To insure that our staff is one of the best, we have them arrive early at camp so that we can spend some time teaching them everything they need to know about Camp Weequahic and you (our campers) prior to your arrival to insure that they’re ready to help you have the best summer ever from the moment you step onto campus.

We, at Camp Weequahic, believe that every summer should be even better than the last, and our staff orientation is a critical part of that philosophy. Amongst the staff of 2014 will be faces that we know you are counting down the days to see as well as some new ones who we know you’re going love. Our 2014 staff members have expressed many times over how excited they are about spending the summer at Camp Weequahic working with our campers. The only thing missing is you! We’ll ALL be ready and waiting for your arrival in just 9 more days.

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Camp Weequahic promotes three main values to each community member: Gratitude, Attitude, and Courage. We believe a gracious heart is a happy one. We believe that attitude is the only thing a person has complete control of in their life. And, we believe that confronting the fear one feels and doing the right thing anyway builds courage.

While we talk about these values at our weekly campfire, there is not a lot of overt GAC ‘speak’ each day. Rather, we take Oscar Wilde’s comment to heart: “Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character.”

Those ‘every little’ actions involve the campers who play, laugh, and learn at Camp Weequahic and, just as importantly, the staff who care for, teach, and guide them.

At Weequahic, we are mindful about the families who join our community. Surrounding our campers with other children interested in being at camp for the right reasons (grateful for the experience, excited to meet new friends, and open to building a great community) is enormously important.

Even more, it is critical for us to identify and hire staff members who already leading their lives in a GAC way. Why? While our nine day orientation is very effective in preparing our staff for campers, it cannot change their nature.

Our staff members’ character is nearly formed by the time they reach us. Therefore, we spend a great deal of time determining their values and learning about their daily conduct with and away from young people through the interview process. Once we have identified staff members who fit our culture, we then train and support them in the daily adventure of building children of strong character through playful mentorship.

Researchers have identified that a large portion of our young people do not place any value on ‘Values.’ Rather, they simply do what they have to in order to get what they want. At Camp Weequahic, we are proud to take an active role in combating this problem in our youth by teaching, in very fun little and daily ways, the GAC values.

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What is Camp Counselor Orientation?  Orientation is a week for camp counselors and other staff members to…

Become familiar with the camp’s expectations.  Summer camp staff members participate in workshops relating to teamwork, camp policies, and child development. During this time, counselors are also familiarized with ACA standards and the importance of maintaining and exceeding these standards.  It’s during this training that counselors are able to grasp that their new summer job, though fun, carries a lot of responsibility and 24/7 focus.

Familiarize themselves with their surroundings.  Your camp wants counselors to understand the campus prior to your camper arriving.  During Orientation, staff members are given every opportunity to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings, as well as which areas require special supervision.

Make new friends.  Why is this important to you?  Happy counselors make better counselors.  As you well know as parents, having a proper support system in place is essential to the success of any parent.  Those looking after your children this summer are no exception.  Orientation is a time for summer camp staff members to become comfortable with their new co-workers and begin to get to know each other.

Attain necessary certification.  Those staff members working in areas such as waterfront and outdoor adventure must have training and certification prior to supervising your children.  For some staff members, this entails arriving at camp well before the camper arrival date in order to be fully prepared from the day the first camper sets foot on campus.  Outside experts such as the Red Cross are often brought in to conduct lifeguard training.  Outdoor Adventure and Waterfront  areas also frequently utilize external professionals to train their staff.

Understand what it’s like to be a camper.  Many camp orientation programs follow mock daily camp schedules and encourage staff members to participate in many of the same activities that their campers will throughout the summer.  Most staff members live and function as members of groups during this period.  The role play isn’t merely designed to give staff members an idea of what’s in store. It gives them the opportunity to embrace the camp’s traditions so that they can share in the enthusiasm with campers.

Receive very valuable and essential education to understanding and working with children.  Summer camps take the well being of their campers very seriously and spare no expense in this area of Orientation.  Big name speakers are brought in for lectures and workshops that educate staff members with the latest, most up-to-date childcare information and relevant laws.  Counselors and other camp staff are left with no doubt or misunderstanding that the campers and their safety are the reason that they are there and, as such, come first.

