All
information noted here is enclosed in Hidden Valley's
Parent Handbook, sent to families after they
register for camp. The Handbook also includes additional
information, as well as forms which need to be completed
prior to camper arrival.
Please call or email us with any questions.
COMMUNICATION WITH CAMP
MAIL
is very important to campers, so please write often!
Even a postcard makes a difference in your child's day.
We'll require him/her to write you once a week. Pack
stamps, please.
Our address is: "Camper"; Cabin Name (once you
know it); Hidden Valley Camp, Freedom, Maine 04941.
During camp's first week, a letter from us will tell you
the cabin name.
FAXES:
Dial 207-342-5685 and limit letters to two pages.
These will be delivered with regular mail within 24
hours. Outgoing faxes from
campers can be arranged, especially to overseas.
E-MAIL/WEBSITE: Outgoing email is
unavailable...For incoming messages (no
photos or attachments please)
address is summer@hiddenvalleycamp.com with
camper name in subject line, delivered
with regular mail within 24 hours... Also please note
that our virtual correspondent, Justin, provides daily
News Reports From Hidden Valley
CARE PACKAGES should contain only non-edibles
like books, games, puzzles etc. Please inform relatives
and friends of our non-junk food policy, and tell them
not to send candy, gum, etc.! And please work together
to limit care packages to two per camper per month.
(Many of our campers receive no packages due to a range
of family circumstances; over-indulgence on your part
contributes to cabin tension, jealousy, etc.)
OUTGOING CALLS: With almost 400 people in residence
here, we obviously need to limit phone use.
Campers may call home once during the month to say
hello. Additionally, we can easily bring you
together for birthdays, other needs, etc.
INCOMING CALLS:
Please understand that campers' active schedules do not
bring them near the phone. Leave a message,
and our office people will schedule a call at an upcoming meal time when she/he is nearby. . .
-
We ask that you limit calls to one per session. Of
course, should any circumstances require that additional
conversations are required, we can make these
arrangements.
If you have a particular concern about your child's
progress
or want to "check in" with Meg or Peter, call us at
207-342-5177. If we are involved in camper activities or
meeting with staff, leave a message and we'll call back
shortly.
-
If you have potentially upsetting news to discuss with
your child, please tell us first so that we can
provide support after the phone call. This approach is
also helpful should upsetting news be included in a
letter.
IN GENERAL MAIL AND EMAIL ARE BEST: To best
facilitate your child's camp adjustment, we suggest
writing often. Former campers tell us that mail "lasts
longer" than calls, as letters can be carried around
camp and re-read in the cabin. Phone calls - while
providing parents with immediate contact - disrupt
campers from friends and active routines.
A suggested packing list can be found
here
PLEASE DO NOT SEND over-the counter meds, food/gum,
jewelry of any value, cell phones or walkmen, cosmetic
"make-up", curling irons, fire-works, or pets...
Gameboys, ipods, walkmen for the bus ride only;
we will then store these in our office.
SHIPPING...
It's best if luggage accompanies children
by car, bus, or plane...
Options to Maine: USPO, Fedex and UPS are
options as is "Camp Trucking" which covers only some
dates and some areas. Details at
www.camptrucking.com
To home: If you use a shipper, you must
make all pickup arrangements and payments ahead of time.
STORAGE...
-
We will store musical instruments in our office.
-
Camp is not responsible for lost items.
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
PLANE TRAVEL:
Please call or
email
to discuss...
Please be informed about airline
policies regarding unaccompanied minors and overweight
luggage... Our counselors will meet children at the
gate at the airports... We keep return tickets in
safe-keeping.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
- We expect to receive your blue transportation form by March 1st.
Thank you!
- Please send us a detailed itinerary so that we have full information for children’s flights both to and from camp.
- Some arrivals and
departures can be coordinated with other families.
Please call to discuss.
TIMING OF FLIGHTS and CHOOSING A DESTINATION:
- Flight arrival at Portland Jetport is best if timed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the
first day of camp.
- Flight departure from the Portland Jetport is best if timed between 9 a.m. and 1p.m. on the
last day of camp
- West Coast families: We suggest you
arrive in Portland only (not Boston) on Friday evening. Please arrange to have your camper arrive in Portland by 9 p.m.
- Boston: Note that we will pick up and drop off a small number of campers at Boston’s Logan airport, if absolutely necessary.
~Please arrive at Logan by 2 p.m. on the first day of camp to allow for the subsequent 4-hour ride to camp.
~Trip home: Departure must be after 3p.m. to allow for travel from Maine and check-in.
Airport Transfer Info
If you schedule as we request, then no transfer fees charged.
If you reserve as follows, extra transfer charges will apply:
Portland flights at times/days other than noted: $75.00
Boston flights at times/days other than noted: $150.00
Airport Pickup
Portland's Jetport accommodates all aircrafts, but is small enough that we can easily meet all flights. Our counselor groups spend the day at the airport greeting campers at the gates; we can obtain gate passes. We pick up luggage, offer snacks to all, and then travel to camp in large touring busses or our modern vans. Meanwhile, back at Hidden Valley. . . Our office staff will call you at home as soon as we hear from the airport that campers have disembarked (about 30 minutes after landing.)
DRIVING CHILDREN TO CAMP:
Directions are noted
on the hard copy of the HVC Parent Handbook. Please
plan to arrive between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Good-byes
may be difficult for all, so we suggest that
during the late morning you have a tour of camp with
your child and his/her counselor, meet the llamas, enjoy
a picnic lunch with us (served from 12:30 to 1:30), and
then allow your child to spend the afternoon getting
acquainted and playing games with campers and staff
while we await the arrival of camp buses.
Car pickup at the end of the session is Thursday
morning between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Please arrive on
time as children are waiting to join you and hopeful
about their next adventure.
