Summer Camp: Brave Explorers Monday!
This is LJ Donnell, you Summer Camp Director! I just wanted to say I am so excited that our camp is beginning MONDAY, JUNE 14TH! Our theme is BRAVE EXPLORERS because your campers will be embarking on a new adventure! If you want to see more about what we will be doing next week, please check out the learning tab in your child’s brightwheel profile! Along with games, crafts, and snacks, it has the pool schedule for both rising kindergarteners and older campers. There is also a section at the bottom with fun (and totally optional) games, discussions, and activities you can do at home if your camper is really excited about the theme.
I wanted to send some quick reminders and give you the opportunity to ask any questions before drop off!
We sent you this INFO AND SUPPLIES blog recently, but here are some key reminders.
Drop off is from 8:00-8:30AM. We do offer breakfast. YOUR CHILD MUST BE HERE BY 9:15AM. We leave for the pool shortly after that, so in order for them to ride the bus, they must be here. We will play on the playground in the morning unless there is inclement weather. We will then be in the Great Hall in our TEAM QUADRANTS. Each school-aged camp child will be either in the red or blue team. Rising kindergarteners will be on the yellow team. We will be sending you a message with your child’s team separately, so don’t worry about this!
Send your children in their swimsuits. ALL THREE GROUPS will either be swimming or doing water play EVERY DAY except Fridays. We can always change into dry clothes after.
Your children will go through a swim test their FIRST DAY at the pool so we can determine what level of swimmer they are. They will receive a swim band they will wear all week that lets us know their swim level. We will keep them observed accordingly. Please do not take off their wrist band, it is water proof and will last the week.
Make sure you've checked out our SUPPLY LIST. The cooler, water bottle, and backpack are especially important. We will be providing bag lunches but encourage packing extra snacks. Water and Gatorade will also be supplied.
CAMP SHIRTS: CAMP SHIRTS ARE REQUIRED DAILY. That is their camp "uniform." Rising Kindergarteners will have their camp shirt sent home on Friday, June 11th. So make sure to look in their backpacks! For all the other campers, we will supply your children's camp shirt the morning of June 14th so you can send them in any shirt otherwise.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR YOUR BRIGHTWHEEL ACCOUNT. You can see updates on your children, communicate with your camp counselors, and see what they will be doing in their learning tab from your camper's profile, so it is an essential tool! If you need any help with this, please let me know.
My number is 703.498.9073. You may call or text me with any questions before camp. Once camp has started you may use your brightwheel messaging tool! I see all of those, as do your counselors and Camp Leads.
Summer Camp Information and Supplies
Hello Camp Parents!!
Summer is right around the corner, and we are so excited. We are going to go over some essentials now so that you can be ready when we start camp on June 14th:
FIRST UP:
There are TWO camp groups - The Rising K Camp (starts JUNE 1) and The Camp (starts JUNE 14). They will be following the same themes, but they will have different schedules. It’s pretty self explanatory, but if your child is a rising kindergartener, then they will be in the Rising K Camp, and if they have already completed kindergarten they will be in Camp.
SWIM DAYS:
Rising K Camp: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 11am at Herndon Swim Club, bus departs at 9:30am. They will do sprinkler water play on the other days of the week!
Camp: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays! Mondays and Wednesdays will be from 10am to 11am at the Herndon Swim Club, bus departs at 9:30am. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be from 1pm to 2pm at Uplands Pool in Reston. They will do sprinkler water play as well, so they should still prepare to get wet on Fridays.
NEXT UP - WHAT THEY NEED:
Supply List: These are all the things we recommend for camp!
T-Shirt Size Sign up: We will provide (2) camp shirts for every kiddo enrolled in more than 3 weeks of camp! Campers should wear their camp shirts everyday. We know that they will get dirty and grubby, but that is OKAY! Dirt is a sign that they have had a fun time! You may purchase additional Camp shirts up front now on our form, but we may also provide extra shirts as needed (and if we have leftovers as the summer goes on!).
Supply List
Hard FLAT TOP Cooler: This will be WAY more than your kids’ lunch holder. It will be your camper’s on-the-go camp chair. And an extra container for water.
Outdoor Backpack: This needs to be large enough to hold what your kid needs all day long. We will be outside, so there will be no cubbies or hangers! Make sure it has a chest clip, a side pouch for a water bottle, and that it can stand up to the elements and hard, outdoor use!
Camp shirt - provided
Gallon Ziploc Bag: For wet swimsuit
Swimsuit: We will be going swimming most days all summer long! Send your kiddo in their swimsuit if possible.
Dry underwear and shorts to change into after pool time.
Towel: Small, lightweight towel. Your child will be carrying all of their own things, so make sure it can fit in their bag!
Goggles (these are not required but they are pretty awesome)
Tough, outdoor shoes with good support: Make sure they are breathable and good for wet weather. EXAMPLES: Keens, Crocs, Nortiv, among others
Water bottle: 12-16 oz maximum, we will have the ability to refill the bottle
Extra clothes: ONE complete set - this should be packed in a ziplock in their backpack, as they will be carrying all of their things with them all day!
Optional Items:
One Long-sleeved sun shirt if you want them to swim in it.
Optional: Hat (baseball, visor, sun hat) or Sunglasses
A book! Kids will have some down time, or may want to take a breather. Nothing is better than a book to read.
Snacks: Even if your kid isn’t bringing a full lunch we recommend having snacks. It is a long day and we are really moving out there!
ONE toy: one car, one stuffy, one action figure, etc. One toy from home to play with can be brought (but we are hoping the natural items they find will suffice!)
A deck of cards: we will have our own, but having one means that they never have to wait to check one out!
Unnecessary Items: Because of the interference with the flux-capacitor of our time machines, we ask that any ‘tech’ items be kept at home!
No tablets/ipads
No smartphones unless absolutely necessary. These will be kept with a counselor in a waterproof container
No gaming systems
No toys with a lot of small parts
Curious about t-shirt sizes?
Please fill out the form below so that we can begin to get your camper’s kit together for them!
And here’s Miss LJ in all of our sizes - from Youth Medium to Adult Medium!