Mentally prepare themselves for the arrival of campers.  Even the most seasoned childcare professionals and educators can feel a bit overwhelmed when suddenly surrounded by hundreds of enthusiastic children who’ve waited ten months to see their camp friends again.  By taking place on campus before the campers arrive, Orientation serves as a sort of segue from the camp counselors’ lives back home into their new summer lives by giving them some time to adjust to their new home and surroundings before the chaos that is summer camp ensues.

Finally, Orientation is an opportunity for Camp Directors and Senior Staff to assess how their staff interacts and identify individual strengths and weaknesses.  This helps them assign camp counselors to cabins and bunks and age groups in which they’re likely to provide the best leadership.

So when you put your campers on the bus in June, you can bet that a very excited and well trained camp staff is waiting on the other end to meet your children and give them the best summer ever.

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Think about your own experiences with first impressions. They are important, right? Malcolm Gladwell, in his wonderfully thoughtful Blink, demonstrates the awesome power of first experiences with art, music, friends, and more. We want to do everything we can to make that first impression a fantastic one!

Before Campers Get on the Bus

Isn’t it nice to walk into your room, find your bed made, clothes neatly put away, and huge signs saying “Welcome!” We think it is and know, from experience, our campers like it, too!

Parents help us start camp by sending their child’s clothing and bedding to Weequahic 10 days before camp starts. Camp Trucking makes this very easy for our families. Some families in the local area will even drive the bags up to camp.

Our counselors unpack every kid in our Junior and Inter (rising 2^nd through 8^th graders) divisions before they arrive, tucking things neatly away into each child’s cubbies. We make their beds, which we’ve arranged specifically. Then, we make the cabin look fun and inviting for each camper.

By the time our counselors have finished these tasks, they cannot wait to see the kids!

Getting to Camp – By Land or Air

The vast majority of our campers arrive to Weequahic by bus. It’s a great way to start the experience. In fact, we always say camp starts as soon as you get on the bus!

Several of our counselors travel to our pick up areas to meet our campers and their families. They’ll be wearing our Weequahic staff shirts and will be greeting you with enormous smiles. Our counselors will be there to help campers find their pre-assigned seats on the bus.

Yes, that’s right – I assign our campers’ seats on the bus or plane. I’m not a big fan of the ‘where am I supposed to go’ feeling, especially when setting up a great experience for children. I simply find this kind of direction makes for a more comfortable start to camp.

Campers sit by age group so that new campers will have a chance to meet other campers of the same age immediately. We also place our counselors throughout the bus in order to make sure everyone is doing well. The bus will be full of songs, laughter, and even a few minutes of the camp video just before the kids arrive at Weequahic.

Arriving at Camp

Once the doors open, our counselors, having just finished a nine day orientation, are excitedly waiting to greet the kids. Campers are directed to their bunk counselors who are holding big signs with their names and bunk numbers. I’ll be at the door of each bus as it arrives as well, happily greeting each one of our campers to Weequahic.

We’ll get the kids organized by bunk in our picnic area, check them into camp, and whisk them to their bunks. Once they’ve had a chance to put their bus bags down, we head right back out for lunch or snack, depending on when they arrive, and for some fun activities that afternoon.

Our office team will be calling home to let our parents know about the bus arrivals and we’ll begin posting pictures immediately. (Hey, we know it’s stressful on the parents as well!)

We’ll enjoy some tours of camp, special activities, and a good bit of bunk bonding time. The evening is set up as a huge welcome to everyone at camp as a whole. We introduce all of the top program and bunk staff and have a great evening together. Then, we are back to our bunks for our first night at camp.

I’ll visit each bunk of boys that night to spend some time and start our tradition of ‘Two Happies.’ Kate and our female leadership will do the same on girl’s side.

Then, it’s lights out (though a light stays on in the bathroom….) The excitement around camp is palpable. The kids are excited about what their first full day of activities will hold. The staff members are thrilled to meet their new charges and start building an incredible bunk community. The directors are happy to finally be done with all the planning and ready to start camp.

The first day at camp is an important one and we do our best to make it exciting, warm, and inviting. We hope you and your camper enjoys it!

Can’t wait for camp,

Cole

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