what FMA is doing about covid-19
PRE-REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY FOR INDOOR CLASSES
We cap classes to enforce social distancing indoors. Outdoor classes, with the exception of Glenview classes, no longer require pre-registration
TEMPERATURE CHECKS AT THE DOOR
Anyone with a temp of 100.4 or higher may not enter the dojo
KEEPING IT CLEAN
We have strict cleaning procedures in place and clean between every class
MASKS OPTIONAL INDOORS
Per state and local mandates, masks are now optional in our dojos.
SanitIZER
Hand sanitizer is provided upon entry and exit
UPDATES
February 28, 2022
Beginning today, Monday, February 28th, FMA will no longer require proof of vaccination or require that masks be worn in the dojo.
This is in line with the State of Illinois, Cook County, and local health department guidance.We understand that many of you will wish to continue to stay masked, as well as some of our staff. We ask everyone to please be respectful of those who choose to do so.
We will continue to socially distance our classes as much as possible, continue temperature checks, clean and disinfect between classes, and keep hand sanitizer available to students.
As always, we ask that you show respect for your classmates by remaining home if you feel even the least bit under the weather.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate this next chapter.
For reliable vaccine information please visit the CDC’s vaccines page.
January 7, 2022
The Cook County and Evanston Health Departments recently updated their vaccine mandates to make an exemption for individuals 18 years of age or younger participating in youth athletics or recreation.
As a result, proof of vaccination is not required at our Glenview, Park Ridge, Evanston, or Wilmette Dojos for individuals 18 and under. Vaccination verification is still required for class participants over 18 years of age at those locations.
Thank you for your understanding as we all navigate these changes.
For reliable vaccine information please visit the CDC’s vaccines page.
December 27, 2021
In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, Cook County, Evanston, and Chicago Health Departments have implemented a mandatory vaccine requirement for restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues.
As of Monday, January 3rd, Fonseca Martial Arts will require proof of vaccination for individuals ages 5 and above in order to gain entry to all of our dojos. Individuals under the age of 5 may enter without displaying proof of vaccination so long as they wear a face mask, except when eating and drinking.
Students, parents, siblings, and other spectators will need to provide proof of vaccination, along with a photo ID (if over age 16).
We will continue to follow and monitor local guidance and post updates when they become available. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
For reliable vaccine information please visit the CDC’s vaccines page.
August 4, 2021
Due to the disturbing influx of new COVID-19 cases and updated CDC recommendations for mask-wearing, we have decided to reinstate a mandatory mask policy indoors across all of our dojos until further notice.
All students, spectators, and staff, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask when inside our dojos effective immediately.
While we are saddened to have to regress in this fashion, we are hopeful that those eligible to get vaccinated will do so in the coming weeks, so that the numbers will start to decline again. In the meantime, we will do everything in our power to protect our many students under 12 who are not eligible to receive the vaccine yet.
Our outdoor mask policy remains the same. All students who can provide proof of vaccination may choose to practice without a mask if they desire. Those students who are unvaccinated must continue to wear a mask.
For reliable vaccine information please visit the CDC’s vaccines page.
June 11, 2021
Phase 5
As the State of Illinois moves into Phase 5, with more and more individuals receiving life saving vaccines, Fonseca Martial Arts is making additional changes at the dojos. These changes will be effective Monday, June 14th and implemented across all of our dojos!
We hope that with more vaccines rolling out to younger individuals, combined with smarter practices in and out of the dojo, we can all work together to make sure FMA remains a safe place to train.
As always, we thank you for your ongoing participation in helping keep our students well.
Masks & Vaccination Status
Masks will still be mandatory indoors at all of our dojos for individuals who are unvaccinated. Many of our students are younger than twelve and have not received the vaccine yet.
For both indoor and outdoor classes, vaccinated individuals may remove their masks if they wish. However, proof of vaccination will be required. Our staff will make a note on your student profile so that you will only need to provide this proof once.
To be considered fully vaccinated, students must have had their final dose at least two weeks prior.
All FMA Head Instructors are fully vaccinated.
