Camp Chaverim 2010

Camp Chaverim Newsletter Week 6

2010-08-10T09:37:00.002-07:00

August 6, 2010

To Camp Chaverim Parents and Guardians,

We can’t believe how fast the summer is going and that we just completed Week 6. On Tuesday, the final Late Night of the summer was held by the Bonim (Builders in Hebrew) Unit’s (Kindergarten and 1st Graders). While the weather did not cooperate, Campers were able to stay busy inside by playing musical chairs and parachute games, eating a delicious dinner and having a sing-a-long in the Auditorium. The evening concluded with Unit Head Dan Pontillo leading the Unit in a new camp tradition of “Wish Shoes”. Also on Tuesday, Campers and Counselors alike, wore their sleep entire to get into the spirit for Camp Pajama Day! On Wednesday, the Campers of the Tzofim (Scouts in Hebrew) Unit (4-6th graders) went on a field trip to tour the U.S.S. Slater. While touring the ship the campers got the opportunity to try on military helmets and see where the soldiers slept and ate. In addition, the Campers presented Veterans with a card to celebrate the 220th Birthday of the Coast Guard.

Week seven is a week that many campers look forward to all summer, as it is the camps annual Maccaibah “Color Games”. The Campers will be placed in to one of four teams. Each team will be assigned a color and the campers compete in various challenges and show their ruach (Spirit in Hebrew) through cheers, songs and skits. Teams will be announced through a note that will be sent home on Wednesday. Tuesday, will also be an exciting day at camp, as Games2U will be here. Games2U will bring its awesome van filled with flat-screen television so campers can play fun interactive games. In addition, Campers will also get to play outdoor laser tag and run inside a giant inflatable hamster ball.

Friday, August 20th is the last day of camp, and the end-of-the year show. It will include songs performed by all of the camp groups and an end of the summer video. The show will begin at 2:30 p.m. promptly. All families are encouraged to attend. Please note that there is NO extended day on the last day of camp. All children must be picked up inside the auditorium at 4:00 p.m. Camp photos will be handed out at the end-of-the-year show as will preordered camp videos. Copies of the camp video will also be for sale as well. Forms to preorder the video will be available the beginning of next week.

This time in the summer, we start to get many questions regarding tipping of the camp staff. Tipping is not mandatory but always appreciated by the camp staff. Please make sure to only tip on your child’s last day of camp. As a camp we have provided a suggested tip scale, which is as follows:

CIT - $10
Counselor Assistant - $10 - $15
Junior Counselor - $15 - $20
Senior Counselor - $25 - $30
Swim Instructors, Specialists, and Supervisors – at your discretion

Please check the lost and found as all items not clearly labeled with a camper’s name that is not claimed by 6:00 pm on Friday, August 20, will be donated to charity.

Spots are filling fast for all three of our specialty post camps, which will run August 23rd – August 27th. The three offerings this summer are Art Camp, Drama Camp and Sports and Fitness camp. There are limited openings left in the Art and Drama Camp, and Sports and Fitness Camp only has one spot left! If you would like more information on the offerings you can visit http://www.schenectadyjcc.org/postcamp.htm or call Andy or Rachel.

If your child(ren) is (are) having a great experience in summer camp please keep in mind that the Center offers four after-school programs. After School Enrichment Program (A.S.E.P.) is located at the Schenectady Jewish Community Center, and offers a variety of fun-filled classes for children in 1st – 5th grades including; Swim Lessons, Piano Lessons, Cooking, Arts and Crafts, Ceramics, Sports and so much more. The JCC also offers three after school programs called Kid’s Time located at Niskayuna Elementary schools, Birchwood, Craig and Rosendale. Kid’s Time programs are for children in 1st – 5th grade and activities include arts and crafts, cooking, homework help, sports, outside play and more. For more information please visit http://www.schenectadyjcc.org/after_school.htm or call Andy at the JCC.

We all want to wish you a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Andy, Dan, Mallory, Mitch, Rachel, Regina, Shana & Val

Susim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Susim Parents,

Another session has flown by here at camp Chaverim. This week we all got to wear our pajamas to camp! It was a lot of fun and the campers all loved seeing all of our friends and counselors in their pajamas. In art this week we made shakers and decorated foam animals with glitter. All of the campers loved playing with all the different colored glitter. We went for a hike through the woods with Eric the Sports Specialist. The kids had a blast exploring the woods and making up “spooky” stories to share with everyone! Tal set up an obstacle course for us in the gym. The kids loved pretending to be Israeli soldiers and completing the obstacle course as fast as they could! Kady, the Nature Specialist, showed us how to change the colors of flowers. We turned white flowers blue, red, green and even yellow! Libby, the Science Specialist, help us make our own tornadoes. We were able to change the tornadoes color as well. We also made warning snakes out of paper plates.
Next week is sure to be yet another fun filled week. Team spirit day is on Tuesday. So please send your child to camp wearing all of their favorite sports teams’ attire. Color games will be taking place next Thursday and Friday. We will be sending home a note with regards to which color team your camper will be on.

Have a great weekend!
Jessica, Ez and Peter

Par-Parhim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:36:00.002-07:00

Shalom Par-Parhim Parents,

It was a wonderful and enjoyable week here at camp. Our group times included blowing bubbles, making friendship necklaces, and playing on the playground. We did a lot of activities with our specialists, such as making paper snakes with Libby in science. We also walked in the woods with Eric and made paper chains with Tal to decorate the sukkah. On Tuesday, campers and counselors came to camp dressed in their most comfortable pajamas for Pajama Day. Then, on Wednesday, we sang “Row Row Row Your Boat” for the entire camp to hear. Throughout the week, we continued to impress our lifeguards with our swimming skills. They were so happy they let us wear life jackets and swim in the deep end! It was an exciting week!

There are a lot of events planned for next week. Our group times will consist of playing with sidewalk chalk, practicing our song for Wednesday, and playing freeze dance. We will also continue to learn new information and play new games with the specialists. Tuesday is Team Spirit Day so come dressed in shirts, hats, etc. that reveal your favorite sports team! Also on Tuesday, Games2U will be coming to camp for campers to play their favorite electronic games and tumble around in the hamster ball! Maccabiah (color games) will be taking place on Thursday and Friday. The camp will be divided into four teams to play games and compete for points. Campers will find out their teams and their team’s color on Wednesday so come dressed in that color on Thursday and Friday! It will be another entertaining and eventful week!

Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next week!

Antonette Laricchia – Senior Counselor

Jaime Hollander – Senior Counselor

Josh Korn – Counselor Assistant

Sabraim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

Dear Sabraim Parents,
This week has flown by. It feels like just yesterday we were all being introduced to each other at orientation. I guess the saying is true that time really does fly by when you are having fun! Unfortunately, the third session at camp has come to an end. We are excited for the fourth and final session to get underway.
The theme of the week was Sukkot and Simchat Torah. During theme time with Val, our group learned about Sukkot and its meaning to the Jewish people. Sukkot is a Jewish festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the desert wandering of the Israelites during the Exodus. It is celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd day of Tishri. Our group had a great time building Sukkahs (a temporary structure with a roof of leafy boughs and sticks) during group time. We crafted them out of popsicle sticks, and leaves that were collected from outside. Everyone did a wonderful job working in small groups, and each Sukkah was uniquely made. On Friday, we were able to display our Sukkahs during Shabbat. This gave the campers a great deal of satisfaction.
Tuesday was Pajama Day at camp. Campers and Counselors were able to wear their favorite Pajamas to camp for the day. Some outfits were silly, while some just kept us all comfortable for the day.
On Wednesday, Tzofim campers went on a field trip to see the U.S.S Slater, a ship from World War 2 that is now a museum. We were able to take a very detailed tour of the ship. During our tour, we saw where the soldiers slept and ultimately lived for their duration of time spent fighting in the war. The campers were thrilled when our tour guide showed us the control room where all of the important machines and radios were kept. One of our campers had the opportunity to steer the ship for a brief moment with the actual steering wheel used in the war. We were fortunate enough to have visited the U.S.S Slater on the Coast Guards 220th birthday celebration, so we were able to listen to Veterans talk about their time while serving on the U.S.S Slater. It was a terrific day!
Sabraim has continued to work with Molly, the Music Specialist, on playing songs with the “boomwackers.” This week we learned how to play the National Anthem. We were given the opportunity to show off all of our talent at Shabbat on Friday, so Sabraim campers performed this song for the entire camp. We rocked the camp!
Next week has many promising events planned. We will be learning about Hanukkah in theme time with Val. Tuesday is Team Spirit Day at camp, so make sure everybody wears some sort of team jersey or hat to camp to support their favorite teams. If you play on a team, feel free to wear that jersey. Next week is the start of Color Games. This is always a camp favorite for not only the campers but the counselors as well. We will be finding out our team captains early next week and our team color as well. During Color Games please dress in clothing that supports our team color. It is always nice to see the campers dressed in their finest color games attire. Next week is sure to be promising.

Thank you for another great week at camp!
-Sarah, Gillian and Jacob

Macabee Week 6

2010-08-10T09:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Macabee Parents and Campers,

Its unbelievable to say that the third session at camp has now come to an end. It has been another jam packed week for our group and the fun just keeps rolling on. Between our third Tzofim field trip, another theme dress-up day, and the activities we've done during theme time, its easy to say that our group has been doing a great job bonding with one another!
This week's theme of the week was Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Sukkot is a holiday where the Jewish people show their appreciation for nature and the sweet things in life. After learning about this holiday, Macabee, along with the other Tzofim groups made their own sukkahs which are 3 sided huts. Our campers got together in groups and worked brilliantly together to use glue and popsicle sticks to make a sukkah. During this project, many campers paired up with campers from different groups and made even more friendships in the process.
Tuesday, was an awesome day at camp for everyone as it was Pajama Day. Many campers and counselors got to represent their favorite bed time clothes and have a fun time in the process. We, once again, would like to give a reminder to everyone that Tuesday marks a themed day at camp. Next week on Tuesday will be Team Spirit Day, so please wear your favorite sports teams’ apparel. Wednesday was a remarkable day for our Tzofim unit as we traveled to Albany Port to tour the U.S.S Slater. It was a very special day to be visiting because it was the 220th birthday of the Coast Guard. We got a full tour of the ship and learned the lifestyle of the Coast Guard. At the end of the tour, the coast Guard had a ceremony in honor of their birthday. It was certainly a memorable day for everyone of us!
Next week is going to be the final session and it is sure to be the most exciting week at camp. Week seven at camp is the week of Macabbiah also known as Color Games. This is our biggest tradition here. The entire group gets separated into 4 different groups; green, red, blue, and yellow team. Campers and counselors come together as they go through tons of activities and competitions in the attempt to be the group with the most points at the end of the day Friday. The Macabee campers will find out what color they will be on the end of Wednesday and we ask that they come dressed, to the best of their ability, in that color. Everyone is anxiously awaiting this very exciting two day event, but before that we have another big event on Tuesday; Games 2 U makes another appearance at camp. Last year was a hit as all the groups had a chance to play tons of interactive video games and even go inside a giant hamster ball. It’s sure to be a blast.
Just a couple of reminders: Please make sure all items are labeled with your child's name on it. Also feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions comments or concerns in regards to anything at camp. We love being able to have the chance to get feedback and ensure that it is the best possible summer for your child. We've had an excellent summer and feel privileged to have shared all these awesome experiences with the Macabee campers. Have a great weekend and see you all as the final session at Camp Chaverim 2010 begins!

