2017 Summer Information Final Instructions for Parents & Campers

Transcription

1 2017 Summer Information Final Instructions for Parents & Campers Please read carefully and retain for future reference. This package is updated yearly. To arrive at the winter address before May 15, Payment of balance & transportation requests. (Note: Please pay by cheque. If you require to pay by for interact e- transfers please contact the camp office to arrange prior to May 15 th, amounts received by this method are limited by the bank by day, week and month ) 2. Personal information form (green) To arrive two weeks before camper s arrival. 3. Health Form (yellow) 4. Visitor Form (pink) CONTENTS: 1) Preparing for Camp o Forms o Health Information o Packing o Summer Mailing Address for Campers 2) Transportation Information o Traveling by Bus o Traveling by Car 3) Visiting 4) General Camp Information o Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Campers 5) Important Information At-A-Glance Separate Forms Include: YELLOW Camper s Health Form GREEN Personal Camper Information (to be used by the Assistant Director) PINK Visitors Form Winter Address: Sept 1- June 19 Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da 756 Mineral Springs Road Dundas, ON L9H 5E3 Tel: plamont@miakonda.com CONTACT INFORMATION Summer Address: June 19 August 25 Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da Wah Wash Kesh Lake Dunchurch, ON P0A 1GO Tel: *Summer Only *Please leave a message & we will return your call as soon as possible. CAMP DATES Session 1 4 weeks Sunday, July 2 Thursday, July 27 Session 2 2 weeks Sunday, July 2 Thursday, July 13 Session 3 2 weeks Friday, July 14 Thursday, July 27 Session 4 4 weeks Sunday, July 30 Saturday, August 26 Session 5 2 weeks Sunday, July 30 Saturday, August 12 Session 6 2 weeks Sunday, August 13 Saturday, August 26

2 1) PREPARING FOR CAMP FORMS This package includes a number of important forms that are required at the camp to ensure all of your daughter s needs are met. Please take the time to read it over carefully and fill out as required. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Winter office. HEALTH INFORMATION Health Form Health forms should arrive at least 2 weeks prior to the camper s arrival. This enables our nurse to prepare for a camper s medical needs and relay information to the counselor and the kitchen. However, please advise us in writing of any last minute changes in your daughter s health information not indicated on the Health Form. We can accommodate all dietary needs at camp, but please be sure to include dietary information on the health form. For campers who have Celiac disease, please let us know in advance so that we can prepare the gluten-free menu accordingly. Dr. J. Brennan, of the Wright Medical Clinic in Parry Sound, is our doctor on call. If your daughter wears contact lenses that may be lost or damaged please ensure she has an alternate (either second pair of contacts or glasses). Campers should visit their dentist shortly before arriving at camp. Our camp nurse requests that campers with a history of ear trouble seek the advice of their doctor and bring appropriate medication. For swimming, they may require ear putty for ear plugs. This is available at your local pharmacy. Campers who are sensitive to insect bites may wish to bring After Bite or an anti-itch alternative. We ask that campers who use puffers bring a second supply and a fanny pack to carry their puffer in. Campers with EPI-PENS are recommended to bring a fanny pack to carry their Epi-pen in. Campers with food allergies can keep an Epi-pen in the kitchen. The camp nurse will store any other Epi-pens in the Health Center. Illness If your daughter is ill prior to camp please ensure that she is well before sending her to camp. We will make alternative arrival arrangements when your daughter is well. If your daughter is ill prior to camp please ensure that your daughter is seen by a physician to ensure she has appropriate medical treatment prior to arrival at camp. We also ask that you check your daughter for head lice prior to arrival at camp. Head lice spreads quickly in the summer camp environment and, while we can take precautions at camp, it is much more effective to have lice treated and removed BEFORE arriving at camp. Please make sure your daughter brings her own hairbrush, hair elastics, and knows the importance of not sharing hairbrushes, hats or headbands with anyone. PACKING A Clothing and Equipment List is provided so campers may bring all the necessities to camp. To prevent loss, every article of clothing and bedding should be clearly labeled with permanent laundry marker, iron-on or sew-on name tapes. For quality, easy to use labels, visit There is little need to bring items not listed on the packing list. Things campers should not bring to camp: Cell phones, ipod s, stereos, radios, electronic games, MP3 players, expensive watches, jewelry, cash, food. We ask that all campers and families respect our NO CELL PHONE policy. Cell phones brought to camp will be confiscated and held in the Director s cabin for the duration of the session.

