May 2007

NEWSLETTER MAY 2007

Dear swimmers, parents and carers,

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

Annual General Meeting

This will be held at Bradgate Caravan Park on 15 May 2007 at 7.30pm.  Please make every effort to come.  As a gesture of goodwill, the Club will buy you a free coffee or drink if you come along! 

We are always on the look out for new Committee members.  These are parents or carers, just like you, who attend meetings every 8 weeks or so, are able to listen to new issues with an open mind, contribute to a discussion, and make collective decisions with the rest of the Committee.  There are sometimes jobs to do, maybe as timekeeper at the gala, or produce a poster, for instance – none of it is rocket science!  If this sounds like something you can do, and you would have a clear Police check, please speak to the Secretary, Meryl, who will give you a slip to complete for your nomination. 

The Club is run entirely by unpaid volunteers for 50 weeks of the year, with hundreds of hours of ‘free’ time given – this is your time to give us an hour in return by coming to the AGM.  We need your support and would like to see some recognition of the time that we give.  You don’t need to do anything except listen and vote – easy as that!   

Changing room behaviour

We occasionally receive complaints from the lifeguards or duty managers about our swimmers in the changing rooms once their lesson has finished.  Some of these incidents have included wetting toilet roll and throwing it around the changing room, damaging things or leaving the changing rooms or toilets in a poor state, for instance.  This is seen by the staff at the pool as criminal damage and are within their rights to call the police for incidents such as this.  This puts the Club and its volunteer staff in an unwelcome position.  We have expectations that the swimmers treat themselves, other people and the building with respect.   If incidents like this are brought to the Club’s attention, action will be taken. 

This is a reminder that swimmers and siblings are the responsibility of their parent, carer or adult representative when they are in the changing rooms, corridor or reception.  The Club does not and will not accept any responsibility for the behaviour or safety of the members in these areas, only when they are poolside. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

Subs increase

As you know, the subs went up recently, but unfortunately the banks and building societies aren’t always as quick on the uptake as we would like!  At the moment, the Club is owed over £200 in missed or late subs, lots of which are just the odd £1 or £2 increase.  Please make a point of checking with the Treasurer, Chalkie, that your subs are up to date.  Remember that your child is not covered by the Club’s insurance if subs are late. 

Website

We have launched our new website, as below:

www.broadstairslifeguardandswimming.com

At the moment there is some basic information, with various things being added as we go along, so give us a few weeks for it to be more or less complete!  Please let us know if there is something that you would like to be included that is different to our usual info. 

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!

Wanted – new logo!

We are looking for a new Club logo, something that is more dynamic that the present one!  We are looking for a fresh, clear logo that will look good in black and white or colour.  It will be used on our letterheads, posters, website, t-shirts, etc.  See the separate flyer for more details.    

Personal Survival

It’s almost that time of year again, so try to find the old pyjamas that the children have grown out of to wear in the water!  The Main Pool course starts on 8 June for 4 weeks.  A poster will be out soon showing who is doing which award.  Please keep on the look out for more information.  We took on the feedback from last year’s homework, and have streamlined it. 

Ø      This year, the homework sheets will come out on or just before the first week of the course. 

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

Gala – Saturday 17 November 2007, 1815hrs warm up, 1830hrs start

That’s it in a nutshell!  Gala entry will be open for 4 weeks from 6 September – late entries will NOT be accepted without prior permission from Sue White.  Hopefully the entry form will be on the website by then, but if not, paper copies will be available.

All swimmers are welcome to take part, but it is not compulsory!  Remember that some swimmers may be selected by their Bay Captain to swim in the team relay – exciting stuff!  

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