Sincerely,
Your Macabee Counselors,
Kirsten, Devon, and Rebekah

Masada Week 6

2010-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

MASADA NEWSLETTER

Dear Masada campers and parents,

Six weeks done, two fun weeks to go! With a few very hot and humid days this week it was apparent that we still have some hot summer days left. This past week we enjoyed fun days such as pajama day, where everyone looked like they just rolled out of bed. Also, on Wednesday, we attended a historic field trip to the USS Slater, the last surviving U.S. battleship escort from WWII. We learned a short history about the boat itself and even got to celebrate the Coast Guard’s 220th birthday!

We had a week of hot and humid weather, it is apparent that the heat of the summer is still here. With all this sunshine, we all must remember to apply our sunscreen often! Sunscreen is provided frequently during the day to make sure all our campers are protected. We also take multiple water breaks every day to ensure that we all stay hydrated in the heat. However, a labeled water bottle is the best idea to ensure that your children are remaining hydrated!

Next week, camp has some great events planned. We have a day where you can celebrate your favorite sports team scheduled for Tuesday, so campers should make sure to wear their team colors! Also, this week we have color games! One of the most fun times of the year, we have teams based on our color and compete in different events, all while cheering the other teams on. This year each color will represent a Jewish holiday, to correlate with this summer’s theme.

Let’s have a fun and safe last two weeks!

Looking forward to another great week,

Mike K., Amy Y., Sarah N.

Zahal Week 6 Letter

2010-08-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

Week 6, August 5, 2010

Dear Parents,
We had a wonderful sixth week at camp this week. On Tuesday, we celebrated pajama day in which the campers wore their craziest pajamas. Most of the campers looked great in their pj’s.
On Wednesday, we had a fantastic field trip. We went to the port of Albany to see the U.S.S. Slater which is docked there. The campers got to tour the ship and watch a naval ceremony as Wednesday was the Coast Guard’s 220th birthday.
Next week, on Tuesday is Team Spirit Day, so wear your jerseys, hats, caps, cheerleading outfit, etc for your favorite sports teams. On Thursday and Friday we will be having Maccabiah (Color Games.) We will find out what color our group is on Wednesday. We are very excited for this year’s color games and will be enthused to participate. We’re looking forward to having a great week of camp next week! 

Sincerely your counselors,
Adriana Alfeo, Josh Leighton & Matt McCarty

Dagim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:32:00.002-07:00

Dear Dagim Parents,

We have had a great 6th week of camp. This week has been fun filled, to say the least. On Tuesday, we had Pajama Day and our second and final Late Night of the summer. Although the weather tried to ruin our fun and didn't cooperate, we still managed to have a great time. We played parachute games and musical chairs in the auditorium, and even played a few rounds of freeze dance! We ate hot dogs and chips for dinner; it sure was yummy. As our Late Night began winding down we did an amazing job singing, “It's A Small World.” Then we made wishes by throwing our shoes into the middle of the auditorium. All the kids had a great time. On Wednesday, we learned a new dance that we would end up performing at Shabbat. Thursday the rain once again tried to ruin our day but we didn't let that stop us. Although we were indoors the whole day we still found ways to have a great time with games and art projects. On Friday, we celebrated Shabbat as we always do except this time there was a twist...we performed our new dance for all of camp to see. This certainly has been a great week and summer and there is more fun to come. Next week we have our popular Color Games which all the kids and counselors love. Be sure that on Thursday and Friday you show your color team spirit! Have a great weekend and we can't wait to see you next week!

Sincerely,

Chris, Amy, Bridgette & Aliza

Shemesh Week 6

2010-08-10T09:32:00.001-07:00

August 6, 2010
Dear Shemesh Parents and Campers
Shalom! This week we had a lot of fun. On Tuesday, we group teamed up to sing our weekly song with Shemayim. We sang a Disney favorite, “Hakuna Matata”, from The Lion King. It was a lot of fun getting into character and we all shared many laughs. We had so much fun that we plan on trying to squeeze in another Disney song in next week, along with an awesome end of the year song that we will start to learn in the days to come.
Next week is the start of our last session. Besides being the start of the last session, it is a very busy week. Tuesday, is “Team Spirit Day” and we will have a visit from Games2U where we will be able to play many games and a chance to run in a hamster ball. Wednesday, is Yeladim’s field trip and to top off our week we will participate in Color Games called Maccabiah in Hebrew. In the past years there has been a lot of excitement in playing Color Games and we look forward to another great time.

Have a great weekend!
Teresa, Devorah, Josh and Jayson

Shemayim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:30:00.003-07:00

August 6, 2010
Shalom Shemayim Parents,
Another week of camp has gone by and we are into the final session. The theme of the week was Sukkot and Simchat Torah. On Monday during theme time, Shana read us a story about Sukkot and described to us what a Sukkah is. On Tuesday, we colored fruits to help decorate the Sukkah. We learned so much about Sukkot and Simchat Torah this week! We ended our week by celebrating the end of the torah by playing freeze dance! We loved it! On Wednesday, we met with Molly, the Music Specialist, and got to play with Boomwhackers. Yesterday, we played freezetag with some younger kids from camp that we rarely get to see. We also met with Josh, to play golf. We ended the day with Libby, the science specialist, where we learned how to make bubbles with soap and water. Today we celebrated Shabbat. We got to watch the hilarious game “Is Dan Pontillo Smarter than a Teen Camper.” Next week, is our Yeladim Field Trip to the TreePaad in Malta, NY. Permission slips will be sent out today. Keep an eye out for them. We look forward to seeing you all next week. Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,
Elliott, Josh, and Emma

Gahlim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

Dear Gahlim Parents and Campers,

Three sessions of the summer have already passed and it sad to say next week begins the last session. This past week has gone by so quickly even though it was super warm. We have been very busy with activities both inside and outside. We are sad to see a few of our campers leaving us for the summer but we also look forward to see all the Gahlim campers who are returning for the very last session.

For the campers that will be here next session we look forward to another great and last two weeks. Our Camp theme for next week is Hannukah. We also have special events going on next week such as “Team Spirit Day” on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, we have a special event. Games2U is coming to camp with its laser tag, video games and the hamster ball. On Wednesday the 11th , we have our Yeladim Field Trip! We will be going to TreePaad for part of the camp day and we hope you all can come! On Thursday and Friday of next week, we have Maccabiah which is our… Color Games!!

As this session comes to an end, so does our session of swimming lessons. Make sure to check your children’s bags for their swimming certificates or for their swimming progress reports. Over these past two weeks our counselors truly believe that all of our campers are stronger swimmers than the beginning of the summer and we hope that more of our campers will become blue bracelets for free swim.

Our Gahlim counselors will miss all of campers who are not returning and we hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer and a great year at school!

Once again if you have any questions feel free to contact the JCC at 377-8803 and someone would be more than happy to answer your questions.

Thank You,
Your Gahlim counselors
Leah Wilkinson (Senior Counselor)
Jacob Fecura (Senior Counselor)
Mark Dornsife (Counselor Assistant)

Geshem Week 6

2010-08-10T09:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Geshem Parents,

I can't believe there's only two weeks left of summer! We are ready to move on to the 7th week of camp. The theme of this week was Sukkot and Simchat Torah. During this week we participated in a lot of fun activities. On Monday, we played a game of Tennis Baseball against the Tzofim group "Macabee" with our sports specialists Aaron and Eric. Tuesday, was Pajama Day. The campers and counselors were able to get right out of bed with their PJ's on we stayed comfortable for the whole day. On Wednesday, we had a kickball game against the other 3rd grade group in Yeladim, "Gahlim". Thursday, we had our first rainy day here at camp. Despite the weather he had a great time inside. We drew pictures with Susan and Janet in the auditorium, and also had a relay race in the gym against all the groups in Yeladim. We even sang "The Gummy Bear Song" on stage. On Friday during Shabbat, our Geshem girls from the drama chug did a great job performing on stage. Don't forget next week on Wednesday we have our field trip to the TreePaad! Please keep an eye out for the permission slip coming home with your campers today. We cannot wait to go laser tagging and play a bunch of arcade games. Also on Tuesday, we will have Team Spirit Day, so don't forget to wear a jersey or hat to represent your favorite team or a team you've played on. On Thursday and Friday, we will be participating in camp wide Maccabiah or Color Games. We will know what team we will be joining in the beginning of next week.

Sincerely,
Brandon S.
Stacy M.
Jenny A.
Dan A.

Ah-Raiot Week 6

2010-08-10T09:28:00.004-07:00

Dear Ah-Raiot Campers and Parents,

The sixth week of camp has flown by and was filled with many exciting activities. We had our second and final Late Night of the summer and the kids had a great time eating hot dogs and watermelon and singing songs by the imaginary bon-fire in the auditorium. Tuesday, was Pajama Day, which was a huge hit. The campers really enjoyed being able to spend the day in their comfy PJ’s.
The theme of the week was Sukkot and Simchat Torah. We spent theme time learning about these important Jewish holidays. We read a story about Bubbe Isabella, and how she invited her friends in to her Sukkah. This helped us learn about the holiday of Sukkot, and how we celebrate in. On Tuesday, Dan helped us decorate fruit for our very own Sukkah. Later in the week, we learned about Simchat Torah and celebrated it by having a freeze dance party.
In music, we all learned to play “Roll the Ball” and how to dance the “Alley Cat” which we performed at Shabbat. The third session has come to an end. Please make sure to look for your campers swim level certificates in their backpacks.
Next weeks is the annual camp favorite COLOR GAMES! All the groups will be assigned a color early next week. Please make sure to send your child wearing their teams color on Thursday and Friday. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Jill, Devin, Millie, Anka, and Mikayla

Dubim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:28:00.003-07:00

Dear Dubim Parents,

This past week has been fantastic. On Monday, our campers practiced an Oak Tree song all day which they performed on stage while playing with “Boomwackers”. Watching them sing and play instruments at the same time made us so proud. On Tuesday, it was so much fun seeing all the campers in their PJ’s! On Tuesday we also had the second Bonim late night! Everyone had so much fun eating hotdogs, playing musical chairs, and singing songs that we had practiced. Despite the thunder which stopped us from going swimming a third time, the night was definitely a success. On Wednesday we played soccer, tag games, and learned a new dance in Music. The kids do great participating in all different kinds of activities, and it is great to see them so enthusiastic. It rained on Thursday which forced us to stay inside with the rest of the Bonim unit. It was so much fun for the kids to be able to spend time with their friends in other groups. We did art projects, learned new songs, and played Emma’s favorite game, “Hide the shoes”. Overall it has been a great week. We are looking forward to color games next week. It will be so much fun, and Dubim will contribute a lot of cheering and enthusiasm to their team.

