WISP - Winter Instructional Swim Program

WISP - Winter Instructional Swim Program Since 1985 volunteers have been working together to ensure the continued success of the WISP program. Children ages 4+ are eligible.

The primary goal is to give local youth the opportunity to participate in Red Cross swim lessons.

Since COVID the program has not run. After covid the first year the cost was going to be almost $250 per kid. Due to b...
11/08/2023

Since COVID the program has not run. After covid the first year the cost was going to be almost $250 per kid. Due to bussing increases and the pool fee increases. But now Artillery Park Pool has no space this year or next year as the demand for the pool has increased dramatically. So we can't even go there any more.

I am looking for other pool options for the 2024-25 year. If we can secure another pool I may have an organization willing to help us reduce the cost to make it more affordable.

I am open to suggestions and contacts.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected]

I want to make this happen again but the loss of the use of Artillery Park is a serious blow.

08/08/2021

Out of no where the results of swimming from 2019 came to my door hand delivered today.

I will get on this and start sending them out.

03/22/2021

Hope everyone is staying masked up and safe.

Updates

Report cards for 2019-2020 swim year are being mailed out to me this week. I should get them out to you ASAP once recieved. I will send PDF to email addresses provided to us at registration 2019.

2021-2020 swim program is under review. The Artillery Park pool is open but with significant restrictions. Currently levels 1-4 can only attend and be in the water with a parent or guardian. All lesson classes are 3-4 students per instructor and only 2-3 classes in any pool at any time.

As you can see this will greatly impact class sizes, bussing needs, and parent involvement.

For sure there will be fewer spots this year. This will affect the programs bussing. I am reviewing to see what this would do to the cost this year. This may put the program out of reach this year as well. I am working to see what can be done.

I am open to sugestions.

03/07/2021

I know many of you are awaiting you kids report cards. The Artillery park pool is still closed to many of the employees and the public as the full facilities are being used for a COVID homeless shelter. This is expected to continue until the COVID crisis ends.

Currently there are no swim lessons at any pool

I am watching the situation there and will get the report cards as soon as they are available.

I don't know what will be in store for this years swimming. It is quite predict and near impossible to fundraise when we don't know if there will be an appropriate facility to run WISP this year. I hope there will be.

Please everyone. Wear a mask... Stay safe.. And lets all get the vaccine when it becomes available.

Fingers crossed.

06/22/2020

Updated 2020-21 WISP swimming.

First, I hope that everyone is well during these difficult times. I am looking forward to this year's swim program if only to get out of the house and get our kids seeing each other again.

Last year's results from swimming and testing. These are still being worked on by the pool. This is because only one of the instructors is currently working. There are lots of changes going on there and so they will attempt to get us to these as soon as they can. Once I have them I will e-mail them out to parents directly.

Currently, Artillery Park Athletic Centre where we swim remains closed. The date for opening keeps changing. I will let you know as soon as I do when it is open. There are several new pool rules, recommendations, and regulations that are going to make this year's swim program very challenging. But here is where we are so far.
We are tentatively looking at dates from Jan 22 - March 12 with a snow date of March 18.

Fundraising will be very important this year as numbers of people in the pool at any given time are going to reduce. This means an increased cost per swimmer. We started to receive donations this year already but I am working with the bus company, the pool, and our insurance company to keep our costs down as low as possible.

As it stands right now. Red Cross is advising the following recommendations. Swim levels =< 4 have a parent or guardian in the water for every child. Classes level 5-10 will be permitted without a parent in the water under last year's lifeguard ratio rules. The pool has not made its final decision on this as of yet. This is, however, subject to change.

What does this mean for WISP?

1) This means more people on the bus as 70% of the swimmers will likely require a parent or guardian. Buses hold only 50 people so we will have limited seating as each swimmer from levels =< 4 will take up two spots.

2) Last year about 70% of our swimmers fell in the levels =< 4. So we will see fewer swimmers at any given time slot. Further reducing this number is the fact that so many will require a parent or guardian so I want to reduce the number of total people in the pool at any time as this was the biggest complaint from last year. (I have heard you and we will attempt to rectify that this year.)

3) The only way the program can work we will have to have two-time slot as in previous years. Once a bus is full then the other time slot will be the only option.

