WELCOME TO OUR AQUATOTS AUTUMN TERM 2009 NEWSLETTER.
Some of you may remember the printed newsletters we used to publish every term and send to our swimmers, well now the newsletter is back and better than ever before, in a more compact version.
We will be producing these newsletters, each and every term, around the half term break. We have re-introduced the newsletter after many request from swimmers who have wished to be informed of activites and news of the up-coming events in the world of Aquatots. We do hope you find our first completely digital publication, both exciting and interesting.
As you read through the newsletter you will come across lots words in baby blue. These are links to pages on our website, where you can find out lots of exciting information that will help you. Have fun!
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Hello Everyone!
I hop
e you are all having a wonderful Autumn Swim Term. Autumn is an exciting time of year for children. The crunchy leaves and the wonderful colours of the 'Fall'. The mystic of Halloween, promptly followed by the sheer wonder of Guy Fawkes and amazement of firework night. All before the run up to Christmas. A quick note to all Aquatots Dad's (including my own husband), be careful and safe when handling fireworks.
It's wonderful to be able to talk to you all through our new E-Newsletter. A big thank you to all the office staff, especially Peter Collard, for preparing and getting the Autumn Term copy ready. Aquatots has a very dedicated team providing you with the best available training system and service. The Aquatots team is growing all the time and at present consists of 34 teachers delivering our 21 level swim program to over 2000 families at 28 Aquatots pools. The instructors are supported behind the scenes by 5 Administrators located at our head office in South Croydon. Have a look at the website and allow the team to introduce themselves.
The entire team take great pride in welcoming you and your baby/child to continue your swimming education with Aquatots long into the future. We are committed to providing you with the foremost swimming system and water confidence program that is both progressive and fun. Swimming your children is providing them with a 'Gift for Life'. We would like to use this opportunity to thank you all our swimmers for swimming with Aquatots!
Please take the time to read the important imformation about re-booking for the winter term below. Due to the postal strike it is different from previous terms.
I hope everyone is enjoying the term so far, and the second half is as enjoyable with your little one making great progress on their swimming skills.
CHANGE TO OFFICE HOURS
As part of out plans to constantly improve the services we offer to our swimmers, the office hours have changed. The office is now open on Monday - Friday from 09:30 to 17:00. We do hope this extra 30 minutes at the end of the day will mean we can help with your queries at a time which is suitable for some of you.
Just as an extra reminder, we will soon be going into our re-booking period for the Winter 2010 term commencing from Monday the 11th January. During this time the office phones are very busy so if you ring and unfortunately can't get through please call back later. Your call is important to us, so please do call back or e-mail us on info@aquatots.com. Remember your instructor will be able to answer most queries regarding your class time, term dates and level at the poolside. We have a dedicated team in our office who will strive to assist you with your query. Meet the office team
AQUATOTS WEBSITE
Here at Aquatots we are going to be using our wonderful website to communicate with our swimmers a lot more than we have even done so in the past. Obviously we will now be having our termly newsletter posted on www.aquatots.com
To add to our service we are now broadcasting news about the pools under our Latest News and Pool News sections. If we are aware in advance of changes to your scheduled pool dates and times we will be posting messages there for your convinience. In the event of last minute cancellations or changes we will still be texting you so please always do please always check your mobile phones before leaving each week for your swimming lessons.
Why not have a look at the exciting news about our Whyteleafe pool, and find out why Ultan donned his SCUBA Diving kit a few weeks back! Find out more....
RE-BOOKING FOR THE WINTER TERM 2010
The Booking period for the next term commencing in January is fast approaching.
The booking deadline is set as Tuesday 1st December. Please book within this date to secure your provisionally held space for the January term. If you book after this, you risk loosing your space to someone else. Please hand your booking documents to your Instructor by hand at your pool site and avoid posting it. If you wish to print your booking forms click here, and then take to your instructor at the pool.
AquaMail - Help us to beat the postal strike and to keep swimming
To help ensure all of our children remain swimming next term due to delayed and lost post. We need your help to ensure that our booking forms reach the office safely and efficiently in time for the1st December re-booking deadline.
We are therefore requesting that our swimmers join with us to help ensure our booking systems into the winter term run smoothly with no disappointed customers missing class and or slots being made unavailable due to delayed or missing booking letters to and from the aquatots office. All booking letters should threfore be returned to Aquatots by hand only, directly to your Instructor at your pool site and within 1st December.
We are all working together to combat the postal strike, demonstrating the Dunkirk spirit with the resolution and determination of our predecessors to meet our very own D-Day (deadline or delivery day). Read Full article posted on Aquatots website.
2010 TERM DATES
We are fast approaching 2010 so we have posted our new term dates for you on the website, simply click here to view them. Please note the dates are only provisional and may change over the course of the year, and we will update changes on the website as and when they happen.
AUTUMN 2009 TERM BOOKING FIGURE
We would like to say a big thank you to all our swimmers who have again booked with Aqautots. We are once again swimming over 2000 families each and every week. We would like to say a big splash happy hello to our 360 new level 1 swimmers, who are now all enjoying thier Ducklings course and doing their first submersions. We also want to say another huge thank you to those swimmers who re-booked onto their course from the summer term. We have had over 80% of our summer term swimmers booking into this term. These amazing figures are only acheivable with your support. Thank you all very much, we hope you are enjoying your autumn swimming term to.