Spectators
We will now allow spectators back inside the dojo with no limits. We do ask you to keep others’ safety and personal space in mind when you’re deciding who to bring to class.
Parents can still feel free to drop their child off at the dojo and come back when class is over, just like before!
Masks will still be mandatory indoors for all unvaccinated individuals, including spectators. If you are a spectator and would like to go without a mask, please provide proof of vaccination to our staff.
Class Capacities & Registration
We have added class spots at our dojos, but are capping them for quality control, so that our students get the attention they need to progress.
Pre-registration is still mandatory for indoor classes.
Outdoor class registration for all locations except for Glenview is no longer mandatory for members, but highly encouraged. Glenview will still require registration due to the limits placed on class sizes by The Glen.
Evanston: Cap 18 Students
Wilmette: Cap 16 Students
Roscoe Village: Cap 10 Students
Glenview: Cap 16 Students
Park Ridge: Cap 12 Students
Glenview outdoor classes: Cap 20 students
All other outdoor classes: Cap 50 Students
Kumite practice will now return to classes.
General Practices
We will continue to sanitize the dojos between classes, with lessons spaced 15 minutes apart.
We will continue to temperature check all individuals who enter the dojo.
We will also continue to provide hand sanitizer to all students.
We still ask that if you feel under the weather, please keep the safety of your fellow students in mind and do not come to class, especially if you intend to be maskless.
We understand that you may still want to wear a mask in class, even if you are vaccinated, and that’s great! We encourage mask wearing wherever possible, especially in crowded situations. We will make sure our FMA Dojos are a place that you can feel safe doing whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Virtual Classes
We crunched the numbers, and they told us that FMA Students want to get back to the dojos to train in person versus training online.
Using this data, we have determined that it’s best for our staff and students to reduce the livestreams to twice per week. We will now host livestreams on Wednesdays and Sundays starting next week. Take a look at the schedule below if you’re still interested in training virtually!
May 17, 2021
Bridge Phase 5
As the State of Illinois moves into Bridge Phase 5, with more and more individuals receiving life saving vaccines, Fonseca Martial Arts is making some changes at the dojos. These changes will be effective today and implemented across all of our dojos!These changes are for the Restore Illinois Bridge Phase 5, which runs from now until a projected date of June 11th. We will make a few further changes for Phase 5, so stay tuned!
As always, we thank you for your ongoing participation in helping keep our students safe.
Masks & Vaccination Status
Despite the recent CDC announcement, masks will still be mandatory indoors at all of our dojos. Most of our students are younger and have not received the vaccine yet.
For outdoor classes, vaccinated individuals may remove their masks if they wish. However, proof of vaccination will be required. Our staff will make a note on your student profile so that you will only need to provide this proof once.
To be considered fully vaccinated, students must have had their final dose at least two weeks prior.All FMA Head Instructors are fully vaccinated.
Spectators
We will now allow spectators back inside the dojo.
Spectators will be limited to one adult per family at this time to stay within Bridge Phase 5 capacity limits.
Parents can still feel free to drop their child off at the dojo and come back when class is over, just like before!
Masks will still be mandatory indoors for all individuals, including spectators, regardless of vaccination status.
Class Capacities
We have added class spots at our dojos! Pre-registration is still mandatory for all classes.
Evanston: Cap 16 Students
Wilmette: Cap 15 Students
Roscoe Village: Cap 10 Students
Glenview: Cap 15 Students
Park Ridge: Cap 12 Students
All outdoor classes: Cap 50 Students
General Practices
We will continue to sanitize the dojos between classes, with lessons spaced 15 minutes apart.
We will continue to temperature check all individuals who enter the dojo.
We will also continue to provide hand sanitizer to all students.
March 1, 2021
After a temporary closure, the FMA Chicago dojo is reopening for in-person classes. Spots will be very limited due to the size of the space. We ask that all students, as always, register in advance of any class via Mindbody.
We have also implemented new schedules across all dojos and our livestream platform. You can view the schedules below. Some dojos kept theirs the same, while others added more classes. Check them out below.
January 19, 2021
Yesterday Governor Pritzker made the announcement that certain regions in Illinois may now enter Tier 2 Resurgence Mitigations for COVID-19. For Fonseca Martial Arts, this means that we are able to hold group classes again at a limited capacity.