Sincerely,
Emma, Collin, Haley, and Ben

Kofim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:28:00.001-07:00

Dear Kofim Parents,
We had a super sixth week of camp! On Tuesday, we participated in our second late night of the summer. Even though it was not the best weather we still had a great time! Thanks to our unit head and sports specialists, we played musical chairs and games with the parachute in the auditorium. We were still able to grill hot dogs and sing our songs. We learned many new things in music this week. We worked on a song that we wrote ourselves. We also learned two new songs. One song we performed at the late night and the other song we will perform for the whole camp next Wednesday. Another thing that we worked very hard on during music was a dance. The dance goes to a song called “Alley Cat”. We even learned some neat hand motions to go with the steps and will be performing it for the whole camp during Shabbat. The Jewish Holiday we learned about this week was Sukkot. We read stories and made projects to teach us about this holiday. We have a very exciting week next week! On Tuesday we will have Team Spirit day. Everyone is encouraged to wear clothing to represent their favorite sports team. It does not have to be a professional team, it could be one that your child played on. Next Thursday and Friday is color games! We will find out what color our group is at the beginning of next week and will send something home with your child. Today is also the end of another camp session and your child’s swim certificates will be sent home with them. Enjoy your weekend!
Sarah, Kevin, Iuli, and Casey

Dvorim Week 6

2010-08-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe, but it is already the sixth week of camp and all of us have been having so much fun! The summer has been flying by, but we have all made great friends along the way. As always, we have been doing a lot of great activities together and everyone has made huge improvements in the pool.

On Tuesday, it was pajama day and it fun to see a lot of people participate, including some of the counselors. During Music, we learned the song “Row Your Boat” and then on Wednesday got to sing it on stage in front of the rest of the camp. In Drama, we got to sing more songs with animal finger puppets, which everyone loved. This week in Sports played “Capture the Flag” and also got to play in a ball pit. During art, we got made some great projects using puff paint and stamps then we got to build things with Legos.

Next week we can look forward to Team Spirit Day on Tuesday. Everyone can wear their favorite sports team’s apparel. On Thursday and Friday the most anticipated part of camp has finally arrived, Color Games. The whole camp will be put into four different teams then play games, do projects and sing songs to earn points. The games are a great time for everyone to work together and help each other during the activities. When our group finds out what team your child is on, we will notify you on what colors they should wear. This is going to be a very exciting week of camp and all of us hope to see everyone join us so we can have an awesome time.

Sincerely,

Katrina, Liz, Patrick, and Ally

Zahal 3

2010-07-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

Zahal Newsletter
Hey all Zahal Parents and Campers! This week was a blast! We had so much fun on our overnight on Thursday and on Friday we had Picture Day. Next week on Wednesday July 21st, we will have our second field trip to the Saratoga County Fair! It’s hard to believe that we only have 5 weeks left of camp; this summer has been going by so fast! During the overnight on Thursday, we had a blast swimming until the moon came out and then singing songs by the campfire in the woods! Don’t forget the next overnight is coming in just two short weeks! Next week on Friday, is also the C.I.T. Carnival which the C.I.T’s are working very hard to make fun for all of the campers. There will be fun games and prizes for everyone! Over the course of the week everyone had fun making friendship bracelets, playing golf and working on our science projects with Libby! Our campers will be trying out our egg-parachutes we made in science next week to see if they work! Our fourth week of camp is sure to be a blast!
Sincerely,
Josh, Adriana and Matt

Sabraim 3

2010-07-16T13:36:00.002-07:00

Dear Sabraim Parents,

It has been another wonderful week at camp! Monday was the start of another session at camp, so our group was introduced to some new campers. During music on Monday, Molly the Music Specialist taught Sabraim “Chopsticks” on the boomwackers. You could clearly tell that the campers have a lot of musical talent when the song came together quite nicely within a half hour. If you don’t know what a boomwacker is, please just ask your camper and I’m sure they would love to tell you all about it. Tuesday, was Rock Star Day at Camp Chaverim. It was fun to see all of the counselors who dressed up. We had the pleasure of seeing The Wiggles, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber and even all five Spice Girls. It was nice to see many campers participate in the dress up day. There will be many more to follow. On Wednesday, Sabraim sang at the end of the day. We learned a song in music earlier in the day and gave a killer performance for the camp. As you all know Thursday was the Tzofim Overnight. After a full day of camp, all of Tzofim was very excited for the special activities that would come later in the night. For dinner we had Hot Dogs, Watermelon, Chips, Carrots and much more. The kids got the opportunity to go swimming for a third time, and were excited to go swimming with the supervisors who don’t get to regulary go swimming. It was then time to go to the bonfire with the whole unit and sing songs. Each group performed a unique song. All and all it was a great first overnight. Friday was a play it easy kind of day. Most of the campers and counselors were tired from all of the fun they had at the overnight so we watched a movie and did quiet activities for parts of the day. We ended the week with Shabbat, where we sang songs and watched a play performed by some of the campers.
Next week we have Israel day/Food festival where we learn about the Israel culture and eat some great food. The kids will have the opportunity to attend a shuk (Market) where the can use fake shekels (Israeli Money) to purchase neat items. On Wednesday, we will have our second Tzofim field trip to the Saratoga County Fair. The campers and counselors are very excited. We hope you have a great weekend and can’t wait to see you all next week.

Sincerely,

Sarah, Gillian and Jacob.

Masada 3

2010-07-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

MASADA NEWSLETTER

Dear Masada campers and parents,

Camp is now well underway and it has delivered some excellent events. This past Tuesday was Rock Star Day, with a surprise appearance by America’s favorite new pop star, Justin Bieber! Campers in every unit put on their favorite rock star gear, whether it was studded bracelets or pop star microphones, and there was even a performance by the Spice Girls at the end of the day (ask your child about their secret identities!). Needless to say, Rock Star Day was a very successful dress-up day, and an exciting beginning to Week 3.

This Thursday, also hosted the first Tzofim Overnight of the summer—campers enjoyed a fun-filled evening at the JCC, with a bonfire, extra swimming, campfire songs, and the chance to spend the night with friends. Campers certainly had a lively time, and hopefully everyone got more than a few hours of sleep, Friday was also Photo Day!

Masada is a great group this year, and we would especially like to commend all the campers for their stellar job changing faster in the locker rooms both before and after swimming—this has given us much more time to spend in fun activities like Sports and Music. In fact, in Music on Wednesday, everyone managed to pick out “Twinkle Twinkle”, “Old MacDonald”, and “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on the Boomwhackers (ask your child what those are!) without assistance—an impressive feat.

Next week promises more fun and excitement on every day, especially with the Tzofim Field Trip to the Saratoga Fair on Wednesday, the Israel Day & Food Festival on Thursday, and the C.I.T Carnival on Friday! These events will cement Week 4’s spot as the best week of camp yet.
Looking forward to another great week,

Mike K., Amy Y., Sarah N.
A few last reminders to parents:
- Please LABEL EVERYTHING! The Lost-and-Found is already overflowing with misplaced belongings, please help make sure what you send to camp comes home!
- We cannot stress how important sunscreen is. Counselors will apply sunscreen to the campers at least four times throughout the day; please make sure the initial application is completed before your child arrives at camp!
- Please be on the lookout for the permission slip for Wednesday’s Saratoga Fair field trip!

WEEK 3 NEWSLETTER

Macabee 3

2010-07-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Macabee Parents and Campers,

We had such a great time with the campers this past week. After Macabee was voted “Mitzvah Makers of the Week” last week, we knew that our third week at camp could only get better, and we were right. Even though the weather was, once again, blistering hot, we found ways to stay cool and just have fun. For example, our group found that sometimes we just need to kick off our shoes and relax- literally. We thought up an amusing new game to play, where one person must hide everyone’s shoes, and then the other campers have to go looking for their own pair of shoes. It really is the little things that make the day even more fun.
A very important holiday that we talked about in theme time this week was Passover. Our amazing unit head, Val, told us about the holiday and how the Jews liberated from Egypt after over 300 years of slavery. This holiday is marked by giving back to one’s community and being charitable. Therefore, we, as a unit, cleaned up around the Jewish Community Center. The kids had a fun time doing it, and were excited to see who could pick up the most litter. However, our group did not stop there. We continued our efforts to keep the camp clean by picking up the area around the pool after all of our swim times.
Tuesday was “Rock Star Day,” and we were able to see all the creative costumes that campers and counselors wore, including, The Wiggles and The Spice Girls. We even had a surprise visit from JUSTIN BIEBER! Justin Bieber was kind enough to come down during our lunch time to say hello to the campers. Some of us even got his autograph! Later that day, during Shir (ending song), we were delighted to see a live performance of “The Spice Girls”! Unfortunately, the rain hindered us from seeing the entire show. However, it was fun never-the-less.
On Thursday we had the Tzofim Overnight, which we’re sure everyone was excited for. The campers immediately started in with the fun by playing games, like Capture the Flag; cooking; and doing Arts & Crafts. We also were able to participate in camp games, and watch a couple of counselor competitions. Not only that, but we were given a second free swim, where the kids played with the counselors in the water, and enjoyed games like “colors.” After, there was a bonfire, where the campers and counselors made wish sticks. Let’s hope our wishes come true! We hope the kids had a lot of fun at the overnight, and made even more friends in the process.
Next week’s theme is Israel Holidays! Another important holiday that we will be talking about is Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the first and second temple in Jerusalem. On Wednesday, there will be another Tzofim field trip and we know that this one will be even better than the last! Thursday, there will be a Food Festival, and then on Friday there will be a carnival run by the C.I.Ts. We know that our C.I.T’s are working very hard on this festival, and we can’t wait until they join us as Counselor Assistants for the rest of the summer!

Sincerely,
Devon, Kirsten, and Rebekah

Gahlim 3

2010-07-16T13:30:00.002-07:00

Dear Gahlim Parents and Campers,

Another week at camp has come to an end. As we look back and remember what we did this past week, we also get excited for next week to come. Throughout the week at Theme Time with Shana we learned a lot about Passover. We learned why the Jewish people celebrate Passover and also activities the Jewish people do during Passover. Gahlim’s favorite activity was our search for the Afikomen. The search for the Afikomen was a scavenger hunt to find matzah hidden around camp. Gahlim truly enjoyed this, especially because we all got lollipops at the end!

This week we also had our very first Yeladim Late Night! Our Gahlim counselors were very proud as we all attended, listened well and sang very loud at our bonfire! Also this week we had ROCK STAR DAY! We all dressed up and it was a total blast! Today, we had our Group Photo. We all loved how our campers did a great serious picture showing their beautiful smiles and also how we had a fun silly picture. We hope that these pictures turn out great!

Every week we continue to improve in our swimming lessons and free swim. Hopefully at the end of the session next week, we will be able to have more blue bracelets. We cannot wait to swim with a lot of you in the deep end soon!

Next week, we are looking forward to Tisha B’Av, which is a Jewish day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the two Temples. We are also excited for Israel Day/the Food Festival on Thursday the 22nd and we have our CIT (Counselor in Training) Carnival Friday the 23rd, which should be really exciting!

