Family policies
What families ask before a first class.
Photos of your child
We ask your written permission before we share any photo of your child, on this site, in newsletters or on social media, and you can change your answer at any time. We never put a child's name with a photo, and the photos on this site are examples until we replace them with our own.
Watching class and belt tests
Parents and friends are welcome on the bench by the viewing window in any class. Please keep voices low while the line bows in. Belt tests happen at the end of a regular class, and families may stay to watch without flash photos.
What to wear and bring
A plain t-shirt and loose pants for a first class, with bare feet on the mat. Nails are short, hair is tied back and jewelry comes off before class.
Uniform
A white or blue judo uniform with a belt, which the front desk fits after a first class. Students wear it clean and dry to every class, and the belt is tied by the student or an instructor.
When to keep your child home
Please keep a student home with a fever, a cough or a stomach bug, and bring them back once they feel well and have been symptom-free for a full day.
Drop-off and pickup
Children are dropped off at the door and collected there after the closing bow. If someone else is collecting, tell the front desk first. We ask for ID from anyone we don't know.
Closures for weather and holidays
The school closes on major holidays and between sessions. If weather closes us, families hear by text and email the same afternoon.
Absences and late arrival
Tell the front desk by text or email if a student will miss class. A student who arrives after the opening bow waits at the edge of the mat until the instructor waves them in.
Screens and phones
Phones stay in the bag during class. Parents on the bench are welcome to use theirs quietly, and filming in class is only with an instructor's say-so.
How we run class
Checks, routines and class size
What our instructors have completed, and the routines every class follows.
Ages 5 to adult
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
Safety routines
Door and bench
Children are dropped off and collected at the door. Parents wait on the bench by the viewing window, which looks onto the whole mat.
Mat check
Before each class an instructor walks the mat, picks up anything loose and checks the seams. Shoes stay at the door.
Falls before throws
Every new student learns to fall in every direction before a partner throws them, and a student may stay on any step as long as they like.
Contact and class size
Kids' and teen classes never include strikes or holds that involve the head. Kids' classes have up to 14 students, teen and adult classes up to 20, family classes up to 12 and the adaptive class up to 8.
Sample details.
Ready for a first class?
Choose a class on the booking page.