Parent Information for Ascension Summer Camp
Dear Parents and Campers,
Welcome to the 2024 Summer Camp season! Thank you for choosing Ascension Summer Camp for your child’s summer camping experience. We are super excited to gather once again at YMCA Camp Ravencliff! Ascension continues its commitment of providing a safe quality camping experience and we are honored to have your family join us. We are proud of our beautiful camp, highly qualified staff and engaging, fun program.
In order for your child to be prepared for camp, we ask that you thoroughly review this packet and keep it handy for reference. You can also download a copy of this packet by clicking the link above. A better-prepared child is more able to integrate into the camp community from the beginning, and has a much better chance of having a more enjoyable camp experience.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Director Peter Anastopoulos at 925-899-5264 (panastopoulos@gmail.com), or Assistant Director George Landis at 510-326-9196 (glandis113@gmail.com).
Again, thank you for choosing to participate in our summer programs. We look forward to a fun, safe and rewarding summer.
Sincerely, Your Ascension Summer Camp Staff
The Essential Facts to Know About Ascension Summer Camp
1. Fees, Forms & Cancellation Policy: All camp fees, online application and medical information are due as soon as possible and at least one week prior to departure. Feel free to call/email Peter Anastopoulos 925-899-5264, or George Landis 510-326-9196 with any questions. We will refund program fees for cancellations made 6 days prior to the start of the session OR in the case of illness or injury verified by a physician’s statement.
2. Mail: We welcome letters and care packages! Please DO NOT SEND FOOD OR CANDY. Our kitchen staff does an amazing job of keeping us well-nourished and we have a Trading Post full of candy that is open in the evenings offering one item to each camper.
Mail takes 2-3 days to arrive, so send it early (Maybe even before they leave!) to:
Ascension Summer Camp Attn: (Camper Name)
YMCA Camp Ravencliff
PO Box 2249
Redway, CA 95560
3. E-mail: Stay in touch with your camper at Ascension Summer Camp with Bunk Notes. Your message will be delivered to the camp within 24 hours. No need to wait for snail mail – Bunk1 makes it easy to communicate with your child. Go to www.Bunk1.com
Returning Parents: will login using their email address and password from the previous year.
New Parents will click “New Here? Get Started” button and complete the basic form. • The Invitation Code for Ascension Summer Camp is: ASC2024.
You will be prompted to select a bundle for access to your Parent Portal. Bundles include credits for you to send Bunk Notes and enhance your notes with borders, photos, sports scores, and puzzles. You can select a bundle based on your needs and how often you want to communicate with your camper.
Send Bunk Notes day or night! The camp receives a pdf at 12:00 am PST each day containing all Bunk Notes received in the last 24 hours. Camp prints each Bunk Note and delivers them to your camper with the regular mail during dinner the next day. You can purchase more credits anytime in the Bunk Notes menu. Successfully sent Bunk Notes will appear under Bunk Notes > View Sent.
Bunk Notes for Families: Purchase Bunk Notes Express and receive a unique email address for your camper. Edit this email address under the Bunk Notes tab. Anyone in your family can directly email your camper at this address, and the note will be delivered as a regular Bunk Note. A credit is deducted from your account for each note. These notes can also be confirmed as sent under Bunk Notes > View Sent.
PLEASE NOTE: Only emails sent via this service will be delivered to your camper. Until instructed otherwise, please do not send emails to any other accounts.
Bunk1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can other relatives use these services? Absolutely! On the right side of the dashboard, you’ll select Invite Family Members, enter their details and they will be sent an email invitation. PLEASE NOTE this will prompt them to set up their own account. It does not provide them access to your account, bundle, OR your Bunk Note Credits.
Questions or Problems? The Bunk1 team is available to support you 7 days a week during peak season. They guarantee a response within 24 hours and it's usually much quicker than that. Please call Bunk1 at 212-974-9112 or email support@bunk1.com.
4. Visitors: Because of its location and access limitations, and because it can be disruptive to the camp experience, we do not allow visitors at camp. If you have specific concerns contact Peter Anastopoulos. Incase of emergency please contact the Church office at 510-531-3400.
5. Phone/Email: The phone and personal email is off limits to campers while we are in session (except in cases of emergency). In the event of an emergency email Peter Anastopoulos at panstopoulos@gmail.com or text 925-899-5264, cell service is spotty so email or text is best.