We are sad to see some of our campers leave this week but we are really excited for the rest of you to stay and have another great week with our Gahlim counselors.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the JCC at 377-8803 and someone would be more than happy to answer your questions.

Thank You,
Your Gahlim counselors
Leah, Jacob and Mark

Geshem 3

2010-07-16T13:30:00.001-07:00

July 16, 2010

Dear Geshem Parents,

The third week has flown by and we are nearly half way through the summer. Monday, we played a kickball game against another Yeladim group named Gahlim, it was intense! We tied the other team 5 to 5. Tuesday was Rock Star Day, everyone dressed up like as a rock stars and we looked great! On Wednesday, we had our first Late Night which was amazing; we went swimming then had hotdogs for dinner. Then we played capture the flag and had our bonfire. We learned special songs to sing to our parents. They really loved our singing voices. Thursday, again we got to sing our song loud and proud in front of the entire camp! On Friday, we had a nature walk where we went down to the camp structure and explored the woods and saw a bunch of plants and bugs. Then, we played some tag games, it was hot outside, but we took plenty of water breaks. Next week, we will be having Israel Day/Food Festival on Thursday and on Friday will be having the C.I.T. Carnival. Our C.I.T.’s have been working really hard this summer, helping out with the kids and getting things ready for us. Have a nice weekend and we can’t wait so see you next week!

Sincerely,
Brandon Saburro (Senior Counselor)
Stacy Miller (Junior Counselor)
Jenny Appel (Counselor Assistant)

Shemayim 3

2010-07-16T13:29:00.004-07:00

July 16, 2010

Shalom Shemayim Parents,
Another fun- filled week of camp has flown by, and boy was it a good one. We kicked off the week by spending time with Danielle, the Drama Specialist. Danielle taught us a fun counting game. Tuesday, was Rock Star Day, which allowed us to live the life of the rich and famous. The most exciting part of the day was when we even got the chance to meet The Wiggles, Spice Girls, and Justin Bieber!! Our first Yeladim Late Night was on Wednesday. We played games as a unit, ate hot dogs, and sing songs around a bonfire. This weeks theme was Passover. Yesterday, we went on a scavenger hunt looking for the Afikomen, a Passover tradition. Today, like every Friday, was Shabbat. We ate challah and drank grape juice. Overall, this week was very exciting and offered a lot of new experiences.
The theme of next week is Israel Holidays. We can look forward to learning about the Jewish Holiday of Tisha B’Av on Tuesday, Israel Day/The Food Festival on Thursday and the C.I.T. Carnival on Friday. Things are really shaping up for another wonderful week. Have a great weekend and we will see you on Monday.

Sincerely,
Elliott, Amber, and Josh

Kofim 3

2010-07-16T13:29:00.003-07:00

Dear Kofim Parents,
This week was a very exciting week at camp! Our theme this week was Passover. We learned about this Jewish holiday through many picture books and activities planned by our unit head, Dan. During sports, we learned new games that required us to work together. We also continued to improve our tennis, golf, and archery skills. This week at nature was creepy crawly week. On our nature walk, we were given nets and other cool tools to try and catch bugs. We did a great job finding many different types of insects! Going along with the creepy crawly theme, we also saw an ant hill up close. Goo was made in science using corn starch and water. We were able to learn why the goo was thick and heavy to pick up but eventually turned into a thin liquid. Next week we have many fun activities planned. It will be Israel Week at camp and we will have an Israeli Food Festival. Our group will be tie dying next Thursday, July 22nd. We ask that you send your child in with a labeled white t-shirt at some point during the beginning of next week. We hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and we will see you on Monday!
Sarah, Kevin, Iuli, and Casey

Dagim 3

2010-07-16T13:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Dagim Parents,
Three spectacular weeks have already flown by, with so many fun acitivities, games, and special days. Throughout the week we have learned a bunch of games, skills, and knowledge. The children were taught about the holiday of Passover and the ten plagues that affected Egypt. We also had Rock Star Day which was amazing and extremely successful! The children looked fantastic and rocked out all day. Friday, was Photo Day. It was so much fun to see and be a part of the beautiful, silly, and outrageous pictures that were created! If you have not already seen, I am sure you will, but the children learned how to make fossils in our science class this week! We went searching through the woods to find different shapes, sizes, and textures of leaves. We then placed a piece of paper over the leaf and colored the impression of the leaf to make our own fossils, the children really enjoyed that new experience. We have also been learning about different kinds of insects in our nature class. The children have been able to see frogs, praying mantes, and a lot of other insects found in our own woods. This week, due to the size of our group, we are going to split the kids in to two schools of Dagim (Fish). We will still have the exact same schedule.
Next week we will be learning about other Israel Holidays and Tisha B’Av. The children will be creating a bunch of new projects and masterpieces surrounding these specific holidays. Also on Thursday, we will be hosting our Israel Day/ Food Festival. This will be a fun day to experience different kinds of foods and learn more about Israel! It will be a lot of fun for all the children Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Amanda, Chris, Bridget & Aliza

Dubim 3

2010-07-16T13:28:00.001-07:00

July 16, 2010

Dear Dubim Parents,

The third week of camp has been a blast! Our current campers welcomed new friends with open arms on Monday and did a fantastic job singing on stage at the end of the day. Tuesday, was Rock Star Day! We enjoyed watching our Unit Head Dan walk around all day with blue hair, but also we had fun learning about Passover which was the theme of the week. On Wednesday, the campers played soccer in sports and scored a ton of goals. It was almost like the world cup. It’s really great to see such good sportsmanship among our Dubim kids! We also had a wonderful time making music on boomwackers with Musical Molly, reading stories during group time, and learning about different places in Israel with our shlicha, Tal. On Thursday, we continued to exemplify our awesome teamwork by helping out friends, picking up garbage around the camp, and playing games such as marco-polo, Ring around the Rosie, and London Bridge in the pool, during free swim. On Friday, we got to participate in Israeli dance with our senior counselor Emma. Next Thursday we plan on making group T-shirts. It would be very helpful if parents could send a white T-shirt in with their child before Thursday so that we can create beautiful tye-dye T’s! Also next week, we can look forward to Israel Day/ Food Festival on Thursday and the C.I.T. Carnival on Friday. We hope that you all have a wonderful weekend, and cannot wait to see you next Monday!

Sincerely,

Collin, Emma, and Haley

Ah-Raiot 3

2010-07-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Ah-Raiot Parents and Campers,

The third week of camp is over, but we have five more exciting more to look forward to. This week’s theme was Passover and the campers learned about the holiday during theme time. They participated in many activities such as listening to stories about Passover and finding the Afikomen hidden on the playground in exchange for a treat.
In music, Molly taught our group a new song in dance called Davi Melich Yisreal, which the campers loved. In art, we did bracelets and many other craft projects. In science we collected various plants and the campers made some beautiful leaf rubbings. We had a blast in group time with Tal, and we learned about the cultures of different parts of Israel. A part of the day that we always look forward to is “Story Time with Dan”. We all learned important life lessons while reading about the various adventures “Froggy” experiences. As usual we had a swimmingly good time in the pool during both swim lessons and free swim! We completed the week with Shabbat and got a chance to perform our new song! This week, we truly had a great time!
Next week we can look forward to learning about Tisha B’Av on Tuesday, the Food Festival/Israel Day on Thursday and the C.I.T. Carnival on Friday. Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,
Devin, Jill, Millie & Anka

Par-Parhim 3

2010-07-16T13:24:00.002-07:00

Shalom Par-Parhim Parents and Campers,

This week at camp was a bundle of fun! On Tuesday, campers and counselors alike participated in Rock Star Day with groovy outfits and hair-dos. On Friday, we all took part in taking our camp photo for Photo Day. Throughout the week, we learned new games during sports with Eric, sang “The Butterfly Song” for the whole camp on Wednesday with Molly, made volcano’s with Libby in science, and colored our own stuffed animals with Janet. The lifeguards and counselors continue to be amazed and proud of all of our campers improvements in the pool, too! Every single one of our campers has grown since his or her first day of camp here at Camp Chaverim, and we are so proud of them!

Next week, we have a lot going on as well. We will continue to have tons of fun with the specialists. During our group time, we will all take part in shaving cream art, make candy necklaces, and play in the sprinkler. Next Thursday is Israel Day and the Food Festival, where we will learn more about Israel and take part in eating yummy Israeli foods! On Friday, we will visit the C.I.T. Carnival. Another fun week awaits!

Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! See you next week!

Sincerely,

Antonette Laricchia - Senior Counselor

Jaime Hollander - Senior Counselor

Josh Korn - Counselor Assistant

Susim 3

2010-07-16T13:24:00.001-07:00

Susim Weekly Newsletter
Week 3
Another great week of camp has flown by! This week we learned all about Passover, and even got to read books about the ten plagues with Regina and Tal. Also this week, we played soccer in the gym with Eric. All of the kids had a lot of fun and impressed us with their great soccer skills. In Janet’s art room this week we used stamps and stickers to create artwork. We also got to make our own jewelry! We had a lot of fun. During music with Molly, we learned a new Bumble Bee song. It was very exciting. The Susim group also had fun with Kady. We went on a nature walk and looked for different worms and plants. We even got to use the things we collected, along with paint, to make an art project. The kids all enjoyed
swimming very much. They are all making significant progress in the water.
Next week at camp we will be learning about the Israeli holidays. Thursday will be Israel Day. We will be celebrating by having an Israeli food festival.

Thanks again for a great week and we will see you again on Monday.

Have a great weekend!
Jessica, Ez and Peter

Dvorim 3

2010-07-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

This third week was another busy and fun-filled week for our D’Vorim group! We have all been improving our swimming by not only practicing our big bear arms, kicks, and bubbles, but also by playing games in the water so that everyone can become more comfortable moving safely in the pool.

We continued to make wonderful art projects by coloring, creating necklaces and bracelets, and painting. In both our Drama and Music specials, we have learned fun songs that we have sung throughout the week. Our favorite this week has been The Popcorn song which we have also used in swim lessons! On Wednesday, we sang The Caterpillar Song with our friends in Susim and Par-Parhim on the stage in front of the rest of the camp at the end of the day. It was great!

We have spent a lot of time this week talking about Israel, including a story about Passover with Tal. She also brought out a map of Israel that was large enough for us to walk on it in order to find all of the different kinds of animals in the country.

As we begin the fourth week, we ask that you please remember to label everything as many of the children have similar sizes and sometimes identical items.

Thank you for another great week and we hope that you have an fun and safe weekend!

