Especially for New Campers

Guide 2010

Welcome to Camp Chi! We are happy that you have decided to spend your sum-mer at JCC Camp Chi. Like generations of campers before you, we know that Camp Chi will feel like your second home. You are about to experience an incredible summer.

As it gets closer to camp, it is normal to feel both a little nervous and really excited. Over the years, new campers have asked us a lot of questions about what camp is going to be like. We began to realize that everyone is curious about the same things. We decided to put the questions and answers into this booklet so that we can help you make a smooth transition into the Camp Chi family.

Of course, if you have questions that aren’t answered here, you can contact any of us by phone or email.

We can’t wait to meet you this summer!

Sincerely,

Ron, Brad & Jamie

Directors’ Contact Information Before June 1, 2010: 847.763.3551 After June 1, 2010: 608.253.1681

Ron’s email: rlevin@gojcc.org Brad’s email: bfinkel@gojcc.org Jamie’s email: jlake@gojcc.org

2

What’s Inside

Getting to Camp 3

Arrival 3

Typical Day 4

Cabins 5

Meals & Snacks 5

Counselors 6

Sleeping 6

Bathrooms 7

Problem Solving 7

Missing Home 8

Fun, Fun, Fun 8

What to Bring 9

iPODS & Electronics 9

Shabbat 10

Rainy Days 11

Birthdays 11

Mail 11

Chi Lingo 12

3

How do I get to camp? Most campers take buses to get to camp. They are really nice and comfortable buses with bathrooms! Sometimes you even watch a movie on the bus. There will be counselors on each bus. If you let the counselors know that this is your first

summer, they will help you find other new campers to sit with on the bus.

Campers coming from far away places like Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, and Israel will take a plane to camp. At the airport, staff wearing Camp Chi t-shirts will meet you. They will help you with your luggage and finding the Camp Chi bus or van that will take you to camp.

Some parents drive their campers to Camp Chi.

Regardless of how you get to camp, you’ll know that you are getting close when you start to see “Wisconsin Dells” signs along the highway.

What happens when I arrive at camp?

Arriving at camp is very exciting! We do our best to order up sunny, hot weather for your arrival. When you get to camp, Ron, Brad, Jamie, and a bunch of excited counselors will be there to greet you. You’ll see staff holding up big signs with different school grades painted on them. If you are starting 6th grade in the fall, you will look for a sign that says “6th grade” on it. The staff member holding the sign will then take you to meet your counselors and have a snack. Everyone wears name tags on the first day and we play a games that will help you get to know the other campers in your cabin. You’ll also have plenty of time to take a tour of camp and unpack your things.

Staff will bring your luggage to your village and your counselors will help you get the bags inside the cabin.

4

Once unpacking is finished, you’ll get to go swimming in one of Camp Chi’s pools. Make sure to pack a bathing suit near the top of your bags so you can easily find it and be ready to hit the water.

That evening there will be a fabulous first dinner, a fun evening activity, a chance to take a shower, have a snack, and then hang out in your cabin. Counselors will have something special planned for you to do on your first night; you might spend some time deciding on cabin rules, playing games, or having a party.

What’s a typical day at camp like?

Campers who have been at Camp Chi for a long time often joke that there is no such thing as a typical day at camp because every day brings something new. Other than Shabbat or special event days, the daily schedule looks like this:

This is just a sample schedule. Each village has their own daily schedule at camp.

7:45am Wake Up*

8:15am Breakfast

9:00am Cabin Clean Up

9:45am Cabin Activity

11:00am Specialty Activity

12:15pm Lunch

1:15pm Rest Hour

2:30pm Cabin Activity

3:45pm Swim

5:30pm Dinner

6:30pm Specialty Activity

7:45pm Evening Program

8:45pm Snack

9:00pm Shower

9:30pm Lights Out**

* 7th-11th graders sleep until 8:30am **7th-11th graders stay up later

5

What’s my cabin like? All of the cabins at Camp Chi are similar wooden buildings with bunk beds. There is one large room where all the campers sleep and keep their things in cubbies. The counselors live in the cabins too, but they have their own room separated from

the campers’ space by a curtain. The cabins have electricity, but no outlets so don’t bring things that need to be plugged in.

You might be wondering - where are the bathrooms? Everyone living in a village shares a large washhouse that is located near the cabins, but not inside of them. The washhouses have sinks, private toilet stalls, and individual showers. Once you get used to not having a bathroom down the hall, it is actually really nice to have them located outside of the cabins because then the campers don’t have to clean them. Our janitorial staff clean the bathrooms twice each day.

How is the food?

