 |
  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This page outlines many of BT's policies and is full of information that you and your daughter need to read, digest and ponder. All of this is sent to our families via regular old mail at the end of March along with several forms that need to be returned to us. Those forms are available to downloaded from this page towards the bottom (click here to go there now.) Important Topics (Click on each to read more.) | ||||||||
|
Important Dates:
February 1st: 2nd deposit due April 15th - return all forms to BT May 15th - final payment due June 22nd - July 18th: 1st session July 19th (Saturday): visiting day July 19th - Aug. 14th: 2nd session  Back to Top
Travel Our campers fly into Minneapolis; from there we take buses to camp. We meet every plane as it arrives at the airport. We accompany all campers to and from their planes; we'll take care of their luggage, hold their tickets for safekeeping, gather and load all baggage and distribute all of the return tickets when campers leave Minneapolis homeward bound. We schedule most arrivals into Minneapolis between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. so we can get to camp early enough to unpack and have some fun during the daylight hours of the first day. Minnesota area campers should plan to meet us around noon at the airport. We'll let you know where to meet us in early June; we'll direct you to our trucks when you leave the airport and unload your daughter's luggage for you. We provide you with a handy form from our camp travel agent, Travel One. They book all the tickets and schedule directly with the airlines, make special arrangements for block seating and pre-checking baggage. They will even call you to arrange for your daughter's flight if they don't hear from you! Travel One gives us a master schedule so we know which planes to meet and which campers to expect on each flight. Here are two travel reminders: First, Chicago area, Racine, Milwaukee and Madison campers will be making their entire journey to and from camp by bus! We'll be sending a separate mailing detailing the time and pick-up location along with baggage information to those families in May. This results in a savings for you, but it is a big financial commitment for us, so all Chicago and Milwaukee campers must take the bus! Second, all Houston campers must fly to and from Inter-Continental, not Hobby! If special arrangements for travel are to be made or if there is not going to be a round-trip, please let both Travel One and us know. We change reservations and work with Travel One throughout the summer and can, of course, change plans for you. Travel One will make sure you get your daughter's ticket at least two weeks prior to departure. Travel One makes a logistical nightmare manageable for us; please remember our $100.00 surcharge if you do not use Travel One or if you deviate from their designated flights. Please note that there is also information from Travel One regarding campers traveling as "unaccompanied minors". If your daughter is flying round trip, you will need to purchase round trip unaccompanied minor coverage for your daughter when she departs unless we have a 15 year old BTer on her flight. Check our web-site in June and we will post the flights that won't need unaccompanied minor status. DRIVING YOUR DAUGHTER TO CAMP? A few families bring their daughters to camp. That's fine, but plan to arrive between 1:00 and 3:00 and to leave immediately after seeing camp. If you plan to pick up your daughter at the end of the session, please arrive in camp sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. And by all means, please let us know your plans in advance and in writing. If special arrangements for transportation to or from camp are required, please drop us a note. Back to Top
Baggage and Shipping Information Three baggage tags will be sent to you for all campers traveling by air. The third baggage tag is for carry-on luggage; sometimes excited campers leave things on the plane. If you need more than two duffels, you're packing too much! Be sure to fill in your address and attach our tags securely to each piece of luggage (used "twist-ties" work well, and it's a great way to re-cycle them). Don't let anyone tell you that you are not to use our tags; we spot your daughter's luggage at the airport in Minneapolis this way (that's why we use red ink!). The airlines tell us that duffel bags are required--no foot lockers. You will be able to check baggage through the airport at the time of your daughter's departure. If you anticipate a crowd at your airport, please make plans to arrive early. We also have UPS service to camp as well (for special needs or travel plans). Please note our "ship to" address is: Birch Trail Camp, Hwy 77 - W6260, Minong, WI 54859. Back to Top
Activity Selection You can download our "Activities Selection Sheet"; it's what you and your daughter complete and return to us with her chosen activities. You should also download the Activity Descriptions to refer to while filling out the form. Please remember that Riding, "Explorers" and "Voyaguers" are two hour activities. For each "two hour" activity that is selected, one less "one hour" activity can be chosen. Our Tamarack campers (girls going into 9th and 10th grade) have special options available to them. Tamaracks can participate in our regular activities, but they can also partake in special activities for Tamaracks only. Finally, they also help teach our activities; all they need to do is to write a "T" (for "teach") next to the number corresponding with the activity choice they wish to teach. Download Activity Descriptions for further information. Back to Top