4) People who drive-in. Although not taking up a bus slot spots will still be limited.

5) It is still our goal to allow access to 80 students this year. But that is 50 - maybe 60 per time slot. We are working with the pool on this.

6) Costs.... I know this is on everyone's mind. Mine as well. I will not rais the costs this year as I know money everything is tight for everyone. So I am still aiming for $100 per swimmer for 8 lessons. It cost almost $120 per swimmer last year. (Partly due to cancelations and one-time slot costs were reduced if the full program had run cost would have been almost $150 per swimmer.) The cost will go up this year to almost $215 per swimmer due to restrictions for social distancing, increased costs most are insurance increases. So donations will be key.

Good News - We have had one significant donation already this year.
Donations. I want to thank the North Leeds Youth Coordinating Committee for this generous donation.

We have a goal of $9,000 in donations this year. (It is more than double last year.) Currently, we are almost halfway to that goal with just over $4500 in donations (Some leftover from last year and one from North Leeds Youth Coordinating Committee.) But I need some ideas on how we can rais money this year. Your assistance is vital.

Please feel free to email me with any questions. I can be reached at [email protected]

Be safe and enjoy the summer together with family.

03/19/2020

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you may be aware COVID-19 pandemic has shut down many City of Kingston non-essential functions, and that includes the Artillery Park Pool. As a result, I have come to the difficult decision, in the interest of safety for all volunteers, staff, and swimming participants, to close the Winter Instructional Swim Program (WISP) for this year.
Additionally, there is no provisions in our contract with Artillery Park Pool to extend the program past the 27th of March 2020 as this would start a backlog in the other programs scheduled and offered by Artillery Park.

I have been working with Artillery Park Pool in order to ensure final assessments of swimmers is provided this year. This year assessments have been an ongoing process that to some degree happened at each swimming session. As a result, we have seen some swimmers graduate to higher levels in their swimming lessons throughout the program. Currently, Artillery Park swim instructors are reviewing their notes on each student, which they have made each night, and they expect to make these report cards available shortly. Once they are completed, I will send them out electronically. However, this will not be a quick process as the pool will be closing to non-essential staff as well. However, I will begin forwarding the assessments as soon as I receive them.

I want to thank all the volunteers at this time for the outstanding work and assistance they provided to this year’s program. Without their help this would have been an impossible task. The following parents and student volunteers are:

Angela Handley
Brenda Gallimore
Cooper Phelan
Dawn Foley
Emily Hartley
Glen Breker
Jaycee Banks
Justeen Hunt
Leanne Gallant
Maryn Andre
Megan Hamilton-Browne
Michelle & Nick Brown
Monalisa Page
Scarlett Boucher
Shauna MacKinnon
Teri Sisson

Student volunteers who require sign off on volunteer hours please provide me with your forms and I will get that completed and sent back to you. You can send them as a PDF to my email address [email protected] or contact me through email for other arrangements. Again, I thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve this service for next year please contact me with your ideas. I am looking for assistance for next year to increase our funding, so fundraising ideas, so as to keep the cost of the program as low as possible for participants.

Thank you everyone for a great year.

Sincerely,

Jason Page
Coordinator WISP

IMPORTANT NOTICES

03/13/2020

Swimming is on for Friday 13 March. The program has been extended due to snow days to include 20 and 27 March.

02/28/2020

Swimming cancelled due to weather squall warnings today. More to follow

02/14/2020

If driving in to WISP please check in at the first round table in the pool lobby.

Due to last weeks weather cancellation the 20th of March 2020 will be used as a make up lesson date.

If a second cancellation should be required the 27th of March will be used a s a make up.

So currently WISP will end 20 March 2020.

Note. My internet and home phone has been down for the past 3+ days. I will get to any correspondence as soon as I have access back. This was a provider issue and unavoidable. Thank you for your patience.

02/07/2020

Swimming cancelled tonight due to weather. Due to weather today and no busses on the roads. Tonight's charter for swimming have been cancelled.

This swimming night will be made up for 20 March 2020.

02/01/2020

Great night. Busses have left on time.

Thanks to volunteers for there help tonight.

See you all next week.

01/31/2020

With implemented changes this evenings classes running very smoothly. I will post when busses leave the pool.

Address

Lansdowne, ON

Telephone

+16139235777

Website

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