We would like to welcome everyone to the 2019 – 2020 year at Kidkast, especially all the new students. This is week 7 of term 1 and it has been a busy start to the year.

Kidkast has been at the centre of Performing Arts training in Ireland since 1999.  In 2006 we opened our studios here in Old Abbey Lane and provided a professional venue for our students to train in, and a home for our Kidkast family.  Our teachers are professional, trained, are all experienced and have been with Kidkast for many years, some of them since we started.  They know the students inside out, and provide consistent, personal attention to everyone.  Kidkast was recognized in 2016 as a Vocational and Educational body as we provide students with the tools, technique and attitude to pursue a career in performing arts, if they so decide.  Kidkast training and the confidence it brings also contributes to any career or life path chosen by our students.  What we provide is a Safe Environment for your child/young adult, where they can learn, and you can rest assured that they are getting the best tuition …. Our Coffee Dock facility allows parents to relax, have a coffee and a little time out while students are in class.

Our competitive Hip Hop crews returned from Trabolgan this month and you will see all the new silverware for our trophy cabinet and we were proud of all the performances especially the NSL Crew who won their category and then went on the win the overall category on points, a great achievement and huge congrats to all involved. A special thanks and congratulations to our two hip hop teachers Aine and Karl.

Crew Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings and we are opening to new crew members again. Please ask at reception for more information or email info@kidkast.ie

This month we performed, probably for the last time, our Magdalene Laundries piece by invitation for the TLT Theatre 10-year celebration. For those who may not have seen this performance please see the attached link.

In September we bid farewell to Beth who will study in the Institute of Arts Barcelona for the next three year and we wish her well on her adventures. Nina and Gary have taken Beth’s place in teaching at Kidkast. Nina and Gary both bring a wealth of experience in teaching and performing and have already made their mark on the studios, it is like they have both been here forever. We are very lucky to have such qualified and experienced teachers and welcome them to the Kidkast family and wish them well.

For our new students please see a link to our term dates. We run three 10-week terms and a final term of usually 8 weeks in Drogheda and 5 weeks in Collon which will bring us from the beginning of September to the end of June the following year. We presume students will run with their chosen classes from term to term unless we are told otherwise.

We operate a paperless environment at Kidkast. We issue news in 4 ways

• Email
• News Page on Kidkast.ie
• WhatsApp You can add yourself to the various groups. See the link
• Facebook

Some dates within the Kidkast Calendar

• October 2019 Our Hip-Hop Crews compete in Cork at the All Ireland Hip Hop Championships
• November 2019 VAD
• February 2020 Spectrum Hip Hop
• Feb / Mar 2020 Our Collon Classes annual showcase in the Droichead Arts Centre
• Feb / Mar 2020 Our Drogheda Drama Classes annual showcase in the Droichead Arts Centre
• March 2020 St Patricks Day Parade
• May 2020 VAD
• 30^th and 31^st May 2020 Our end of year show for the entire school in the TLT Theatre
• June 2020 Our Drama students take their Drama exams

LONDON 2020

We are in the planning for another trip to London in October 2020. We are working with the travel agent now on pricing etc and will have more details over the coming weeks. This will be our third trip to London and will be a 3 night trip to include two West End shows and much more. If you are interested please email info@kidkast.ie as the places available are limited.

Parents Portal

We have an online Parents Portal and the address is sixtechsoftware.com

For those using this for the first time you will need to set your password. To do this please use the forgot password link and follow the instructions. Within the portal you can pay fees, check the classes your child is registered to, add medical notes, add other notes, check that your contact details are correct as well as add photographic consent.

If your child has a medical condition that we need to know about please update this on the parents portal as otherwise we will not know.

Please make sure that your mobile numbers and email addresses are detailed correctly so that we can contact you if an emergency arises.

We are adding all the time to the functionality of the portal and hope to have a message function within it by the end of the month.

ATTIRE

Uniforms for classes are as follows:

• Musical theatre/drama/singing/song & dance: Kidkast t-shirt, leggings & trainers/Jazz shoes
• Acro: Pink convertible tights, black leotard, black shorts, trainers
• Jazz: Convertible tights, leotard & jazz shoes OR leggings, tight fitted top & jazz shoes
• Tap: Kidkast t-shirt, leggings & tap shoes OR leggings, tight fitted top and tap shoes
• Lyrical/Contemporary: Convertible tights, leotard OR leggings & tight fitted top.
• Hip hop/Breakdancing: Kidkast t-shirt and leggings/tracksuit bottoms
• Ballet Monday: Leotard & skirt (the plum coloured ISTD leotard & skirt is needed for ballet exams) pink tights, ballet shoes.  Hair in a ballet bun.  Remember the rule “no bun no ballet”
• Ballet Saturday: Leotard, pink tights, ballet shoes

ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE THE CORRECT FOOTWEAR FOR EACH CLASS.  Senior Jazz students (age 13+) must have both tan & black split sole jazz shoes before next years show.  Ages 6-12 Song and Dance, Dance or Jazz Dance students must have black split sole jazz shoes. Tap shoes are required for tap class. Trainers must be worn for hip hop.  Students with footwear that a teachers deems unsafe, will not be allowed to take part in class. If you are unsure, don’t hesitate to ask at reception to see what they suggest. We have a dance shop on site and all clothing and footwear is available at high street prices for your convenience.

Kidkast t-shirts are €8

Kidkast Hoodies are €35

Kidkast Zipped Hoodies are €40

(Hoodies & zipped hoodies are personalised with the student’s name at no extra cost!)

WHY KIDKAST?…

• You are a part of the Kidkast family.  Students of all ages work side by side, and make lifetime friends, having lots of fun along the way.
• We provide training that is second to none in all aspects of performing arts, teaching our students to perform, but also providing them with the technique they need should they choose a career in Performing Arts.  Kidkast has been designated as an Educational Body, providing students with excellence in training, and preparing them for a possible career as a performer or teacher.
• Old Abbey Dance Studios is the only purpose built dance studio in the North East of the country, providing the best facilities and a comfortable “second home” to our students.
• Every year Kidkast students go on to professional third level training all across the world.
• Our teachers are all specialised and highly regarded in their own fields, ensuring that you are learning from the best. We have a no pressure policy

Finally thank you for choosing Kidkast and remember the most important thing to bring to class is a smile, lots of energy & a good attitude!