Phone Calls There are occasions when we will call you and certainly times when you should call us. We will call if your daughter is in the Health Center overnight for any reason other than rest or observation, or if there are any other health concerns about her. We will also call if we feel the need to talk with you about how your daughter is getting along. Finally, we will call you if you request that we call concerning any particular matter. You should call us (715-466-2216) if you have any concerns about your daughter's health or other matters. We advocate the "Two Letter Rule": simply stated, one negative letter from your daughter probably isn't serious; two negative letters are worth checking out. Our phones are often covered as early as 8:00a.m. and as late as midnight, but the best time to reach us is between 9:15 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. If you get our voice mail, please be sure to include your phone number, your daughter's name and your name with the message. Please be patient if we can't respond immediately to your call. We are directly involved in the daily activities of our campers and our time in the office is limited. Our goal is to return your call within 24 hours or sooner if the circumstances warrant. Parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt and uncle non-emergency, non-birthday calls to campers and campers' calls to others are not permitted. We take no pleasure in limiting this sort of contact; rather, we believe that one of the important benefits of the camping experience is gaining independence and self-reliance. Telephone calls frequently defeat that goal. If your daughter has a birthday at camp, get everyone together and call at 7:00p.m. Be sure to gather the whole family because the birthday girl gets just one call! At other times during the day or evening your daughter is busy in activities and often cannot be reached. Please limit your calls to five minutes or less. Eight-week campers will be permitted to call home on July 16th, during the changeover between sessions. Other than calls for family emergencies or camper birthdays, our phone policy is a gentle but firm "no calls". Please work with us to help your daughters gain self-reliance by honoring this request. A word about cellular phones and walkie-talkies - DON'T! Your daughter does not need a phone in camp and they don't work here anyway! We use two-way radios (walkie-talkies) for communication in camp. If campers also have two-way radios, our communications are compromised. Please work with us in following our guidelines and rules, if you don't follow them neither will your daughter. Back to Top
Food Help us in eliminating food brought to or kept in camp. Food (and gum) in cabins attracts little critters, disrupts healthy appetites and can be a divisive factor if not shared with fellow campers. Check your daughter's baggage before she leaves home-if we find food in her luggage, we'll know that you slacked off! Please do not mail food to your daughter during the summer, even if she asks you to do so. You may wish instead to send a small package with some little games, a bandana, posters, photos or other items, but no food, please. All packages to campers are opened in the presence of our postmistress, and any food brought or mailed to camp will be discarded. Please do not package items with styrofoam peanuts; they scatter all over camp in the slightest wind. Back to Top
Insurance We offer a summer camp health insurance policy at a cost of $50.00 per session. Coverage limits includes accidents up to $3,000, illness to $1,000 and dental to $500. It's a good thing to have if you belong to an HMO! We'll assume that you want the optional camper health insurance unless you attach a copy of your insurance card (front and back) to your daughters health form. Back to Top
Visiting Most of our parents of 4 week campers do not visit their daughters during the summer. While you are welcome to visit, please do not feel compelled to do so. Your daughter's experience will not be adversely affected if you do not visit! Parents of four week campers may either drop their daughters off at the beginning of the session or pick them up at the session's end, in lieu of a visit. Parents of 8 week campers may visit their daughters on the day between sessions on July 16th. Plan on picking your daughter up between 9:33a.m. (not earlier) and 10:23a.m. and returning her to camp on Sunday, July 17th at 9:30a.m. (promptly!). You'll probably want to walk around camp a bit, but your daughter will be anxious to return to civilization (translation: take her to Hayward for pizza, Trembley's fudge and a bath at your motel -- those are the usual priorities). If you choose to visit, please stop in the camp office upon your arrival so that we may help you to find your daughter. Obviously, men should not enter the cabin without an invitation and an "all's clear"! Please don't bring pets, candy, food or gum into camp; don't bring any food or gifts for the cabin or gratuities for the counselors. Most of all, enjoy yourselves at camp, have a good time and feel free to ask us for anything that you might need. We ask you to write us about your plans for visiting as early as possible (you can put it on the "Yo' Barbara, Gabe and Laura" sheet). Back to Top
