Dear Campers and Parents, 

We are thrilled you will be joining us for Camp McDowell’s Elementary 2 Session taking place May 31^st-June 4^th, and we cannot wait to welcome you to camp! This letter is to introduce you to your Session’s Program Staff, to give you a bit of information about the program for the week, and to provide you with a brief rundown of some logistics. 

Your Program Staff for this session will be The Rev. Chase Ackerman, The Rev. Lauren Banks and The Rev. Sarah Watts. Both Chase (the Rector) and Sarah (the Associate) serve at St. John’s in Decatur, AL and cannot wait for a week away at Camp! Though Lauren grew up in the Diocese of Alabama and spent many a summer at Camp McDowell as both a camper and a counselor, she is now serving as an Associate at Christ Church in Alexandria, VA and as the Executive Director of the National Aids Housing Coalition. Lauren’s two children, Jude (5) and Harry (3), will also be serving as our little counselors-in-training once again. 

The Program for our session will be, “Hey Pharoah! Rise & Shine because I will change your name!” We will use some of our favorite camp songs like “Pharoah, Pharoah”, “Rise & Shine”, and “I Will Change Your Name” to learn more about what God tells us through scripture and through our lives about who God is and how God loves us and wants us to be in this world! Get ready to sing, talk about God, and have fun with new and old friends! 

Below you will find the arrival and departure schedule for this session. Please note, we do discourage late arrivals/early pick-ups from camp as it can disrupt the flow of the session. Early departures are reserved for cases of illness or another arising issue which would be decided upon by the Session Director, Head Nurse, and Clear Creek Coordinator. 

Elementary 2 Schedule: 

Opening Date: May 31^st, 2023

Arrival Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm

Closing Date: June 4^th, 2023

Closing Eucharist: 9:00am in St. Francis Chapel

Camper Pickup: No later than 10:00am in their cabin

In addition to this schedule, please find attached: 

• Camp Policies and Practices
• Packing List
• Health Info from the Camp Nurse

Again, we are so very excited about our session and cannot wait to meet all of you. Please know that you will remain in our prayers as you finish school and prepare to come to camp. We look forward to seeing you at Wonderful, Wonderful Camp McDowell.

Sincerely, 

The Rev. Sarah Watts

Elementary 2 Session Director

Elementary II is a summer camp session designed for rising 4th, 5th, and 6th grade campers. This session is designed to gather children together for classic camp fun and christian fellowship. The campers stay engaged all session long with exciting activities while our enthusiastic staff and volunteers take care of the details. 

All campers stay together in lower camp cabins (Camp on Clear Creek). We cannot predict the weather for the session, so please prepare your camper with clothing for wet or dry summer weather! A college-aged cabin counselor (Camp McDowell Summer Staff) will be taking care of all your camper’s needs throughout the session and runs your camper’s cabin. Summer camp is a wonderful and rare opportunity for children to spend time unplugged, connect with new friends, and experience the joy of fellowship in a camp community. Come join us in “God’s backyard,” You will be glad you did!

Each morning, campers begin their day with worship after breakfast, singing songs, and having small group discussion about the program presented by the Session Director and Program Staff. After the morning program, your camper has four opportunities throughout the day to participate in a variety of activities that camp offers. Classic afternoon activities include canoeing, hiking, arts & crafts, farm time, field sports, and more. Each night, we participate in a unique camp-wide activity or game. A camp favorite night activity is the Pasture Party: for dinner we grill hamburgers and hot dogs, play field games, do face-painting, and even go on an old-school hayride! Each night comes to a close with group worship in the Chapel down the hill. Many campers find this peaceful end to a fun-filled day to be among their most cherished memories of Camp McDowell. 

On closing day, we will have Holy Eucharist (church with communion) in St. Francis Chapel just past the Welcome Center. If your camper is not a part of the Episcopal Church or familiar with Episcopal tradition, please do not feel intimidated by this service! All campers are welcome to the service and table for communion, and the chaplain will explain how to receive communion for anyone who may be unfamiliar. Campers may be picked up by their parents or guardian after this service.

The registration fee for Elementary 2 is $335 per camper. You may submit payments in your online account, over the phone, or by post mail 10 days prior to opening day. All balances are due Wednesday, May 21st, 2023. Scholarships are given on an as-needed basis and are available upon request; simply email Clear Creek Coordinator, A.G. Passey, at [email protected].

Online payments may be made in your Camp McDowell camper account. Access your camper account through https://campmcdowell.com/summer-camps-retreats/registrationlogin

NOTE: If you have misplaced your password, you may request a new one on the login page.

We try very hard to be “the way the world could be". Part of this goal is getting totally unplugged for a short time and being present with the community during this session. We ask that you not send a phone with your camper. If your camper does bring their cell phone, it will be collected for safekeeping until closing day. 