Sincerely,

Katrina, Liz, Patrick, and Ally

Zahal Week 2

2010-07-09T12:25:00.002-07:00

All of the Zahal campers had a great second week of camp! Everyone enjoyed the field trip to Congress Park in Saratoga and Creative Sparks! The magic show on Wednesday after the field trip put a smile on everyone’s face! Tie-dye and golf on Thursday was also a hit, everyone enjoyed getting their t-shirts Friday! Despite the hot weather everyone had fun. On Tuesday, we watched The Princess and the Frog in the gymnasium and played water games outside. Our third week of camp is going to even better than the previous two! Don’t forget, the first overnight is Thursday! If your camper wants to bring a tent you have the option to set it up so they can sleep outside or they also have the option to sleep inside. Remember on Thursday to pack your child two lunches if they are staying over. Your child has also received his/her swimming certificate from swim lessons. See Mallory or a counselor if you have any questions about swim. If your child has lost an item don’t worry! They can be located at one of the lost and found areas either in the supply room or down by the pool! I hope all of you are going to enjoy the upcoming weeks at camp!
Sincerely,

Your Counselors,

Adriana, Josh & Matt

Par-Parhim Week 2

2010-07-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

July 9, 2010

Hello Par-Parhim parents!

Week two here at camp was a great success! We learned new and exciting things such as how to make “goop” in science with Libby, different sports with Eric, and “The Cowboy Song” in music with Molly. The warm weather gave us the opportunity to show off our swimming skills; the lifeguards were impressed! On Tuesday, everyone wore tye-dye making the camp look brighter than ever! Then, on Wednesday, we sang “The Cowboy Song” with our beautiful voices for all the camp to hear. On Thursday, Tal taught us about the different spots in Israel, such as The Dead Sea, using a large map. She even let us turn the map into a water slide so we could slide down Israel to visit all the places! It was a wonderful week with more fun to come!

Next week our group times will involve finger-painting, chalk art, and shaving cream art. Plenty of time will be spent in the pool working on our swimming, playing sports, creating new things in science, and singing songs. Next Tuesday is Rock Star Day, so come dressed in your favorite sunglasses, hats, etc. if you have! Also, next Friday is Photo Day so it is very important that all campers come dressed in their camp shirt. If your child does not regularly come to camp on Friday, don’t worry about it; they can come for the group photo! All campers are encouraged be in the Par-Parhim photo!

It was a fantastic week and we look forward to the weeks to come!

Enjoy the weekend,

Antonette Laricchia – Senior Counselor

Jaime Hollander – Senior Counselor

Josh Korn – Counselor Assistant

Shemesh Week 2

2010-07-09T12:24:00.001-07:00

July 9, 2010

Dear Shemesh Parents,

The first two weeks of camp flew by fast and we enjoyed every minute of it. This week during Theme Time, Shana taught us about more Jewish Holidays. There were many activities, and the holidays included Lag B’Omer and Shavout. Also during this week, since it was extremely hot outside, we got the privilege to play water games such as dry, dry, wet (a form of duck, duck, goose) and run through a sprinkler. Tuesday, we all wore tie-dye clothes. It was awesome to see all the different colors at camp. On Wednesday, we had the chance to see Dan, the Magician, perform. It was a fun and entertaining way to stay cool inside. Next week, Tuesday is Rock Star day. We will also have our first Late Night of the summer on Wednesday. We are looking forward to hot dogs, free swim and games. Friday, will be picture day, so make sure to wear your camp T-shirt. Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you next week.

Sincerely,

Teresa, Devorah & Josh

Dagim Week 2

2010-07-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Dagim Parents,
Another week has passed with new spectacular experiences and of course a bunch of fun! Throughout the week we learned about the Jewish holidays Lag BaOmer and Shavout. We played lots of games and created different kinds of art projects to better understand the meanings of the holidays. We also had our first Late Night, which was a tremendous amount of fun and extremely successful. We played a ton of water games and had the opportunity to play the new Bouncy Bounce Water Slide! There was also a lot of great food and a bon fire which the children really enjoyed. We are all very excited for the next late night on Tuesday, August 3rd. To give the children a break from the heat and the sun we switched up our schedules a little bit throughout the week. During the week, the children got to watch a movie (The Princess and the Frog), they we able to watch a magic show, along with eating snow cones! We learned a lot this week as well. Molly our Music Specialist taught our group a new song which they all seem very excited about if you have not already heard it, I am sure you will soon. Next week I just want to remind you to pack a water bottle for your child, especially with all the hot weather we have been experiencing. Nonetheless, we have been making sure that they are staying hydrated throughout the day and allowing them to get in the water as often as possible. Even if they are not in the pool they have been having fun with a slip and slide and a ton of different water games. Tuesday, July 13th is our Rock Star Day, so if your child wants to dress like a rock star, feel free to do so! Friday July 16th is also our Photo Day, so there will be tons of different pictures of different activities that your child will be active in. The children will be bringing home all of their projects that they have completed throughout the week, so make room on your refrigerators!
Amanda, Chris, Bridget & Aliza

Shemayim Week 2

2010-07-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

July 9, 2010

Dear Shemayim Parents,

The first two weeks of camp have come to an end, but we look forward to the upcoming weeks here at Camp Chaverim. This week was a blast despite the unbelievably hot weather. On Monday, we enjoyed sidewalk chalk in the shade and spent the majority of the day at the pool to keep ourselves relaxed and refreshed. Tuesday, was tie-dye day and the whole camp dressed up in their colorful clothing. Also on Tuesday, we got to watch “The Princess and the Frog” in the gym. Dan, the Magic Man, arrived on Wednesday to teach us about the world of illusion. He showed us some amazing magic tricks. We also made friendship bracelets to celebrate the theme of the summer; Jewish Holidays. Thursday, once again, was super hot, but we all managed to stay cool with the gift of delicious snow cones. We ended the week once more with Shabbat and we are highly anticipating next week’s activities. We can look forward to Rock Star Day on Tuesday and the first Yeladim Late Night on Wednesday. We hope you continue to enjoy the summer and we can’t wait to see you next week!

Sincerely,

Amber, Elliott & Josh

Dvorim Week 2

2010-07-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

THE WEEKLY BUZZ

We had a very exciting second week of camp! Everyone has been making new friends and we have been doing lots of great activities. The pool has also been a great place to cool off and play in this really hot weather. Everyone has been doing a great job getting used to the water and following all the rules.

This week, everyone had a good time making clay animals in nature and playing in the sprinkler to cool down before we went swimming. We also made lots of great things in art like necklaces, bracelets and paintings. In sports, we have been keeping busy by playing capture the flag, tag and learning Rock, Paper, Scissors. During Theme Time we have been listening to great stories and then coloring pictures about what we learned.

Everyone had a good time Wednesday when we saw a magician. We watched him do tricks, he told jokes and we played some games. During one of the hotter days, we stayed inside with Susim and Par-Parhim to watch the movie Peter Pan and eat watermelon. On Thursday, we got to have snow cones as a special treat for snack, which everyone liked. On Friday, we joined the rest of the camp for Shabbat; we sang songs, danced and had challah and juice.

This week has been very eventful and we are all looking forward to next week as well. The third week of camp is full of fun activities like Rock Star Day on Tuesday. We all hope to see you for another great week at camp!

Sincerely,

Katrina, Liz, Patrick & Ally

Kofim Week 2

2010-07-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Kofim Parents,
Even though the weather was very hot this week we found many ways to beat the heat! During our time with our Shaliach, Tal we were able to go down a waterslide that was made out of a map of Israel. We were also able to have some extra time in the pool for free swim. One afternoon, we watched a movie with some other groups in the gym. On Thursday afternoon, we received a nice treat of snow cones to keep us cool! We had our first late night on Tuesday and everyone had a great time! We were able to go on a bouncy bounce water slide and play water games with everyone in our group. After the water fun, we grilled hot dogs and performed a song by the campfire. We’ve been working very hard in music this week to learn many new songs and we were able to perform one of these songs for the whole camp on Wednesday. Friday will be the end of our first swim session. This means that everyone will be receiving a swimming certificate after Friday’s swim lesson. We hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and we will see you all next week for another fantastic week at Camp Chaverim!
Sarah, Kevin, Iuli, and Casey

Dubim Week 2

2010-07-09T11:59:00.002-07:00

Dear Dubim Parents,

It has been such a fun second week of camp. On Monday, we had a great time swimming in the pool spending time with the other kindergarten group Ah-Raiot. At the end of the day we played a camp wide game which included riddles, physical challenges and funny talents. Tuesday was a great day and the heat did not stop us from having fun. We watched Disney’s Princes and the Frog inside the gymnasium with the rest of the camp and when we were done there, we spent extra time at the pool cooling off. When it came to the Bonim Late Night we had a great time at the water slide and tossing water balloons at each other. Dinner was great, Rachel, our Assistant Camp Director did a fantastic job grilling the hotdogs. Everyone enjoyed them. The kids did a great job singing the Bear Song for all of you parents. They had been practicing with Molly our Music Specialist from the week before. On Wednesday, we stayed cool by going in the pool and spending time inside, but most importantly we had fun! On Thursday, we enjoyed time with Tal, our Shaliach, who showed them where things were located on a map of Israel, which then was turned into a water slide for the kids to go down in their bating suits. The day concluded with the whole camp getting snow cones. On Friday, we had a great time having two free-swims in the pool, spending time on the playground and at Shabbat. Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!

Sincerely,
Collin, Emma, and Haley

Gahlim Week 2

2010-07-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

Dear Gahlim Parents and Campers,

We cannot believe that the first session of the summer is already over! This past week has gone by so quickly even though it has been super warm. We have been very busy with activities both inside and out. We are very sad to see some of our campers leaving us for the summer, but we also look forward to see all the Gahlim campers who will be returning.

For the campers that will be here next session we look forward to another great two weeks. Our Camp theme for next week is Passover. For those who do not know Passover is the Jewish holiday. which continues for eight days. The holiday observes the migration of the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Some special events going on next week such as “Rock Star Day” on Tuesday the 13th; we have our first late night on Wednesday the 14th and Photo day on Friday the 16th.

While we look forward for all of our great activities next week we remember all the fun things we did this past week at camp. In case you did not hear from your campers each day this week we had special surprises at camp. On Monday, we had our own Camp Chaverim Double-Dare game show. On Tuesday, we tried to stay cool by watching Princess and the Frog. On Wednesday, we were lucky to watch a very funny magic show, and on Thursday we were lucky to get snow cones!! Friday our Gahlim group was lucky to celebrate our own counselor Jacob’s birthday!

As this session comes to an end so does our first session of swimming lessons. Make sure to check your children’s bags for their swimming certificates or for their swimming progress reports. Over these past two weeks our counselors truly believe that all of our campers are already becoming stronger swimmers and we hope that soon everyone will be a blue bracelet for free swim.

Our Gahlim counselors will miss all of campers who are not returning and we hope to see you all soon.

Once again if you have any questions feel free to contact the JCC at 377-8803 and someone would be more than happy to answer your questions.

