Dear Parents and Caregivers,
School Swimming is an essential component of the Health and PE programme and is scheduled to start in Week 2 of Term 2. Students will be attending eight swimming and water safety sessions at Moana Pool.
We have been tracking data since 2016 and have had similarly concerning statistics over this time. Generally, less than 50% of our students are assessed annually as being able to swim at an age-appropriate level (and so a potentially life saving level) so participation in the programme is really important.
All students present at school are expected to participate in swimming. The only non-swimmers we can cater for are children in plaster/fibreglass casts or with medical certificates. If your child is simply unwell or unable to participate in swimming (which is the bulk of the regular school programme on that day) then we ask that you organise care for them. We do not take non-swimmers to the pool as this becomes a supervision issue and we do not have capacity to look after students back at school who are not participating in the school programme so home is the best place for them.
COST
Swimming is a compulsory aspect of the school programme and as such can not be a compulsory charge. This said, we could not run the programme without a whanau contribution and we have done our best to keep the cost as low as possible. The total subsidised cost per child for the eight Moana Pool sessions and school swimming sports is $60 and this is significantly less than a term of private swimming lessons. This includes admission, lessons and transport to and from the pool.
The cost will therefore come up on the statement as a donation and we ask that you contribute what you can to ensure that we can continue to offer a swimming programme.
TIMES
Sessions are at different times/days for different classes. A timetable is included below:
Huruwhenua (Rooms 1, 3, 8, TIK) - Mondays in Term 2 from 10:20 am - 12:50 pm, starting Monday 5 May. No lessons on Monday 2 June due to King's Birthday (made up on Tuesday 3 June).
Tokomanawa (Rooms 10, 11, 13, 14) - Wednesdays in Term 2 from 9:00 am - 11:30 am, starting Wednesday 7 May. Note buses leave at 9 am so students need to be at school on time.
Poutama (Rooms 4, 6, 7, 16) - Wednesdays in Term 2 from 10:20 am - 12:50 pm starting Wednesday 7 May.
There will also be a School Swimming Sports day held on Friday 27 June from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. More details on this event will follow in Term 2.
EQUIPMENT
Students will need to bring their togs, towels and goggles (essential) to school on swimming days.
We strongly recommend that you set an alarm on your phone for the night before swimming for all of Term 2. If students forget their gear we try to get in touch with you, but this is time-intensive (for us and for you). We have a small supply of gear that we can loan students, and if that does not fit then we hire it for them at the pool, but this cost is passed back to you, so it’s important that students have a routine that allows them to remember their gear.
PARENT HELP
As per our Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) policy we require at least one adult to every eight children (around water) and so we do require parent/grandparent/caregiver (any available adult!) assistance. You do not need to get in the water, but rather watch swimmers in the water and alert the lifeguards to any children in need of assistance. If you do have water safety experience however, please make this known as we may be able to use your skills.
You can book yourself in at this link: Swimming help 2025. We will then be in touch with further details. If you can’t access the link try a computer rather than a phone, or email your child’s teacher directly.
If your child has particular issues or challenges around swimming/water in general (eg has a fear of the water or cannot swim at all), please contact your child’s teacher before the start of the term (April 28) so we can ensure they have the best and safest experience possible.
We are also aware that menstruation can be challenging for girls at this age. Please communicate directly with the homeroom teacher if this is presenting a challenge on given weeks.
We have booked a session on the hydroslide for the last week of swimming. We are going to use this as an opportunity to really promote regular attendance at swimming, and students will need to have attended at least 5 out of 8 sessions in order to access the hydro slide on this session.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Toni at sports@dni.school.nz
Copyright © *2025*