1. Welcome everybody to the new Sinéad Academy Newsletter! I thought I would take the opportunity to provide some key dates & information for you all to keep you abreast of all the latest developments at the Academy. I hope you find this useful, and please don’t forget to check out our website regularly for any updates and information at www.sineadloughnaneacademy.webs.com Sinéad Loughnane Show First and foremost I would like to confirm details of the Show this year. It is a very special year for me as it is the 10 year Anniversary of the Academy, so I am hoping that it will be a real Spectacular! Of course that can’t happen without the support and commitment of the dancers and parents alike! I have decided to run the whole show for 2 successive nights: Friday 15 th and Saturday 16 th July. Please book these dates in your diary! There will also be dress rehearsals for everyone the weekend of the 9 th & 10 th July, so I would urge you all to keep these dates clear please. Each class will be starting to concentrate on their show dances over the coming term, so if for any reason you will be unable to participate in the show, please let us know asap. If you have seen these shows in the past will know just how much fun the children get from the whole experience. We have also had fantastic feedback from you as parents on how wonderful it is to see the children perform. But obviously any production on this scale is entirely dependent upon the support and commitment of parents and dancers alike to ensure it all comes together. Please be aware that there are costs involved for all dancers. Each student will require a costume for each of their dances, which will be determined and for some, sourced, by your teacher. We always strive to minimise the costs and source the most economic option, but I am sure you will appreciate that we also need to ensure that costumes are suitable for dancing and of an appropriate quality for a stage production. I would like to send a plea to anyone who is available to offer their time to help backstage the night they do not come to watch. Without significant help backstage there is no way I can run a show on this scale, whilst keeping all the children happy and cared for throughout. So please do consider offering your time! I hope to provide details of ticket prices and allocation shortly, so watch this space!

2. EXAM RESULTS Congratulations to all those who took Ballet, Tap and Modern exams recently. We had a 100% success rate with some outstanding distinctions! In all there were 38 distinctions, 65 merits and 8 passes which is excellent. Special mention must go to Toiréasa McGuire who attained an incredible 87% in Grade 3 Tap, 93% in Grade 4 Ballet, and an unprecedented 95% in Grade 4 Modern – and all at the tender age of 10!!! A true testament to the fact that sheer hard work, determination and commitment really pays off! Simply amazing. Well done ! FESTIVAL COMPETITIONS You may be aware that a small handful of our dancers have been taking part in Festivals over the last couple of years. Competitions take place against the top dancers of a number of other regional dance schools and the standard is extremely high. It is with great pride therefore that I can inform you that a significant number of them have now qualified for the Regional Finals of the All-England competition, which is just an amazing achievement. The Regional Finals will take place at the end of May. I will keep you informed about how they all get on! Before then we have the Northampton Dance festival taking place the first week of the Easter holidays, so I am sure you will all join me in wishing everyone lots of luck. You can always see the results of all our dancers from each of the local festivals to see how well they are doing. Keep an eye on the website which is updated regularly. Many thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. I would be delighted to receive any feedback or ideas you might have for future editions. A reminder that our Summer School will take place Monday 25 th – Friday 29 th July this year for children over 6. Forms will be available after Easter. In the meantime, I would like to thank you in advance for all your support – especially for the forthcoming show, which I hope you will all enjoy ! Miss Sinéad The Royal Ballet Congratulations must also go to Megan Hughes who has this year been awarded a place on the coveted Junior Associates course at the Royal Ballet. This is a fantastic achievement and we are all very proud of her. I would like to draw your attention to our new website. Vicky Hughes has done an amazing job to set this up for us, and although she still needs some input from me, I think you will agree it is already looking fabulous!! Please do check it regularly as I hope to use this as a means of letting you know what is going on within the school. So check it out today and log on to: www.sineadloughnaneacademy.webs.com