BACK TO (SWIM) SCHOOL

September 1, 2017

Fall at LPB is typically our busiest time of year. We are welcoming back our students who took breaks for the summer, adjusting the schedules of our staff who are students themselves, and gearing up for all of the exciting events that comes with the change of seasons (HMB’s Pumpkin Fest, SF’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and Halloween are some of our favorites). Be sure to check our Calendar for upcoming closures.

It is not uncommon for students to acquire additional swim skills during the summer. If your child did a lot of swimming and you think they may need to be reassessed, please speak with one of our Deck Supports or a member of our booking team. We can schedule a paid trial to see if a stronger class is suitable or have your student be assessed in their current class.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, a handful of children come back to us each fall having experienced a distressing situation around water. In these cases, it is incredibly important for parents to give their teacher a heads up (through the Parent/Teacher Communication Form) about what happened and how your child is coping with the results. From there, you and your teacher can work together to find out the best plan of action to help your child feel comfortable around the water again.

With the changing of seasons comes the changing of schedules. Some students have to switch out of their beloved teacher’s class to start preschool. And some teachers have to switch out of their beloved student’s class to start college. As parents, we know that this can be a stressful time of year for our children, especially the school-aged ones.

Resuming the school-year routine definitely takes some getting used to, and we often see the results at the pool. It is not uncommon for our swimmers to be extra tired, emotional or overwhelmed when they arrive for their lesson. Fortunately for them, one of our main teaching concepts is compassion. Our teachers understand that kids are dealing with a lot this time of year, and we’re all prepared to work with them in ways that demonstrate patience, compassion, and fun!

Our teachers will always make building relationships with their students a priority. We know that we get the most out of our little fish when they feel safe and trust their teachers. Whether with a new teacher or not, you may see your students reviewing skills they have previously achieved in order to further forge this bond. Rest assured, they will continue to work toward their next sticker or ribbon. If you have any concerns or feedback about the summer you would like to pass on to your child’s teacher, please complete a Parent/Teacher Communication Form.

Finally, our Swimformation and Booking Departments are especially busy this time of year. We appreciate our customer’s patience when waiting for return phone calls. Remember that you can request a class via our Parent Portal or use our Live Chat feature to complete your child’s enrollment in both regular classes and Splash & Dash (drop-in) lessons. Sometimes multiple schedule changes result in a class opening up completely. Our Deck Supports and Directors on Duty will be working together to see if there are ways to merge compatible classes, which allows us to create needed space for toddlers transitioning to “big kid” classes, among others.