What does this mean for you?
We will still hold regularly scheduled livestream classes and open mats through this Friday. Starting Saturday, January 23rd we will implement a new group class and livestream schedule. To view the new schedules, find them below. Please remember that pre-registration is required for all in-person classes. Pre-registration for livestreams is not necessary.
As a reminder, masks are mandatory at all dojos. No spectators will be allowed inside. Students’ temperatures will be taken at the door, and those with a temperature over 100.4 degrees will not be admitted. New class capacity limits of 8 students + 2 FMA staff members per class, mandated by the State of Illinois, ensure that we can guarantee appropriate social distance between our students at all times.
Please consider others when registering for classes by limiting your frequency to once per week for the first few weeks as everyone adjusts to the new schedule.
If you are not comfortable returning to the dojo just yet, you can access the livestreams for each dojo by logging in to the FMA Online Training Platform and clicking the link that corresponds to the dojo or sensei you wish to take classes with in the “livestream” section of any page. If you need help with your FMA Online Training account, please reach out to us at info@fonsecamartialarts.com.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this transition. Your support for FMA, our staff, and their families is paramount to our survival.
January 15, 2021
As you may have heard, Region 10 is remaining in Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigations for COVID-19. For Fonseca Martial Arts, this means that we are still not able to hold group classes. COVID-19 numbers are still pretty bad throughout the state, country, and even the world, and although having to cease group classes is saddening for us, we must do our part in helping to stop the spread by heeding this very important order.
What does that mean for you?
We will still hold regularly scheduled livestream classes for as long as we need to remain in Tier 3. However, we have one exciting addition for you all. Starting Tuesday, January 19th, FMA locations will incorporate Open Mat days. Open Mat is a 45 minute block of time that students in our Youth and Adult programs (sorry, no Karate Tots or Little Dragons just yet) can reserve to work on their karate. This will not be a group class, but there will be a sensei available to answer any questions you may have as you are practicing on your own. Only five students will be allowed in the dojo at one time and stations will be marked off on the mat. Students are to remain in their stations for a self-guided practice. Masks are mandatory.
There will be no livestreams next Monday, January 18 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
To view the livestream schedules again, find them below. To access the livestreams for each dojo, we ask that you please log in to the FMA Online Training Platform and click the link that corresponds to the dojo or sensei you wish to take classes with in the “livestream” section of any page. If you need help with your FMA Online Training account, please reach out to us at info@fonsecamartialarts.com.
In-person 1-on-1 private lessons are also still allowed under Tier 3. If you wish to purchase or schedule a private lesson, either virtual or in-person, please contact your sensei.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We hope that we are able to re-open for group classes soon. Region 10 is very close to meeting the metrics required to move forward, and we very much expect to be able to re-enter Tier 2 by the end of January.
The most important thing right now is that all of us step up to the task of protecting our communities and our loved ones by staying home and doing what it takes to keep COVID-19 at bay. We don’t have to remind you that this closure has hurt us deeply as a business, so we ask that you please give our livestreams a try if you have not yet, join us for Open Mat, and hang in there with us until we are allowed to go back to in-person classes. Your support for FMA, our staff, and their families is paramount to our survival! As always, thank you for your support and patience as we navigate this chapter.
December 18, 2020
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s the importance of mental and emotional health and well being. That’s why FMA is doing something different this year. In order to give our employees much needed and well-deserved time off, we are going on a holiday break from December 24th – January 1st.
What does this mean for you?
There will be no livestream classes from December 24th through January 1st. We will resume livestream classes on January 2nd, until we hear that the Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation has been lifted for us to go back to in-person classes. As of right now, there have been no hints given as to when that will happen.We know that you may want to train during that time, which is why we’ve curated the 9 Days of FMA Challenge for our members.
The 9 Days of FMA Challenge is a curated collection of nine videos, one for each day, that you can use to practice during the holiday break. These videos are a mix of all different areas of karate and catered to each skill level. If you want to go above and beyond the 9 videos, you can choose from dozens of other on-demand skills videos and past livestream classes.
