able to do by the end of the week
- Notes for a sub — what someone walking in cold needs to know
- Music — tracks, counts, anything specific
Substitutions
Life happens — illness, travel, family. What we can’t have is a class cancelled at the door because coverage fell through quietly. These are the requirements, and they exist so a sub day still feels like a 509 class to the dancers in the room.
The Approved Sub List Is in the Staff App
Open Subs in the staff app to see who’s cleared, what each of them can teach, and how to reach them. Filter by genre so you’re calling someone who can actually take your room. The sub request is on the same screen.
Substitution Requirements
- Give at least two weeks’ notice for any planned absence Travel, weddings, conflicts, auditions — anything you can see coming needs two weeks. Illness and emergencies are exempt: call as soon as you know, and don’t worry about the window. Nobody is penalized for being sick.
- Find your sub from the approved list Finding coverage is your first move. Approved subs have completed studio onboarding and required training, so they can walk into a room and teach to our standard. Open the list →
- Never use someone who isn’t on the approved list No exceptions — not a friend, not a former student, not a parent who used to dance. If you want someone added, ask leadership before you offer them a class. Approval is not a formality; it covers training, background screening, and studio policy.
- Get a firm yes before you consider it covered “Probably” and “I think I can” are not coverage. Confirm in writing — a text is fine — so there’s no ambiguity on the day.
- Enter your time off in the Jackrabbit staff portal This is what keeps your schedule and your time card straight. Do it before you submit the request, not after.
- Submit the sub request in the staff app Subs screen → submit the request with the class, date, time and your sub’s name. The desk enters the substitution in Jackrabbit from there — faculty can’t enter it directly, so don’t spend twenty minutes trying. If it isn’t in the app, it isn’t official.
- Hand off the class properly Send your sub what they need to teach the actual class, not a placeholder. See the handoff list below.
- If you can’t find anyone, submit the request anyway This is the one that matters most. We lost a night of classes last season because a teacher couldn’t find a sub and nobody knew until it was too late. Submit with no sub named and tell Billie. Never cancel a class yourself — uncovered coverage is a studio problem to solve, and we have options you don’t.
What to Hand Off
Send this to your sub as far ahead as you can:
- Class name, level, day, time, and studio
- Where you are in the curriculum — current unit and skill focus
- Your lesson plan for that day, or what you’d like covered
- Choreography notes if they’re mid-piece, including counts and spacing
- Injuries, modifications, and any dancer working around something
- Dancers who need extra support, and what works with them
- Anything unusual — a group dynamic, a recent conversation, a dancer having a hard month
If You Are Subbing
- Confirm clearly, in writing, and treat it as a commitment.
- Review the class level, curriculum unit, and handoff notes before you arrive.
- Arrive early enough to read the room, not just to start on time.
- Check Jackrabbit and take attendance in the first five minutes.
- Teach the plan you were given. If you need to adapt it, note what you changed.
- Follow the 509 class flow and every studio expectation — including the body-talk rule, which holds for substitutes exactly as it does for regular faculty.
- Clock in and out so you’re paid correctly.
- Send notes to the regular teacher and Billie after class — what you covered, what you noticed, anything that needs follow-up.
Monthly Faculty Meetings
Our standing time together as a faculty. It’s the same weekend every month, so you can put it on your calendar for the whole season now.
When & Where
4th Sunday of every month
10:00 – 11:30 AM
At Lori’s house
Coming in person is the best version of this — the useful conversations tend to happen before and after, not just during. But if you can’t be there:
What We Cover
- What’s coming up on the studio calendar
- How classes and dancers are going — wins and sticking points
- Anything that needs a shared decision so we all answer families the same way
- Golden Ticket leads and how the referral program is tracking
- Training, curriculum, and teaching questions
- What you need from us to teach well
Cameras & Coaching Reviews
Cameras are going into the studios this season, and we want to be straightforward with you about why they’re there and how they’ll be used. The short version: they exist to protect you, and to give Lori a real window into your teaching so her feedback is based on what actually happened in the room rather than on secondhand accounts.
Why We’re Adding Cameras
Protection first.
When a question comes up about what happened in a class — an injury, a conflict, a concern raised by a family — footage means you are not left defending your word against someone else’s memory. In a profession where adults work closely with minors, that protection matters, and it protects you more often than it protects anyone else.