POOL NEWS
Aquatots now have 27 pools and swim centres running classes every week. We are always looking for more pools to join us. This term we have found a new pool in Longfield, Kent where from January 2010, we will be hopefully offering level 1 classes. This is a brand new hydro-therapy pool offering fantastic facilities, located in a school we hope to fill with tots swimming.
Aquatots are also negotiating for several new pool sites to hopefully use from April; in Charlton in London, in East Grinstead in Surrey and in Petts Wood and possibly also Sidcup in Kent.
We desperately need more warm pools with ample parking. If you have any friends or family with an indoor swimming pool please ask them to contact us to discuss the possibilty and benefits of pool hire, or if you have any other pool tip at all for us please let us know. Click here for your free terms swimming. If Aquatots succesfully aquire a new pool venue as a result of your pool tip, you will recieve an entire terms free swimming.
Sunbury Pool Swimmers
We would like to use this oppertunity to say a big thank you to all of our Sunbury swimmers for their understanding, patinece and willingness to temporarily move to Wocestser Park whilst the pool, plant room and broken filter is being refurbished.
Whyteleafe Pool Swimmers
A big apology to all Whyteleafe swimmers who have been experiencing problems with the new environmental heating system installed at this very popular venue. We understand the frustration whilst the new pool plant is being adjusted. A bigger boiler has been installed and everyone did their utmost to resolve the cooler water problems experienced last month. The water temperature is now lovely and warm again and measures between 33-34'c.
If you are looking for a more local pool, moving up to a higher level pool or have a family or friend that would like to join, but you ndon't know where we run lessons then please have a look. Aquatots near you!
AUTUMN TERM PHOTOSFor those of you on levels 1,2,5,9,13 and 17 you will have the oppourtunity to have your underwater photos taken on week seven of your term. For further details click here.
Aquatots swimmers with current photo membership, you will receive these as part of your membership. For more information on the Aquatots membership and its benefits please cilck here.
Please note, Aquatots offer an exclusive opportunity to have your photos taken within your class time whilst attending swim levels 1,2,5,9,13 and 17. The photos taken in the pool sessions are designed at particular levels to capture the changes you will see in your child as they develop from baby thourgh to young children. We have designed this in house system over the years to meet customer demands and requests, not to have to pay huge sitting fees and extra monies just to be able to have underwater photos. We have in the past, operated these extra independant photo sessions and responded to customer demands to have the session within class time and at their regular pool site. When you attend these swim levels,1,2,5,9,13 and 17, the training program is adapted to incorporate the photo session. There fore on swim levels 1,2,5,9,13 and 17, your term consists of 8 training sessions and one photography session. I hope this helps to explain any queries regarding the number of training session in the term levels that contain photo days.
AQUATOTS INSTRUCTOR NEWS
If you are interested in finding out more about the Aquatots Instructor Development Course then please follow this link to a potentially new exciting and rewarding career. Your new career could just be a click away. Aquatots Instructor Developement Course
One of our longest serving Aquatots teachers has recently got married! We would like to say congratulations to Jane Ing (formerly Rhoods) and her new husband Paul who got married in August. We wish you all the very best for the future and hope you have many happy years together.
Aquatots have a dedicated team of 34 instructors teaching 7 days a week. Click here to find out who teaches where and when.
RECORD BREAKERS
We at Aquatots are always so proud to hear how everybody is getting on. As many of the higher levels are aware, from level 13 we have days of the term set aside for distance swims. If you child swims a distance and it beats one of our old records we want to know about it. Find out how some of our swimmers have got on so far. Aquatots Hall of Fame
As you are all aware our children have different levels of abilites, so if your little one has not quite reached the goals of some of these stars don't be down, remember they are probably well ahead of most children their age.
AQUATOTS MERCHANDISE
Don't forge
t that your Aquatots teacher has lots of merchandise available to you at the poolside. Why not treat your little one to a new pair of the super soft Aquasphere googles, or maybe even an Aquatots wetsuit. With christmas fast approaching why not buy them something they can use and enjoy everyweek when they are swimming. And when grandparents ask what they could get the little ones for Christmas don't forget we do our AquaVouchers! We have gift vouchers to the value of £25, £50 or even £112.50 which can be used to pay partly or fully for their up-coming terms! For more information on these products talk with your instructor or contact the office.
NEW SEA-DOO UNDERWATER SCOOTERS
For those of you in the higher levels 15-21 we have some exciting news. Aquatots have just received 6 brand new AquaRanger underwater scooters. These new scooters are not only faster than the Dolphin model, but have a longer battery life as well meaning more time zooming around underwater. These new scooters will be distributed out to the instructors as this and the next term progresses so watch out for them from levels 15 onwards.
CONTACT DETAILS
If you ever want to contact us here at Aquatots all of our details are available on our website under the Contact Us tab to the far right of the screen. No matter how trivial your question or comments may seem we want to hear from you. Aquatots are always looking for ways to improve our pools and lessons so if you do have feedback let us know and we can continue to improve our service to you. contact us
ENJOY THE REMAINDER OF YOUR TERM
We hope you have enjoyed reading the first ever Aquatots online newsletter, and you are looking forward to issue number 2.
If you feel we could improve this in anyway, or even add more information then e-mail in to us at peter.collard@aquatots.com and we shall look into this.
All that is left to say is enjoy the rest of you term and we would like to take this oppourtunity to thank you for swimming with us in 2009. We wish you a rather early Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010.
Thank you once again from all the team @ Aquatots
