2014 2014 IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CAMPERS COMING SOON Cabin Assignments will be sent via email by Thursday, July 24 th. We appreciate your support and cooperation on the cabin placements we build each year. There is a great deal of time and thought that goes into our cabin assignments and our intentions are ALWAYS to put together the best possible experience for EVERY camper at camp. If you have questions about your cabin placement please contact us at info@cnsmaine.com and the appropriate director will be in touch to help you. Since camp is right around the corner, we d like to share a handful of very important pieces of information for all of our campers. Firstly, you might ask, when s Eco Challenge, the dances, Casino Night, and every other evening program and theme day?! No need to worry when, just worry about being prepared for those nights and days when they come around. Counselor Announcements, along with your Cabin Assignment, you will receive a note via email from your counselors introducing themselves to you. They are so excited to meet and get to know each of you this summer. Below (Right to left) John Allen Boys Director any and all colors of clothing warmer items (tends to be a bit chillier during the later part of the day) Camp North Star Leadership Team Brooke Waggoner Girls Director Morgan Theze Program Director Michelle Giannola Services Director Phil Haas Operations Director glow in the dark items you have lying around the house outfit for the dance theme is 80 s Vegas Sue, Jay and Mollie Goldberg are here every day at camp taking care of campers, staff, and parents of Camp North Star. But they cannot do it all alone! Sue and Jay have an incredible mixture of talent on the Leadership Team for 2014. The CNS director team is made up of 100% returning camp staff and are just a few of our most favored and beloved cabin staff from the past several years. We are SO excited for the summer to start. With these great people taking care of camp, Summer 2014 will be a summer to remember!
Phone Policy IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS Our policy for phones, as outlined in the parent handbook, is a zero tolerance policy. For safety reasons, and the purpose of disconnecting throughout the summer, any camper that is discovered with a cell phone while at camp is subject to immediate withdrawal from camp with no refund. For those traveling unaccompanied by plane your phone will be stored for the duration of your stay at North Star. Those traveling by bus or car cannot bring their phones on the bus, as we have staff with phones who communicate with our office if any needs arise. The North Star Must Have List For Camp Packing for camp can feel like you are sending your child off to college for the first time. We understand the packing list may seem extensive, but we promise that much thought and many years of experience have gone into making this list. Below is a list of items that we ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE EACH CAMPER TO HAVE AT CAMP, and our cabin staff will check on the first night to see if all campers have the items. Camp North Star will supply items to campers who come without and will charge a fee for each article supplied. PLEASE PROPERLY PACK YOUR CAMPER TO AVOID ADDITIONAL EXPENSES. This policy is in place for the safety, health, and comfort of our campers. All items are supplied through our camp outfitter, The Camp Spot, and fees will include the retail cost and shipping to camp. Electronics Policy Camp North Star would like every camper to unplug while at camp; therefore, any device that has the potential to connect to the Internet, download content, play games, or watch videos should not be at camp this summer. We do understand the importance of music to many of our campers and a basic MP3 player (like the image on the left) is appropriate to bring to camp and be left in the cabin during the day. ITEMS: Postage Stamps Flashlight and Batteries A book of 20 Stamps for 2, 3 or 4 week campers, and CNS Fee - $20 TWO books of stamps for campers staying for 5 or 7 weeks. Toiletries ***Please supply paper and envelopes as well CNS Fees Range from $5-10 on following items International US Postage is $1.05 Shampoo and Conditioner Domestic US Postage is $.45 Soap Toothbrush and Toothpaste Water Bottle Bug Spray Labeled with campers name Etc. CNS Fee - $25 Shower and Bath Towels Waterproof Raincoat or Durable Poncho CNS Fee $15 a towel CNS Fee - $50 2 Camp T-shirts with Camp Logo CNS Fee - $35 each 1 Long Sleeve with Camp Logo CNS Fee - $40 Bed Linens can be pre-ordered on the ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FORM in your CampMinder account CNS Fee - $45 per set
Lice Happens... As parents and camp owners, we can tell you that Lice Happens. Lice happens at school, at religious centers, at friends homes, at sports, and yes it can happen at camp as well. At Camp North Star we do EVERYTHING we can to be proactive in the screening and treatment of head lice. If you have done any research on how to detect lice or deal with a lice has NOTHING TO DO WITH HYGIENE. In fact, lice prefer a clean scalp to set up shop, and though the louses are not harmful to humans they are a nuisance when they do decide to set up shop. Our LICE PROGRAM here at camp STARTS AT HOME. We require all campers to come to camp LICE FREE. We ask that you check your camper s head in the days leading up to camp and do your best to ensure that they are lice free. Not sure how to do a HEAD CHECK or HOW TO DETECT LICE? We list a few services below that will come to your home to check for head lice and treat for lice if it is found on your child. Nothing feels worse than having lice on the 1 st day of camp! At camp, we check every person who arrives to camp on EACH CHECK-IN day. We have trained lice professionals screening each camper and, if they find any lice, will do treatments privately and quickly BEFORE a camper enters the cabin Treatments are NON-TOXIC and include a comb-out by hand of your child s head. We also wash and treat all bedding and clothing. Campers that are found with lice IN CAMP will incur a treatment and handling fee charged by our lice treatment service (usually only one treatment is required). Being that lice can be nearly impossible to detect at the earliest of stages both for us, you, and the trained eyes of a professional, there are clearly NO GUARANTEES. We ask that you do your best and we will do ours as well. We check each camper for lice WEEKLY while they are here, and every camper receives a lice