We could not be more excited to welcome you and your campers to HSJ on July 7^th! We’re gearing up for an incredible summer, and we’re so thrilled you’ll be here with us!

Our primary goal for the first day of camp is to welcome you home to Jacobs in a way that represents the values and culture of our wonderful community and to help your children quickly transition into the camp routine. Of course, we know it can be a hectic and sometimes challenging day. We have worked to revise our drop-off systems to best serve the camp community.

Opening Day Schedule:
8:30am – Medical Check In begins in the JPAC
11:00 – Gates Open!
11:00-12:45pm – Camper Drop Off at cabins
12:45 – Parent Lunch in the JPAC
1:30 – Parent Orientation in the JPAC

When you arrive…
Opening Day is an exciting time for campers and parents alike! We encourage families to arrive between 8:30 am and 10:30 am. Medical check in will begin at 8:30 am, but we invite you to spend some time tailgating with our camp community on the road! Cars begin lining up often as early as 7:30 am, and this is a great opportunity for kids and parents to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Our staff will be out and about to meet you and your camper, distribute snacks and water, and help you get excited for the big day. Plus, we’ll have a special alumni area for all our former campers!

Medical Check In:
We will begin medical check in at 8:30 am.  As soon as you arrive to camp, park in the line and come directly to the JPAC, which is the first building right inside the camp gates. (If you arrive before 8:30 am please come to the JPAC at 8:30 am.) We ask that at least one parent accompany each camper through the medical check in process. Staff will be directing you to the JPAC and we will also have golf cart shuttles for those who are not able to walk.  All families will pass through four stations:

1. Verify we have all your paperwork.
2. Check temperatures and check heads for lice.
   An important note regarding Session Two Medical Check in: As we have in years past, step one in the medical check in will be a lice inspection. In order to prevent the spread of lice at camp, we are working with staff from the Lice Clinics of America, an organization that has worked with many of our partner camps. Jacobs Camp will be covering the cost of every camper’s head-check; if lice is found, however, you will have two options in treatment: (1). The staff from Lice Clinics of America can provide treatment on-site, which we recommend, as over-the-counter medications are growing ineffective in treating the strains of lice we are seeing today. (2). You can take your child home and provide treatment yourself; we will need documentation from a doctor that they are nit- and lice-free before returning to camp. While this is a change in our policy, we are following the lead of many camps across the country to ensure we are doing all we can to provide a safe and healthy environment this summer.
3. Medication Drop Off – Please review our Medication Administration Form in your Camp InTouch Account. We ask that you print this form and complete it, neatly detailing any medication (prescription and/or over-the-counter) that your child will take regularly at camp.
4. 2016 Merchandise – You are done! Once you have passed through all the medical stations, your child will receive his or her 2016 HSJ bracelet, and you will receive a car magnet for your family. No cars or campers will be allowed through to their cabins without these two items.

Our goal is for you to get in and out of Medical Check In as quickly as possible so you will have plenty of time to visit with friends old and new.

11:00 am – Gates Open!
All families who have completed medical check in will be able to drive through the gates. Members of our Leadership Team will be stationed on the road to check in your child and direct you to his or her summer home. We ask that you drive carefully (the speed limit is 5mph), as the camp will be filled with excited campers eager to get settled in their cabins! Your child’s counselors will be available to help with unpacking the car and getting settled in the bunks, as well as answer any final questions.  This is an excellent opportunity to pass along helpful and important information about your child to his or her counselors. Before you leave, you will receive an information sheet about your child’s cabin and unit. This will include all the contact information you need for the camp, the exact mailing address (with your child’s cabin name), and the names of your child’s counselors and Unit Head.

A Note about Summer Bunking:
Our year-round team works hard to determine cabin and bunk assignments in a thoughtful way. We take a lot of factors into consideration: the age and grade of each camper, where he or she is from, medical concerns, and the friends they have requested to be with. When you arrive on Opening Day, you will find your child’s nametag hung on a bunk that the counselors and unit heads have assigned for them. We reserve bottom bunks for campers with medical needs, and our counselors assign campers throughout the cabin in a way that will allow them to create and sustain meaningful friendships with their cabin-mates. This system ensures a fair and positive start for all of our campers from the first moment they walk into the cabin. We ask that parents model the positivity and cooperation we expect of our campers in a shared living space by moving campers into their assigned bunk.

Summer Begins!
At 12:45pm, our campers will be going to lunch with their counselors and cabin-mates; we ask that you plan to say goodbye to your child by this time. The sooner the campers are immersed in camp activities, the quicker they will be having the summer of their lives!

Parent Lunch and Orientation:
We invite all of you to join us for a parents lunch at 12:45 pm and orientation at 1:30 pm in the JPAC! This will be a great opportunity for parents to continue meeting and mingling with each other, as well as hear a few last minute reminders from the Jacobs Camp Leadership Team.

If you will not be arriving on Thursday July 7th, between 9:00am and 12:00pm, please contact me at aherman@urj.org to let us know of your exact arrival information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 601-885-6042. We are looking forward to a wonderful summer, and can’t wait to welcome your children to their summer home!

Thank you for sharing your children with us!

Anna