Thank You,
Your Gahlim counselors
Leah, Jacob and Mark

Susim Week 2

2010-07-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Susim Weekly Newsletter
Week 2

The second week of camp was a HOT one! The Susim campers stayed cool by using a really cool beach ball sprinkler and having some extra pool time!
Regina taught us all about Shavuot during theme time and we had lots of fun making flowers with her!
Eric the Sports Specialist taught us a new tag game and all the campers had a great time playing.
We made birds and animals out of clay with Kady and we got messy with Libby in Science making goop! We even got to experiment with different colors.
We enjoyed learning lots of songs with Molly about cowboys and horses since Susim in Hebrew means horses!
This week Tal made a slip and slide out of a map of Israel! It was a fun way to learn about Israel and to stay nice and cool!
Next week at camp we will be learning about Passover, so it is sure to be a fun filled week!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Tuesday July 13th is Rock star Day! Please send your camper to camp dressed as a rock star.
Friday July 16th is Photo day so please make sure that your camper comes with their blue camp shirt!

Thanks for a great week!
Jessica, Ez and Peter

Macabee Week 2

2010-07-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Macabee Parents and Campers,

We have concluded week two of camp which also marks the end of session one. The weather this week may go down as one of the hottest weeks we've had at camp in years. Finding ways to beat the heat and having a good time doing so was a priority!
This week's theme was Log B’Omer and Shavout. We got to learn a bit about each holiday and their impact on Jewish life and culture during theme time with our unit head, Val. Many thanks to Val who has put forth a lot of effort and planning into making theme time such a fun time for all our Tzofim groups!
Tuesday was Tie dye day where campers came in wearing their favorite multi-colored clothing. If your child forgot to participate in tie dye day, thats ok as every Tuesday marks a special day (next Tuesday is Rock Star Day). Tuesday was also a very hot day so in order to beat the heat, we watched Princess and the Frog. The Macabees were all very grateful to take a break from outside and just cool off inside!
Wednesday was our first Tzofim field trip. All four groups took the bus and headed to Creative Sparks and Congress Park in Saratoga. We got the chance to design and paint our very own tiles. After coloring in tiles and eating lunch, we spent the rest of our time hanging around in the park doing activities such kickball, catch, Disney Trivia, and listening to music. Concluding our trip to Saratoga, we also got to ride on the carousel. It was a lot of fun and being able to jump right into free swim when we got back made the day that much better!
Thursday and Friday were also very warm days. The supervisory staff struck again as they came to the rescue and brought an Snow Cone maker to camp. Swim lessons and Chugim also came to a conclusion on Friday. Starting on Monday, your camper will be in another Chugim and possibly another swim group. Please be sure to check for the swim progress report in your child's backpack and be sure to ask any of us or the Camp Aquatics Director, Mallory, if you have any questions of concerns!
Next week's theme of the week is Passover. It’s going to be a big week as we have our first Tzofim Overnight on Thursday! It is a popular tradition here at camp and we all look forward to this big day! Permission slips will be handed out in the beginning of the week so please be sure to have those filled out and returned as soon and possible! Just a reminder to please make sure all of your child's items are labeled and again feel free to talk with us if you have any questions or concerns. We all hope you have a great weekend and look forward to starting session two and week three here at Camp Chaverim!

Sincerely,
Devon, Kirsten, and Rebekah

Sabraim Week 2

2010-07-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Sabraim Parents,

This week was filled with many fun activities. During theme time on Monday, Val taught our group about Lag BaOmer. As an example of tradition for this holiday, the kids played forms of archery games. Tuesday was tie dye day and as a special treat, Sabraim made tie dye during group time. The heat didn’t stop us from having fun. On Wednesday, Tzofim took a field trip to Creative Sparks and Congress Park. The children enjoyed painting and getting a chance to ride the carousel. At the park, the children weren’t the only ones that were hungry. There were ducks at Congress Park that wanted to join us for lunch. They waddled up from the pond and kept the Tzofim kids company. The kids were thoroughly entertained.
The children’s creative minds were put to the test on Thursday when they were asked to construct parachutes that held an egg. Libby, the science specialist, held a competition to see who’s egg could survive the fall from the roof top. To most of our camper’s surprise, their eggs withstood the fall.
Friday was a big day for some of the Sabraim campers. They were pleased to find that they had achieved their goals and moved up in swimming lessons.
Tuesday, July 13th is Rock Star Day! We encourage everyone to dress up as their favorite rock star. Thursday, July 15th is Tzofim’s overnight. Please remember to pack a sleeping bag and pillows.

Thanks for another great week!
Sarah, Gillian and Jacob.

Ah-Raiot Week 2

2010-07-09T11:55:00.002-07:00

July 9, 2010

Dear Ah-Raiot Parents,

Week two of Camp has been fantastic! The theme of the week was the Jewish Holidays of Lag B’Omer and Shavout. During theme time, our Unit Head Dan Pontillo taught us how to celebrate and appreciate these holidays. The Late Night on Tuesday was excellent, and our group sang “The Lion Song” composed by our Music Specialist known as Musical Molly. We also played fun water games and enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Due to the uncomfortable hot weather this week, different cool activities were set up for our enjoyment. On Monday, we used the inflatable water slide. Tuesday, we learned the importance of staying true to ones self in the Disney production of “The Princess and the Frog.” Wednesday, we were amazed by a Magician who visited us and preformed many awesome tricks. Thursday, our wonderful Supervisory Staff set up a Snow Cone machine and we were given the choice of two delicious flavors, bubble gum and blue raspberry (some even indulged by trying both at once)!
Finally, on Friday the weather cooled down a bit and we finished our great week with our weekly Shabbat ceremony. This second week at camp definitely proved to be a success. Have a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing you next week.

Sincerely,

Jill, Devin, Millie & Anka

Geshem Week 2

2010-07-09T11:55:00.001-07:00

Campwide Newesletter Week 2

2010-07-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

July 9, 2010

To Camp Chaverim Parents and Guardians,

It has been a HOT second week at Camp Chaverim. We held a variety of events to stay cool, including a Game Show on Monday, a big screen showing of “Princess and the Frog” on Tuesday, a magic show on Wednesday, and Sno Cones on Thursday. On Tuesday, we had our first “Dress Up Day” of the summer, as it was “TIE DYE” Day at Camp. Also on Tuesday, it was the first Late Night for the Bonim (Builders) our Kindergarten and 1st grade campers. The campers had a great time playing on the inflatable water slide and playing assorted water Games and enjoyed a delicious dinner cooked by Chef Kutil. The evening concluded with what everyone loves on a 95 degree day, a Bonfire. While at the Bonfire each group in the Unit performed an excellent song. On Wednesday, the Tzofim (Scouts) our 4th – 6th grade campers went on their first field trip to Creative Sparks and Congress Park both in Saratoga. At Creative Sparks, the campers painted wonderful pictures on ceramic tiles. While at Congress Park, the campers rode the carousel, played kickball, and held a Disney Trivia Challenge.

Next week will hopefully be a slightly cooler week, but definitely a jam packed week. Tuesday, will be our second “Dress Up Day” of the summer, as it will be “Rock star Day” at Camp. It will be a fun day and we are even looking forward to the possible appearance of a famous pop star. On Wednesday, it will be the Yeladim (Children) our 2nd and 3rd grade campers’ first Late Night. The campers will have a wonderful night filled with swimming, a delicious dinner and a bonfire/sing-a-long. On Thursday, the Tzofim Unit will have their first overnight of the summer. The overnight includes all the fun aspects of a Late Night plus the fun of a camping. Please be on the lookout for additional details and a permission slip for these events.

The Theme for the Summer is Jewish Holidays. During the second week of camp the campers learned about Lag BaOmer and Shavuot. The campers learned about the theme through activities including making a Harvest themed decoration and finger painting pictures of flowers. Next week’s holiday is Passover.

Friday, will be camp photo day so please make sure your camper is wearing their camp t-shirt. Campers who are not registered for the third week can be brought by their parent or guardian to participate in photo day. Please call to find out when your child(ren)’s group photo(s) will be taken.

Please check your camper(s) backpacks and lunchboxes as they should contain a swim achievement card or Swim Progress Form to update you on their swimming ability. If you did not receive one please contact Mallory Baughman, Camp Aquatics Director.

A few reminders: The Knolls Road entrance is a one way exit between 4:00 pm and 4:15 pm. If you have a camper who is in the extended day program and you will be picking up during camp pickup at 4:00 pm., please call Maggie earlier in the day and we will make sure to have your camper with the other campers for pick-up. Also, please make sure all of your child(ren)’s items are labeled with their name.

We all want to wish you a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Andy, Dan, Heidi Mallory, Mitch, Rachel, Regina, Shana & Val

Geshem

2010-07-02T11:28:00.001-07:00

Dear Geshem Parents,

We have just ended our second week of Camp Chaverim, and going onto the next one. On Monday we didn’t have many campers but still tried our best to have the best time and played a bunch of water games, with an extra hour in the pool and after watched the movie Princess and The Frog. Tuesday we had our Tie Dye Day, which is a day where all campers and counselors got to wear a Tie Dye. A quick reminder: our Yeladim Late Night is on July 14th. The campers will be playing water games and have dinner, then we will be singing a song in front of the fire for the parents to hear how good we’ve been doing on the stage performing in front of our campers and counselors. On Wednesday, we went to a magic show with the magician Dan the Magic Man. It was great! He taught us a couple of magic tricks to show our family and friends. All of the Geshem campers have been working so hard during swim lessons the past two weeks. Today we found out if they passed the swimming test and moved on to the next level. Thursday was an awesome day with snow cones! We could choose from Blue Raspberry and Bubble Gum flavors. Some of the campers mixed the flavors so it created a Bubble Berry blast! On the last day of the week, we had a water balloon fight against another Yeladim group. The campers are having a great time and we know each week has been getting better.

Sincerely,
Brandon Saburro (Senior Counselor)
Stacy Miller (Junior Counselor)
Jenny Appel (Counselor Assistant)

Dear Geshem Parents,

We have just ended our second week of Camp Chaverim, and going onto the next one. On Monday we didn’t have many campers but still tried our best to have the best time and played a bunch of water games, with an extra hour in the pool and after watched the movie Princess and The Frog. Tuesday we had our Tie Dye Day, which is a day where all campers and counselors got to wear a Tie Dye. A quick reminder: our Yeladim Late Night is on July 14th. The campers will be playing water games and have dinner, then we will be singing a song in front of the fire for the parents to hear how good we’ve been doing on the stage performing in front of our campers and counselors. On Wednesday, we went to a magic show with the magician Dan the Magic Man. It was great! He taught us a couple of magic tricks to show our family and friends. All of the Geshem campers have been working so hard during swim lessons the past two weeks. Today we found out if they passed the swimming test and moved on to the next level. Thursday was an awesome day with snow cones! We could choose from Blue Raspberry and Bubble Gum flavors. Some of the campers mixed the flavors so it created a Bubble Berry blast! On the last day of the week, we had a water balloon fight against another Yeladim group. The campers are having a great time and we know each week has been getting better.