Most campers love the food at camp. We serve food that kids generally like to eat – hamburgers, tacos, chicken nuggets, spaghetti, French fries, and pizza. There is always plenty of food so you can get seconds, thirds, and even fourths if you are hungry. If you don’t like what is being served at a meal, you can always get a great salad from the salad bar or have peanut butter and jelly.

The food served in the Dining Halls at Camp Chi is kosher. Usually breakfast and one other meal are dairy meals and the third meal is a meat meal. We offer vegetarian options if you don’t eat meat. Don’t worry if you have food allergies. We’ll work with your parents to make sure that we have the right food for you.

6

We don’t want anyone to go hungry. If you ever need to eat, just tell your counselors and they’ll make sure to get you something. We do have evening snacks and campers often get to go to Canteen and Franteen, our camp stores, for extra snacks.

What are counselors going to be like?

Imagine a combination of the best babysitter you’ve ever had and an older brother or sister who never picks on you. The image you get in your head is pretty much a camp counselor. The counselors are friendly and fun. Almost all of them have been campers at Camp Chi or, at least, went to a camp when they were younger. Most of them are in college and a few are finishing up high school. Their whole job is to make sure that you are safe and having a blast at camp. They remember what its like to be a first-time camper, and will be there to help you in any way that they can.

What happens at bedtime?

After evening program ends, campers go back to their villages to take showers and get ready for bed. We

shower every day at camp. (We know that you might not always shower every day at home, but you also don’t go swimming and play outside every day either.) After showers, most campers hang out in their cabins or visit friends in other cabins in the village. Your cabin will agree on a

time when everyone has to be in the cabin and when lights will be turned off.

Before the lights are turned off for the night, most cabins have some type of activity or ritual that they do every night. You might share your favorite moment from the past day, talk about what you are planning for tomorrow, or listen to meaningful music together.

7

What if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? This is a really good question, and one that worries most first-time campers before they get to camp. Many campers just get up, put on shoes, and head to the washhouse. The villages are lit really well at night, and the lights are on in the bathrooms all night so you can see the building from your cabin. If you are hesitant to go it alone, you can always wake up your counselor to go with you.

What happens if I have a problem?

Camp is really no different than life at home, and sometimes little problems arise. The great thing about camp is that there are so many people who care about you and want to help you solve your problems.

If you have a problems with an activity, you can talk with your counselor and village leader and they’ll get it straightened out.

If you are not feeling well, then visit our Health Center. Campers can go to the Health Center during the day or in the evening with counselors.

If you have brothers and sisters at home, you know that every once in a while you have disagreements with them. At camp you will have cabinmates and you might have a disagreement with them too. If you do, talk with your counselor or village leader. They will be able to help you work things out.

It’s very important that you let someone know about your problems so that we can help you with the solution. Counselors are the best place to start, but you can also approach Ron, Brad, Jamie, or any of the village leaders. We might look very busy sometimes, but don’t be afraid to approach us with an issue or just to talk. Your happiness at camp is extremely important to us.

8

What if I get homesick?

We know that many campers are worried about getting homesick. It is normal to miss your parents, house, and pets when you are at camp. The good news is that we are experts at helping campers get over homesickness. If you are ever feeling sad, you should let your counselors know. They will be able to help you by listening to you and giving great advice. The best thing you can do to cure homesickness is to keep busy doing fun activities at camp.

Sometimes campers want to call home when they are homesick. It is a rule at Camp Chi that campers can’t talk to their parents on the phone (unless it is the camper’s birthday). We have found that campers who talk to their parents actually become more homesick instead of feeling better.

What types of fun things happen at camp?

Camp is filled with fun from the moment you arrive until the day you leave. You will get to do cool activities like horseback riding, swimming, tubing, sports, sailing, water skiing, wake boarding, crafts, tennis, rock climbing, biking, high ropes, and so much more. Every night counselors plan fun programs and games for campers. You are

likely to participate in a talent show, a huge game of capture the flag, relay races, carnivals, pool parties, overnighter or slumber party, and goofy games. All campers get to go to Waterpark Day, and we also take other field trips to mini-golf, bowling, and movies. There is really something special for everyone.

9

Is there anything special that I should bring to camp? We send you a packing list before camp starts. This is a good outline of what to bring with you. If you forget something important, don’t worry about it. We have a lot of great supplies that you can purchase at the Canteen.

There are a few things that don’t appear on the packing list… You will definitely want to bring nicer clothes to wear on Shabbat. Also, some campers bring t-shirts in lots of different colors. You will often have to dress in colors for team activities and games so it helps if you have more than just plain white t-shirts to wear. (Don’t worry if you need to wear a shirt in a color that you don’t have. At camp it is very common to borrow a t-shirt from one of your cabinmates.)

Should I bring my iPOD?

