BROADSTAIRS LIFEGUARD AND SWIMMING CLUB NEWSLETTER MARCH 2006 Dear swimmers, parents and carers, There have been lots of achievements recently and generally we seem to have happy, confident swimmers!   Timekeeping In the last eight weeks, the Teachers have noticed that the swimmers have been checking the time and are ready and poolside at least 5 mins before their lesson start.  We have gained between 5-7 minutes PER LESSON teaching time – well done and thank you!   Presentation Evening This took place at the end of January, at Bradgate Caravan Park.  Debbie Barnett, the proprietor and parent/Club Committee member, very kindly donated the venue so we thank her for that.  Cathy Tuddenham and Sue Smith wish to pass on their deep appreciation of the gifts of the crystal rose bowls in recognition of their poolside service.  We as a Club are privileged to have two such experienced Teachers who still love what they do, and who have a strong positive relationship with the swimmers and other Club members.    Hats Hopefully they will have arrived by the time you are reading this!  Lisa Selby, parent and former Committee member, has very kindly mustered enough vouchers to obtain 100 swimming hats, either black or white, from her employer, Tesco.  The normal retail amount for these hats will be £1.97, but as we are keen to get all the swimmers kitted out, we will be selling them for just £1 – while stocks last!  We will not be able to provide more at that price after this stock has sold out.  Just a reminder that by 14 April, we will be requiring ALL swimmers to be wearing hats during their sessions with us – regardless of teaching pool/main pool/male/female/long hair/short hair/no hair!  This lead-in period has been given because of the time it has taken for the supply to come through, but after 14 April, Teachers may well refuse a swimmer at a session if they do not have a hat.  Please do not expect there to be spare hats available on poolside.  The reason for highlighting the need for hats is for health and safety (no-one likes getting other people’s hair in their mouth!), and because they help reduce drag in the water and therefore make swimming easier and more efficient, which has to be a good thing!    Fins We are rapidly getting to the point where most swimmers have their own fins but we need all swimmers Level 5 and over to have their own pair.  Chalkie, the Treasurer, has over the last few weeks, apparently been showing his secret desire to work in a shoe shop by helping to sort out the correct sizes for swimmers.  There is currently a small supply of size 11 upwards. Unfortunately, due to increase of cost at the supplier, we have had to increase our prices slightly, but the cost to you is still cheaper than the advertised price.  We are starting a new cycle of lessons from 16 March so please make sure that your child has the correct equipment – hats, goggles and fins!   Waiting List The next review of the waiting list will be early May, timed to take place about a month before a new course of lessons.  We will be welcoming some new swimmers on 16 March, but it is very unlikely that we will be taking in more new swimmers before the next review.      Swim 21 Accreditation We currently have to ‘renew’ our Swim 21 accreditation, we may even aim to improve and go for Gold!  Watch this space!   Laptop At the moment, we have about 20 ‘staff’ – Teachers in various stages of training, Committee, etc.  We have no office to work from and this causes problems in storing information in one place where everyone who needs to know something, has immediate access to it.  We have training DVDs that would be really interesting for everyone – whether swimmers, teachers, parents, siblings – to watch.  The problem is that this is all kept in bits around various people’s home PCs and spare bedrooms!  What we are asking for is quite simple – we need a laptop, and in the longer term, a projector!  Is there anyone out there who works for a large employer who might sponsor us for this equipment, or who ‘recycle’ their old laptops into local organisations?  Maybe there is a generous band of only 10 parents who would each pledge or donate £40 or £50 to help us to buy one?  Do you have a spare hour to complete a Lottery application form for us?  Please put your thinking caps on – we really need your help and are open to negotiation!   Annual Plan & Parents Folder The PF is available for everyone to read.  It is stuffed full with info about badges, waiting list, swimming techniques, etc, and includes the Annual Plan.  Take a few minutes to have a look at this – it is a potted version of how the Club is run and all the work that goes into making the Thursday nights, galas and presentation evenings happen!  It tells you what we are going to do and when we are going to do it.  Hopefully, we make it all look easy, but have a look at the plan and you will see what how it all comes together, and how things are planned months in advance!    Future events The Personal Survival courses will be run 8, 15, 22 & 29 June 2006.  We have got some great new sheets for the swimmers to work through, and these have the added bonus of being the sheets that the schools use to teach water safety in the National Curriculum for students around Year 5 & 6.  We will be handing out the homework on Week 1 of the course and it must be completed to the required standard and returned on Week 3.  Failure to provide the homework AND on time will mean that the swimmer will NOT pass the award, regardless of their practical assessment.  We need it back on Week 3 (or before if it is ready!) so that we can check it before the practical assessment on Week 4.      Some swimmers will be aiming for awards where they need extra clothing – if they forget to bring it, or it is not the right clothing (i.e. short sleeves or legs, when long ones are required), then they will not be assessed for the award.  This may seem a bit strict – but bear in mind that every week we have up to 120 swimmers, 100 of which are in the Main Pool – so we need the swimmers and families to help us out with this kind of stuff!   www.we-need-your-help! You may have seen some very quick surveys around recently, asking for your thoughts on a Club website.  Can you take 2 minutes to fill one of these out, please, even if you won’t use it, so that we can gauge the interest?  Thanks. Yours in sport, The Teaching team - Sue Smith (Head Teacher), Cathy Tuddenham, Lynn Stone, Sue White, Rachel Clifton, Tony Taylor, Rob McGregor, Paul Tuddenham, Ross Summers, Ben McGregor, Jordan Gibson, Jon Taylor, Darren Gambrill, Tony New, and the Committee of Broadstairs Lifeguard and Swimming Club