Sincerely,
Brandon Saburro (Senior Counselor)
Stacy Miller (Junior Counselor)
Jenny Appel (Counselor Assistant)

Dear Geshem Parents,

The first week of summer was amazing. We started off on a good step, our theme this week was High Holy Days. We learned about Rosh Hashanah which is a Jewish Holiday commonly referred to as “Jewish New Year”. Monday, we played icebreaker games to get know each other. We also did a swimming test to see what level your child’s at, to see if they could go to the deep end or shallow. They all did great and listened to every step they had to do. We swim two times a day, at 10am which is a swimming lessons, and at 12pm which is free swim. They all participate even when the weather wasn’t the best. Parents can you please make sure you write your child’s name on everything they bring incase if they lose it someone can bring it straight to me or bring it to the lost and found! Tuesday we had a nature class and looked at pictures of different types of leaves, and the poison types like, poison ivy, sumac and oak. We also made nature guide books, so if they have learned something useful they can write it down. On Wednesday we had the bouncy bounce come to the JCC. Two kinds! One had a basketball hoop in it, and the other was a obstacle course. On Thursday, we had a great time when a DJ came for a dance party. After dancing that we performed a song called boomchickaboom. Why not ask your child to sing it for you, and you can join in and sing it as well. The best part of the week was Friday when we had the Counselors Olympics and a relay for the kids. Next week will have as much fun with more exciting activities.

Sincerely,
Brandon Saburro (Senior Counselor)
Stacy Miller (Junior Counselor)
Jenny Appel (Counselor Assistant)

Zahal

2010-07-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
We had a wonderful first day at camp this week. We did a lot of special activities. For example, we got to go out in the woods and look at different wild life with Nature. We also got to do some fun activities with Art. The kids got to make friendship bracelets, which was quite nice. We got to learn a lot about Jewish holidays in Theme Time. We also did a lot of swimming, getting to know each other, and having fun! By the way, on the first day of camp, the kids were tested on their swimming capabilities and put into certain level groups for swimming lessons. We had an awesome time playing Capture the Flag in Group time on Tuesday. In Science we also had tons of fun making parachutes for our Egg Drop on Monday.
On Wednesday, we had an amazing time on the Bouncy Bounce, there was even a Bouncy Bounce obstacle course as well. The campers and counselors were able to race each other on this course. Other things we did was in Music, when we played two songs with “boom whackers” (a type of wind instrument) which we also performed in front of the camp on Thursday. The songs we played included “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Mary had a Little Lamb” in front of the whole camp!
At the end of the day on Thursday, there was a dance party for the campers. Some songs that were played at the dance party included “Cha Cha Slide,” “Macarena,” and there was even a Conga line! The campers also got to wrap their counselors with toilet paper to make them into mummies. They certainly had a great time doing this!
Next week on Tuesday is Tie Dye day, so don’t forget to have the campers dress in Tie Dye clothing! Next Wednesday, the campers will go on their first field trip of the summer. It will be a blast! Have a great Fourth of July weekend!
Sincerely your counselors,
Adriana Alfeo, Josh Leighton, Matt McCarty

Sabraim

2010-07-02T11:26:00.002-07:00

Dear Sabraim Parents,

We have had a wonderful and busy first week at camp! On Monday, campers were swim tested and placed into appropriate levels according to their abilities thus far. The lifeguards work with the group everyday during swim lessons to practice and learn new skills. On Tuesday, our group was able to meet our Shaliach for the summer, Tal, who will be with us for the duration of the summer to teach us about Israeli customs. Wednesday was bouncy bounce day and the group was able to enjoy a bounce house as well as a bouncy obstacle course. On Thursday, the entire camp came together at the end of the day for a dance party in the auditorium to play games and enjoy music. Friday was our first Shabbat together and we were able to sing and celebrate with the entire camp as a whole.

Tuesday, July 6th, is tie dye day! If your child has articles of clothing that are tie dye, they are encouraged to wear them to camp. Also, Sabraim will be having tie dye fun during our group time in the afternoon. In preparation for this, we are asking that each child brings a white or very light colored t-shirt. Other articles of clothing or pillow cases would be adequate as well.

Wednesday, July 7th is a field trip day for Tzofim.

Thanks for a great week!

Sarah, Gillian, and Jacob

Masada

2010-07-02T11:26:00.001-07:00

MASADA NEWSLETTER

Dear Masada campers and parents,

Believe it or not, we are already done with the first week of camp. We’ve had some great days this week, such as Bouncy Bounce Day on Wednesday. All of the campers and counselors enjoyed this day—there was even a Bouncy Bounce obstacle course! On Thursday, the whole camp enjoyed Dance Party Day. A real DJ came and got everyone moving with songs like the Macarena, Cotton Eye Joe, and the Cha-Cha Slide. Field Day and the Counselor Olympics rounded out the week on Friday, with everyone having a great time participating in fun and challenging competitions.

We enjoyed five days full of great weather. With all this sunshine, we all must remember to apply our sunscreen often! Sunscreen is provided frequently during the day to make sure all our campers are protected. We also take multiple water breaks every day to ensure that we all stay hydrated in the heat.

Next week, camp has some great events planned. We have Tie-Dye Day scheduled for Tuesday, so campers should make sure to wear as much tie-dye clothing as they can! Also, the first Tzofim field trip is planned for Wednesday. Week 2 definitely promises some exciting new experiences.

We are all enjoying our time at Camp Chaverim. Whether we are playing kickball, swimming, or making ice cream, everyone is having fun and staying safe.

Looking forward to another great week,

Mike K., Amy Y., Sarah N.

A few last reminders to parents:
- Please LABEL EVERYTHING! The Lost-and-Found is already overflowing with misplaced belongings, please help make sure what you send to camp comes home!
- We cannot stress how important sunscreen is. Counselors will apply sunscreen to the campers at least twice throughout the day; please make sure the initial application is completed before your child arrives at camp!
- Please encourage your child to participate in the themed days (see above) at camp—it makes camp more fun for everyone!

WEEK 1 NEWSLETTER

Macabee

2010-07-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Macabee Campers and Parents,

Week one has concluded and what a warm first week it has been. Campers got to be reunited with old friends and even made some new ones along the way. The weather was great which also contributed to such a fantastic week one at Camp Chaverim.
Monday was the first day at camp and that marked the beginning of chugim and swim lessons. Each child was tested and placed in a set swim level where lifeguards, counselors and campers work together to improve their swimming. Each child also found out what chug (Classes in Hebrew) they are in and will get to stay in that class for the whole first two week session. We also had the opportunity to team up with Music specialist, Molly, and we sang our first song for the whole camp to hear.
Tuesday our unit head Val got our group together and discussed the theme of the summer; Jewish holidays. Our first holiday was the high holy days/days of awe. The children got to learn about this sad yet hopeful time in Jewish history. Afterwards, the kids colored in Jewish stars and wrote something they hope will happen to make a brighter future for all us!
Wednesday marked camp's annual Bouncy Bounce day at Chaverim. We all got to have an amazing time bouncing around and racing through the obstacle course. Even our unit head Val, Camp Director Andy, and Assistant Camp Director Rachel gave the bouncy bounce a try. The laughter and smiles made it very clear that they were having a great time! Towards the end of Wednesday, our group separated into teams of boys vs girls at their request, and competed against one another in a kickball game! It was another awesome time and it was unfortunate that group time ended so soon but there are going to be tons of opportunities for us to engage in fun competitions like kickball all throughout summer! Thursday was just as fun as the other days as we had our first ever Dance Party at camp! With counselors being wrapped up in toilet paper, to look like mummies, a DJ playing all the favorites, and the entire camp being together in the auditorium, it was easy to see this was a day to remember!
Friday our camp got together as a whole again as kids got to cheer on their counselors and also participate themselves in our Counselor Olympics/Field Day! At the end of all the fun activities we gathered together and celebrated Shabbat; a major tradition here at camp Chaverim. We sang songs, watched performances, danced to Israel songs, and participated in other Jewish traditions. It is a great way to end the week at camp and it is the perfect opportunity for our group to bond together as friends!
Next week is going to be another good week as we learn about another Holiday in the Jewish Culture; Lag BaOmer and Shavout. Tuesday will be Tie Dye Day and Wednesday will be our first Tzofim field trip. Be sure to sign your child's permission slip and get it in as soon as possible. They will be handed out on Monday afternoon! We had so much fun this first week and we know week two will be just as good as the first one. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday and have a safe, happy Fourth of July!

Your Macabee Counselors,
Kirsten, Devon, and Rebekah

Gahlim

2010-07-02T11:24:00.002-07:00

Dear Gahlim Campers and Parents,

It is hard to believe that the first week of camp is already over! Our Gahlim group has already had a great start to the summer. We all have had a ton of fun playing kickball against Geshem (the other third grade group) that of course we won and singing along to “down by the banks.” If you don’t know what that is, just ask your camper and I am sure they will fill you in. They have truly enjoyed our group time activities and cannot wait to play these games again!
From group games to swimming we can see that these kids are having a blast. Even though the water has been a little cold these past days, everyone is participating in both lessons and free swim. We are all very proud of how well everyone is doing in their lessons and we are all excited to see them progress in the following weeks.
With the help of Mike this week we were really able to start the summer with a bang. We all have truly enjoyed getting to know your children, and hope that they enjoyed getting to know us as well.
Making sure that every camper is having a good time is a very important aspect of our day. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact the JCC at 377-8803 and someone would be more than happy to answer your questions. It is important to all of us to know that your children are having a fantastic time.

Thank you, and we can’t wait to be spending more time with your children
Your Gahlim Counselors
Leah, Jacob, and Mark

Shemayim

2010-07-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

July 2, 2010
Shalom Shemayim Parents,
The first week of camp is over and summer has officially begun. This past week was full of fun and a lot of new experiences. On Monday we kicked the week off by working together and establishing a set of “rules” for the summer. By creating these rules everyone in the group understands and agrees with how we can work together to ensure a fun summer. On Tuesday we met with Eric, the sports specialist, and played fun games with a parachute. We also met with Tal, our counselor visiting from Israel, to practice a song to sing in front of the whole camp! Our group did a great job with the song at the end of the day! Wednesday our group got to go on a bouncy bounce and to add to a perfect day, we played four- square and spent some time playing on the playground. Yesterday, in order to explore our creative side, we used our imaginations to draw our very own mini golf course designs. This week’s theme was the high holidays. We learned about both Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In order to end this week today we came together and experienced our first Shabbat of the summer! All in all we had a great first week that has set the tone for an amazing summer that can only get better from here! We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

Sincerely,
Elliott, Amber, Josh, and Dan

Shemesh

2010-07-02T11:22:00.002-07:00

Dear Shemesh Parents & Campers,

As the first week of camp comes to a close, we reflect on our exciting activities that we participated in. On the first day of camp, we made many new friends, and re-connected with old ones. As the week rolled on, we found out our swim levels and learned about the theme of the summer (Jewish Holidays). The theme of the week was High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).
One special activity this week took place on Wednesday with two Bouncy Bounces. There was a huge bounce house and an obstacle course. On Thursday, there was a dance party with Dj Andrew Kaufman. He led us in many cool dances like Cotton Eyed Joe, and mummy wraps. We bounced and danced our way to Friday for Field Day and Counselor Olympics. All the counselors took turns playing games and competing in different activities for the whole camps enjoyment.
Next week, we will be learning about Shavout and Lag B’Omer. Tuesday, is Tye-Dye day so please wear any tie-dye clothing. Next week is also going to be very warm so please make sure you send your camper in wearing sunscreen. We will do our best to keep the kids cool and comfortable. Have a great weekend and see you next week!