Coaching second.
Lori will pull clips to review and give you feedback. Not to catch you out — to see your actual teaching: how you sequence a class, how you correct, how the room responds to you. That’s hard to coach from a hallway glance.
How Footage Is Handled
- Access is limited to studio leadership. Footage is not shared with families, dancers, or other faculty.
- Clips are pulled for two reasons only — teaching feedback, and reviewing a specific incident or concern.
- Nothing is posted or used publicly. Not for marketing, not on social media.
- You can ask to see a clip that involves you or your class.
- You can request footage yourself if something happens in your room and you want it reviewed. That’s exactly what it’s there for.
Your Coaching Reviews This Season
Every faculty member will be reviewed at least twice during the season. A review pairs a clip Lori has watched with a conversation — what’s working, one thing to build on, and what support you need to get there. It’s the same standard for everyone, new and returning.
- Reviews are private — between you and Lori, never in front of dancers or families.
- They’re scheduled with you, not sprung on you.
- Lori may also drop into a class in person. Same purpose, same privacy.
- If there’s a class you find hard — a tough age group, a dynamic you’re wrestling with — ask her to watch that one. That’s the best use of a review.
Faculty Review Meetings — November & April
Separate from the clip reviews, and a real sit-down conversation rather than a note after class. Twice a season — November and April. Those two points are deliberate: November lands ahead of the winter re-enrollment push and April ahead of the spring churn, so what we talk about can still change the outcome instead of explaining it afterwards.
We look at four things together:
- Class retention — how many dancers who started your class are still in it, across the season and against your other classes.
- Drop rates, including what the exit surveys said — when a family leaves we ask why, and we’ll bring you what came back about your class.
- The classroom standards we set at 509 — the non-negotiables, the coaching standards, the class flow, lesson plans in on time.
- How you’re doing against them — specifically, with examples, both directions.
What we ask of you. Come having thought about your own classes, and bring the things you can’t fix alone — a room, a time slot, a dancer you’re worried about, a skill you want coaching on. This works best as a conversation about the class, not a verdict about you.
Observation Weeks — Families in Class
Once per session, we open the studios and families come in to watch class. This is not an evaluation of you — it’s how parents see what they’re paying for and what their dancer is actually learning. Full Season classes get an observation week each session too, so families aren’t waiting until June to see progress. These weeks do real work for the studio: they build momentum going into the next session, and they are the clearest chance we get to show families their investment is worth it.
Observation Week Dates — 26/27
| Session | Observation week | Why this week |
|---|---|---|
| Fall session Aug 31 – Nov 21 |
Mon Oct 12 – Sat Oct 17, 2026 Complete |
Six weeks in — dancers have real material to show and classes have found their rhythm. |
| Winter session | Mon Jan 25 – Sat Jan 30, 2027 | After the holiday break, when families are deciding about spring and want to see growth. |
| Spring session | Mon Apr 5 – Sat Apr 10, 2027 | Before Showcase prep takes over — families see technique, not just the recital piece. |
| Full Season Aug 31 – Jun 11 |
All three weeks above | Full Season families get a look each session rather than waiting for the Showcase. |
Competition classes are exempt — no observation week, no handout.
The front desk prepares a family handout for each week with the studio-wide announcements. Anything class-specific — a take-home drill, what’s coming next unit — is yours to add.
Observation Week Norms
These are the expectations for every observation class, in every studio. An observation class is a planned class — not a normal week with parents watching, and not a performance either. Families should leave thinking “that was fun, my dancer is learning, and this is worth it.”
The shape of the class
| Class | Teach | Showcase | Families |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early childhood — 30 min | 15 min | 10 min | 5 min |
| Early childhood — 40–45 min | 25–30 min | 10 min | 5 min |
| 45 min | 25 min | 15 min | 5 min |
| 60 min | 40 min | 15 min | 5 min |
| 75 min | 55 min | 15 min | 5 min |
| 90 min | 70 min | 15 min | 5 min |
Early childhood runs a 10-minute showcase. Little ones don’t hold a 15-minute performance block, and a shorter, tighter showing that ends while they’re still enjoying it lands better with parents than one that falls apart in the last five minutes.
