Dear Friends & Families,
We would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU for the outpouring of support and your level of understanding during the events of the past week. There is no question that this is the most challenging moment we have faced during our 8 years in business; but the resilience and cooperation we have received during this crisis give us great hope for the future. This email will provide you with updates about how we are making positive changes AND it is a call to action for your much-needed help.
Changes for Your Safety
As the landscape evolves daily, we always want to put the health, safety, and well-being of our customers, teachers, and staff as our highest priority. For this reason, we are making several important changes effective immediately:
- All Group Classes will be delivered online only, through live-stream or video chat.
- Directions are being sent to families individually for each class.Private Lessons are continuing both in person and online
- Most private lessons have moved online via Skype.
- These have been very successful so far and we have added capacity and bandwidth to deliver even more.
- If interested in moving your private lessons online, please contact us.
- For families that still prefer in-person lessons, they are being moved into our largest rooms to allow a safe distance between teacher and student.
- We have dramatically reduced the number of in-person lessons happening concurrently in order to reduce the number of people in the building at any one time.
- The lobby is closed to all guests, parents, and non-students
- Students may enter the building and proceed directly to their lesson.
- Please wait in your car during your student’s lesson.
- Please pick them up promptly at the end of the lesson
- We are reducing our hours. Our new schedule is:
- MON: 2 – 8
- TUE: 2 – 8
- WED: 12:30 – 8
- THU: 2 – 8
- FRI: 11:45 – 8
- SAT: 9:30 – 3:30
We are Still Going Strong
In times like this, the creative arts and expressions of humanity are more important than ever. Many students may be struggling to understand the changes they see in the world and are searching for peace and safety. Our hope is that we can continue to operate in the face of this crisis, and give your children a sense of normalcy in these troubled times. This week, many of you have expressed your gratitude for our continued operation, and for providing your children with a purpose they can still look forward to. Once again, we are grateful for your support.
We Need Your Help
We also realize that this pandemic has put many of our families into financially difficult positions and that, for some, continuing lessons is simply not an option. Overwhelmingly, families that have withdrawn have expressed how much they appreciate their teachers, and that they plan to return. In part, this message is a PLEA FOR HELP for our teachers, our staff, and the very survival of Kat’s Artist Tree as an institution. In our eight years, we have established ourselves as a major influence in the healthy development of countless students, and we now fear for our very survival.
We would like to ask every customer to consider continuing classes, to the extent that you are able, during this time. If you are a former customer, or someone who has considered taking classes with us, we can use your help now. Again, we understand that this is not possible for everyone, but if you are fortunate enough to be in a financial position that allows you to continue (either in person or online), please do so. If you are interested in continuing, but cannot afford to, please contact us to discuss possible arrangements. We also appreciate any and all referrals you can make to your friends and family.
In Closing
Kat’s Artist Tree will continue to forge ahead for as long as the support of our community makes it possible. This virus will eventually run its course and we intend to come back to full strength. On a positive note, this period has provided us with an opportunity to implement several new technologies that we will continue to utilize after this emergency has ended. In addition, WE ARE STILL ENROLLING FOR SUMMER CAMPS which begin in June. Deposits paid for camps will be fully refundable if COVID-19 persists to the point that camps must be cancelled.
Thank you for being a valued part of our community, and we also pray for your continued safety during this period of unrest.
Yours Truly,
Kat & Brian Honsberger
Owners
Kat’s Artist Tree