Location Where are we, you ask? Just 2 1/2 miles west of Minong on Highway 77; Minong is located at the junction of Highways 77 and 53. If you're planning to visit, we suggest that you make reservations now! Here's a list of area motels we can recommend: Back to Top
Area Hotels Hayward Suites & Inn (800) 456-4000 AmericInn (800) 634-3444 Cedar Inn (715) 634-5332 Comfort Suites (800) 221-2222 St. Croix Inn (715) 378-4444 Lakewoods Resort (800) 255-5937 Famous Dave's Grandpines (800) 774-3023 Super 8 Motel (800) 800-8000 Best Western Northern Pine Inn (715) 634-4945 Telemark Resort (715) 462-3200 Birch Point Resort (715) 634-4182 Barker Lake Resort (800) 373-0365 Back to Top
Letters Correspondence with your daughter is a critical aspect of her camp experience, and we can offer some practical suggestions. First, keep your letters positive, upbeat and newsy. Two to three letters each week is plenty, since too many letters can actually make a well adjusted camper homesick! Audio-tapes can be very hard on younger or homesick campers-don't send them! If your daughter complains of some situation that is upsetting to her, by all means acknowledge that when you write back; then focus on some positive aspect of her personality and tell her that you're confident she'll work things out.Try "It sounds like things are tough for you right now, but we bet you can work this out-you're very good at thinking things through!" Phrases like "I miss you ", "The house is empty without you" are really tough on kids. We encourage you to make a contract with your daughter for a certain number of letters during the course of the summer. We ask that the girls write home at least twice a week. You and your daughter should agree on how many letters each week she should write and she should be held responsible for her side of the contract. Please understand that the first ten days of camp provide a "mixed bag" of letters because of homesickness and our normally slow mail service. You may find that you receive a "homesick" letter or a letter complaining of some situation, but by the time you respond or contact us, that situation has often subsided. We welcome your calls of course, but do understand that letters are often cathartic for your daughter. Once vented, those feelings of loneliness or frustration often disappear. Do let us know if you get two unhappy letters in a row or if you hear of something we should be aware of so we can look into the situation and get back to you. We'll let you know if your daughter is not receiving mail from home. Girls very often write funny and sometimes touching letters to home or friends; others have not yet found the ability to communicate in letter form. Some campers will assume that our pet camp names and activities are easily and automatically translated by their parents. We hope you will get a good picture of the summer from your daughter's letters, and you'll save or duplicate any choice items for our collection. Remember that your daughters are in a world of their own at camp, and we adults can share only a small part of it with them. Several parents take advantage of the time their daughters are at camp to do some vacation travelling of their own. Our experience has shown that quite a few campers struggle with their parents being away from home (anxiety for your safety and interruption of mail are two big factors). Please be sure to send us your itinerary if you will be out of town while your daughter is with us so we can give her some extra attention and reassurance. Some parents write letters in advance, to be mailed regularly to their daughters while they're travelling, since mail service can be so spotty from distant places. Just give the letters to family or friends with instructions to mail one every few days while you're gone. You'll help your daughter tremendously. You will be receiving correspondence from us constantly via this web-site. Pictures are posted almost daily and our weekly letters will describe camp and camper activities and answer your general questions. A photo of the cabin group will be posted on the web-site the second day of camp. If you don't have internet access, please let us know and we'll use "slow-mail" for you! At the close of the session, your daughter's counselor will write an individual evaluation and report regarding your daughter's experience. Back to Top
Faxes Yes, we do have a fax. No, you cannot use it to fax letters! Kids love opening envelopes and getting real mail with their cabin-mates after lunch. The only exception to our "no fax" policy is if you're out of the country; then faxes help your daughter feel connected when you are far away. Your daughter will not be able to return faxes to you while you are traveling. Back to Top
Email & Website We do not offer email as a way to keep in touch with your daughters. Campers do not have access to a computer at all during their stay at camp. For those of you who leave it up to your daughter to check the Birch Trail web site, we urge you to start looking at it periodically. We post our newsletter on-line and we often have articles dedicated to our parents. This summer you will be able to check out what is going on at camp, get a weather report and most importantly - see your daughter! You can find it all at Birch Tales. We will post cabin pictures on the second day of camp and continue to update them throughout the summer. Our weekly newsletter to parents will also be posted on this site. We will use email and our website to communicate with you throughout the summer. Please ensure that Directors@birchtrail.com is an acceptable sender so our emails do not end up in your junk mail folder. Please check the website regularly. Back to Top
