As mentioned in our last post, this week the girls will be doing the Sing Ontario Sing! Challenge. It's a great one -- the Sparks get to learn a whole bunch of great songs that we will definitely be singing at camp and in the years to come.
Also, just a reminder to the 4 girls moving to Brownies next year: they are invited to the 2nd Riverside South Brownie meeting this week, on Thursday from 6pm to 7:30pm in the St. Jerome gym. I was talking to the Brownie leaders, and boy, do they have a fun evening planned! Please let Hearts and Marigold know this week if your Spark is not attending.
Camp
Thanks also to all those who have responded to the email asking whether your Spark will be coming to camp. If you haven't done so, please drop Jen/Marigold a quick line. This camp is certainly optional, but we hope that all the girls can make it out.
For those of you who have asked about having your Spark come for the day: that will be fine, but we ask that she be picked up at 7:30pm Saturday evening, as the campfire is finishing. This has proven the least disruptive in the past for the others staying -- the less they see parents coming and going, the less homesick they tend to be.
Finally, please see the info letter posted below from the two organizers of the camp -- Diane and Jean, our community guiders. The permission slips will be circulated via email soon, but this letter gives you an idea of what camp is all about. In addition to the permission slips that will be sent via email, we will also be having a short info session about camp at the beginning of the April 29 meeting (we'll show you what to pack and answer any questions you may have).
Here is Diane and Jean's letter:
March 31, 2014
To Parents/Guardians of Guiding members in
Manotick/Riverside South
Dear Parents,
Guiding provides lots of new experiences
for girls, and one of these opportunities is to go to camp in a safe
environment, with girls and supervisors that they are familiar with. This letter is being written to provide you
with information about our upcoming
Spring Camp.First the date of the camp is May 9-11, which is Mother’s Day weekend, however our camp will end at 9:30 on Sunday morning to allow you to spend time with your daughter(s) and family.
The location of the camp is at the RCMP campground on Nicholl’s Island Road, just off River Road, between Manotick and Riverside South.
The camp is open to all girls in guiding in the Manotick/Riverside South area. We know that in a few cases we will not have enough leaders to cover the girls attending from a unit, and will need to ask a few female parents to assist us. Any Parents attending camp must have a current Police Check with the child vulnerability section completed. You also need to understand that you are at camp for all the girls in your group, not just for your daughter. Giving your daughter space is important if she is to be able to have the same experiences as others with no parent attending. If you are interested and available to attend camp, please let your unit leader know. If she needs assistance she will ask you.
Our staff at camp are our unit leaders and members of guiding. All have current police checks and many have current First Aid training. We are required by girl guides to provide ratios of adults to girls depending on ages, and these ratios are met at our camp.
Camp provides an opportunity for girls to learn to live and work with other members of our organization. They learn new skills in a safe and supportive environment, and they have lots of fun. Our program provides time for active group games, some outdoor cooking (age related), campfires, crafts, and outdoor program work.
A kit list will be provided for camp and we request that you follow the list. Rain gear is required because the program goes on outdoors even in the rain. Camp hats are often overlooked, but they are important and each child and adult leader must wear a hat at camp.
If your child requires medication at camp, she must bring it in it’s original container with her name and the dosage clearly marked on the container. You will be requested to complete a form for the administration of any medication sent to camp. We do not provide any medications, so if your child is prone to headaches and might need a Tylenol, you must have this marked on her health form, and must send the Tylenol in case. If your child requires an epi pen or an inhaler, she must carry it with her at all times, so please provide a suitable fanny pack type carrier, and inform her leaders that she has this item. All medications with the exception of the inhaler or epi pen, will be collected by a first aider and stored in a safe location in the kitchen, out of the reach of others, but convenient for dispensing.
A little about the camp: the camp is located by the water, however, we rope off the access to the water, and all girls are told that they will be sent home if they cross the rope without permission. We do not take chances with water.
: The Sparks sleep in the two large rooms of the main building, with indoor flush washrooms. We have a camp cook to assist them with meal preparations. The leaders also sleep in the building.
: The Brownies sleep in smaller, unheated cabins that have two bunk beds in one room for the girls, and a separate room for the leaders, with the door access. Washrooms are also flush, but are not in the cabins. The girls will have some meals prepared by the cook, and they will have the opportunity to try some food preparation too.
: The Guides will sleep in tents, normally two to a tent, and will assist with cooking outdoors. They will also have the opportunity to cook breakfast on a tin can or in a cardboard box. Please have the girls remember to bring two ground sheets. One from each girl will go under the tent and the other will be used inside the tent. Please pack these groundsheets at the top of the bag, or in an outside pocket so that they can be easily accessed.
: The Pathfinders will also sleep in tents, normally two to a tent, and will do their own cooking in groups outdoors. They will have opportunities to practice their leadership skills, and the younger girls watch carefully to see what the older ones can do, so they act as role models for the camp.
Camp begins on Friday with arrival time at 6:30. Sparks that are not camping on Friday night should arrive at camp at 7:30 am on Saturday so that they are in time for breakfast.
We have a busy schedule planned, and all food and snacks are provided. Please DO NOT SEND candy, chips, or other treats with your child. We do not permit food in tents because food attracts wildlife. You will be provided with a copy of the menu, and if for dietary reasons there are foods your child cannot eat, you may be required to supply an alternative. Our camp is NUT FREE.
If you have any questions, or are hesitating about sending your daughter to camp, please contact one of us named below and we will try to help.
Diane Arbuckle Jean Mowat
613-692-2459 613-692-4632
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