Safety Week Lesson Plan; 3 – 36 months
Lesson Plan Transitional & Prep
Lesson Plan Level 1
Lesson Plan Level 2
Lesson Plan Level 3
Lesson Plan Level 4
Swim Team Prep = Coaches Choice
Click Here for Skills Criteria 2024
Staff Reminders
Safety is always our number one concern! Please be aware that your students’ strength and endurance may be different while swimming with clothes. Also, when incorporating drop ins or backwards, please remember to practice these techniques carefully and follow the strategies in the videos as well as the two key tips below:
- When dropping in, do not swing the child back and forth or drop from above your head. It is simply a lift and drop, NOT A SWING AND TOSS! Also, the student must be dropped in FEET FIRST ONLY. Never head first and facing away from you!
- Students should ONLY be allowed to fall in backwards from a seated position! DO NOT DROP THE STUDENT IN BACKWARDS!
Deck Supervisor Level Recommendation Tips
Under the student skills, will be a skill set labeled “Spring 2025 Level x”. Enter a level recommendation under each student, even if they are absent that day. Example, for a level 2 class, the subskills to choose from will say either “I’m still practicing level 2” or “I’m ready to try level 3”. You will mark “attained” only next to the level you recommend this student enroll in. For Transitional students, there will be an option to select Swimstars Prep, which would be for 2 year olds, or Swimstars 1, which would be for 3 year olds. For Swimstars Prep students, there will be 3 different options. Please read these carefully and select the appropriate level for each student. You can choose from Swimstars Prep (2 year olds), Swimstars 1 (3 year olds), or Swimstars 2 (for those very advanced Swimstars Prep students). Skills have been added for Little Flippers and Swim Team Prep. Please try your best to check those off when you can.
Office Level Recommendation Tips
When viewing the student skills tab, you will locate the “Spring 2025” skill set. This will have 2 subskills for the level recommendation. If “I’m still practicing” is marked as attained, the child is recommended to continue in the same class level. If “I’m ready to try level x” is marked as attained, the child is recommended to try the next level.
Spring 2025 Portal Registration (Active Families Only) begins Saturday, November 16th at 9:00 am
Message for staff regarding Management Surveys
We’re reaching out today with some unfortunate news. The platform we use for manager evals has experienced a technical error and links are no longer functional as a result. Regrettably, the platform is unable to recover any previous submissions.
In light of this situation, we have decided to pause the evaluations for now. Your time is incredibly valuable and your feedback is equally as important to us. This pause will allow us to create new links and ensure the platform functions run smoothly moving forward.
Please watch for further communication from your Region Director or Director of Operations in November.
Thank you for your understanding during this time and we sincerely apologize for this turn of events.
NO SLIDES OR CANOES
STAY SAFE – Keep your head on a swivel. ALWAYS position yourself within arms reach of a non swimmer. Stay outside of the Box or with your Back to the Ropes. Keep your class in your line of sight at all times!
Listen for the Whistle
One short blast from the Deck Supervisor
Addresses Directional Teaching using Whistle Protocol
Two short blasts from an Instructor
Get the attention of the Deck Supervisor/Deck Assistant/Water Watcher
One long blast from the Deck Supervisor
EAP Activation – In the event the Deck Supervisor is unavailable and it is a life threatening emergency, this whistle may be blown by the instructor.
CLICK HERE FOR THE WHISTLE PROCESS
VALUABLE RESOURCES
DOOR GREETING (to be used each time a class is called in).
As we welcome our students today, please make sure they are standing on the appropriate dolphins. In addition, all swimmers under 4 years old MUST have the proper protective layers on to enter the pool. Either: A single layer Splashabout swim product OR a double layer of any other swim diapering product one of the layers MUST be non-disposable and Splash About products are available for purchase at the office.
LOBBY ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello and Welcome to Week 10 of our Fall Session!
My name is ____________ and I will be your deck supervisor.
This week we will be focusing on evaluating students to determine our best level estimation for the upcoming Spring Session.
The Spring Session is from January 28th – June 23rd, 2025 and is a 21 week commitment.
As an existing family, we will be offering you priority by allowing you to register for classes in your Parent Portal before the general public. Portal enrollment will begin on Saturday, November 16th at 9:00 am.
Level recommendations will be finalized by the end of the day on Monday, November 11th but if you have any questions on how to find your child’s level recommendation, please visit the office. Thank you!
Today, we have invited all of our students to come to class wearing clothes and shoes over their swimsuits and/or protective layers. Throughout those weeks, we will be practicing skills that will simulate an unexpected fall into the water. Often children become very comfortable in our controlled environment and we utilize our safety weeks as opportunities to guide to react if they entered the water without being prepared and/or feeling disoriented. We are hoping that by practicing these scenarios, our student’s will learn to stay calm and utilize the skills that they have developed to return to safety if they ever fell in.
WATER SAFETY FACTS
- More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.
- For children ages 5–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death.
- Often drowning happens when children were not intended to be in or near the water (during unplanned swim time).
- It is our greatest hope, that with our safety week practices, (including coming to class fully clothed and with shoes on), children will come to “expect the unexpected” and recover quickly and safely if they access the water unplanned.
PARENT REMINDERS
Thursday, November 28th – Sunday, December 1st, we will be closed for all lessons. A make-up has been added to your account if you typically swim those days and no further action is needed.
Did you know that we have an unlimited absence and makeup policy! Reporting your absence in the parent portal will ensure that your account is credited with an absence which you can use for a MAKEUP in another class that is not fully enrolled, has an absence already reported for the day or is a designated makeup class. Please report your absences ASAP so another family can take your spot!
If you are running late, please wait at the door in the center of the of the lobby and the Deck Supervisor will greet you and escort your students to class. Also, at the end of class, please remember to wait at or near exit doors for your swimmers. As a safety precaution, we cannot allow students to wander independently into the locker room, if we do not see a parent/guardian with them. Just give us a friendly wave to confirm if you are not right up front.
On deck showers are available and can be used for a quick rinse after class (no soap, shampoo, etc. please). However if you are showering in the locker room, please be mindful of others in the facility and limit your time spent in the shower and please no reserving showers. Thanks for your cooperation!
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WINCHESTER ONLY We ask that all customers please park in the YELLOW lined spots only. They do extend all the way around the building onto the other side of the pool. The white lined spots are for our neighbors across the street.