3 Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da does not accept responsibility for any clothing or equipment that is lost, broken or stolen while at Camp. Please try to limit your daughter s luggage to 2 bags. A small bag or back pack is suitable for hand luggage. Other notes: Bathing caps are colour coded to indicate the camper s swimming ability. The appropriate colour of cap will be issued at camp. Campers do not need to bring their own. Biodegradable shampoo and toothpaste are available in the tuck shop. We encourage all campers and staff to use biodegradable products. Colgate toothpaste is reputed to be biodegradable. Most grocery stores carry these biodegradable products. Lace up shoes are more suitable for rough terrain than open-toed sandals. Stamped, self-addressed envelopes are helpful for younger campers. Extra flashlight bulb and batteries, and camera may be needed. SUN SAFETY For protection from the sun s rays, we encourage campers to wear sunhats, sunglasses, sun-shirts over bathing suits and sunscreen with a rating of 30 SPF or higher. SUMMER MAILING ADDRESS Mail ranks very high on a camper s priority list. Please write soon and often. Mail to camp can take up to 7 days to arrive at camp, so we recommend parents write a letter or two ahead of time so that campers receive mail soon upon arrival. The camp Summer mailing address is: Camper s Name Camp Mi-A-Kon-Da Wah Wash Kesh Lake Dunchurch, ON. P0A 1G0 Mail delivery to our camp summer address begins June 19, Note that Canada Post will not deliver mail if not addressed accurately. Please do NOT send mail by Purolator, Federal Express, Registered Mail or other couriers. Courier services (e.g. Purolator and Fed-Ex) do not deliver to the camp address. You may send mail by Xpress Post with no signature. Packages must be addressed accurately, if not the package may be returned to the sender by Canada Post at the senders expense. Large, oversized packages that do not fit in our mail box are not delivered. This will result in a delay until it can be picked up at the Post Office. If you would like to send your daughter a care package there is a camp packaging company that will help you with all of the details. Please see Parceled With Love at They have great ideas for pre made and custom packages that are compact. Incoming mail is delivered to camp 5 days a week; outgoing mail is picked up 5 days a week. Because we are in a rural setting, outgoing mail tends to take longer than incoming mail. Please consider this when expecting mail from your daughter. Occasionally parents may receive a letter that is sad or upsetting. Please keep in mind that the letter was written a few days prior to you receiving it. The camper probably was adjusting to settling into a new environment and most often, the problem will have been resolved by the time you read the letter. If you are concerned, please feel free to contact the camp at our summer phone number.

4 2) TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION If any difficulties should arise on departure days, please phone and leave a message. All campers will need their life jacket available for the boat ride into camp, so please ensure your camper carries their lifejacket with their hand luggage. TRAVELING BY BUS 2017 MI-A-KON-DA BUS STOP IKEA in VAUGHAN Hwy 400 & Hwy 7 Bus transportation is provided from Toronto for two and four week campers. INDICATE YOUR REQUEST ON THE FEE STATEMENT. At the beginning and end of a month session (Sunday July 2, Thursday July 27, Sunday July 30 and Saturday August 26) there will be two coach buses. At the end and beginning of a two week session (Thursday July 13, Friday July 14, Saturday August 12 and Sunday August 14) there will be one coach bus. SPACES ON THE BUSES WILL BE ALLOCATED ON A FIRST REQUEST BASIS We suggest that campers travel to camp by bus. This gives them an opportunity to meet new friends on the trip. Particular attention is paid to new campers by the supervising counsellors. Please label all luggage clearly with your camper's name. Hand luggage should include a raincoat, a picnic lunch with a drink and a life jacket for the boat trip into camp. Please pack a nut safe lunch. We will stop for lunch at Six Mile Provincial Park 60 km north of Barrie. Campers may join or leave the bus at Six Mile Provincial Park by pre-arrangement. Please contact the camp office for times. DEPARTURE FROM TORONTO Dates: Sunday July 2, Friday July 14, Sunday July 30, Sunday August 13 Time: 10:00 A.M. ARRIVAL IN TORONTO Dates: MID MONTH Thursday July 13, Saturday August 12 Time: 6:00 P.M. Dates: END OF MONTH Thursday July 27, Saturday August 26 Time: 3:00 P.M. All buses depart from and arrive at IKEA in VAUGHAN at Hwy 400 & Hwy 7. We will use the far west side (section G) of the IKEA Vaughan parking lot.