check BEFORE departing from camp as well. With that being said, we still RECOMMEND having your child checked when they return home (please see the list of service providers below). Again, louses are not harmful to you, your child, or your home, but they sure are annoying. Some of the vendors listed below offer Camp North Star families a discounted rate. Please feel free to contact them directly or to explore your own options if you prefer. NOTES AND NEWS FOR CAMPERS ARRIVING TO CAMP. Reminders Camp Begins Sunday, July 27 th, 2014 Campers arriving to camp by Car Location: Camp North Star 200 Verrill Road, Poland Spring, Maine 04274 Directions are available camp website. www.campnorthstarmaine.com Check-In Time Camper Check-In begins at 1:00pm and ends at 2:00pm. We appreciate you arriving on time to camp and departing from camp. The Campers and Staff have a busy afternoon of orientation and fun ahead of them. Luggage Please check the luggage details in the Family Handbook for all campers. Campers should be using soft luggage (i.e. duffel bags, soft trunks, etc.) Hard trunks or hard cased luggage is not permitted at LICE TREATMENT SERVICES Desperate Lousewives (Greater Boston Area) 1-855-GOT-LICE www.desperatelousewives.com Lice Treatment Center (Northeast Area) 877.857.1344 www.licetreatmentcenter.net Licenders (Greater NYC Area) 888-LICENDERS www.licenders.com Licebeaters NY, NJ, CT and Florida see website for phone www.licebeaters.com
Forms If you have not completed your camp forms PLEASE do this TODAY! Campers are not permitted to arrive to camp without their COMPLETED Camp Forms on file with the office. We appreciate your attention to this matter. Questions? Contact the office at (207) 998-4777 or email us at office@cnsmaine.com Medication If you have not already sent any and all camper medications to camp or have packed them to arrive with your camper on check-in day, please do this TODAY. All over the counter, vitamins, prescriptions, etc. must be turned into the Health Center and administered by the Camp Nurses. Questions about medical needs, medications, etc. you may contact the camp office at (207) 998-4777 Camper Phone Calls All camper phone calls (except international campers) are scheduled through your CampMinder Account. If you have NOT set up a phone call with your child, please do so TODAY. If you do NOT schedule a phone call, your child will not be calling home while at camp. You will receive confirmation of the date and time of your call the week leading up to the call. General Apparel Camp is a place to have fun, get dirty and get involved. Camp North Star has always embraced that philosophy and expects our campers to reflect that same spirit in both attitude and dress. What does that mean? It means, bring a nice outfit for the dance or social. Bring some fun dress up clothes for theme days and certainly something special for banquet dinners. But other than that bring your KID gear! That s right the clothes you can run around in, play in, and get messy. Bathing Suits Campers and Staff are expected to wear appropriate bathing attire for water sport activities at camp. Proper Bathing Attire for Female Campers One-piece bathing suits or tankinis (a two piece bathing suit that looks like a one piece) Campers may wear bikini tops and boardie shorts or swim shorts for activities that require a life vest Proper Bathing Attire for Male Campers Boardie shorts or swim shorts that reach to the mid thigh or longer Bikini style Speedo bathing suits are not permitted Footwear Safety is our #1 concern at Camp North Star. Camp North Star s footwear policy is strictly enforced at camp. Flip Flops, Water shoes, Sandals, Crocs, etc. are permitted at water sports and at the lake only. Closed toed shoes (see the Family Handbook for more details) are expected at all other times and activities at camp. Horseback riding also requires proper foot attire Riding Boots are required. Appropriate Dress Guidelines Ladies: Shorts should have an inseam of at least 4 inches or hit mid thigh. T-shirts should cover your midsection. Tank tops should also cover the midsection and be appropriate for being active. Gentleman: Shorts should have an inseam of at least 4 inches or hit mid thigh. Shirts are to be worn at all activities other than water based sports. All clothing that has graphics or logos should be appropriate in nature and not reflect messages that are not in-line with our values as a community or promote foul language, smoking, use of drugs or alcohol, etc. Get Ready for Camp To Do List 1.) Complete Camp Forms 2.) Pack for Camp 3.) Plan outfit for the dance
Fun Camp Things For campers and Parents Don t forget to join the official Camp North Star Facebook Page AND become our Facebook Friend! If you do not already follow our blog and keep track of our updates on Twitter @campnorthstarmaine and Instagram @cnsmaine! We post updates and exciting news all year long, AND we keep everyone update during the summer through all of our social media outlets! Do you miss those cut faces while they are here at camp? We understand! Log into your CampMinder Account and check out daily photos, updates and even videos of what is happening here at camp. Camper Emails, Snail Mail and Packages Mail call is a BIG DEAL at camp. Campers love receiving letters and hearing about the happenings at home. Please make sure you write your campers FULL NAME and CABIN NAME along with the camps address when sending letters. Emails Log onto your CampMinder Account and start typing! Parents are able to send UNLIMITED email to campers every day. Emails sent through your INDIVIDUAL CampMinder Account are received, printed and handed out each afternoon along with regular mail. Email is a great way to reach your campers quickly with great and fun news from home. Packages The vast majority of our camp parents appreciate that we have a no package policy. This policy is strictly adhered to and enforced by camp. Any packages that arrive to camp without prior approval from the camp office will either be refused or returned to sender. We ask for your cooperation on this effort in camp, please notify friends and family of the policy as well. Note: In the event that you need to send items like a required article of clothing or equipment or a birthday present, please contact the camp office for instructions BEFORE sending the package. From Sue and Jay and the Camp North Star Family: We cannot wait to welcome all of our campers that are arriving on Sunday, July 27 th! We are certain that 2014 will be a summer full of friendships and fun! See you soon!