Regarding Wednesday...Parent classes
(ropes, crafts, etc.) are offered on Wednesday; details
sent via snail mail in the spring...
-
Departure Weds. night is discouraged as we
hope that cabin groups can spend a last night together.
BUS TRAVEL: Look for a reminder a few days prior to
your camper's departure and/or arrival...
-
Please pack a lunch, snacks, books or
games. We'll make stops to purchase beverages for all...
-
Chaperones (from among the
camp staff) will spend time with each child and
introduce campers to one another...
-
Luggage goes on buses with campers.
VISITING YOUR CHILD
In General: We welcome you and have no special visiting day, rather suggesting a visit on a "typical day" midway through when you can meet your camper's friends and staff, take a tour, join us for lunch if you like, or go out with your child for a meal or to a nearby park for some private time... ~ Please notify us in advance... ~About 1/3 to 1/2 of families are able to visit Maine.
Visitation Policies: Families must leave HVC by 7PM to allow a smooth transition to bedtime... ~Overnight stays will be disruptive to a child's readjustment to camp, according to camp parents... ~ Please visit for 1 day only, this will support the independent routines established by campers... ~We have firm llimits on taking other children out of camp.
Planning your trip; making reservations:
During the summer months, advance reservations at
nearby motels or inns are essential. See
elsewhere on the website for suggest accommodations and
the Kassens' local
Vacation Guide
DIET ISSUES
Our kitchen staff puts much effort into providing
appealing meals to your child. The menu is full of
variety, but please encourage "picky eaters"
to try new foods!
-
We accommodate most special or allergy
sensitive diets,
so please let us know your child's needs.
We may ask you to ship some specialty itmes to HVC or reimburse the camp for items purchased here....
-
Alternatives are available for those campers who are
vegetarians prior to arrival here with
written parental permission...
-
Overall, we
carefully monitor each child's eating habits, and are
committed to serving balanced, delicious meals.
CAMP HEALTH ISSUES
MEDICAL FORMS: Regulations and common sense
require that you return, by May 1st, the green health
form completed by a physician during the calendar year,
based on a recent exam (24 months,) and signed by a
parent...
-
Make an appointment for a physical ASAP.
MEDICATION must be kept in our Health Lodge...
-
Prescriptions/vitamins must be pre-packaged
as outlined by Camp Meds, please visit
www.campmeds.com for details. To support our nursing
staff, this system must be employed
-
Inhalers & Epi-pens
can be kept by campers but parents must sign a release.
Please contact us..
-
Over-the-counter:
Do not pack as our Health lodge is fully stocked.
PREVENTION AT CAMP: To best care for your child and
other members of the camp community, we must have
full information about campers' histories
of communicable diseases, inoculations, medical
conditions, recent accidents, illnesses, etc. Please
take time to inform us about all relevant situations
right up until the first
day of camp.
COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS: In the rare instance of
injury or an illness requiring an overnight at the
health lodge, nurses or Meg will contact you. We can
arrange conversations with campers and camp
pediatricians as needed.
MEDICAL PAYMENTS: On your child's green medical
form, please provided full insurance information to
cover summer medical expenses. You are also responsible
for payments related to pre-existing conditions (asthma,
allergies, orthodontics, orthopedics, etc.)
CLASS CHOICES
Class choices take place during the first day of camp in
small groups and with the supervision of Program
Directors. If your child has his or her heart set
on an activity - or if you have any preferences
this winter - we can pre-sign campers for one or two
classes before arrival. Please
contact
us.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are celebrated with balloons, singing, and a
cabin party with cake and ice cream. Please send a gift
and perhaps something for the cabin group. We'll arrange
for a phone call, of course.
LEAVING CAMP WITH OTHER FAMILIES
Written
permission is necessary
to leave camp with anyone
other than a parent or legal guardian. (For example:
going out to dinner with grandparents.) So, to avoid
disappointment, please anticipate such visits, and send
or fax notes to us in advance. Thank you!
- If taking out
other campers,
only relatives or "pre-existing" friends from home
please. And only 1 camper other than your child. This
will help us limit disruptions to cabin life.
TOBACCO, ALCOHOL & DRUG POLICIES
While it is inconceivable that campers would bring these
items to camp, this policy reminder is a word to the
wise. Possession of alcohol or drugs at HVC will result
in staff or campers involved in any incident leaving
camp immediately.
- Hidden Valley also has a
no-smoking policy for everyone at camp, including
visitors. Campers in possession of tobacco
will be sent home. Live-in staff are required to leave
camp in order to smoke on off-time only.
TIPPING
American Camping Association policy prohibits the
tipping of counselors. We do strongly encourage you to
write a nice note to staff members expressing your
appreciation.
SPENDING MONEY & SUPPLIES
We do not charge for incidental or program expenses.
Free of charge, we provide standard items such as an HV
t-shirt, trip fees, post-camp DVD, etc. Additionally,
campers can obtain stamps, shampoo, stationary,
souveneirs, etc. at our camp store, (no extra charge to
families) up to a $35 limit that we monitor. (No refunds
if children do not use this option) And we will give
children cash for camp trips, so there is no
need for campers to have any cash in camp.
PLANETMEG.COM
Features loads of fun HVC items. None of
these items is a necessity, though a water
bottle and "crazy creek" do come in handy. One HVC
t-shirt is given to each camper during the summer
season.
PROBLEMS AT CAMP
Can be avoided if we work together in advance. We know
that camp is a special experience for your family and we
will work very hard to do the best possible for your
child. So please inform us prior to the
summer if you have any concerns about your
child's adjustment to camp.
Once your child has arrived here, if you
feel that there is a problem, bring it to our attention
immediately. Do not wait until September! We hope that
you will feel comfortable speaking with us about any
camp situation.
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