5 DIRECTIONS TO IKEA in VAUGHAN From the South: Take Hwy. 401 East or West, exit Hwy. 400 North and take Exit Hwy. 7 East, turn Right onto Interchange Way. From the North: Take Hwy. 400 South. Exit Hwy. 7 East, turn Right onto Interchange Way. From Hwy. 407 East or West: Exit Jane Street North and turn right on Peelar Rd. Make another right onto Peelar Rd. For further directions see (go to - Canada - IKEA Vaughan - Store Directions). TRAVELING BY CAR ARRIVAL AT CAMP Campers arriving at camp by car should be at Auld's Landing at 2:00 P.M. with their lifejacket accessible. We do not have visitors on arrival days. It is difficult for campers, especially new campers, to settle in if their parents visit on arrival day. DRIVING DIRECTIONS Our website has detailed directions as well as a map to camp. Your best option for using Google Maps is to enter Auld s Road, Whitestone ON to get you most of the way to camp, and then follow the directions we provide below. FROM HIGHWAY 400 Follow Highway 400 north to Highway 124 at Parry Sound. Turn right Highway 124 and travel 10 km to Lorimer Lake Road and turn left. Travel 3 km along this road until you come to a Y intersection. Stay to the left and continue on this road, called the Bunny Trail, for 22 km. When you reach Highway 520, turn right. Travel 3.5km to Auld s Road and turn left. Continue 3 km until you come to the Auld s green and white house, and bear right. Travel on the driveway (stay to the right between the house and the barn) and follow the signs to the Mi-A-Kon-Da boat landing. Our camp landing office is in the green building on the right. FROM HIGHWAY 11 From Highway 11, take Highway 520 exit at Burk s Falls. Go through the town of Burk s Falls and continue on Highway 520 through the town of Magnetawan. At the stop sign, turn right on Highway 124/520 (Sparks St N). After 3 km, turn left at the next stop sign to follow 124 West/520 for 15 km. Just before Dunchurch turn right on Highway 520. Continue on Highway 520 and take sharp left curve at Maple Island. Continue through Whitestone and turn right on Auld s Road. Follow Auld s Road 3 km until you come to the Auld s green and white house, and bear right. Travel on the driveway (stay to the right between the house and the barn) and follow the signs to the Mi-A-Kon-Da boat landing. Our camp landing office is in the green building on the right. DEPARTURE FROM CAMP CAR PICK-UP TIMES AT AULD'S LANDING 2:00 P.M. Thursday, July 13 and Saturday, August 12 IF NOT VISITING (11:00 A.M. Thursday, July 13 and Saturday, August 12 - IF VISITING) 10:00 A.M. Thursday, July 27 and Saturday, August 26 Parents who are driving their daughter(s) home at the end of her stay may choose to tour the island on departure days. In this case, a boat will meet you at Auld's Landing at 11:00 a.m. mid-month and 10:00 a.m., end of Month. PLEASE INDICATE YOUR INTENTION TO VISIT THE ISLAND ON THE ENCLOSED VISITORS' FORM. If visiting on a departure day we would be pleased to invite you for lunch ( as on other days) on Thursday, July 13 or Saturday, August 12. These are big visitors days with lots of families visiting the island. However, on Thursday, July 27 and Saturday, August 26, all campers depart in the morning and our kitchen staff is on time off. Therefore, on these days, we are unable to invite guests for lunch, but you are welcome to tour the camp.

6 3) VISITING Please see enclosed Visitors Form - Submit prior to daughter s arrival! We welcome visitors on any day except Sundays and arrival days. On Sundays, each tent group with their counsellor plans a special activity or outing of their own choosing. Parents of two week campers that would like to visit Mi-A-Kon-Da, we recommend that you visit on departure day. This allows your daughter to take full advantage of her stay at camp. We will meet visitors at Auld's Landing at 11:00 am and return at 1:15 pm, or if you prefer a longer visit, at 3:15 pm. We will wait up to one half hour for late arrivals then return to the island. Note that if visiting on a departure day visitors pare picked up at 11:00 mid-month and at 10:00 at the end of the month. Visitors on departure days return to the landing after lunch mid-month. End of month visitors return at varying times after their visit. Parents are welcome to visit the activities and observe their daughter's progress. However, as the counsellors need to devote all of their attention to the safety of the campers, we request that visitors do not swim or use camp water craft while visiting. Dogs are welcome must be kept on a leash, at all times. Please provide us with advance notice, prior to your daughter s arrival, of your visit so that we can ensure that your daughter will not be out of camp on a canoe trip. For CANOE TRIP scheduling purposes it is important to know your visiting plans on or before your daughter s arrival at camp. If your plans are indefinite, please do not tell your daughter that you may visit. An unexpected visit is a pleasant surprise; whereas, a hoped-for visit that does not happen is a disappointment. We invite you to join us for lunch (Thursday July 27 and Saturday August 26 excepted) or if you prefer, you may bring a picnic and your daughter may join you. We have a nut-free camp policy that we ask all visitors to respect. We have a no-cell phone policy for all campers and ask that you respect this policy while visiting the camp property and refrain from using your device during your visit. Campers visit with relatives or friends on the island. If there are persons you do not want to visit your daughter please advise us. Any questions can be directed to the Dundas office at until June 16, LODGING OPTIONS FOR VISITORS Parents frequently travel from far distances to visit their children. If you are interested in overnight accommodations in the area, Parry Sound is just a 30 minute drive away and offers numerous Bed and Breakfasts and hotel/motel accommodations. Please remember that this area is very busy in the summer and rooms book quickly. You may look for accommodations on the Resorts Ontario web site at

