600 Saddle River Road, Airmont, NY Fax: The Passion Continues MONDAY, JUNE 27 TH IS DAY

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1 600 Saddle River Road, Airmont, NY Fax: THE NEXT 25 YEARS The Passion Continues MONDAY, JUNE 27 TH IS DAY SUMMER NEWSLETTER BIG NEWS! THE RAMAPO BACKPACK SPORTS LEAGUE! PLAYBILL THE RAMAPO THEATER PRESENTS If you label it... Camper Absences Green GreeN OUT Got Sneakers? We don t want to bug you... SAY CHEESE... IT S PICTURE DAY! Welcome To Our INTERNATIONAL STAFF

2 THE NEXT 25 YEARS The Passion Continues We know most of you have heard the story a number of times so here is the short version... My dad was a camp director for over 50 years and the only thing I ever wanted to be was a camp director. I went to camp every summer since I was three years old, worked for my dad for 12 years after college, met my wife Michele at camp, and knew I was ready to take over for my dad, but there was one issue... my dad was not ready to retire. And thus the journey that led Michele and I to Ramapo began, and the quest to build the best day camp became a reality. Ramapo will always be a work in progress where good is never good enough and the drive to provide children with the best summer camp experience never ceases. Our two daughters Lindsey and Courtney have watched and experienced it every step of the way. We are a camp family, and growing up in a household where it is hard to separate who we are from what we do, made their pathway from spirited Ramapo campers to dedicated year-round Ramapo staff a unique one. So after 26 years of us writing this opening letter to you they asked us if they could share some of their perspective. So here it goes... As all children know, parents are always sharing their wisdom with you, and ours are no different. A lot of it we take with a grain of salt, but when they repeat themselves so many times on one topic, you tend to pay attention. In our household, it was about not just caring, but being passionate. They would encourage us to find things we were passionate about and tell us that in order to be happy and succeed, we must be passionate about what we do. Growing up at Ramapo, we were always surrounded by passion. Our parents dedicated their lives to creating a place that allows kids to grow and develop life skills in a fun and stress-free environment. We watched as our parents built Ramapo from the ground up, turning it into the place that has become a home away from home for our Ramapo campers and staff alike. Nobody in the world has more experience and passion for kids than Mike and Michele, and that passion starts at the top and continues down to our exceptional year-round staff and to our outstanding summer staff. You will never see as many enthusiastic, caring, and hard-working individuals in one place as you do at Ramapo. Having spent all our summers at Ramapo, we have experienced for ourselves as campers and witnessed firsthand as staff members the incredible impact Ramapo has on children. There is no doubt that the world today is increasingly more stressful for children, and the need to be constantly technologically connected takes away from them enjoying just being a kid. In today s society, discussion on mental health is clearly in the forefront, but the fact is that camp has been enriching the mental health of children forever, way before the concept even made its public debut. Ramapo allows kids to develop the social skills they need to gain confidence. Ramapo gives kids the opportunity and encouragement to try new things. Ramapo teaches kids how to make choices and make friends. Ramapo reminds kids to dream big and find their passions because they really are capable of anything! Our passion is camp, and passion is the heartbeat of Ramapo. We can t wait to help our campers discover passions of their own this summer. So with the start of summer 2016 finally here, we could not be more excited for our campers to be back on the grounds, running, climbing, scoring, sliding, creating, jumping, performing and spreading smiles, fun, and laughter across all 35 acres of Ramapo s impeccable facility. SO GET READY, HERE IT COMES AGAIN SUMMERTIME, RAMAPO STYLE! AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THERE S NO PLACE LIKE IT. We are looking forward to sharing another great Ramapo summer with you! Mike, Michele, Lindsey and Courtney

3 1 WEEK 1 DATES: JUNE 27 - JULY 1 (Camp will be closed Monday, July 4 th ) SUMMER NEWSLETTER Extra... Extra... Read all about it! The Ramapo Summer newsletter delivered to your each week! We are so excited that camp is back in action... and so is the Ramapo Summer Newsletter! The newsletter will keep you up to date each week with what s happening at camp. Grab your tablet, smart phone, or desktop and read the Ramapo Newsletter with your camper each week! BIG NEWS! It's big... It's green... It's fast... It's fun... It's here! Only at Ramapo! For Campers Entering 3 rd Grade and Up

4 THE RAMAPO BACKPACK A brand new Ramapo Backpack awaits your camper! Every camper will recieve the latest edition of the Ramapo Backpack when they arrive at camp on the first day. This new model is even better than ever and makes packing for camp a breeze! SPORTS LEAGUE! Available to our 3 rd, 4 th and Senior Campers It s the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS all rolled into one! Join a team and play for the championship as you compete in a variety of sports. All campers entering 3 rd grade and above can participate in Sports League by choosing Sports League when signing up for Electives! PLAYBILL THE RAMAPO THEATER PRESENTS All campers entering 3 rd grade and up can participate in the theater program by choosing Theater when signing up for Electives!

5 If you label it, we will find it. Please remember to label EVERYTHING so we can identify all of your child s belongings. don t forget to put their name on water shoes, socks, hats, goggles and all other personal items. Camper Absences If your child is going to be absent, please call either the Camp Office or your Bus Driver or Bus Supervisor by 7:30 AM. Green GreeN OUT Join us in our first camp-wide theme day of Summer 2016! Let's get green, green, and more GREEN by dressing head to toe in our favorite Ramapo color on Friday, July 1 st It's a GREEN OUT! GOT SNEAKERS? Keep your toes safe... Please wear sneakers to camp every day! Crocs, sandals and water shoes are only to be worn to and from the pools. They are inappropriate footwear for camp activities. We don t want to bug you... As of today, Ramapo is a lice-free environment! In an attempt to keep it this way, we are asking for your help. As you know, schools and camps are prime targets for outbreaks of these annoying parasites. If your child contracts lice during camp, you MUST contact the camp office IMMEDIATELY. Lice can be quickly and easily treated, and we re happy to provide you with any help you may need. At camp, we take a number of precautions to help prevent lice from spreading. Not only do we discourage the sharing of personal items, but at any activity where there is shared protective equipment (helmets), campers wear surgical hair nets as a barrier. This has proven to be an incredibly successful prevention method. If you have any questions regarding lice or need help finding a professional company that deals with lice, please contact the Camp Office.

6 SAY CHEESE... IT S PICTURE DAY! The evolution of the Ramapo T-Shirt continues! Get ready to see what this year s t-shirt will be when GROUP PICTURES are taken on Thursday, June 30 th Campers will be given their own Ramapo T-Shirt on Picture Day! GET READY TO SMILE! Welcome To Our INTERNATIONAL STAFF The world is technically almost 4,000 miles long, encompasses 7 continents, almost 200 countries and houses over 7 billion people. It has become an international extravaganza. Yet most people do not get to experience very much of it. Ramapo encompasses only 35 acres of this enormous planet, but every summer specialists from all over the world make their way to our camp. Hiring specialty staff from a wide variety of countries allows us to have some pretty amazing people. This summer we have over two dozen camp specialists from over 10 different countries. Not only will they be teaching our campers in a variety of different camp activities, but they will be sharing their cultures, accents, personalities and experiences with them. Please join us in welcoming all our International friends to Ramapo this summer!