Urgent: Should you need to reach anyone while at Camp, please call 205.387.1806, (Ext. 102 for Catherine Poellnitz, Summer Camp Director, and Ext. 112 for A.G. Passey, Clear Creek Coordinator)

Opening Day

3:00 Camper Check-in at Camp Store

5:00 End check-in

5:30 Cabin Meeting

6:15 Porch Songs at Eppes

6:30 Dinner

7:15 Evening group activity

9:00 Worship

9:30 Cabins

10:00 Lights Out

Regular Full Day

7:30 Wake up

8:00 Breakfast

8:30 Return to cabins

9:30 Program

10:15 Lemonade

10:30 Morning pool or rec hall time

11:30 Return to cabins before lunch, change out of swimsuits

12:00 Lunch

12:45 Rest Time

2:00 Afternoon activity

3:30 Canteen

4:00 Afternoon pool or rec hall time

5:30 Cabin Time

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Evening group activity

8:30 Worship

9:00 Cabins

9:30 Lights Out

Closing Day

7:30 Wake up

8:00 Breakfast

8:30 Return to cabins

9:00 Closing Eucharist church service at St. Francis Chapel

10:00 Conclude Eucharist and the session

Campers will be housed in dorm-style cabins. Beds are twin sized. Suggested containers for clothes include a large suitcase, trunk, or plastic container that can go at the end of the bed. Also suggested is a basket or bag for dirty laundry and a toiletry bag or shower caddy. All cabins have heat and air conditioning with ionizer air filtration systems. PLEASE LABEL IMPORTANT BELONGINGS WITH CAMPER NAME. Lost and found items IF FOUND may be mailed back to campers for a fee with possible delays.

• Comfortable, casual clothes that can get dirty ( t-shirts, shorts, jeans). Lightweight, loose-fitting clothes are best.
• Socks and sturdy, closed-toe shoes for working, playing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Flip flops are only allowed in cabins. If bringing sandals, please bring sandals with a heel strap.
• Light rain jacket or coat
• Comfortable, appropriate swimwear (tankinis, one-pieces, or a bikini with shirt over top, swim trunks)
• Clothing appropriate for the weather
• Bedding and pillow for a twin bed
• Picnic blanket for pasture party 
• Towels for bathing
• Towels for swimming
• Sunscreen
• Bug Repellent
• Toiletries: Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Deodorant, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, brush/comb
• Underwear
• Socks
• Sleepwear
• Flashlight
• Fan (preferably one with a clip) and extension cord if needed. 
• Reusable water bottle – to be filled during hydration breaks at the various activity sites each day. NOTE: Our Camp Store has sturdy, 32 oz water bottles available for purchase.
• Outfits for dress-up themed meals (optional)
• June 1st: Breakfast- Crazy Sock Day
• June 2nd: Lunch- Floral Friday: wear your favorite Hawaiian gear
• June 3rd: 
• Breakfast- Pajama Party: wear your pajamas to breakfast
• Dinner- Pasture Party: overalls, bandannas, plaid, country/Texas wear
• Options for suggested quiet time each day: Bible, book to read, journal, writing supplies, pre-addressed and stamped envelopes for writing home, art supplies
• Musical instruments for free time and assisting with worship
• Any prescriptions and over the counter meds should be ready to turn in to the nurse upon check-in. See below for more information. 

Things NOT to bring:

• Alcohol, illegal drugs, or weapons of any kind; Fireworks or any explosive devices
• Youth may not bring tobacco, tobacco products, or electronic cigarettes (including JUULS)
• Snacks ARE allowed, but MUST BE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS and they CANNOT CONTAIN ANY NUTS or NUT PRODUCTS. Many of our campers have nut allergies. Crumbs will attract insects in our cabins. Thank you in advance for keeping our campers with allergies safe and the cabins as bug-free as possible!

Additional Money (Optional): 

• The fee for the session includes canteen costs. There is no need to submit extra money for canteen. Campers get two snacks each at canteen Saturday
• We will collect an offering at our closing worship service for the Camper Scholarship Fund. Please consider making a contribution. 
• The Camp Store will be open during check-out if you would like to purchase any camp gear including shirts, water bottles, toiletries, candy and more. To create care packages for your camper please order ahead of your session via the website and follow these instructions at checkout: 

If you are ordering a Care Package for a summer camp session, choose "In-store Pickup."

Specify in the COMMENTS on the following page this information:

1. First and last name of camper
2. Session the care package is for (i.e. Middler, Junior High 2, etc.)
3. Day you want the care package delivered (note that care packages are NOT delivered on opening or closing days of sessions)
4. How should the package be signed? (i.e. Love, Nana)

**MEDICATIONS NOTE: For safety and per Camp’s liability, all medications must be kept in the Health Hut. Camp’s liability does not allow medications to be stored where children are housed. Thank you in advance for understanding. 

This is a copy of the waiver you should complete online via your 

CampBrain registration account before your session begins. 

Health and Safety Protocols  At Camp McDowell, we remain committed to providing a safe, clean, and healthy environment for our staff and campers. As we plan we are consulting multiple resources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), ACA, and ECCC to review and adapt our health and safety practices and procedures in response to COVID-19. The safety of each staff member and summer camper depends on your family’s compliance with these procedures. We ask all summer camp participants to abide by these protocols to help ensure the safest possible summer at Camp McDowell: 

• Should any camper test above 100.4 degrees at any point they will be taken to the nurse and their guardian will be notified immediately to come pick up the camper. The camper may only return to their session if 48 hours have passed without high temperature readings or symptoms appearing.
• I understand that if my camper exhibits symptoms of Covid-19 or receives a temperature read of 100.4 degrees or higher I will be notified immediately and my camper will stay in quarantine until they can be picked up by a legal guardian and taken for testing. I understand that transportation and testing will be my responsibility.
• I promise not to bring my camper if they have exhibited symptoms of Covid-19 or had a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher in the last 48hrs. 
• I promise to notify Camp McDowell if my camper has traveled out of the country in the last 7 days.
• I understand there is no guarantee my camper won’t be exposed to Covid-19 while at Camp McDowell, and I agree that Camp McDowell and its affiliates will not be held liable if my camper develops a case of Covid-19 during or after their session.