When you enter FMA Online Training, you will be taken to a main landing page, which will contain a link to jump into the 9 Days of FMA Challenge right away. You can also enter your specific skill area to access the challenge for your skill level (ie. the Beginner Karate section)
This challenge will be posted the evening of December 23rd in order for members to begin on the 24th.
During the break, we will not be answering the company’s phones. You can leave us a voicemail, which we will answer after January 2nd. If you need to get a hold of us for an urgent matter, please email info@fonsecamartialarts.com. We will be checking that address periodically throughout the break.
Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday.
November 18, 2020
Illinois is entering Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigations for COVID-19 on Friday. For Fonseca Martial Arts, this means that we are no longer able to hold group classes. COVID-19 numbers are increasing throughout the state, country, and even the world, and although having to cease group classes is saddening for us, we must do our part in helping to stop the spread by heeding this very important order.
Tomorrow, Thursday, will be our last day of in-person classes. The State of Illinois has implemented a 14-day evaluation period for this order, meaning the earliest we would go back to in-person classes would be the 4th of December. We will keep a close watch on the latest developments and communicate changes with you as they happen.
What does that mean for you?
We will still hold regularly scheduled livestream classes through Sunday. Starting Monday, November 23 we will implement a new livestream schedule, where each dojo will host their own classes! We hope this not only gives you many more options to train, but allows you to stick with your favorite sensei, try new sensei, say hi to your classmates, and keep building upon the community you have created at your dojo.
There will be no livestreams next Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sensei John Fonseca will be teaching a special pre-Thanksgiving class next Wednesday out of the Park Ridge Dojo, and we want to invite you all to train with him.
To view the new livestream schedules, find them here. To access the livestreams for each dojo, we ask that you please log in to the FMA Online Training Platform and click the link that corresponds to the dojo or sensei you wish to take classes with in the “livestream” section of any page. If you need help with your FMA Online Training account, please reach out to us at info@fonsecamartialarts.com.
In-person 1-on-1 private lessons are still allowed under this order, which means that if you have a private lesson already scheduled with your sensei, it is still on the schedule. If you wish to purchase or schedule a private lesson, either virtual or in-person, please contact your sensei.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We hope that we are able to re-open for group classes soon, but the most important thing right now is that all of us step up to the task of protecting our communities and our loved ones by staying home and doing what it takes to keep COVID-19 at bay. We don’t have to remind you that this closure will inevitably hurt us as a business, so we ask that you please give our new livestream schedule a try and hang in there with us until we are allowed to go back to in-person classes. Your support for FMA, our staff, and their families is paramount to our survival! As always, thank you for your support and patience as we navigate this chapter.
November 16, 2020
So far, FMA students and staff have done a magnificent job making sure that dojos are a safe place for students to train during COVID-19. But with the numbers on the rise in Illinois, we could all use a refresher on the policies and procedures in place that have helped to keep us ahead of the game.
Please take a moment to review the procedures!
Pre-registration is mandatory • Respect others
FMA caps classes in order to keep everyone socially distanced during class. Caps depend on the size of the dojo. If you show up to class without registering first, not only are you putting others at increased risk, you’re putting yourself at risk as well. If you are having trouble registering for class for any reason, please contact us as soon as you can so that we can help you!
Register early • Foster the spirit of effort
Take some time each week to register for karate for the following week. Classes fill up fast, and registering at the last minute often leaves students having to choose between classes they didn’t want to attend initially. Set a reminder, use your calendar, do your best to make sure you get into the classes you want.
Be on time for class • Strive for betterment of character, Respect others
We know that sometimes you can’t help being late. It happens to the best of us. However, when you are late for class, it eats up valuable class time, especially when there is only one instructor. This means the instructor has to stop the class to check you in, take your temperature, make sure you sanitize your hands, and so on.
Do not drop your child off without first making sure they have entered the dojo successfully • Respect others
There are several reasons why dropping your child off and leaving is a bad idea. Make sure to take a few extra seconds to make sure your karateka checked in successfully and passed their temperature check before taking off for your 30-60 minutes of well-deserved you time.