Sincerely,

Teresa, Devorah & Josh

Dagim

2010-07-02T11:22:00.001-07:00

Shalom Dagim Parents and Guardians,

So far we have had an amazing first week! We have been swimming everyday along with trying a lot of new things. Throughout the week, we have been having fun with golf, archery, tennis and as you have seen, a bunch of art projects.

On Thursday, we all enjoyed a new addition to camp, a dance party. The dance party was a very fun way to end Thursday. We started off with the whole camp in four lines and we all proceeded to do the Macarena. Shortly after we listened to a mix put on by the Dj and every unit in camp proceeded to make one counselor into a mummy. Every kid participated in wrapping up a counselor with toilet paper. It was very silly and every child had a smile on their face the whole time. Shortly after they mummified a counselor, we all did Cotton Eye Joe. Some kids even got up on stage and showed off their skills for all of camp. It was a nice addition to camp and there was never a dull moment.
This Friday we had a Field Day and Counselor Olympics. Many silly activities went on to keep the kids entertained. Counselors and kids had a really great time and they worked together to make it really fun. Every Friday at camp we also celebrate Shabbat. Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. It is a day where you can rest from regular labors of life and spend more time with family and friends. We listened to stories this week and we all sang Mizmor Shir. After we said the blessings, we ate challah bread and drank juice. It was a great time and a great way to end the first week of camp.
Next week we have our first late night. It will be on Tuesday, July 6th. Campers will have the opportunity to swim an extra 45 minutes and enjoy great food. There will also be a bonfire in which campers from each group in the unit will sing a song for parents. Tuesday is also “Tie-Die Day”, so if you have a tie-died shirt wear it to camp!
We look forward to seeing you all next week and we know next week will be even more successful than this week was. Have a great 4th of July and see you next week! Shalom!!

Best Wishes,
Amanda, Chris, Bridget & Aliza

Kofim

2010-07-02T11:19:00.001-07:00

Dear Kofim Parents,
We hope that your summer has started off as great as ours has at camp! We had a very busy and exciting first week. The Jewish Holiday we learned about this week was Rosh Hashanah. We learned about the importance of apples and honey to the holiday through many picture books. Many of the art projects we created this week incorporated apples. On Wednesday, we were able to perform a song for the whole camp on the stage at the end of the day. Another highlight of our Wednesday was that we were able to go in two bounce houses! We had another special event on Thursday. A DJ came to camp and we had a dance party for an hour Thursday afternoon. We all had a really good time dancing together in the auditorium! To end the week, the whole camp participated in Field Day and Counselor Olympics. Our group has been doing a fantastic job this summer at the pool. We have all been working really hard during our swim lessons. We’ve done a great job listening to our counselors and lifeguards and getting changed quickly by ourselves! We wanted to remind you that next Tuesday we have two exciting events planned for the campers. We have our first late night scheduled. During the day, all of camp will be participating in Tie-Dye Day and campers are encouraged to wear their favorite Tie-Dye t-shirt! We hope everyone has a great Fourth of July weekend! See you on Monday!
Sarah, Kevin, Iuli, and Casey

Dubim

2010-07-02T11:18:00.002-07:00

Dear Dubim Parents,

It has been a wonderful first week of camp! With the theme of the week being High Holy Days/ Days of Awe we learned about Rosh Hashanah which is the Jewsish New Year. On Monday, in theme time with Dan, the Bonim Unit Head, we read the book It Was a New Year at the Pier. Also on Monday, we had a great time swimming and going on a nature walk. The day ended with the whole Dubim group performing on stage the “Gum-drops” song in front of the whole camp with some help from the camps music specialist, Molly. Tuesday was fun and we were very impressed with all the great work done in the pool during swim lessons! We had a great time with Eric, the sports specialist when it came to racing to see who could collect the most toys while competing against the rest of the kids in the group. On Wednesday, was the Bouncy Bounce. Although, there was not just a Bouncy Bounce, but an obstacle course which the kids could climb up and down through to race to the other side. That was a lot of fun, even for us counselors! During drama class with Daniele on Wednesday, we play a kind of “duck- duck- goose” game where instead of being tagged as a goose we got tagged as an animal and we had to act out that animal. It was great seeing the kids’ impressions of say an elephant or even a cat. The counselors had a great time playing that with the kids too. On Thursday with the swimming getting a bit more chilly, we enjoyed doing an art project with Dan and more games with the Daniele. The highlight of Thursday was the dance party at the end of the day when the whole Bonim Unit got to take turns rapping Collin in toilet paper to look like a mummy, while dancing to some great songs. The dance party got even better when the whole camp formed a conga-line and danced to Cotton-Eyed Joe. On Friday during Field Day/ Counselor Olympics, we got to watch the Counselors of the entire camp act goofy in front of the entire camp to see who could win the most points. It was a great time!
Next week on Tuesday is the first of the two Bonim Late Nights. Please make sure to send your child/children with a third dry bathing suit and dry towel because we will be going swimming again. Also, please make sure to send your child with his/ her permission slip so they can attend. Also, as a reminder please label all of your child’s/ children’s belonging with his/ her name. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July and have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

Sincerely,
Collin, Emma, and Haley

Ah-Raiot

2010-07-02T11:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Ah-Raiot Parents & Guardians,
The first week of camp has sadly come to an end, but we have seven great weeks left to look forward to. This week was filled with lots of spirit and everyone had an awesome time. The first week of camp we celebrated the “High Holy Days”. We also learned about many Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.
One highlight of the week was the first time we sang a song as a group for camp. We sang the song “Grand ‘Ole Flag” in spirit of 4th of July. The kids all agreed that this song would be perfect to sing for camp. We thought it would be a great idea to have the kid’s makes paper flags to hold while they sang. The flags came out great and the kids were so excited about singing, that they sang the song all throughout the day. The annual Bouncy Bounce turned out to be a success like usual. This year they featured all new equipment which proved to be very fun. The new Bouncy Bounce and the new Bouncy obstacle course proved to be perfect and the kids loved every second.
On Thursday we all enjoyed another new addition to camp, a dance party. The dance party was a very fun way to end Thursday. We started off with the whole camp in four lines and we all proceeded to do the Macarena. Shortly after we listened to a mix put on by the Dj and every unit in camp proceeded to turn one counselor into a mummy. Every kid participated in wrapping up a counselor with toilet paper. It was very silly and every child had a smile on their face the whole time. Shortly after they mummified a counselor, we all did Cotton Eye Joe. Some kids even got up on stage and showed off their skills for all of camp. It was a nice addition and there was never a dull moment.
This Friday, we had a Field Day and Counselor Olympics. Many silly activities went on to keep the kids entertained. Counselors and kids had a really great time and they worked together to make it really fun. Every Friday at camp we also celebrate Shabbat. Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. It is a day where you can rest from regular labors of life and spend more time with family and friends. We listened to stories this week and we all sang Mizmor Shir. After we said the blessings, we ate challah bread and drank juice. It was a great time and a great way to end the first week of camp.
Next week we have our first late night. It will be on Tuesday, July 6th. Campers will have the opportunity to swim an extra 45 minutes and enjoy great food courtesy of Rachel Kutil. There will also be a bonfire in which campers from each group in the unit will sing a song for parents. Tuesday is also “Tie-Dye Day”, so if you have a tie-dyed shirt, wear it to camp!
We look forward to seeing you all next week and we know next week will be even more successful than this week was. Have a great 4th of July and see you next week! Shalom!!
Sincerely,
Devin, Jill, Millie & Anka

Par-Parhim

2010-07-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings Par-Parhim parents!

Our group had a wonderful and busy first week of camp here at the JCC. Our activities varied from an all camp dance party to a fun-filled time on the bouncy bounce. The kids learned how to write their names in Hebrew with Tal, our Schiliach from Israel, walked through different parts of nature with Libby, played sports with Eric and talked about animals with Kady. On Wednesday, all of our campers bravely sang the “Bumble Bee” song in front of the whole camp. They did a fabulous job! All of the campers also showed off their awesome swimming skills to the counselors and lifeguards during their swimming lessons and free swim, too! With a week already gone by here at camp, we are having a fun and memorable time.

Next week, our group times include making friendship bracelets and chalk and bubbles. We will continue to work with our specialists to sing songs and learn about different parts of nature and science, sing songs, and play sports. The weather next week is going to be much hotter than this week, so please remember to pack water bottles for the children. Also, (if you haven’t already) please remember to label each item that your child brings to camp with their name on it. Next Tuesday is Tye-Dye day here at camp, so if you have a tye-dye shirt, wear it!

Here’s to a wonderful week at camp, hoping that each week is better than the last!

Until next time,
Antonette Laricchia – Senior Counselor
Jaime Hollander – Senior Counselor
Josh Korn – Counselor Assistant

Susim

2010-07-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! The first week of camp has gone by so fast. The campers have all adjusted to camp and have begun to make great friendships.

This week at camp the campers had lots of fun playing on the Bouncy Bounce. We also had the chance to show off our dance moves at the camp dance party. We also had lots of fun making art projects with Janet to bring home to our moms and dads. We sang lots of new song with Molly. We played parachute games with Eric and also enjoyed playing tag games too. We met Kady the nature specialist and she helped us make bird houses. Libby, the science specialist took us on a walk to find flowers. The Susim campers also had lots of fun coloring and reading stories with Tal.

The favorite activity among the Susim campers is swimming! All of the campers love the water. They can all go underwater and even spend most of their free swim time to practice all of the skills that the lifeguards taught them.

Next week here at camp we will be doing lots of fun projects that will teach us about Shavout and Lag Baomer. Tuesday will be tie-dye day here at camp!

As always if you have any questions or concerns feel free to come see myself, Ez or Peter. I hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend and will see you on Monday!

Dvorim

2010-07-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Weekly Buzz

This first week of camp has just flown by! All of our campers have been very busy meeting new friends, learning new songs, and creating art projects. So far, our group’s favorite songs are the Turtle Song and the Baby Bumblebee Song.

Everyone has been doing a great job in swim lessons by learning the pool rules, such as walking when we’re on the pool deck, listening to the lifeguard’s instructions, and safely entering and exiting the pool. While some campers are a little more water-shy than others, everyone has been doing their best to accustom themselves to the water and has done a wonderful job – especially with the chilly weather this week!

This week, we had lots of fun going on the Bouncy Bounce that was set up on the side of the building. We also sang the Baby Bumblebee Song with our friends in the Susim and Par-Parhim groups on the big outdoor stage in front of the rest of camp! On Thursday afternoon, we went to the auditorium and joined the rest of the camp in a dance party that many of our campers enjoyed.

Just as a reminder, we ask that you please label everything that you send in with your child, as many of the children have similar looking belongings and are about the same size. Labeling helps to avoid confusion about what object belongs to which child.

We hope that you all have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend and we will see you soon for another great week!

Sincerely,

Katrina, Liz, Patrick, and Ally