- Come prepared — plan this class in advance Know exactly what you’re teaching, what you’re showing, and what you’re saying at the end. Winging an observation class is obvious from the seats, and it’s the one week families are forming an opinion about what they’re paying for.
- Teach real training for the bulk of the class Run the 509 class flow. Correct the way you always do — kind, specific, actionable. Parents should see how their dancer is being taught, not just the polished result.
- Plan something to showcase for the last 15 minutes A phrase they’ve built, a skill progression from the start of the unit to now, a game or challenge that shows off what they can do. Early childhood classes: 10 minutes. Make it fun. Momentum comes from a room that’s enjoying itself — and dancers who feel proud in front of their families come back next session.
- Leave the final 5 minutes for families Thank them for coming, name what the class has accomplished this unit and where it’s headed, and hand out anything you have for them. Keep it warm and short — five minutes, not fifteen.
- Tell your dancers the week before Nobody should be surprised by a room full of adults. Tell them what they’ll be showing, and rehearse it once so they walk in confident rather than nervous.
- Plan for the room to be off Younger dancers get silly or shy when parents watch. Tighter structure, more familiar material, and a showcase piece they already know cold.
What We Ask of Families
These go out to families ahead of the week. If someone forgets, a friendly redirect from you is fine — you don’t need to enforce it alone.
- Arrive on time and stay for the full class if you can — walking in and out is distracting.
- Watch from the designated seating, not the dance floor.
- No coaching from the sidelines. Let the teacher teach.
- Photos and video of your own dancer only.
- Keep younger siblings with you.
- Questions about your dancer’s progress — email the teacher or the front desk rather than catching them between classes.
Who to Ask — and How We Support You
You are not meant to hold all of this alone. Here is who handles what, what you can expect from us, and what we ask of you in return.
Studio Support & Leadership
Sending a question to the right person is the fastest way to get an answer — and it keeps things from bouncing between three people.
Elise
Front Desk & Studio Operations accounts@509collective.com- Jackrabbit access and support
- Clocking in and out, and time card questions
- General studio scheduling questions
- Upcoming events and studio calendar
- Front desk support
- Pay support and payroll questions
- General studio operations
Erin
Family Journey Coordinator hello@509collective.com- Inquiries, trials, and new family onboarding
- Week-to-week family contact and follow-up
- Observation weeks and showcase family experience
- Retention, re-enrollment, and exit surveys
- A resource for you on family and dancer relations — not just a routing address
Billie
Studio Programming & Faculty Support billie@509collective.com- Schedule questions or conflicts
- Faculty assignments
- Staff app codes, PINs, leads, and bonuses
- Skill set changes and curriculum questions
- Faculty training and professional development
- Adding someone to the approved sub list
- Incident reports and follow-up documentation
- Class structure, programming decisions, or studio initiatives
Libby
Administration & Facility Support admin@509collective.com- Administrative questions
- Facility updates or concerns
- Administrative processes and support
- Records, documentation, and operational needs
- Faculty tier and rate questions (with Billie)
- Anything requiring administrative follow-up
Lori
Studio Director lori@509collective.com- Teaching concerns
- Dancer support and placement concerns
- Behavior patterns requiring leadership support
- Safety concerns
- Parent concerns requiring director involvement
- Faculty coaching and support
What You Can Expect From Us
- A clear schedule — and early notice when it changes.
- Backup in hard conversations. You never have to handle a difficult parent alone. Loop in Lori or Billie and we will take it from there.
- Coaching in private, never correction in front of dancers or families.
- Accurate, on-time pay, and a real answer when something looks wrong.
- Decisions explained, not just announced.
- Someone to call. If you’re unsure, ask. We would far rather answer a question than clean up a guess.
What We Ask of You
- Communicate concerns early rather than waiting until they become urgent.
- Use email for non-immediate questions and documentation.
- Document important concerns, incidents, and follow-up needs.
- Don’t make policy, placement, or exception decisions without leadership approval.
- When unsure, ask before responding to families.
- Assume good intent from your colleagues — and give the same in return.
Quick Answers — the Things That Come Up Mid-Shift
Nobody showed up for my class
Wait 5–10 minutes, clock out, email Elise, and go home. You don’t need to sit the hour out.
