HELPING YOUR FAMILY GET READY FOR CAMP (1 OF 4) |
We can't wait to see you and your camper at Glisson in just a few weeks! Until then, this is the first of four emails designed to share the key info needed to "Blaze the Trail" for a safe, smooth, and successful camp experience. Each email covers pre-arrival topics categorized chronologically: “Between Now & Camp”, “Check-In Day”, “During Camp”, and “Checkout Day”.
Please note that a considerable amount of our pre-arrival info has changed from 2021 to 2022 (particularly for emails 2-4 of this series). Since some changes are more significant and/or more pressing to know sooner than others, we’ve listed a few key updates for 2022 below for ease of reference.
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KEY UPDATES FOR SUMMER 2022 |
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COVID-19 MITIGATION PLAN: All registered families as of May 4th should have received an email from our Executive Director regarding our Summer 2022 Covid-19 Mitigation Plan (updated 5/4/2022). If you haven’t already, please review the updated plan, as it has been adapted significantly since registration opened last fall.
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VERIFY UPDATED TERMS: The Covid-specific terms and conditions agreed to during registration prior to May 4th have since been rescinded, resulting in a need for camper families to verify agreement with the updated terms. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to Login To Your Account, find your camper’s registration, click “Summer Legal Terms”, then “Edit”, then check to acknowledge that you have read and agree to the updated “Covid-19 Mitigation & Use Policies”.
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14-DAY HEALTH SCREENING: We ask that campers and family members who feel sick on check-in day or 24-hours prior not come, whether the symptoms are consistent with Covid-19 or with any other communicable illness. We will continue our practice of employing written screening for illness and temperature checks during check-in. To help reduce the likelihood of communicable diseases entering camp, all campers will be required to pre-screen for symptoms for 14 days prior to their check-in day using our Check-In Form. More info to come in our “Check-In Day” email.
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ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE: While future emails in this series will cover “Check-In Day” and “Checkout Day” in-depth, we understand many families need to know check-in times and checkout times as soon as possible in order to make plans. We’ve now finalized those times and posted them on our updated Arrival & Departure Page.
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FINAL PAYMENT & CAMP STORE DEPOSIT |
If you haven't made your final payment for camp, please do so as soon as possible. Camp store deposits can also be made at any time prior to the week before your camper is scheduled to arrive at camp (log in to your account --> Find the registration listing for your camper → click Store Card). Remember that all living groups will have time to visit the camp store together. Store items include souvenir t-shirts, hats, stuffed animals, water bottles, snacks, and similar items. Nut-free snacks sold in the store may include: Goldfish, applesauce pouches, Nutri-Grain bars, Cheez-Its, fruit snacks, Lay's Brand Chips, Pringles, Rice Krispy Treats, Oreos, and Chips Ahoy cookies. Though not required, a store card amount of $30-35 is typical. Login To Your Account today to take care of store deposits and/or payment.
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CABIN MATE & LIVING GROUP REQUESTS |
The ability to request a cabin mate sometimes makes the difference between having the courage to come to camp and staying home. Campers who come without a cabin mate request tell us they get to know other campers faster and they make new friends with whom they stay in touch year after year. But for those who want a cabin mate, that's great too! Please make sure any requests follow these criteria:
- Only 1 cabin mate request is allowed
- Requests through our registration system must be sent by one camper and accepted by the other camper
- Campers must be registered for the same camp program and session
- Campers must be in the same grade or no more than one grade apart
Cabin mate requests can be checked by Logging Into Your Account to ensure your request has been accepted. Living groups are made up of up to 12 campers from the same cabin. We do not take requests for living group assignments and cannot guarantee living group assignments.
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Homesickness and Child-sickness are two very different challenges camper families face from time to time. We're all familiar with homesickness, though it is a challenge that we see less often at camp these days. Help campers avoid it by focusing on the activities your camper is most excited about, sending a favorite stuffed animal, and expressing your confidence in your camper's ability to make it through the week. DO NOT tell your child to "just try it" and promise to come and get your camper if they don't like it. That is a virtual guarantee of homesickness. Remember your camper will feel all the confidence about camp that you "cue" them to have.
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Child-sickness is felt by parents at the prospect of being away from their camper for a week. You may be a parent who feels a great deal of fear for your camper's safety and your anxiety may manifest itself in ways that make the camp week difficult for both you and your child to enjoy. Remind yourself of the wonderful gifts of independence and self-sufficiency the camp experience is growing in your child. Refrain from telling your camper they can call home or, worse, sneaking them a cell phone against the rules. It undercuts your camper's perception of your confidence in their ability to succeed at camp and our ability to care for your child. Consider planning ahead to send (one-way) mail and/or emails to your camper during the week, which many parents find to be a practical way to feel connected while their child is away (and campers love getting mail!). Next week's email will detail options for mailing and emailing your camper.
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Our Year-Round Staff and Summer Team are busy preparing for an incredible summer with your campers! Glisson counselors began applying this fall and went through an interview process with our directors as well as multiple background checks and references, ensuring they are the best-of-the-best before they ever meet your children. Our Outpost team has already had a general training and a weekend of Wilderness First Aid training. Our Crew members are busy going through American Red Cross lifeguard training courses. Before your campers arrive, all of our summer team will have gone through extensive training over the course of a couple of weeks. They are so excited to be a part of this ministry and to care for your children!
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Stephen, Stephanie, and Russell are dedicated to designing camp ministry experiences for your camper that are safe, fun, and faith-forming. Together they represent decades of experience leading high quality camp ministry programs. Stephanie, (Director of Village & Sparrowwood) and Stephen (Director of Outpost, Grow, ELI, and Shoreline) work year-round to make each summer the best yet as they plan improvements, coordinate logistics, and hire and train over 120 summer staff. As Director of NGCRM, Russell helps to guide and support all aspects of the family of ministries to which Glisson belongs including Grow, ELI, and Shoreline.
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You made it to the end! Thanks so much for reading. We hope you've found this first email to be helpful. Upcoming emails will focus on 1) "Check-in Day", 2) "During Camp", and 3) "Checkout Day". If you have any Questions, call the office (706-864-6181) or Email Us. We can't wait to see what God has in store for the coming summer of faith-forming fun. Thanks for being a part of this ministry. We look forward to seeing you and your camper at Glisson soon!
Grace and Peace,
The North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries Team
We know how to have fun – our passion is forming faith in the process.
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