June 2007

NEWSLETTER JUNE 2007

Dear swimmers, parents and carers,

Here’s the latest round-up of news and dates for your diary.

Annual General Meeting

This was held at Bradgate Caravan Park a couple of weeks ago.  We would like to welcome two new Committee members – Louise English and Emma Warren.  We would also like to extend our warmest appreciation to Emma Kemp and Eric Woodin, who have stood down from the Committee after helping the Club for some time.  We look forward to another happy and successful year teaching your children to swim – any offers of help are always appreciated, no matter how small the job! 

Logo competition

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the logo competition is the entry by Maria Steffanini!  Maria wins £30 of high street vouchers of her choice.  The other entries from Alice Price, Lily Price, Lucy Kear, Sophia Steffanini and Gruff Howatson-Jones were all of such a good standard that we have decided to give each of them the age group prize of £10!  Thank you, congratulations and well done!  The new logo will be on a newsletter near you in the near future.  

Parent Liaison Officers

We have a few people in Reception who are you first point of contact with any queries – Meryl, Jane Pond, Emma Kemp, Louise English and Emma Warren.  If they don’t know the answer to your question, they will find someone that does!  We will obtain some badges for our PLOs, so that it makes it easier to see who is who.

Newsletters

We are aware that some parents are still not receiving these newsletters, despite us making them readily available in reception!  If you would prefer to receive them via email direct to your mailbox, please let us now at broadstairslifeguardandswimming@tesco.net, or of course, you can check the new website!

www.broadstairslifeguardandswimming.com

Subs increase

There are a few odd subs that are in arrears from the rise in January.  We would like these paid up urgently so that we can balance the books and pay the bills.  Please check with our Treasurer that your subs are up to date.  Remember that your child is not covered by the Club’s insurance if subs are late. 

Personal Survival

This year’s course starts tonight (7 June).  Here are just a couple of reminders:

Ø      The swimmers will need to keep hold of their homework sheet for the first 3 weeks of the course, and hand them in at the end of session 3 on 21 June.

Ø      Each session on poolside will provide the swimmers with a bit more knowledge to complete the questions – so they will need to listen closely, think about what they are being told and write the answers on their homework sheet after each session!

Ø      The award is in two parts – theory and practical.  The group teacher must be satisfied that each and every swimmer has understood the information, and is capable of the practical side.  We won’t pass a swimmer if we are not sure that they know their stuff, for their own safety.

Ø      No homework = no award!

Ø      The swimmer must have the correct kit for their award.  This is important as if they have short sleeves or trouser legs instead of long, for instance, in some of the awards, we cannot pass them.

Ø      We will be handing out copies of the Water Safety Code and other information to each swimmer – please return them after the course, for next year.

Ø      The Club website has LOTS of information!  Look at the Download page for info sheets, quizzes, etc

Ø      The children are welcome to collect info from the internet, under your supervision.  Try the Royal Life Saving Society website for starters!

Help needed

We are always on the look out for a parent or two from the 9.00 group to pack and close the cupboard for us.  This is a 5 minute job at the end of the night when the teachers have just about had it!  Please offer to help if you are one of the parents out in reception.  Thanks.

Broadstairs Water Gala, 22 August

We are invited every year to organise the swimming races, and this year is no exception.  If you feel you can spare s bit of time for this, please talk to Sheila.

Broadstairs and St Peters Town Council

We are delighted to say that we have been awarded a grant from the above organisation for the second year in a row.  This money will be used to pay for training courses for new teachers and for 'refresher' courses for the Teachers that are already qualified.  We are appreciative of this help from a local group.  Thank you.

Masters swimmers

The small but perfectly formed Masters branch of the Club (swimmers aged 25+) took part in the recent East Invicta competition at Kings School in Canterbury.  The team of 9 came a very creditable 4^th and picked up a whole host of personal best performances and medals!  See the Masters section of the website for more details, & if you are interested in joining in the fun, please talk to Sue White. 

National Plan for Teaching Swimming

There is a new poster in reception showing which swimmers passed their NPTS Level recently.  The new courses start on July 5, after the Personal Survival finishes.

Waiting list

We currently have a waiting list for most of the groups from Level 1 to Level 8.  However, this list moves all the time!  If you have another child that would like to join us, or if someone you know is asking for more information, the membership application form is available as a downloadable form on the website:

www.broadstairslifeguardandswimming.com

Completed forms should be handed to Meryl at reception.  Sue Smith or Sue White will then contact you with a date for a trial. 

 We hope you like this new format – tell us if you agree!

Yours in sport,

The current teaching team

Sue Smith (Head Teacher), Cathy Tuddenham, Sue White, Rachel Clifton, Tony Taylor, Ross Summers, Darren Gambrill, Tony New

and the Committee of

Broadstairs Lifeguard and Swimming Club