Cabin Mates The process of putting nineteen delightful compatible and geographically diverse cabin groups together each session is challenging! We'll spend all of May working on this, and we need your help. If you or your daughter have preferences, please note them on the sheet called "Yo' Barbara, Gabe & Laura"; please do this even if we have talked about this before! We can't please everyone every year; all we can promise is to use our experience, our judgement and our best efforts. We use the following as guidelines: 1. A geographically varied distribution within cabin groups is very important to us; 2. We try to honor at least one request or "disrequest" from each camper; 3. It is sometimes impossible to accomplish both 1 and 2 above; in that case we will do the best we can to make sure your daughter's cabin is appropriate to her preferences, needs and growth. If you suspect some "divergence of opinion" between your daughter's preferences (or yours) and someone else, please call the other girl's parents to resolve this before you send us your requests! If that doesn't work, attach a detailed note giving us as much insight as you can! Back to Top
Health & Medical Information Our health form is sent to you in the spring. Properly completed, it gives us all the information we need to care for your daughter this summer. It requires your input and signature and that of your daughter's pediatrician. We'll assume that if you have selected the optional camper insurance if you don't attach a copy of your daughter's insurancecard to her health form. We use CampMeds Inc., to handle all camper medications and pills. CampMeds provides a convenient service that dispenses, packages and ships medications directly to overnight camps in the U.S. All of our camp families use CampMeds to have their child's medication dispensed, pre-packaged and sent to camp prior to their arrival. Please give us full details if there are any physical restrictions not otherwise mentioned. Call us if your daughter has been exposed to any contagious condition (like chicken pox or head lice) prior to her arrival at camp. Is your daughter currently taking medications (other than antibiotics) that you intend to suspend before or during her stay at camp? Changes in medication can produce changes in health and behavior, and no one is better equipped to recognize and deal with those changes better than you are. We recommend against "medication vacations" at camp. If you or your daughter's physician feels strongly about suspending a medication with in 6 weeks of your daughter's arrival at camp, please call us. If your daughter needs glasses for any activities, please note her current prescription on the medications form. We have arrangements with area orthodontists and we frequently send campers to visit them for minor orthodontic repairs. So, get right to work on this form; fill it out completely, sign everywhere and pass it along to your daughter's pediatrician. We've got to have this by May 15th in order to properly review and complete your daughter's camp health care record! Back to Top
Gifts We do have some concerns about gifts. We do not want campers giving gifts to their big or little sisters except for those that are "made with their own hands." Our policy for no gifts extends to counselors and cabin-mates from campers and parents. Back to Top
Woodsy Help us fight a tough battle as a rustic, Northwoods camp -- no electric blankets, Game Boys, Ipods, Blackberries or CD players. Our counselors will have a radio in the cabin for music and impromptu dance parties. A reminder: NO CELL PHONES or walkie-talkies at camp. Back to Top
Packing Our packing list can be found in the Big Spring Mailing and in the download section of this page. Please heed our advice to send up old clothes and minimal clothing. We really do need only one week's worth of clothes. The dirty clothes go to theand are returned within one or two days. Leave your daughter's newer, nicer clothes at home! Two big duffels will work well for all campers, if you need three, you are over-packing! Riders should have shoes with a heel of at least 5/8"; sneakers are not acceptable. Low cost hiking shoes are good for Upper Lindens and Tams if they go backpacking; campers currently in grades 2-6 won't need them. Avoid cotton or down sleeping bags; go for a synthetic bag in the $100 range. Mark everything! If you wish to use name tags, you can order them through Camp Cloz or you may order them locally. We've used rubber stamp pads with indelible ink--they work well on most clothes, and it's a real time-saver! One last tip-send up a pair or two of thick rag wool socks; the rest of the socks should be cheapies ('cause you're not going to want to touch them if they come home)! Back to Top