Do not come to class if you feel under the weather • Guard against impetuous courage
If you need to question whether or not you feel good enough to come to class, you’ve already answered your question. Don’t come! Even though we would love to see (the top half of) your faces, please do not put anyone else in danger by “pushing through it”. Everyone likes a good perseverance story, but not in this case. Stay home and train online with FMA 7 days a week.
If you need to cancel, tell us! • Respect others
We love to hear from you, no matter what it is. So if you cannot make it to class, please let us know so we can free up that spot for someone else on the wait list to train.
Did you travel recently? Stay home! • Guard against impetuous courage
If you’ve recently traveled to a state in which COVID numbers are surging, or have been on a plane going anywhere, please stay at home for 14 days. FMA offers live stream classes 7 days per week for your convenience while you’re in karate quarantine.
If we all do our part, we can keep doing what we love while keeping everyone safe. As a reminder, here’s what we’re doing at our dojos
• Masks are mandatory in all classes
• Classes are capped at
Evanston: 12
Wilmette: 12
Glenview: 12
Park Ridge: 9
students and pre-registration is required
• Temperature checks to gain entry, any student over 100.4 degrees is sent home
• No spectators inside
• Hand sanitation upon entry and exit
• Cleaning of the mats and high touch surfaces before and between classes
• Disallowing self check-in on the iPad
• Disallowing use of the water fountains
• Maintaining as much distance as possible (6 feet or more) between students and instructors
• Live stream classes 7 days per week for those quarantined
FMA will continue to keep our finger on the pulse and watch COVID-19 developments closely. We will also continue to do everything in our power to keep this pandemic at bay throughout our dojos. We ask you to do the same by following the procedures we have in place, which will assist us in our mission to protect our students and instructors, as well as their families.
Because we’re all better when we work together.
July 7, 2020
You asked and we listened. More outdoor classes have been added at each dojo, as well as an additional day of online training. We hope these changes, which go into effect July 13, will allow every FMA Member to train at their own pace.
Select your dojo below to get started.
June 29, 2020
As a health club in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, we are now able to host small group classes indoors. Here’s what that means for you:
We’ve been hard at work trying to come up with a schedule of indoor and outdoor classes, in addition to changing our livestream classes, to give our members the options they need. This new schedule will begin on July 6th.
We are giving class priority to current members at this time, so if you have terminated your membership during COVID-19 and would like to renew your membership, please reach out to your dojo manager.
————-
Indoor class procedure:
• You must pre-register for all classes via the FMA app, website, or Mindbody. If you do not register more than 2 hours in advance of your class, you will not be allowed to participate.
• Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes and no later than 5 minutes before your class time. We have spaced classes out by fifteen minutes to allow for a smooth transition of students.
• Your temperature will be taken via a non-contact forehead thermometer before you enter the dojo. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or above will not be allowed to enter.
• You must wear a mask at all times during your class, both indoors and outdoors.
• No spectators will be allowed inside the dojo until further notice. We will do our best to allow parents to watch the class from outside by setting up socially distanced chairs outside the front windows.
• Please do not arrive late for class. If you are late for class for any reason, please wait outside the dojo, in a place where your instructor can see you, until that instructor comes out to get you.
———————–
Other things to know:
• Outdoor class spots have increased to 30 people per class. Indoor spots are very limited and depend on the size of your dojo.
Evanston: 16 spots
Wilmette: 12 spots
Glenview: 16 spots
Park Ridge: 8 spots
Chicago: outdoor classes only, 30 spots
• Please do not attend class if you feel under the weather.
• Make sure to bring a water bottle!
• Please keep others in mind when registering for class. Many are very excited to be able to do in-person classes again, but we must remember that others are trying to take classes as well.
• Everyone must maintain at least a 6 foot distance and no physical contact is allowed.
• Outdoor classes are weather dependent. Your dojo manager will contact you if your class is cancelled.
• Some outdoor locations are subject to change, so please keep an eye on your email for location information via your dojo manager once you register for your class. All class locations will be within a reasonable distance from the dojo.
