Report Card Chart &

Report Cards

⚠️REPORT CARD PROCEDURE REMINDER⚠️

First Lesson Report Card Procedure

You will not collect past physical report cards from your students. Once a student has established a digital report card with us, you can consult the Coach Portal to see their level.

If a parent brings in a physical report card, do not keep it - it should go home with the parent.

When no digital Swim Fins report card exists, please assess them using our assessment, and place them in the corresponding Swim Fins level. See the Swim Fins Curriculum for details.

We are looking for success, we always want every kid to pass through a level on their first session.

For example: If you assess a child at Swim Level 9, but then you realize oops, they can’t do Eggbeater on back (5m), instead of not passing them through Swim Level 9, drop them down to Swim Level 8 for their report card, provided they can do Eggbeater on back (2m). If not, then drop them down to Swim Level 7, provided they can do Eggbeater on back with belt (2m), etc. Keep dropping them down until they reach a level that they can pass everything, then pass them through that for the session.

Make sure to customize your lesson plans so that you focus on the skills they can’t do, and maintain the skills they can do.

Filling out the Report Card Chart

Please click here to listen to Clo’s recorded seminar on how to do your report card chart and how to assess. This is also found in the Tutorial Videos menu at the top of this website. Please disregard the part about making report cards as that information is outdated.

The Report Card Chart can be found in the black filing bin, or in the "More" menu at the top of this website, under Report Card Paperwork. Use one per day, per school, and make sure to label it with your name, the school, and the day it's for; don't combine schools or days.

It is important to note that all of your report cards are due to 100% two weeks before the end of the session.

Remember to fill out all sections of the report card chart including the last column where you are guessing if kids will complete or incomplete by the final day of classes based on what you have seen so far. Re-assess swimmers using our Assessment and decide what level you think they can get through by the final day of the session.

If you need a refresher on how to fill out report cards in the Coach Portal, please refer to the Coach Portal Tutorial: Swim Fins Report Cards page.

Creating Report Cards

We have pre-written report card comments that you should copy and paste onto students' report cards. You can find them here.

You are welcome to write your own comments; however, they must follow the 🥪sandwich approach:

- 🍞Something positive
- 🥓🥬🍅Something to work on
- 🍞Something positive

⚠️You are no longer handing out report card letters to parents - these will be sent digitally. However, there is a copy for you to reference here if you need it.

Gauging Level Progression

Coaches can sometimes pass kids through levels that are too advanced for them (i.e. progression is too fast).

Think of level progression in this way: if a kid swims with us for one year, we need to pass them through three levels by the end of the year (approximately one level per session):
1. Winter
2. Spring
3. Fall

Child Not Completing Their Level

It's okay if a child doesn't complete their level by the end of the session, but you will need to talk to the parent. On your chart, it should say "incomplete; however, talked to parent."
When talking to the parent, let them know that based on your first day assessment and what you have seen, and what the skills are for the level their child is trying to complete, it may not be possible to complete the level this session because the level is quite difficult. But, say it is very common for kids to need to repeat this level a couple of times. If they have time to take their child to the pool and practice, this would help, but if no time, no worries. Give homework weekly if they seem interested, i.e. kicking homework, holding breath etc.
On their report card: don’t tick off every box – leave at least half unchecked (especially the ones for front and back skills).

🤔What if a Kid Swims Twice per Week with Two Different Coaches?

This is uncommon, but if a kid swims twice per week with two different coaches, whichever coach sees the child last for the session (so whichever one teaches closest to the last day of the session) should be the one updating the report card.

That being said, please reach out to the other coach who shares the child with you and cooperate when making the report card to ensure you’re both on the same page.

DISCUSSING REPORT CARDS

We announce the report cards online in the second last week of the program so we can make sure we catch an opportunity to talk to all the students and parents, in case they are sick or away for one of the last two weeks.

At the beginning of the class: tell the parents to come back five minutes earlier that day so there is time to discuss report cards.

At the end of class:
1. With the kids:
  - Get out ten minutes early.
  - Wrap the kids in their towels.
  - Sit in a circle for five minutes with the kids and go over their Report Cards with them each individually, telling them what they did well, and what they need to work on (🥪!) for the Spring.
  - Give them a high five or fist bump and tell them how proud you are.
2. With the parents:
  - Tell them that you’re proud of their child.
  - Tell them that they completed their level, and what their next level will be.
  - Give them feedback on what you would like to focus on (kicks are always a good one if you’re stuck).
  - Let them ask questions.

If a child does not complete their level, focus on the positives and discuss how well they did and what they improved upon (🥪!), but that this level is very tough and lots of kids need more time in this level.
- Give the parents homework to help.

If a parent is unhappy with the kids’ level, just do what they want. If that means moving them up one level and updating the report card to reflect that, then do it. There’s no point arguing.

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