Guildford Theatre School Newsletter Autumn Term 2020

Hello everyone,

As you know, at GTS we have continued to monitor the government guidance closely and I am so pleased to confirm that we will be returning to face to face classes on Saturday 5th and the 12th December.

VENUE CHANGE 12TH DECEMBER - BEVERLEY HALL CLASSES

Please note that there will be a venue change on the 12th December for students who normally attend classes at the Beverley Hall. These classes will be held at the United Reform Church on Portsmouth Road/Millmead Terrace on the 12th December only.

exams update

We will always act in accordance with legal requirements, prioritising the health and well being of the GTS family and we continue to be supported as a school by advice from the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers for Dancing) and the CDMT (Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre Training), as a member of both bodies. Whilst I am delighted that the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing exams are able to go ahead on the 12th December at the Beverley Hall, Trinity College London have withdrawn our examination dates for the end of this term. I cannot wait for the GTS students to enjoy these opportunities once more in the near future and I am working closely with the exam board to establish a way forward.

PRIZE GIVING AND SAL’S SHOES

Traditionally we mark the end of this term with our annual Prize Giving at Holy Trinity Church on Guildford’s High Street. Although we are not able to come together as normal for this event, the students, the teachers and I are busy working away preparing for an online event in celebration and recognition of our students’ truly extraordinary achievements throughout 2020. I will be sending the link for this to all on the 12th December.

At the end of every Autumn term, GTS gathers in all the kind donations of pre-loved, nearly new shoes from the GTS family and we host an end of year pay what you like donation exchange at Prize Giving to raise funds for charity and for costumes for our summer shows. This year, the end of term will look a little different and even though we are not able to hold an in-person Prize Giving event, I still wanted to enable our incredible GTS family to have an opportunity to give back with the same generosity as any other year.

As you may have spotted on Instagram and Facebook, this term, I happily stumbled upon the incredible and inspiring work of Sal’s Shoes and got in touch with the founder CJ Bowry. I was absolutely blown away when CJ got straight back to me and am now so excited to share the GTS plans to support the Toe to Toe initiative. This year, I will be gathering up, washing and cleaning every last pair of pre-loved, nearly new dance shoes in our donated collection, and I will be sending them over to CJ and her small but amazing team of volunteers at Sal’s Shoes. From here, her team will sort and distribute them to children and young people across the globe to enable access to dance that otherwise may not be possible. All this simple act requires is a £1 donation per pair of shoes.

So, please do go through that dance bag, sort the shoe cupboard and package up any pairs of shoes, not just dance, that are outgrown but not outworn and either bring them into our first face to face lessons in December and hand to your school manager with your £1 per pair donation, or send them in directly to Sal’s Shoes. Don’t forget to let us know by posting to Instagram/Facebook and remember to tag @guildfordtheatreschool and @salshoes. For more information about Sal’s Shoes, visit https://www.salsshoes.com/

GTS CHRISTMAS CARD

Entries are encouraged and welcomed from all age groups and a scanned/clearly photographed copy should be emailed to Anna by the 5th December: anna@guildfordtheatreschool.co.uk

online shop

As a small and proudly independent business, we are very pleased to have reached our 10 year milestone this year. As the 5th December is Small Business Saturday, I thought I’d make the most of the opportunity to highlight our amazing online shop. Here you can purchase uniform, both branded and dance, as well as other gifts and little treats perfect for Christmas.

Branded items can be found here: https://www.guildfordtheatreschool.co.uk/uniform

All other items can be found here: https://gts.mydancestore.co.uk/

With much gratitude to all for your ongoing kindness and support,

Anna x