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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 everyday life, a summer at camp can have its ups and downs.
Realistic expectations will make disappointment less likely. Your child will have close friends, as well as those he or she 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 must NOT bring money to camp.
During your child’s summer at camp he or she will have no need to have their own spending money on hand. Instead your child will have a “Blue Boar’s Bank Account”, a charge account which will allow the camper to purchase 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. Boys can also be reached from 6:00-6:45 pm (5:15-6:00 on Sunday). You can reach girls at (518) 963-8982 and boys at (518) 963-7036. 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 2011 website. Check there to see your child’s class schedule, cabin photograph, 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,
and will be charged to their Blue Boar Account: $1.00 for domestic and $3.00
for international.
E-Mail
You have the option to e-mail your son/daughter this summer using a camp
e-mail service, BunkNotes. On our summer website, 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 via personal e-mail. However, if you have selected the “reply” service through
BunkNotes, your child will receive a blank reply sheet along with your printed e-mail letter so that they may return a handwritten response, which will be emailed back to you via BunkNotes.
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. Any food a camper receives (including but not limited to: snacks, candy, beverages, gum, etc) will be confiscated, as it can sometimes 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.
VISITING DAY
4 & 7 Week Sessions: Saturday, July 14th, 2012
3 Week Session: Saturday, August 4th, 2012
Each year we invite and encourage families to visit their children in the camp
setting on our enjoyable, relaxed Visiting Day. Parents are invited to enjoy the 108th Annual Pok-O Picnic and spend the day on the grounds.
Visiting 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. We recommend first attending the Pok-O Picnic to indulge in our famous barbeque and buffet lunch before you and your child head off for the
day’s activities. 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 7:00 PM. The
evening of July 14th (Visiting Day for the 4wk/7wk session) we have our annual Counselor Play at Robinson Hall. 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. On August 4th (Visiting Day for the 3wk session) we have the much-anticipated “NoCo Bingo”, a night of
Northcountry style Bingo games, dancing, and all sorts of fun. It is one of the most beloved all-camp events, so please be sure to return to camp promptly by 7:00pm so that your child can fully
enjoy the evening. 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 Visiting Day.
Tipping Policy - Our staff has
been instructed to decline any monetary gratuities. We are appreciative of the offer but suggest a donation be made to the Adirondack Scholarship Foundation in the counselor’s name.
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 and sheets are provided at no extra charge; however, pillows are
not provided.
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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