Welcome to the Allied Gardens School of Martial Arts!

This information sheet is intended to give you a brief overview of our polices and procedures to help get your child prepared for instruction at our school.

Class Rooster and Lesson Time Schedule
Number of Lessons per Week and Making up Missed Classes
School Etiquette (Addressing Instructors and Bowing)
Mailed Home Lesson Statements, Reduced Monthly Fees and Private Lessons
Monthly Children's Calendar
Proper Care of the Belt and Uniform (uniforms are optional, but eventually recommended)
Curriculum Book ("Red Books")
Evaluations, Testing, and Fees and Contact Information

A Note to Parents:

At our school we teach in a non-aggressive atmosphere. We are not teaching your children how "to fight!" Nor are we teaching them martial arts moves just to advance them to "Black Belt Status". Rather, our goal in teaching your children martial arts is to get them to be more aware, focused, and to build confidence. Children are faced with a variety of challenges every day. We hope that through the training we provide at this school, they will have developed the confidence and self-assurance to make the right choice. Not to fight, take drugs, or hurt others. But rather to help, be a leader, and provide a good example to help guide others to making the right choices.

Weapons Training:

Children will learn martial art skills to develop body control, strength, coordination and flexibility. Children will also have an opportunity to learn several different weapons once they have demonstrated a certain amount of body control and mental focus. Practicing with weapons can develop strength up to 5 times faster than empty hand training. Also, your ability to focus and concentrate is improved much more rapidly. Training with weapons is done in a safe environment with constant supervision. No sharp or bladed weapons will be taught to children students. Light contact sparring with padded/ foam weapons will help teach reaction and awareness. Padded weapons may only contact from the waist on down. A weapon broken during weapons sparring, the child will not be permitted to spar until the child pays $5 repair fee or helps reconstruct the weapon after class.

Class Rooster and Lesson Time Schedule:

We have a class rooster to allow only a certain number of students to sign up for a particular day and time. In order to prevent lessons from overcrowding please ensure that your child is enrolled in the correct day/time. Class rooster is available for parents to review in our waiting room. If you would like to switch the day/time your child attends lessons, please see, call, or e-mail Instructor Eric (contact info).

Number of Lessons Per Week and Making up Missed Classes:

Instructors recommend that you maintain two or three lessons per week and do as much homework as you wish. Lesson costs are based on a monthly fee, not on the number of classes attended (or not attended). Please do not modify your monthly lesson payment if classes are missed. Instead, please schedule to make up missed classes on alternate lesson days/times.

School Etiquette:

Addressing Instructors: It would be traditional and respectful to refer to instructors using their full titles and names when addressing. Example: Head Instructor Eric, Instructor Mario, Instructor Maria, and Assistant Instructor Sam.

Bowing: When bowing, one should stand with their feet together, arms locked to the sides, hands slapping legs. Make eye contact, and bend slightly at the waist. When entering or before leaving the practice room or the office, students wait at the beads. A bow from the Instructor will give permission for the student to enter or leave the practice room or office. If no Instructor or Assistant Instructor is in the room, then the student would bow toward the flag and enter or leave the room.

Mailed Home Monthly Lesson Statement and Reduced Monthly Fees:

For your convenience a Monthly Lesson Statement and Monthly Children's Calendar will be mailed to your home. The Monthly Lesson Statement will indicate the amount due for the next month of lessons at our school. The Lesson Statements will be mailed on the 25th of the month. The due date on the statement is a reminder that your child's lesson payment is due on or before that date (you pay on the day of the month your child started taking lessons at our school). Please make all payments payable to: PMAI. Reduced monthly fees available with our extended enrollment options! Ask Instructor Eric for a price sheet listing our extended enrollment options.

Monthly Children's Calendar:

A Children's Calendar is published each month indicating what martial arts style or movements will be covered in the class on each day. Use of this calendar in conjunction with the red book can help your child plan out and prepare for their lessons. The calendar also has monthly announcements for parents and students including: exact dates for students scheduled to evaluate for the current month, holiday hours, special lessons, and other important announcements. More information on evaluation and test dates below.

Proper care of the Belt and Uniforms:

There are seven tests to reach black belt. After each test one seventh of the belt will be dyed black. Do not wash the belt. Washing the belt will cause the belt to turn from black to faded gray. It is also traditional not to wash the belt. The belt is a symbol of the dedication, commitment and determination to accomplish a set goal. Therefore it is traditional not to "wash this away". Please encourage your child to take care of their belt, as this will also teach them responsibility. Children are also required to wear their belt (if they have one), even if their uniform is not available. Uniforms are eventually recommended as they are designed to provide the student comfortable and loose clothing which is necessary to execute martial arts movements.

Curriculum book or "Red Book":

The curriculum book is provided to the students to give them a tool to help keep track of what is learned at our school. Descriptions of how to do the movements they learn in lessons are included in this book to help them practice at home. The use of this curriculum book provides a structure to encourage children to take responsibility for their actions and/ or inactions. For example, if they do not keep their curriculum book up to date, and bring it to class each lesson, it would take longer for them to achieve their goals of testing for their next belt level.

How to use the Red Book. PLEASE Bring "Red Book" to every lesson:

At the end of every lesson, students and instructors gather together to write the date next to the movements covered in class that day on each student's TEST SHEET. This will help keep track of their progress toward the next belt level. When a student feels they have practiced a movement or form to the appropriate skill level for their next test, the student puts a check mark in the box next to the name of the movement on the left hand side of the TEST SHEET. When ALL of the boxes are checked off and the student has memorized AND can do the movements correctly (at the appropriate skill level) then they have earned the opportunity to be evaluated to test for the next belt level.

Evaluations:

Evaluations are conducted periodically to determine if a student is ready to test. During an evaluation, Instructors ask the student to do some or all the forms/movements on the front and/or back of the test sheet. We evaluate students prior to testing so that they have the opportunity to be fully prepared for the test. However, a student is not ready to test simply because they have memorized all the movements on their test sheet. As a student advances at our school, they must not only learn more advanced forms and movements, but they must also set an appropriate example for all the students in the school to follow. Bring the Red Book to your evaluation!!!

Projected Evaluation Dates:

To determine the month your child will evaluate, please check the "Projected Evaluation Dates" sheet on the school's bulletin board in the waiting room. If your child's name has the current month listed next to it, then find your child's name on the "Monthly Children's Calendar" for the exact day and time of their evaluation. A chart (posted in the waiting room) has been created to help parents and students understand how evaluation dates are calculated and adjusted based on a number of variables, some of which include: The belt level student is testing for, behavior (in class, at home, in school etc.), focus (are they aware of what is going on around them, willingness to help others, etc…), number of lessons per week attended, home/ individual practice, age, and private lessons. If after an evaluation, a student appears to be ready to test, they may test that day if time permits or a date will be scheduled for later in month. If the student is not ready to test (or does not show up for the evaluation), then a new evaluation date will be scheduled.

Testing Procedures and Test Fees:

Testing procedures may vary depending on the Instructors who are involved but usually consist of:
1. Evaluation of child.
2. Time to do the test (Multiple Instructors may be needed depending on rank.)
3. Evaluations of students' strengths and weaknesses.
4. Dyeing students belt.
5. Final overview of the test and conference by Instructor.
6. Follow up of movements for a practice schedule.

All testing procedures are included and paid for by the testing fee. Test fee is due after test is conducted. See testing board in waiting room for the test fees for each belt level or below. As you can see, our test fees are not unreasonably high. I strongly encourage parents looking for a marital arts school to have their children take lessons at to get ALL the "fees" for lessons, testing, equipment, and any "other" hidden fees on the table BEFORE signing up.