This is ultimately a decision that you will need to make with your parents. However, we strongly suggest that you don’t bring an iPOD or any other expensive electronics to camp. iPODs are great for listening to music, but there is nowhere to plug them in to charge at camp. (This goes for electric fans, alarm clocks, and video games too.) Also, you don’t want to have to worry about losing or breaking your iPOD. In fact, anything that you would be upset about losing probably should not come to camp. Finally, when you have earphones in your ears, you can’t hear what’s going on around you or talk to your friends, which just doesn’t seem very campy. If you do choose to bring your iPOD and it gets lost or broken, camp is not responsible for it. Camp Chi does NOT allow video iPODs or iTouch or anything that can connect to the Internet.

There are some electronics, like cell phones, computers, televisions, or video cameras, that you are absolutely not allowed to bring to camp.

10

What do we do during Shabbat?

Shabbat is one of those truly special times at Camp Chi. Campers and staff just love celebrating Shabbat even if they never do at home. On Friday, normal activity schedules end early to give us plenty of time to prepare for Shabbat. First, everyone attends Shuk, an Israeli market where you can eat yummy Israeli food and other snacks and listen to great music. Then there is time for an actual Shabbat Prep when you’ll shower and change into nicer clothes. The whole camp then meets for the Shmooze. This is a great time to see your friends, socialize, and take pictures.

From Shmooze everyone goes to Shabbat Services together. Services at camp are very different than most services at home. They are held outdoors, campers lead them with the help of great guitar players and song leaders. We teach you everything you need

to know. Services usually last about forty-five minutes before the whole camp enjoys a festive, traditional Shabbat dinner.

After dinner the fun really begins at Song Session. There is no good way to describe Song Session, but let’s just say it involves spirited and enthusiastic singing of all kinds of songs and dancing. (We have some more relaxed activities going on if you don’t like the music or dancing.) It is just so much fun! You’ll have to wait to camp to get to experience it all.

Saturday is the one day of the week that is different from the rest. Campers and counselors swim, play sports and games, and do some special activities that we only do on Shabbat, but you will not have your normal activity schedule. Shabbat ends with a beautiful outdoor Havadalah service on Saturday night.

11

What goes on when it rains? Even though we like to say that it is sunny and beautiful every day at Camp Chi, there are the occasional rainy days. We are very lucky at camp that we have so many great indoor spaces. If it is just a little drizzle, we will have a normal schedule of activities, but most of them will move inside. For

example, if you are scheduled to go sailing and you can’t do that because of the weather, you might practice tying knots or design paper sailboats to sail in a mini-regatta in a kiddie pool. Or, if you are scheduled to play basketball, you’ll just play inside the gym instead of on an outdoor court.

Occasionally, it will really, really rain at camp. When this happens, you might spend a little bit of time in your cabin or one of the lounges playing games or doing special activities that your counselors have planned.

What happens if I have a birthday at camp?

We make a big deal out of birthdays at camp. If you are lucky enough to celebrate your birthday at camp, your counselors will talk with you about how you want to celebrate, including decorating the cabin, singing happy birthday to you at dinner, and having a party. Your parents can make arrangements to call you in the camp office and also order a special birthday party for you through the Canteen. We promise that every birthday you spend at camp will be very memorable.

How do I send and get my mail?

Scattered around camp are blue mailboxes where you can drop off your letters. Staff will bring the mail into town to have it sent out

12

every day. We get tons of mail delivered to camp every day. We also receive faxes and emails for campers too. We sort all these letters and put them in special bins for your village. Each afternoon your village leader will pick up your bin and deliver it to the village for mail delivery.

In general, campers are only allowed to receive two packages from home. We’ve sent a lot of information to your parents about the package rules. If your parents have questions about this policy, they should contact us.

What special words are used at Chi? There are just so many… here’s a sampling of some of the lingo:

Blass Lake The lake that camp is located on

Boker-Tov Hebrew for good morning

Cabin Time Activity period during the day where campers and counselors participate in camp activities together.

Canteen Store featuring snacks, CHI-GEAR, postage, stationary, etc.

Chi Burning The closing program on the final night of camp

Chi Winkle A very old camp care taker who lives in the woods at Chi. You’ll see him at Chi Burning.

Commons Area at camp with archery, hockey rink, mountain biking, ga-ga, tetherball, and basketball courts

Cove Location of waterfront and home of boating program

Franteen Second canteen filled with snacks and drinks located by the tennis courts

Laila Tov Hebrew for good night

Menucha Hebrew for rest time

Nikayon Cabin clean-up time

Specialty Choice activities that campers attend for 6 days

Village Age groups led by Village Leaders

Look at all the fun you’ll have at JCC Camp Chi!