WELCOME!
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Your UNH contact during camp: Raina Ames, 603-862-3044, raina.ames@unh.edu
Camper Expectations
We expect you to:
- Be respectful of yourself, your counselors and your fellow campers.
- Remain with your counselors and listen to them at all times.
- If you need anything or are upset about something, tell your counselors right away.
- Treat others kindly and do not exclude others.
- Use kind and appropriate language.
- Leave all electronics at home. This includes cell phones!
- No swapping or sharing food at lunch or snack
- Be willing to try new things and give every activity your best effort.
- Complete assigned tasks and projects to the best of your abilities, and seek help if you need it
- Wear appropriate clothing for movement-based activities
- When not in the classroom always be wearing your camper lanyard with nametag (bathrooms, hallways, dining hall, etc.)
- HAVE FUN!
Things to Do
Each Day, Bring:
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Snack, drink, scripts, and/or music to camp (if anyone in camp has severe allergies, we may ask that you not send certain foods. This will be sent home as a separate note with your child/children). Water fountains are available for students - please consider providing a water bottle for continued hydration throughout the day. Please consider snack items that are low in sugar and have protein since students will need to maintain positive energy and good focus throughout the day.
Be on Time
- Check-in begins at 8:30 am and we will start camp as soon as all are present or by 9 am at the latest; please note that supervision will not begin until 8:30 a.m., so if you drop your child/children off earlier than this, it is with your understanding that we are not responsible for them until 8:30 am. At the end of camp, please pick-up students promptly at 4:30 pm. Camp activities begin at 9 am. (TWINKLE STARS STORY THEATRE CAMP has the same start time BUT a 230 pm dismissal). If you child is going to be late or absent, please let us know as soon as possible. Please see ABSENTEES section for more information.
Wear:
- THEATRE CAMPS- Comfortable clothing appropriate for hot weather, crafting, and movement. Shoes should be soft-sole. Slip on sandals may prove unsafe, and if your child is dancing at all, appropriate non slip-on shoes should be worn for all rehearsals. Students may want layers because theatres can be colder than classrooms.
- DANCE CAMPS-
Costume Pieces and/or Props
- May need to be provided. Your director will assign these.
Reminders
Performance:
Final presentations will be recorded this year due to COVID and families will be sent a link after the camp is complete.
Parking:
Please review a UNH campus map and directions for daily camp drop-off, pick-up, and parking. Due to likely construction on Academic Way and possible congestion due to multiple camps dropping off, camp check in/out will be in a NEW LOCATION this summer, we ask that parents park in UNH’s B-Lot and walk with their student to the Paul Creative Arts Center (PCAC) Lower Courtyard. The courtyard is accessed by going down the hill before the PCAC. There will be signs directing folks to this area. Parents will be provided a short-term (half an hour) parking pass for B-Lot in order to accompany their child/children to check in (attached to the Welcome email. After the first check in day, camp staff will be waiting in the courtyard during good weather and just inside the PCAC Courtyard Entrance during bad weather. Staff will bring students up to the curb for parent pick-up. On the first day, we will need all parents to check in face-to-face so the assistant directors can meet you and also let you know if there are any forms or payments still needed. For other times, there is parking in the Campus Crossing Lot (formerly C-lot) for $1.25/hr. For performances, we recommend parking in the Campus Crossing lot ; or any other lot with kiosk/metered payment parking. UNH strictly enforces parking regulations. The Campus Crossing lot is located across from the Durham Shopping Plaza.
Check-In:
On the first day, please bring your child to the PCAC Courtyard and check to make sure all payments and forms have been received. After the first day, assistant directors will check in and out at curbside unless there is adverse weather. They may ask you to remind them of your name and your relationship to the child/children. If you call during the day to allow someone else to pick up your child or to let him/her go home with a friend, that unscheduled person will be asked for an ID per UNH protocols for youth programs to ensure the safety and protection of your child.
Lunch:
The camp fee includes a boxed lunch from our dining hall, Holloway Commons. Information on this dining hall such as the facility, menu options, allergy accommodations, etc., can be found here: https://www.unh.edu/dining/facility/holloway-commons-hoco. There is also information regarding food allergy management in Holloway Commons.
Though we are not outside a lot, please see the end of this letter for guidelines on bug spray and sunscreen; if you have concerns, please send your child with sunscreen and/or bug spray.
Behavior:
Please review the rules and etiquette for the appropriate camp with your child/children. If for any reason your child/children have a problem working within these rules, we may ask that your child stop attending; there is no refund in this circumstance OR if your child is not happy with casting or the camp in general. Please refer to the Camp Etiquette Document for more info.
Please also note that all UNH youth program participants are expected to understand and abide by the UNH Youth Program Code of Conduct. This is reviewed and agreed to as part of the online registration process.
We encourage families to be aware of the information, permissions, and forms on the UNH youth program website: www.unh.edu/youthprograms. The website includes a Family Guide that can help in general planning for attending a UNH youth program.
Absentees:
Because the camp depends on students working in groups, if at all possible, please avoid absences; if an absence must happen due to illness or some other reason, please call and leave a message for Jamie Clavet (603-862-2150) so that we may accurately account for your child. If we don’t hear from you, one of the assistant directors will be contacting you to double check that your child is not supposed to be in camp. IF YOU MUST PICK UP YOUR CHILD EARLY, PLEASE DO SO FACE-TO-FACE WITH AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
Cell Phones/other electronics:
If your student has any electronic device, first know that we are not responsible for lost or stolen property. During classes and rehearsals, we will ask that all devices be put away and only used during formal breaks. If a student is not needed on stage but others are working, s/he should be working on memorization, choreography, acting or tech activities. The nature of theatre creates some natural down time, but devices encourage students to talk more and become disruptive if they are looking together at Facebook posts or other online enticements. If your child absolutely has done everything s/he can do to prepare dancing, singing or acting, a book is certainly acceptable. We don’t anticipate many “down” times, but it can happen. We will do all we can to ensure your child is occupied, but we need their cooperation regarding electronic devices in order to help keep everyone on task.
SUNSCREEN & BUG SPRAY GUIDELINES
UNH SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMS
- Youth program staff Camp are not responsible for applying sunscreen/bug spray to your child. Unless there are additional circumstances, our staff assume that a child above the age of 10 can and will apply his/her own sunscreen and bug spray.
- UNH Youth Programs are not responsible for providing sunscreen.
- For Day Drama Camps: We are walking to and from a lunch venue, and sometimes we go into the courtyard. Please apply sunscreen/bug spray to your child prior to arrival at camp. For All Camps: We strongly recommend packing additional sunscreen/bug spray to reapply throughout the day. Spray sunscreen/bug spray is recommended; label with your student’s name.
- We recommend sending each student with his/her own sunscreen since siblings are often not close by to access shared sunscreen.
- UNH Youth Programs will encourage ‘Reapply breaks’ throughout the day as appropriate. Please encourage your child to participate fully in this reapplication.
- Youth Program staff will make every attempt to supervise the reapplication of sunscreen and bug spray, and will communicate with a child who seems to have “missed a spot.”
If you believe your child needs assistance in applying sunscreen/bug spray, we require submissionof a signed permission form (available for download at the UNH youth programs website).).
- . Please note: our staff will not apply sunscreen/bug spray in any body area that is typically covered by a bathing suit.
- The signed permission form can be brought with your student on check in day. <LINK TO PERMISSION FORM>
Thank you for your understanding and attention to these guidelines.