1. Parent Portal

This is where you can view your enrollment, set up your direct debit, read through and agree to studio policies and schedule makeup classes. The aim is to have one central point of access so it is easy to find what you need. Please read through the details of each policy and agree/submit via the portal. If you have any concerns about video/photos, agree to the policy and PLEASE contact me directly and I'll make a note on your file.

We take your privacy and safety very seriously.

Log in to our Parent Portal here https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/jr3.0/ParentPortal/Login?orgID=542442.

Your Login is the email address where this message was sent unless you have changed it. Please contact our facility if you are unable to log in with that user ID.

To reset your password, just click the "Reset Password" link.

You can save this as a shortcut and save it to the home screen on your phone for easy access.

2. Fee Statement

You can access your fee info via the parent portal. Our policy regarding fees must be read and agreed to upon registration and is available via the parent portal - this is your authority for us to process direct debits. Please ensure your credit card is kept up to date on your account and available for monthly processing.

Fees are sent to your account on the 30th of each month (except for february) and debited from your nominated credit card on the 2nd of each month. You may also choose to pay for the term up front. Please finalise payment prior to the commencement of term. Classes are $19.50 per session, booked by the term.

Please use the following email address for changes to your enrolment or billing:

accounts@littlestarsmusic.com.au.

3. Makeup Classes

If you are absent from class, we give you a makeup pass to use in any of our other sessions with availability. This pass is valid for 6 months from the date of absence with a current enrolment. You may not use these classes as additional sessions once you finish at music.

Please mark yourself absent if you know you will be away on holiday/illness. This enables someone else to book your place for their makeup class. Just log into the parent portal and select your ‘away dates’. You can schedule your makeup classes at the same time. Unfortunately, there is a time cutoff for submitting an absence. If you are sick on that morning, we will, of course, enter the absence for you, and you will still get that pass to use. We want to be as flexible as possible with this as we understand the constraints of young family life.

4. Facebook Community Group

Please join the Facebook community group set up for Little Stars families. There's often quick information bursts, sweet photos, or videos from the week, and sometimes I post links to recorded classes. It is a closed group ONLY for our studio, and information is NOT available to the public. Join the Little Stars Community Group here!

Little Stars is very much a community - not just a class you attend once a week.  So feel free to introduce yourself in the Facebook Group and if you choose to do any of the online classes you're welcome to post videos or pictures of exciting music moments that happen at home.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out - I am here to help!

Tips for New Parents

1. Keep Your Yoga Mat in the Car

Keep your yoga mat (Frankston) in the car so you don’t forget. At Frankston, the yoga mats help dampen background noise and create a ‘home base’ your child recognizes. It also helps protect the instruments from damage as the children become used to handling them.

2. Keep Adult Talking to a Minimum

Please keep adult talking to a minimum, and please try not to chat with friends while I have your children beautifully engaged. It shifts their focus (and mine) and I want them to fully absorb our beautiful music classes. We are working together to create a special environment, and your singing and participating elevates that. Organize a morning tea catchup for after class and enjoy each other’s company. We have a lovely community for you to participate in!

3. Where Possible, Please Keep Toys in the Car

Where possible, please keep toys in the car. I know it can be hard, and if it’s a dealbreaker for you, bring them in and we will slowly and gently separate over time. Special items are always welcome to ‘watch’ from my desk if that helps. Every child is different, and I can work with you to find the best solution.

4. Please Handle Instruments with Care

PLEASE handle my instruments with as much care as possible. Please do your best to model how to handle the instruments. It’s ideal to be sitting down while playing instruments as there’s less distance for them to travel when dropped. Try to encourage children to hold the instruments rather than putting them on the floor and making sound from there. This comes with time and it’s always a work in progress. We are interested in the learning here, not perfection, and we understand kids want to stand and move and play. It’s ok. I take pride in providing high-quality equipment and just as much pride in teaching children to be respectful of the instruments. It’s a quality that will translate into other aspects of your life. As a bonus, if you are considering moving on to music lessons in the future, it’s great to teach children to respect instruments when handling $20 woodblocks. Children handling $500 violins or $1000+ cello without care or concern will turn you very grey very quickly! Let’s lay that foundation now and save you some stress down the track! (PS my expectation here is age-appropriate and will start with parent modeling. I entirely understand things get dropped from time to time. We are working with small children and learning requires small steps).

5. Celebrate the Small Steps

CELEBRATE the small steps! Stay focused on the small steps your child makes each week. Maybe they participated in story time. Perhaps ‘hands up’ for drumming has become familiar. Did they wave goodbye to the class for the first time? Whatever it is, IT MATTERS because it’s part of the journey. Tell your partner, tell grandma, make a big deal out of those new moments and celebrate your child. It’s easy to skip over these achievements but we want to help you stop and smell the roses!

6. Be in the Moment and Enjoy Playing with Your Child

Be in the moment and enjoy playing with your child. I adore observing the connection between you and your child and they benefit from it enormously. Singing and playing together is so powerful. Take some ideas home and use them to ease transitions and other bumpy times in your day. It really helps!!