Levels





	DIPPER SWIM MEETS NEXT ONE IS September 2009 Open to all Dipper members. All swimmers who get in and participate win! Our instructors provide a loving and encouraging Dipper swim meet environment to get your child even more excited about swimming and their accomplishments. All levels are closely supervised and every participant receives a ribbon or certificate. Upcoming Little Dipper meet dates, times and locations will be sent out from our mailing list . "SWIM ON!" Quote from Jamie La Pierre Mom to Dylan and Devon "You can't put a limit on anything. the more you dream, the farther you get." - Michael Phelps, 8-time Olympic Medallist Level Description LEVEL RIBBON DESCRIPTION/ Ribbons are awarded once the level is completed Starfish Yellow Starfish Blue Starfish The child has an adult (parent or other) in the water with him/her at all times. This class includes an introduction to water safety and primary water skills with song and repetition. The main skills learned in this level back floating alone to 10 count, submersion blowing bubbles, rollover to take a breath alone and of course water play in a fun, family environment. Silver Starfish The student gets the extra attention they need at this age and ease the transition from swimming with a parent to swimming with an Instructor in a semi private setting 2:1 ratio. At this point the student has mastered: sitting on the steps waiting for a turn, floating with little assistance, kicking out 5-10 feet rolling to take a breath with help. Super Stars AKA "Little Dipper Grad" Student must be able to rollover and catch a breath unassisted. We focus on calm, comfortable swimmers who are independent on their stomachs and their backs. These Little Dipper swimmers are AMAZING at just swimmers years they can usually swim the length of a pool, rolling to take a breath unassisted! Tadpole "Hands on" Introduction to the basic skills necessary for swimming. Perfect for nervous students or very beginners. We work on comfortable submersion, back float with help, and building great attitudes...building confidence is the KEY in this level. Goldfish Student must be comfortable underwater, but have not yet caught a breath on their own. We work on rollover breathing, back float with and independence in the water. These swimmers are no longer tadpoles as they have built up the confidence to take off!!! This is a HUGE milestone~ Otter Student must be able to rollover and catch a breath unassisted. We focus on calm, comfortable swimmers who are independent on their stomachs and their backs. At this level arms are introduced to Freestyle and elementary back stroke. Endurance is now the next step! Dolphins These swimmers are very comfortable on their backs and able to work the width of the pool. We focus on big-arm freestyle with side breathing, back stroke and breast stroke are now introduced!!! Swordfish At this point students have a solid freestyle and backstroke! Now its time to introduce butterfly stroke! We focus on all four strokes and endurance. This is a group hour long class. Sharks AMAZING!!! Sharks are ready for anything... the main focus is now on refining the four competitive strokes and introduce pace work. We also work on multiple individual medleys with correct strokes and turns. (most swimmers in this level are under age 8) BIG DIPPER PROGRAM! 9-99 years old we can give you private lessons to get you up and moving in the water! LESSONS Classes are grouped by ability and age, students of all ages benifit from our small class size with attention aimed toward the swimmers idividual needs. Our program offers Private, semi private, small group lessons. The membership fee on the schedule is per student, since classes is broken into length of time per class the rates cover all of these classes per session. Class time and ratios are perfect for young students learning new skills, especially when learning how to swim. As swimming is a combination of fine motor skills, static movements and coordination. Children's attention spans are highly variable and range from 3 to 5 minutes per year of age in young children, to a maximum of around 20 minutes in adults. Most seasoned educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus one's attention on a task while learning a new skill is crucial for the achievement of one's goals. Private Lessons Private lessons are available for any age group or level. Class ratio is one instructor and one student for 15 or 30 min once a week. Private lessons are perfect for the student that needs some personal attention and help with fear and or special needs. Private classes also minimize distractions for younger first time students and help get them comfortable in the water. Private lessons are also perfect for the Big Dipper swimmer. Semi Private Lessons Semi-private lessons are perfect for students that have learned basic skills and allows for them to relate to a swim buddy in their level. This class is a 2:1 ratio, the class size is small enough to give each student personalized attention. Students are paied up with their swim buddy depending on age and ability or mixed siblings class to help with commute and busy schedules. Class is set up so that each student has time to rotate turns so that they can observe one another with visual learning as well. This class is gearing up to have them be in a more advanced longer class with more students to evenually do endurance work. Group Lessons Group lessons are grouped with ratio of 5:1 for Intermeiate/Advanced students once a week for an hour and 7:1 ratio for hour long baby classes. Students are grouped by level and age most students are Little Dipper Grads and have been swimming year round since a young age. In this class students are getting adjusted to learning all four stroke techniques and proper breath control. Group classes are designed for intermediate/ Advanved students ONLY (except the hour long baby class) and all students that enter into an hours must have the okay from their current instructor. Students must be 4 years of age and passed the Sea Otter class. Students over the age of 7 years are grouped in our Shark stroke clinic class. Parent & Me Lessons Parent & Me lessons are booked in the morning hours or weekends due to nap schedules. The instructor will guide parents through a routine that is repeated week after week building on skills advancing the students individually due to age and motor development. Skills build with repition, song and movement. Students progress individually and when ready move into a private class or semi priavte class around the age of 2.5 years graduating up without a parent. We have different levels of this class please look at our Star Fish levels for more information.


	littledipperswimschool@yahoo.com (925) 932-5861 office line (925) 932-5329 fax line