• Due to recent surges in various states and countries, for the safety of all of our students and staff, and because of the close proximity of all the Dojos to the City of Chicago we are kindly asking families who have recently traveled and returned from countries (such as Brazil, India, etc) and states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases to stay home for a 14 day period and participate in our livestreams instead. These states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. You can find an updated list of these states here.
————————
What we’re doing:
• We’re working closely with Cintas, who is providing hand and foot sanitizing stations at every dojo, as well as cleaning materials and supplies that will bring us well beyond compliant with Illinois, OSHA, WHO, and CDC guidelines.
• We’re cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces before and after every class.
• We’re also checking temperatures, both our own and our students. To be able to enter the dojo, every person’s temperature will be taken and must be below 100.4 degrees.
• We’ve updated our HVAC systems to circulate the maximum amount of outside air possible.
• We’re going touch-free. No more iPad check-ins, no more paper schedules. Instructors will check students into class on their own devices and print materials will be accessible by scanning a QR code.
• We’re choosing the safest way to train. More stationary basics and kata, no partner drills, no touching the mat. You’ll still get in the karate you want, but in a much smarter and safer way.
————————
The new class schedule will start on July 6th.
When looking for classes via our website, make sure you change the search filters to reflect your week of choice, otherwise you might not be able to see the classes. Select your dojo below to get started.
June 23, 2020
Governor Pritzker announced yesterday that gyms and health clubs will be able to move into Phase 4 on June 26th. This means that our dojos can operate again at a limited capacity. We are currently working very hard to put together a schedule for you all and plan to start that schedule on July 6th. Stay tuned for more information!
June 5, 2020
As a health club in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, we are now about to host 1-on-1 private lessons in addition to outdoor classes of ten people or less. We have been hard at work putting policies and standards in place for this phase and are excited to announce a plan moving forward.
——
PRIVATE LESSONS
If you would like a private lesson with your favorite sensei to kick off phase 3, we can begin hosting you as early as next week! Virtual private lessons are also still available.
Things to know:
• You must wear a mask at all times during your lesson.
• Your temperature will be taken via infrared thermometer before you enter any FMA dojo.
• Please do not attend your lesson if you are sick or have a fever.
• Hand sanitizer will be given to you before and after your lesson. Bathroom facilities are also available for hand washing.
• Instructors will maintain at least a 6 foot distance and no physical contact is allowed.Please email your sensei to arrange an in-person private lesson.
——
OUTDOOR CLASSES
We’ve also been hard at work trying to secure outdoor space and schedule outdoor classes, in addition to our livestream classes, to give our members the options they need. Some outdoor space has been easier to find than others, so we appreciate your patience in letting us navigate these waters.
Things to know:
• You must wear a mask at all times during your class.
• Only 9 people + 1 instructor are allowed in each class.
• You must pre-register for class via the FMA app, website, or Mindbody.
• Please do not attend class if you are sick or have a fever.
• Once registration becomes available, please keep others in mind by not registering for more than one class spot at a time. Many are very excited to be able to do in-person classes again, but we must remember that others are trying to take classes as well.
• Everyone must maintain a 6 foot distance and no physical contact is allowed.
• Classes are weather dependent. Your dojo manager will contact you if your class is cancelled.
• Some locations are subject to change, so please keep an eye on your email for location information via your dojo manager. All class locations will be within a reasonable distance from the dojo.
Have a hot tip about outdoor space in the general area of your dojo? Own any property you’d like to lend for classes? Contact us!
As classes become solidified, we will post them within the FMA App, Mindbody, and the website. Please keep checking back for class updates and added class availability.
——
VIRTUAL CLASSES
For at-risk students, or those who have been finding their groove in FMA Online Training, we plan to keep the current livestream schedule for the time being while we establish an outdoor routine. Eventually, we plan to alter the livestream schedule, but it will not be a drastic change.
Virtual Class Schedule Week of June 8
Virtual Class Schedule Week of June 15
Please note that Tuesday and Thursday Karate Tots / Little Dragons classes and Karate PE Classes will cease, while Adult All Ranks is moved to an earlier time.
