details for Friday - pickup, return time, doors, etc

Good afternoon parents!

   With our show fast approaching, I wanted to send out details about exactly how Friday will work:

1. camp will run the same hours as always, 9am - 3:30pm. 
2. please pick your child up as close to 3:30 as possible
3. in order to give our Jitterbugs a chance to relax and have some supper, we are asking that they be back at the Firehall again for 5:15pm on Friday
4. doors for the show open at 5:30pm
5. our show is at 6pm!

to reiterate about costumes:

• please send your child to the Firehall at 5:15 dressed in a grey t-shirt (no logos - inside is fine) and dark bottoms
• footwear needs to be secure and not easy to trip over. no flip-flops please

Hope that is all clear; please let me know if there anything I may have missed.

Thank you!
Mr Ben

WILD WATER WEDNESDAY!

Good morning Jitterbugs families!

   Pretty unbelievably, today is our last day of regular classes for third session (and indeed of 2016)! Tomorrow is a pretty exciting day in Jitterbug land because it's the first time we will be putting all of the pieces together into an entire show! Then we'll have some play time, a break, a snack, do it all again, and THEN we head up to the splash pad (behind the Ancaster library; see map here) for

    ...which is perfect given the temperature this week!

   To make it a safe and fun excursion, here is what we need from you:

• please send your child to camp already in their swimsuit. We will not be helping kids change into our out of swimsuits, so unless they are staying for aftercare (in which case they'll be given a chance to change) we will be sending them home in what they wore to the splash pad

• please send your child to camp with sunscreen already applied. By the time we are ready to head out, sunscreen will need to be reapplied, but this is just an extra safety measure. If your child has any allergies to specific products, please ensure you send their own sunscreen with them for application; otherwise we do have some sunscreen here which we will apply before leaving

• also, please send them with a hat, lots of water, their usual snack, and a towel
• Also tomorrow before we go we will be distributing our summer camp shirts so that all of the Jitterbugs can be easily identified while we are there. We should be back at the Firehall again for around 3pm, but if you want to come and meet your child at the splashpad before that we can also dismiss them directly from there if you prefer; just come and find a staff member and make sure they are officially signed out

   Hope that all makes sense; please let me or any of the staff know if you have any questions!
   Thanks
   Mr. Ben
   Program Director, Jitterbugs

tickets, costumes, and WEDNESDAY (!!)

Good morning Jitterbugs families!

   This morning I wanted to lay out some details for the rest of the week:

   1) today and tomorrow are our last days of regular classes. We will be polishing up the various components of the show in order to smash them all together on Wednesday into our first full run-throughs of the whole play!

   2) after two complete run-throughs that day, we will be gathering up all of our stuff and heading up to the splash pad (behind the Ancaster library, just a block south) for WILD WATER WEDNESDAY! stay tuned for detailed instructions about how that will work.

   3) TICKETS will be available as of Wednesday. You will receive two complimentary ones per child (stamped on the back to allow admission to the first 3 or 4 rows of the theatre), and then additional tickets may be purchased either ahead of time or at the door for $2 each (while supplies last) - cash only please. There is an order form online, but I have a much simpler system in-house so just come and talk to me (or whoever is handling tickets at that point) and I'll mark down how many tickets you need.

   4) in terms of costume requirements for the show, we need each of our Jitterbugs to be wearing a grey (T-) shirt, dark bottoms (shorts are fine), and shoes that will stay securely attached to their feet (i.e. no flip-flops or the like).

   As always if you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

   Looking forward to an amazing last week of Jitterbugs 2016~!
   Mr. Ben
   Program Director, Jitterbugs

 

music and forms

Good afternoon Jitterbugs parents!

   We are almost at the end of your first week and your kids have been working so hard learning all of the material for the show!

   Just wanted to direct your attention to the sidebar at the right of this blog, where all the music we are using is posted, as well as ticket and DVD order forms for the program.

tickets:

• you will receive two complimentary tickets per child for the show, and these will be stamped on the back to give you priority access to the front rows of the theatre. additional general admission tickets will be available for $2 each on a first-come first-served basis. The theatre seats 120 so while it is unlikely we will sell out, it is always a possibility!

DVDs:

• in previous years we have made DVDs available for purchase at a cost of $10 apiece
• this summer, once the camp video is done, a link to the digital download will be sent to all families.
• IF you would like a hard copy of the DVD rather than a digital one, please download and print out the form, and bring it with $10 (cash only) to us. DVDs will be mailed out in 6-8 weeks once they have finished being produced and edited.

Happy Thursday!

Mr. Ben

Program Director, Jitterbugs

outdoor play policy

Good morning parents!

   After a couple conversations with parents I just wanted to send a quick note to explain our policy about outside play time:

• while as a day-camp operating only 6 weeks out of the school year we are not bound to provincial legislation to anywhere near the same degree as daycares or schools, nevertheless for the sake of our campers we endeavour to heed the current rules applied to such daycare providers
• under the previous Day Nurseries Act (repealed Aug 31, 2015) childcare providers were mandated to keep children inside once the outdoor temperature reached 26 degrees celsius or higher (the act that replaced that one, the Child Care & Early Years Act, inexplicably does not specify an outdoor temperature). That being the case, while we really love playing outside when we can, for the most part this summer we have done our group activities inside and not out-of-doors due to the heat
• the exception to the above is the second Wednesday of our program, Wild Water Wednesday, on which we take the kids up the splash pad behind the Ancaster Library to play in the water. Being careful to keep them hydrated and covered in sunscreen, we are confident that the water keeps them from getting overheated.

   If you have any further questions or concerns, however, please don't hesitate to come and talk with me; I'd be happy to chat.

Happy Tuesday!

Mr. Ben

Program Director, Jitterbugs

Session Three!!

Good afternoon Jitterbugs families!

   As we head into our third session of camp, I wanted to let you know about the blog I will be keeping to keep you appraised of developments, announcements, and general goings-on at camp.

   We have all kinds of fun planned for your little ones, so check in often (though I will send out updates with new posts).

   Happy Monday!

   Mr. Ben

DETAILS!

Good morning parents!

   I had intended to send this out yesterday but caught up (and completely soaked) in our Wild Wednesday!

   Our show is tomorrow (how did that happen so quickly??) and so here are some things you need to know:

1. Jitterbugs will run as normal tomorrow from 9am - 3:30pm. 
2. In order to allow our campers time to get home and have supper, we are asking that they be back at the Firehall for 5:15pm
3. Doors for the theatre will open at 5:30pm
4. Our SHOW is at 6pm and will run about 40-45 mins, including the presentation of certificates at the end
5. if possible we'd like our campers to come back tomorrow dressed for the show in a grey t-shirt (inside out to hide a logo is fine) and dark pants or shorts. 
6. footwear: so that they can dance and move freely onstage. please make sure your child has shoes on that will not come off easily. Sandals are okay as long as they are securely fastened, but flip-flops are not allowed.

   Also we have begun giving tickets out already. If you haven't got yours yet please make sure you come find me (or another staff member) and grab them. There are still tickets available for sale and there may be some left at the door, but it's also possible we'll sell out so if you want to make sure you get some buy them ahead of time!

   Thanks; we\re really excited to put our show on for you...!

   Mr. Ben

   Program Director, Jitterbugs