6. Departure/Arrival: The transportation schedule is as follows: Departure - Saturday, June 8th. Please arrive at church no later than 8:00am for check-in and prayer service. Junior Leaders will be waiting to greet you and your camper(s) Buses depart at 9:00am sharp!
Return – Sunday, June 16th. We leave Camp Ravencliff at 12:30p.m., and arrive back at church by ~7:00p.m. (approximate time) Peter will email all parents once we depart and along the way for an estimated arrival time.
If you are planning transportation different than listed above you will need to contact George Landis or Peter Anastopoulos a minimum of 1 week prior to the start of the camp session to make those arrangements.
7. Lunch for Travel Days: We will provide lunch both on the way up and on the way home.
8. Medicine: Medications sent to camp that are to be dispensed on a regular basis must be accompanied by doctor’s instructions. Medications with someone else’s name on them will not be dispensed. Over the counter medications for allergies or other occasional ailments may be sent to camp to be dispensed at the discretion of the camp nurse. Medications should be turned in to the camp Nurse at check-in on departure day. Please write, in detail, any medical instructions that you have on the camper information form. The camp nurse must hold all medications including lozenges & vitamins. Campers cannot keep possession of their own medications. The only exceptions to this rule are asthma inhalers and anaphylaxis kits.
10. Clothing: Mark all of your camper’s gear (clothing, luggage, equipment, etc.) with their name in permanent ink. A “Sharpie” pen is really the best and most economical way to do this. Lost & Found is shown to campers throughout the week in hopes they will recognize their own gear. All lost and found items not retrieved will be donated 2 weeks after camp. If you are missing anything contact the church office at 510-531-3400
iPhone’s, iPad’s, cell phones, etc. - Personal electronics are expensive, can easily be damaged, and not conducive to our camp program. KEEP THEM AT HOME!!!!
11. Emergency Contact: It is vital that your emergency contact information include a minimum of 2 people staff can contact in case of emergency. Additionally, it is occasionally necessary to have campers picked up due to illness or rule violation. If you are planning to be out of town at any time during your camper’s stay at camp you will need to arrange pick-up contingencies in advance with your emergency contacts.
12. Behavior Management/Discipline Policy: Clear expectations of behavior are outlined on the first day of camp. Our first step is being proactive in our approach towards behavior management. The more we know about a child the easier it will be for us to be able to take this step. Please include any appropriate information on your Camper Information Sheet. Additionally, we use positive reinforcement by consistently acknowledging good behavior.
In the event of severe problems, staff will take the following progressive steps: 1) Have the camper take a 5-10 minute break and counselor discusses situation with the camper; 2) Counselor consults with Director; 3) Director meets with counselor and camper to clearly define appropriate behavior; 4) Director notifies parent, parent may talk with camper; 5) Parent is informed camper may not remain in camp and parent arranges transportation home that day. In extreme cases involving safety of campers or staff, staff may proceed immediately to step 5.
IMPORTANT NOTE: While we don’t ever expect it to occur, if a camper reaches step 5 it is the parent’s responsibility to make immediate arrangements to remove the camper from camp regardless of the distance to the camp or what day of the session it may be. If parents will be out of town during the camper’s stay, emergency contacts will be responsible for these arrangements. Please communicate this information to the people listed as your child’s emergency contacts. Campers in Step 5 are removed from the general camp program and must be supervised independently by staff. Because of the limited number of staff available at camp, this situation over a long period of time can jeopardize the overall safety of the entire camp.
GENERAL ASCENSION SUMMER CAMP RAVENCLIFF INFORMATION
Location: YMCA Camp Ravencliff is located in southern Humboldt County along the Eel River, approximately 10 minutes from Garberville (200 miles north of Oakland).
Cabin Assignments/Requests: Campers are divided into cabin groups according to AGE and GENDER. We generally put siblings into different cabins even if they are the same age, but we also are very careful to take the feelings and the needs of the camper into account. Although we do not accept cabin assignment requests, every effort will be made to keep small groups of friends (2-3) together as long as they are similar age. A cabin group consists of up to 10 campers, 1 Leader and 1-2 Junior Leaders.
Camp Staff: The Ascension Summer Camp Staff is an incredible group of talented, caring, and fun people. Many of our counselors have previously been Ravencliff campers. Our staff is trained each year so that the quality of our program remains high. Most of our program staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid. Prior to the first day of camp, staff participate in a rigorous training program that covers such topics as camp safety, group development, camper needs, and the camp’s individual programs and objectives.