May 21, 2020
After much deliberation and consideration of state reopening guidelines, we have decided to cancel all June weeks of Summer Camp. This is a decision that was not made lightly, but prioritized safety and comfort above all. Each dojo’s manager will be reaching out to those registered for June weeks. FMA can either reschedule your child or children for a week later in the summer or carry over the camp credit to 2021. Any camps purchased for 2020 can be used in 2021 instead. If you wish to purchase a camp week for next year, or later this summer, we have extended the early bird deadline to June 15.
March 27, 2020
We have been monitoring the situation closely and, although optimistic about reopening on March 30th, realize that it was not a realistic goal based on newer COVID-19 developments. The United States now leads the world with COVID-19 cases and the current figures are only projected to climb. Illinois is under a “shelter in place” order until at least April 7th, and we are monitoring the situation closely to make an assessment about when we will reopen our dojos. We will continue to post updates on this page.
Until we re-open, please join us for online training. All members have received a link and passwords to enter online training and we encourage you to join us whenever you can! We are constantly updating our database of on-demand videos for our members and we are excited to continue to build this database for the future. We are also running livestreams for our members at a frequency of 5 times per week starting on March 30th in order to give our FMA Family the most out of their membership.
During this very trying time, we want to remind you how important your tuition is to our business and to our staff and their families. Small businesses everywhere are struggling to stay afloat in the current climate, and we are no exception. We understand that you, too, might be under financial strain at this time, just like we are. But we ask, if you can manage it, please continue your membership. The future of our business and our staff depends on it. We are working hard to ensure that the online training platform is sufficient enough to make up for the in-person classes missed.
If you’d like to do a little extra to help rally around FMA at this time, we need it more than ever. You can purchase a new gi or sparring gear for pickup when we re-open, purchase a single, 5 pack, or 10 pack of private lessons, purchase photos from classes our tournaments, or buy a gift card, e of your friends or family members. You can also help FMA ensure a quicker bounce back by writing a positive review of your dojo on Yelp, Google, or Facebook.
We miss you all and are very excited to get back to the dojos!
March 14, 2020
ALL DOJOS CLOSED FROM MARCH 16 – 29
Back when FMA was first founded, our goals were simple: to provide martial arts to the local community, to develop that community into a family, and to enrich and protect that family. Current events have caused us to realize that we can protect our FMA family in a way we never anticipated: by closing our dojos for two weeks. This decision was not made lightly. All of our dojos will be closed from Monday, March 16 through Sunday, March 29. At this point, we plan to resume classes on Monday, March 30th at all locations.
We know that this may seem like an inconvenience to some, and we are sorry for that. But we know that this was the most responsible decision to make to ensure the health and safety of not just our students and their families, but the population at large, especially the most vulnerable. We all have a role to play in this, and it is so very important that we act as responsibly as we can and consider not only ourselves, but the entire community. With that being said, we are working around the clock to put up an online training platform for all of our members, which we hope to have up and running by midweek. This online training platform will allow you to practice at home, review the curriculum for your next belt, virtually meet with your instructors and classmates, and watch / practice along with live streams of your favorite sensei, or even a sensei you’ve never trained with before.
During this very trying time, we want to remind you how important your tuition is to our business and to our staff and their families. Small businesses everywhere are struggling to stay afloat in the current climate, and we are no exception. We understand that you, too, might be under financial strain at this time, just like we are. But we ask, if you can manage it, please continue your membership. The future of our business and our staff depends on it. We hope the online training platform will be sufficient enough to make up for the in-person classes missed. Two weeks will be up before you know it and we can all go back to doing what we love: practicing martial arts at the dojo. More importantly, practicing in a safe, clean environment.
If you’d like to do a little extra to help rally around FMA at this time, we need it more than ever. You can purchase a new gi or sparring gear for pickup when we re-open, purchase a single, 5 pack, or 10 pack of private lessons, purchase photos from classes our tournaments, or buy a gift card, e of your friends or family members. You can also help FMA ensure a quicker bounce back by writing a positive review of your dojo on Yelp, Google, or Facebook.
