Dec 5 2023
We hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying the beauty of fall, despite the chill in the air. Although the days are shorter, and the end of the year is approaching, we take solace in the fact that time is marching steadily along, and it’ll be summer before we know it! And speaking of summer…
We’re reaching out to share some new program information for the 2024 camp season. As many of you know, we are committed to engaging in regular self reflection, evaluation, and improvement, and have spent a good portion of the fall doing just that. We do so by reading through each and every 2023 family survey, staff survey, supervisor observation note, and family email, and then by coming together as a team to share and discuss these findings. We knew early on that we’d be expanding our Junior Camp program to better meet the needs of our 4 year-old campers, and now we’re reaching out to share some important changes to the 2024 Eagle and Senior Camp programs.
We’ve spent several years refining our Senior Camp program, and it’s been rewarding to witness that expanded vision come to life over the past 10 years. From the above-mentioned feedback and recommendations, and from our own observations and experience, we’ve come to realize that Eagle Camp would benefit from a closer look at the needs of the campers it serves. In its current iteration, Eagle has 4th, 5th, and 6th graders together. For those familiar with these grades and ages, it’s likely easy to spot the vast differences, developmentally and socially, between them. And since that first pandemic summer, the gap continues to widen. We can and want to do better!
So, beginning next summer, our 6th graders will join the ranks of Senior Camp. This change will allow us to better focus on the individual programming for each of these grades, and will also put us in better alignment with most middle school grades. (Not to mention, this will more evenly distribute the number of groups per section, which will be hugely beneficial to the support and supervision our leadership team is able to provide.) But wait! There’s more!
Here’s what our Owl campers can look forward to in 2024:
6th grade: Overnights, FYI (For Your Imagination), and the Senior Camp Service Project. Last year’s projects included mini libraries (one for each lunch section), and shoe racks for the tents!
7th grade: All of the above, plus one field trip (Session 2.3 only)
8th grade: All of the above, plus “A Day in the Life of a CIT” (Session 2.4 only)
We’re looking at you, and have we got exciting news to share! For the first time in Sewataro history, we will be hosting Eagle Carnival Night, and we’re going BIG! 🎉 Eagle Carnival Night will be held twice next summer, on Monday, July 1st, and Tuesday, August 6th, and will take the place of the Eagle Overnight. The fun will include carnival games, giant inflatables, a color run, extra swimming, s’mores, and more…plus some other surprises we’re keeping under wraps!
And last, but certainly not least, we’d never forget our Junior Campers, who also have a new section name: Make way for the small-but-mighty Chipmunks! The Chipmunk section will be composed of our Sprouts (½ day program for 3s & 4s), and Saplings (full-day program for 4s). Planning is well underway, and we’re excited to welcome the inaugural Chipmunk campers in 2024!
We can’t wait to see your campers next summer, and to share in all of this fun with them! In the meantime, we wish you all very happy holidays. We hope you know how grateful we are for all of you, our beloved Sewataro community.