Health Care at Camp: A camp medic with a fully equipped infirmary will take care of dispensing medication, monitoring the health of the campers and dealing with any minor health problems. Parents are generally not notified of minor injuries or illness unless the illness continues for more than 24 hours. More serious or longer-term illness may require us to transport the camper to the local Health Center. In case of serious accident or injury the local Emergency Medical Services will be utilized and the camper may be taken to a local hospital. Parents will be notified immediately during either such occurrence. Please note that any bills from the Health Center will be the parents’ responsibility.
Camp Pictures: Every camper will receive a camp picture. Pictures will be distributed at the end of the camp session.
Camp shirt/sweatshirt: Every camper will receive one camp shirt or sweatshirt which will be distributed at camp.
Activities: While in camp, campers are offered a wide range of activity choices including archery, sports and games, crafts, nature hikes, swimming, canoeing, campfires, tie dyeing and much, much more. All activities are done with your child’s cabin group. Several camp-wide events are also scheduled throughout the week.
Questions or more information: For any questions or additional information regarding Ascension Summer Camp, please contact Peter Anastopoulos 925-899-5264, or George Landis 510-326-9196.
What to Bring to Ascension Summer Camp Ravencliff
ASCENSION SUMMER CAMP ESSENTIALS - CHECK-OFF LIST
Please write your camper’s name on ALL belongings., and do not over-pack!!!
__ 1 = sleeping bag & pillow
__ 1 = twin-sized sheet (to cover mattress)
__ 10 = pairs of socks
__ 10 = t-shirts
__ 10 = pair of underwear
__ 4 = pair shorts
__ 3 = jeans/pants/or sweats
__ 2 = sweatshirts/sweaters
__ 1 = jacket (weather resistant)
__ 1 = pair of hiking boots/sneakers
__ 1 = pair of old sneakers for river hikes
__ 1 = pair of sandals/thongs for beach and showers
__ 1 = swimsuit (girls, please use discretion*)
*This is a church camp and discretion is mandatory. No string bikinis will be allowed.
__ 1 = hat
__ 1 = inexpensive sports theme clothing (hat, sweatshirt, t-shirt)
__ 1 = inexpensive “fun” clothing for skits
__ 1 = bible
__ 1 = beach towel
__ 2 = bath towels/washcloth/hand towel
__ 1 = hand soap/shampoo/toiletries
__ 1 = flashlight & EXTRA batteries!!!
__ 1 = notebook/pen/stationary
__ 1 = sun block (water resistant)
__ 1 = bug repellant
__ 1 = chapstick
__ 1 = water bottle
__ 1 = backpack
__ 1 = laundry bag
__ 2 = large garbage bags (Heavy Duty)
OPTIONAL: DO NOT BRING:
__ 1 = baseball glove NO cell phones, or other personal electronics
__ 1 = sunglasses NO tobacco/alcohol/drugs
__ 1 = inexpensive camera NO knives
__ 1 = musical instrument NO matches
__ 1 = book NO candy/food
NO pets
!!! WRITE CAMPERS NAME ON ALL BELONGINGS !!!
Please limit your child to ONE (1) piece of luggage, a sleeping bag, pillow and a small personal bag (backpack size or smaller) as space for luggage is extremely limited. Ascension Summer Camp makes every effort to keep belongings safe and get them back home, but we are not responsible for loss, damage, or theft of any item brought to camp. Campers are responsible for their own gear.
Ascension Summer Camp Ravencliff -Sample Daily Schedule
7:15 RISE-N-SHINE
7:45 SERVERS
8:00 CHAPEL
8:30 BREAKFAST
9:15 CAMP/CABIN CLEAN-UP
10:00 PERIOD 1 (Orthodox Life)
11:10 PERIOD 2 (Crafts)
12:10 SERVERS
12:20 LINE-UP
12:30 LUNCH
1:00 REST-N-MED
1:30 PERIOD 3 (God’s World)
2:30 OPEN SWIM
4:30 LEADERS SWIM/ CAMPERS SHOWERS
5:30 CABIN CALL/ SERVERS
5:45 CHAPEL
6:00 LINE-UP/ MAIL CALL/ ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:30 DINNER
7:15 BOND ON THE ROCK
7:30 SPORTS AND GAMES
8:15 CABIN CALL
8:30 CAMPFIRE (Cabin Skits)
10:00 BUZZ GROUPS
10:30 LIGHTS OUT