I need a TA
Large class, wide skill spread, behavior, or a safety reason — ask. Request one through Olga or studio leadership. It isn’t an admission that you can’t manage the room.
Teach time vs admin time
Use the split function in Jackrabbit when you clock out. Lesson planning is admin time and it is paid. Don’t do it for free.
Sick leave
It accrues. If you need to use it, contact Libby — she’ll walk you through it.
The Answers Families Ask You
Please don’t answer these from memory. Most of last season’s hardest conversations started with two staff members giving one family two different answers. Use the short answers below, and the Staff Guide in the app for anything not here.
| They ask | Short answer |
|---|---|
| “Which class is right for my child?” | Don’t guess. Take their age and experience and ask Billie or the relevant faculty. We move misplaced dancers in the first few weeks at no charge. |
| “Is registration per student or per class?” | Per student, once a year. $55. |
| “What will this cost for the year?” | One Full Season class works out around $1,050–$1,200 all in. Send the cost table rather than doing sums in your head. |
| “When am I charged?” | Tuition posts on the 25th, drafts on the 1st. Recital fee $140 on Nov 15. Costumes $50–$200 on Feb 15. |
| “My dancer missed a class.” | Make-ups are available for any absence, within 14 days, at their level or below. Above their level needs Studio Director approval. |
| “Does my dancer have to be in the showcase?” | Full Season classes yes, except TJL, tumbling, and open level. Of the sessions, only Spring performs. |
| “What do we wear?” | Ballet is the only uniform — leotard color by level, bun. Everything else is a shoe requirement plus hair out of the face. |
| “My balance looks wrong.” | Send them to accounts@509collective.com. Don’t try to explain the balance — it includes fees posted ahead for the season, and it confuses everyone. |
| “Can we try a class first?” | Yes — that’s the Golden Ticket. Share your personal invite link and they get a week of unlimited trial classes. How it works → |
- Registration, enrollment, schedule → hello@509collective.com
- Billing, invoices, balances → accounts@509collective.com
- Competition logistics, deadlines, travel → competition@509collective.com
- A dancer’s growth and progress → their faculty mentor
- Anything unresolved or serious → studio leadership
Incident Reports & Documentation
Filing a report is not a sign something went wrong with your teaching. It’s how we protect dancers, families, and you.
When to Complete an Incident Report
- Student injury or medical concern
- Safety concern
- Behavior concern requiring follow-up
- Parent concern or difficult interaction
- Any situation leadership should be aware of
What to Include
- Date and time
- Class and location
- Dancer(s) involved
- Objective description of what occurred
- Actions taken
- Who was notified
- Any recommended follow-up
Faculty Training & Development
DEEA Training — Required
All faculty are required to complete the Dance Education Equity Association training. It supports our commitment to belonging, psychological safety, professional boundaries, and supporting different learners.
- Use coupon code: 509DEEA
- Submit your completion certificate through the studio process.
- Competition dancers and competition parents complete it too.
Ongoing Development
Training doesn’t stop after the season starts. Across the year we work on:
- Shared teaching expectations and the 509 class flow
- Communication standards
- Safety processes and spotting clearance
- Whole Dancer teaching practices
- Curriculum and skill sets
Pay Information
Faculty Pay Expectations
Faculty pay is based on approved studio work, including assigned classes, approved rehearsals, events, choreography, or other approved responsibilities.
Your rate is set by the faculty tier fee schedule in the handbook. Tiers account for experience, training, and responsibilities — so if you’re unsure which tier applies to you or what it would take to move up, ask Billie or Libby. That’s a good conversation to have rather than a mystery to sit with.
- Clock in and out every shift in the Jackrabbit staff portal.
- Time cards are due by the 2nd; payday is the 8th.
- Review your assigned schedule carefully and flag concerns immediately.
- Do not complete additional paid work without approval.
- Submit questions or corrections promptly.
Pay Questions
Questions about pay, payroll records, missing hours, or corrections go to:
Elise
accounts@509collective.com
- Date of work
- Class or event
- Time worked
- Description of the question
If something on your pay looks wrong, ask. It’s never an imposition, and it’s much easier to fix in the same month.
Questions about your tier or rate — rather than a specific paycheck — go to Billie and/or Libby.