Preparing for Camp
We will be delighted to have your camper decide to join us this summer. Here are some tips to help make camp a positive experience:
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Help your camper prepare for this big ADVENTURE by sharing in her excitement. She will make many new friends, live in a beautiful setting, and learn many new interesting things. Even though many girls wish it was......camp is NOT FOREVER!
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If she has never been away from home, discuss this with her. Give her a chance to stay overnight at a friend' s house or at Grandma's. be positive; listen to her fears and write her often at camp. Send a few items to make her sleeping area familiar - a small stuffed animal can work wonders! The American Camp Association has designed a free website specifically for parents and families, which includes some great articles and tips on getting your camper ready for camp and dealing with homesickness.
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Your camper is your treasure - and we try to treat her as such! If she has any medical, dietary, or behavioral needs, please let us know. The more we know about her, the more comfortable we can make her feel.
What to Expect on the First Day
Contacting Camp
Mail
Mail becomes very important to girls away from home. Mail service to camp can be slow. We suggest you send a letter the day before she leaves for camp, so that it arrives before she heads home. Mail is delivered after lunch during the camper rest period. Because the first day of camp schedule is different, no mail is delivered to campers on the first day of the session, except for the Camp Comfort kits sold by the Girl Scout Shop.
Please address mail for USPS delivery to:
[Camper’s Name]
Camp Menzies
c/o General Delivery
Camp Connell, CA 95223
Session #: [Program Name]
The Session # and Program Name MUST be on the envelope to ensure the camper receives her mail.
Positive, upbeat letters help to prevent homesickness. Save the less cheerful news until she returns home. Include self-addressed, stamped envelopes and postcards in her luggage so that you will receive mail too!
Packages
We CANNOT receive UPS packages. If you need to send a package to your camper please contact camp to make arrangements or use the bus mail box. Healthy snacks are provided, so please do not send packages of goodies (our year-round resident campers, the four-footed variety, like your snacks too!).
Bus Mail Box
SAVE YOURSELF POSTAGE!
A mailbox will be available on check-in day for your camper’s mail (name, session # and program name must be on the envelope). Please make a note on each envelope which day you want the letter delivered (day 2, day 3, etc.).
eCamp-one-way e-mail and photos
Camp Menzies uses an Internet program created by eCamp, a camp-based technology firm. Camp staff take pictures of all of the units daily and posts them on the Camp Menzies, password-protected website. Only parents who have campers registered for camp will be able to sign up for this service. Viewing the photos is free. For a small fee, parents can set up a one-way E-mail account for their camper through the e-camp website. E-mails are collected by eCamp and e-mailed to the camp to be printed once a day at 10 a.m. and distributed during mail call after lunch. Registered campers will receive a flier with the password and information on how to sign-up for this service. Click here for the eCamp website.