7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CONCERNING CAMPERS 4) GENERAL CAMP INFORMATION Can I send my daughter with snacks for camp? Please DO NOT send food to camp with your daughter, in the mail, or leave any food after a visit. The campers are well fed and enjoy plenty of treats. Extra food is unnecessary and only causes problems. Food in camper tents attracts animals. Once animals discover food in a tent, their repeated visits are annoying. Also, some campers have food allergies and food sent may cause a serious health risk. Please assist us with this by refraining from sending any food to your camper. Food arriving at camp will be removed and disposed of. Please inform relatives and friends of this policy. We need and appreciate your support in dealing with this matter. We are a nut free camp. PLEASE DO NOT send or bring anything to camp that contains nuts or nut products. This includes your daughter s lunch on the bus ride to camp and picnic lunch if you are visiting. Will my daughter have use of a laundry service? Yes! We are pleased to offer a laundry service for campers (included in camp fees.) Two week campers can send out their laundry once in two weeks; four week campers can send out their laundry twice. It is important that each piece of clothing is labeled in case of a mix up at the Laundromat. Is there anything extra I can send with my daughter? Yes! Campers who wish to paint or tie dye a T-shirt at Arts & Crafts may bring a white T-shirt to camp for this purpose. The greater the cotton content, the better the dye will take. T-shirts may be purchased at camp and charged to the camper s Tuck Account. Since all of our campers are involved in swimming programs, it is helpful to send campers with Red Cross and/or Lifesaving progress cards if they have them. The Clothing and Equipment list is comprehensive and if you follow the suggested guidelines, you should be fine. Will my daughter need cash? No, campers have no need for cash at camp. Their tuck account adequately covers their expenses. Can I speak with my daughter on the telephone? No. We have a strict no-cell phone policy for all campers, and we do not permit phone calls from parents to campers, or vice versa. Parents who call the camp phone will speak with Director Pam Lamont or the Assistant Director. We encourage letter writing between parents and campers as the best method of staying in touch. Phone calls during the summer can undermine the campers independence by breaking the continuity required for that independence. By contrast, letters take a few days to go back and forth, and so they actually foster independence and offer support at the same time. Phone contact between parents and children makes homesickness worse. When a child hears his/her parent s voice, it can arouse a deep longing for home. For that reason, we do not allow children to talk to their parents on the phone except in rare emergencies. (Excerpt taken from The Summer Camp Handbook, by Christopher Thurber, PhD and Jon Malinoweki, PhD).

8 5) IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT-A-GLANCE DUE AT WINTER ADDRESS BY May 15, 2017 o Statement of Fees o Payment of Balance o Transportation Requests o Personal Information Form (green) TO ARRIVE TWO WEEKS BEFORE CAMPER ARRIVAL o Health Form (yellow) TO ARRIVE PRIOR TO YOUR DAUGHTER S ARRIVAL o Visitor form (pink) Any food arriving with the camper, mailed to the camper or left for the camper on a visitor day will be disposed of. We are a NUT FREE camp. Please assist us by sending a nut-free bus lunch and if when visiting please bring a nut-free picnic lunch. Label all clothing and every item sent to camp. We cannot be held responsible for lost items. Do not send valuables with your daughter to camp. Campers cannot call home but are encouraged to write mail. We have a strict NO CELL PHONE policy. Please refrain from sending a cell phone with your daughter to camp. Phones brought to camp will be held in the Director s cabin for the duration of the camp session. Medication must be sent in original containers accompanied by written instructions. Ensure your daughter is well prior to arrival. Alternative arrival arrangements will be made if she is sick and needs to stay home for a few days. Check your daughter for head lice 2 weeks before she arrives at camp and treat her hair if necessary.