If you were thinking about signing up for Summer Camp we have extended the early bird pricing registration deadline to May 1 as a courtesy for those who are waiting to commit. We know that most of the world is just taking it one day at a time and we want to do as much as we can to reflect that in our policies and practices.We care deeply about every single one of our members, and we want you to take care of yourselves, both physically and mentally. If this has affected your mental well-being or if you’re just feeling lonely as you stay home and wait it out, we are here to listen. Shoot your favorite sensei an email or join us for the upcoming video conference style classes coming up in the next week. We would love to see all of your smiling faces!
We are looking forward to business as usual, and we hope you are too.
Wishing you health,
Sensei John Fonseca + The FMA Team
Letter: March 9, 2020
Dear Students and Parents –
In light of the global COVID-19 situation, we wanted to reach out to you all to let you know what FMA is doing to prevent the spread of the virus and mitigate risk at our dojos.
Right now, there is no cause for concern or panic, as the United States, and Illinois in particular, have relatively low numbers of the virus. And, as we have seen in other countries that have successfully
kept their numbers low, the best action to take is to employ proactive and preventative measures to ensure the virus can spread no further.
With this in mind, here is what FMA is doing to make sure its members and staff are as safe as possible:
• We will forego iPad check-ins until further notice. Instructors will now make attendance part of class, checking students in on their cell phones.
• No more high fives. This doesn’t mean we won’t congratulate you for a job well done, but we will be more careful about how we do it! We will start implementing more creative ways to tell you or your student “good job”, like a
CDC recommended elbow bump. If you have a little one, and you think this might upset them, please take the appropriate measures to create a frame of reference for them moving forward. We will do our best to implement this as gracefully
as possible.
• We will ensure we are fully stocked with hand sanitizer or alcohol based spray (if no hand sanitizer is available), hand soap, and other personal care solutions, and that it’s available for public use. We recommend you use it
both on your way in and on your way out. We’ll make sure each class uses it at the end of their session.
• We will implement a more frequent and thorough cleaning of our bathroom areas, including making disinfectant wipes available to bathroom users who would like to help do their part in wiping down handles and knobs before and/or
after they use them.
• We will now require shoes to be worn in the bathrooms. We will also make bathroom shoes available to all, keeping an array of different sizes of flip flops near the bathroom doors. We will also be cleaning these shoes often.
We invite you to carry your own shoes over to the bathrooms if you’d prefer to use them instead.
• We will implement more frequent and thorough cleaning of our other common areas like stadium seating, counter surfaces, lockers, entrance doors, and shoe areas.
• The mats will now be wiped down after every class, instead of just twice per day, making sure each class gets a fresh, clean mat on which to practice.
• Physical corrections in class will be limited. Instead of straightening your elbow or knee using physical touch, we will now attempt to correct all of our students verbally.
——————-
The most important thing to remember in all of this is that we are all responsible for taking care of each other. We have seen that COVID-19 is especially dangerous to those who are elderly and medically compromised. Just because an individual is young and perceives their risk to be low, they should still be mindful about how
easily this virus is transmitted, and take extra care to ensure that they are not responsible for transferring it to someone who doesn’t have the same strong immune system. As they say, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We must ensure the whole chain is healthy to guarantee success.
——————-
Here are some recommendations for you to rise to the task of being a responsible dojo member:ze:
98%; font-family: “Work Sans”; color: rgb(172, 24, 19);” class=”customize-unpreviewable”>buy a gift card, e of your friends or family members. You can also help FMA ensure a quicker bounce back by writing a positive review of your dojo on Yelp, Google, or Facebook.
If you were thinking about signing up for Summer Camp we have extended the early bird pricing registration deadline to May 1 as a courtesy for those who are waiting to commit. We know that most of the world is just taking it one day at a time and we want to do as much as we can to reflect that in our policies and practices.We care deeply about every single one of our members, and we want you to take care of yourselves, both physically and mentally. If this has affected your mental well-being or if you’re just feeling lonely as you stay home and wait it out, we are here to listen. Shoot your favorite sensei an email or join us for the upcoming video conference style classes coming up in the next week. We would love to see all of your smiling faces!
We are looking forward to business as usual, and we hope you are too.
Wishing you health,
Sensei John Fonseca + The FMA Team
resource center
Information is the greatest power we can have.