Camp 101: Communicating With Your Camper This Summer
May 1, 2015
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Dear Camp Parents, This week we’d like to talk about sending mail, telephoning and emailing your campers while they are at Camp. Please read over the information below carefully, and we ask that you pay particular attention to our NEW 2015 PACKAGE POLICY. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions! Warmly, |
Kelly Severs
Office Manager
Email kelly@kenwood-evergreen.com or call 781-793-0091
PACKAGES & MAIL
OUR NEW 2015 PACKAGE POLICY
NO PACKAGES PLEASE!
In recent years (particularly with the increased popularity of services like Amazon.com), the number of packages sent to Camp has increased beyond manageable levels, and campers’ valuable free time has often been spent waiting in line to receive a package.
WE WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTING ANY PACKAGES* FOR CAMPERS AT CAMP
*A package is anything bigger than a 9″ x 12″ flat envelope
SO WHAT CAN I SEND?MAIL!Your children cherish postcards, cards and letters! Please write early and often. A letter waiting for them at Camp when they arrive is particularly nice. You may also want to pre-address some envelopes and cards for your children to write back to you. When writing to your campers, the mailing address is: Your Child’s Name & Bunk Camp Kenwood or Camp Evergreen 114 Eagle Pond Road Wilmot, NH 03287 Once Camp begins, you will be notified of your camper’s bunk assignment. Please include your child’s bunk (number or letter) in the address in order to speed up mail sorting at Camp. We have also been advised by the post office that typed (as opposed to handwritten) envelopes can be sorted more easily and reach us more quickly. Flat items such as books, magazines, small games and stickers can be sent in envelopes up to 9″x12″ in size. Anything larger than this will be considered a package WHAT IF MY CAMPER NEEDS SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR? We have a Camp Store option available to you (and more information will be sent in an upcoming Camp 101 email about this) where you can fund your camper’s account for items they may need during the summer. If you choose not to use this, or need to send your camper a particular “essential item” (eg more socks, forgotten athletic supplies, stationary or batteries) then please address these items to the Camp Office and NOT to your camper. This will enable us to open and distribute the items to your camper without them having to wait in line. WHAT IF MY CAMPER HAS A BIRTHDAY? If your camper has a birthday at Camp we will happily make an exception to our No Packages rule. Birthdays at Camp are amazing! You are welcome to send a birthday package, however it still must not contain any food items. Please make a large clear note o the outside that says: Hold for <Camper Name>’s Birthday, <Date>. We will put the package aside to give to your camper on their birthday. Note: If you have a camper with a summer birthday you will soon be receiving an additional email with birthday information! REMINDER: SENDING CANDY, GUM, CONDIMENTS, DRINK MIXES & ANY OTHER FOOD ITEMS IS NOT ALLOWED! As mentioned before, we do not allow any food or drink items to be sent to campers. As well as being an attraction to various rodents/insects and an often unhealthy choice for your camper, they can create unwanted jealousy and competition within your child’s bunk. Additionally, not receiving food or candy helps us to maintain a safe environment for our community members who are peanut or tree nut free. Please assist us in preserving our Camp community by refraining from sending such items. PLEASE TELL YOUR RELATIVES (ESPECIALLY GRANDPARENTS!) ABOUT OUR PACKAGE AND MAILING POLICIES. THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND AS MANY LETTERS AS THEY WISH (BUT PLEASE NO GUM INSIDE….!). TELEPHONE CALLSTELEPHONE CALLS TO CAMPERS Phone calls with campers will begin two weeks into Camp. Your first phone call is scheduled, and you will be able to choose a date and time online when our booking system opens the week before camp After your first phone call with your child, you are free to call Camp to speak with your child at any point, but please be aware of three things: 1) Please note that only parents/guardians may call in (although a sibling/grandparent there with you is fine!) and you are limited to 4 phone calls in total over the seven weeks (and 2 phone calls in total if your child is attending a 4 week session) 2) We have a limited number of phone lines at Camp, and so there may not always be a free line to speak to your camper. Please be patient with the office staff who answer the phone, they will do their best to connect you to your child as quickly as possible! 3) Your child will not always be available to talk, due to activities, trips or mealtimes PHONE CALLS AFTER VISITING DAY Goodbyes on Visiting Day can be challenging, and can leave parents on the car ride home wondering if their child was been able to successfully re-acclimate after their departure. Thankfully, the tearful goodbye is almost always short lived, and harder on the parent(s) than on the camper! Experience shows us that what campers need most during the first few days after Visiting Day is the opportunity to become immersed, again, in the friendship and support of the Camp community. As well meaning as check-in phone calls from parents are, they typically have the opposite of intended result, and lead to greater homesickness. To help our campers be successful post-Visiting Day we ask that all parents refrain from calling to speak with their camper during the 72 hours following Visiting Day. We are your partners, so if you have questions and would like to speak with a counselor or administrator during this time you are most welcome to call the Camp main number. CALLING TO CHECK ON YOUR CHILD’S PROGRESS Please remember, if you would like a progress report prior to the first phone call date, or at some other point during the summer, please feel free to call us and explain that you’d like to speak to someone about how your child is doing. Please remember, that while we want to provide you the highest level of service, our campus is very spread out, and our Directors, Head Counselors, Unit Leaders, and your child’s counselors will undoubtedly be out somewhere on campus when you call. It is possible that someone may be available to speak with your right away, though it is more likely that someone in our office may ask to take a message, and will pass that message on to the right person at the earliest opportunity. As camp professionals, we aim to spend as much time with our campers as possible, and phone calls require us to be away from them. As a first point of contact, please consider emailing or texting us, as you are likely to hear back much faster. As a reminder, you can text Jason at 617-686-1533 and email him at Jason@kenwood-evergreen.com or contact Deena at 978-621-1318 or email her at Deena@kenwood-evergreen.com Please be patient! If you ask to speak with a particular person—such as your child’s counselor—it may take some time to receive a call back. Our counselors are given a 24 hour day off each week, and are sometimes out of Camp on overnights or inter-camp competitions. In any event, someone should return your call within 36 hours at the latest. If you do not receive a return call within 36 hours, please contact Camp immediately and let our office staff know that you have not received a return call. They will follow up to make sure someone calls you that day.
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