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A summer at Pok-O-MacCready Camps offers your child a chance to appreciate the outdoors,
develop lasting relationships, self-reliance, cooperation, interdependence, and above all, have fun. The memories forged at Pok-O will last a lifetime.
This guide is designed to offer advice and address specific issues such as preparing for
camp, communication with your child during the summer, care packages, medical concerns, and homesickness.
Your active participation, both before and during the camp season, will enhance your
child’s experience and ensure a successful summer.
PREPARING FOR CAMP
Include your child while making plans regarding camp. If your child feels a part of the decision-making process,
his/her chances of having a positive experience will improve. Packing is a good topic of collaboration — but make sure not to buy a whole new wardrobe!
As in life, camp will have its ups and downs. Realistic expectations will make disappointment less
likely. Your child will have close friends, as well as those s/he does not like at all. Not every moment will be full of wonder and excitement. Make sure your child understands that some of the most
valuable experiences of the summer will involve problem-solving, negotiation, and greater sensitivity toward others.
Above all, be positive. Your child’s camp experience will create memories that will last a lifetime.
MONEY AND BANK ACCOUNT
Campers should NOT bring money to camp. Campers will have a “Blue Boar’s Bank Account” through
which they can pay for camp apparel, replacement toiletries, and postage stamps. If you would like a closer look at exactly what campers can spend money on, we are happy to send you a list upon request.
You can set a limit for your camper’s account. Campers will not be permitted to exceed the amount set by you
without your permission. If your child is near the limit, you will receive a call that will allow you to review what your child has spent money on, and decide whether to replenish the fund. Charges will be
reflected on the end-of-summer bill. Remember, we do our best to keep campers under their limit, but you are still responsible for all charges incurred..
COMMUNICATION
Snail-Mail Letters
One of the highlights of your child’s day will be mail call. Your child will be delighted to get cheerful,
positive, and frequent mail from family and friends. Mail is often slow in Willsboro, so please allow 4-5 days for letters to pass to and from camp.
Campers are required to write at least one letter to a family member each week. Your child will be more likely to
write to you if you send him/her to camp with self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Additionally, if you ask specific questions about activities, all-camp games, or friends in your communications, your child will
be likely to write more often.
If you are concerned about not having heard from your child, please call his or her Head of Camp.
Phone Calls
We ask that you refrain from calling your child for the first 10 days of your child’s
session in order to facilitate the smoothest possible transition to camp. After that you may call your son or daughter between 12:45-1:45 (11:45-12:45 on Sunday), which is Girls’ Rest Hour and Boys’ Lunch. You
can reach girls at (518) 963-8982 and boys at (518) 963-7647. Campers are unavailable for phone calls outside of these hours.
Phone calls in an emergency are permissible at any time. Please use the main camp
number during business hours (8-5) or the Director’s number after-hours.
If you’re interested to find out how your child is doing, please contact a Director; do
NOT use the main office number.
www.pokomac.com
There will be daily or every-other-day updates to our Summer 2008 website. Check there to see your child’s class
schedule, cabin assignments, as well as pictures and descriptions of camp events, and much more! If you provided an e-mail address, you will receive e-mail updates with links to the site.
Faxes
You may communicate with your child via fax at (518) 963-4165. Faxes are better than
telephone calls, especially early in the camp season. Campers can send a fax back to you, for $1.00 domestic and $2.00 international.
E-Mail
You have the option to e-mail your son/daughter this summer using a camp e-mail service,
Bunk Notes. On our summer website (a Summer 2008 link will become available nearer the summer season) click on the Camper E-mail button to register and send e-mails for a small fee. E-mails will be printed out and distributed once daily at Mail Call. Campers do not have access to e-mail and will not be able to reply.
Please do NOT send e-mails for campers to our regular e-mail address.
Care Packages
Feel free to send any non-food items, such as the local sports page, fishing lures, or camping gear to your child at
camp. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FOOD ITEMS to your child. Food will cause conflicts within the cabin, as well as encourage small furry visitors.
MEDICAL CONCERNS
The primary concern of the camp Health Care Staff is the health and safety of the campers. It is essential, for
optimal health care in your absence, to openly convey information about any medical, behavioral or other care issues regarding your child to the Health Care Staff. All information provided to camp is held in
the strictest of confidence. If there is a concern or question about your child’s health, you will be contacted.
HOMESICKNESS
Homesickness may occur, even in the most experienced camper. If a child expects to have a good time, the occurrence
of homesickness is greatly reduced. Make sure your child knows that missing home is OK, and that you’ll be there when s/he returns after having a great time. Know that our staff has an immense amount of
experience and training in handling homesickness issues.
What can I do from home?
- Be positive. Write encouraging letters to your child instead of things like, “The house is quiet without you.”
- Remember that learning how to be away from home is part of your child’s summer camp experience, and that a
successful adjustment can be incredibly valuable to his or her long-term self confidence.
- Communicate confidence that your child has the ability to handle any situation. Remind him or her of other
situations where he or she prevailed and successfully had fun.
- Give your child time to adjust to camp and the new environment. Avoid bargaining and making promises like,
“Give camp one more week and if you still don’t like it, I’ll come and get you.”
- Support the efforts of the Directors, Heads of Camp, and camp staff to find a solution. Our experience tells
us that this tactic is successful in the vast majority of cases.
PARENTS’ DAY
Each year we invite and encourage families to visit their children in the camp setting on our enjoyable, relaxed
Parents’ Day. Parents are invited to enjoy the Pok-O Picnic and spend the day on the grounds.
Parents’ Day is also a fantastic opportunity to meet your child’s cabin counselor, section head, and the entire camp
staff, or even allow a younger sibling to see the fun there is to be had!
Campers are allowed to leave camp for the day with their legal guardians in order to enjoy the surrounding
area. Please ask camp staff for recommendations of local attractions and destinations, or get ideas HERE on our website.
If you will be leaving camp, campers should be returned by 6:30 PM to the Theater Barn for the annual Counselor
Play. The play is written to remind the campers of why they love camp, and to avoid any possible lingering separation anxiety after a fun day with their families. We ask, therefore, that parents say their
goodbyes and depart quickly after drop-off.
It is prohibited to bring food of any sort back to camp after Parents Day.
During the three-week session, parents are invited to visit camp and meet the staff during
our annual Big MacCready Horse Show on Sunday, August 5. There will also be a barbecue for parents and administrative staff at the Point House, the summer home of Director Sharp Swan.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Trunks: We ask that campers pack their things in soft duffle bags. Old fashioned
hard trunks do not fit well in the cabins. Duffle bags fold down for easy storage.
Blankets, Sheets and Pillows: All bedding will be provided at no extra charge.
Camp Equipment:: Backpacks, Sleeping Bags, Day Packs
L.L. Bean, Freeport Maine (www.llbean.com)
Eastern Mountain Sports (www.ems.com)
Riding Apparel: Recommendations - Riding helmet with chin strap (approved by U.S. Pony
Club, inexpensive hard rubber riding boots.
Miller’s Saddlery, 117 East 24th Street, New York, NY (212) 673-1400
Beval Saddlery LTD, 50 Pine Street, New Caanan, CT (800) 783-7669
Contact: Sherry Gagliarde
Health Forms: The camp regulations for New York State require all staff and campers to
have a physical within the last 12 months. All health forms must be sent to us by June 1. Health forms must show all dates of required immunization (mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and
polio).
Some information on this page was taken from:
Muchnick, Bruce, EdD. "How To Help Your Child Have a Great Time at Camp." Bottom Line Secrets. 15
May 2000. <http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=15898> (19 May 2004).
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