Optional Camping Trips and Private Lessons Over 50 camping trips each summer make up Birch Trail's wilderness adventure program! All trips are led by our wilderness trip leaders, each of whom has undergone extensive training prior to camp, and has met the qualifications set by the American Camping Association. Our trips include "van" trips to area parks for our younger campers, and then more specialized canoeing, back-packing, climbing, sailing, riding and kayaking trips for older girls. We cut a wide path with our trips, often traveling over 250 miles from camp in search of pristine wilderness. The vast majority of these trips are equipped in our trip supply area. When specialized access, knowledge or equipment dictate the use of outside providers, we pass those charges on to the participants. What follows is a description of those specialty trips. Isle Royale represents our longest and most popular back-packing trip for TM campers. Riding a ferry across Lake Superior, the campers hike one of the most beautiful islands in the Great Lakes area. Lake Superior serves as the venue for two other trips as well: sailing and canoeing. Both trips use the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as their destination. The sailing trip is a two night, two day instructional trip led by a Coast Guard certified captain on a chartered 33 foot boat. The voyager canoe trip is in a huge 36 foot birch-bark canoe that can carry up to 16 people and their camping gear! Another water-borne trip available to TM and BLT campers is paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). These five day trips take campers to remote lakes, and offer truly exceptional canoe adventures. If your daughter wants to go on the BWCAW trip, please send us a certified copy of her birth certificate, since the trip may take her through Canadian Customs. Climbing on the north shore of Lake Superior at Tetagouche State Park or the bluffs above the St. Croix River at Interstate Park are the sites of our most popular climbing trips. The trips give the campers lots of opportunities to practice climbing skills learned at camp. The girls begin with instruction close to the ground and progress to greater heights under the watchful eyes of our climbing guides and instructors. The cost of last year's trips were: the BWCAW trip was $125.00; the Lake Superior canoe trip and the climbing trip were $185.00. Isle Royale carries a fee of $200.00 and the sea kayaking trip costs about $300.00. Since campers have so many options open to them, we will allow your daughters to sign up for these trips at camp. We assume that they have your permission to participate and incur additional charges on any of these optional trips unless you indicate otherwise on the "Yo' Barbara, Gabe & Laura" form. We'll just add the fees to your daughter's invoice at the end of the session. Some campers have a desire for specialized instruction in tennis and water-skiing beyond our regular instructional program; we are happy to offer a set of private and semi-private lessons for each. Both sets include six hours of instruction at a cost of $100.00. Tennis is available for players of all abilities; skiing is for advanced skiers only. These do not replace regular activity selections made on the Activity Selection Sheet form. These private lessons are given during free periods, so your daughter would still choose 16 activities on the blue form. We'll assume that your daughter has permission for all extra trips and activities unless stated otherwise on the "Yo' Barbara, Gabe & Laura" form. Back to Top
Valuables Your daughter won't need much cash at camp ($20-$30 is plenty for Maples and Lindens, Tamaracks will need more for their out of camp trips). If she should need some money for trips, it will be given to her by her counselor and charged against her canteen account. If money should be needed for a special purpose such as new shoes, we'll also put that on her account. We ask that our campers deposit any money they might bring with them into our safe, and we will give it back to them whenever they want it. Campers are permitted to make purchases of their own choice in the "canteen", our camp store. Some girls have a hard time limiting their purchases (you may already have noticed that); please talk with your daughter about this before she comes to camp. Of course, our canteen staff will talk with your daughter if she appears to be spending too much on certain items. If you have any special concerns about their purchases, please let us know on the "Yo' Barbara, Gabe & Jamie" form. Back to Top
Send the Money Honey Your invoice is sent at the end of March; it includes both fixed and optional charges, together with credits for deposits received. Please return the invoice form together with your payment prior to June 1. Back to Top
Wrap-Up We hope all of this takes most of the mystery out of getting everything ready for your daughter's summer. Please believe us, this information and all the forms we have you fill out pay rich dividends in providing your daughter with a FUN and meaningful summer experience. If there is anything else that you'd like us to be aware of or any requests or special needs that don't fit on any of the other forms, jot it down on the "Yo' Barbara, Gabe & Jamie" form--it's just for that purpose! A final thought on parenting-it's not easy! Raising intelligent, decent kids is tough; in our culture, girls have some particular challenges. Looking for insights? We recommend:
Our staff are required to read:
There is also a wonderful magazine by and for girls called New Moon. For subscription information call: 800.381.4743 Back to Top
These forms are .pdf files. If you are unable to open them on your computer, please install a free copy of Adobe Reader by going to the Adobe website. All of the above forms are sent to you in the Big Spring Mailing at the end of March/beginning of April. All forms are due into us BEFORE April 20th; the longer you delay after that, the lower will be the likelihood that your daughter will get the activities she has selected or the cabin-mates she wants. Back to Top
|
||||||||
|
