SAVE THIS EMAIL: 
It contains important information you may want to reference later
A FEW IMPORTANT PRE-SUMMER REMINDERS...

1. We require a lot of forms; each is meant to allow us to better serve your child this summer. If you have not yet done so, please complete all forms by Wednesday, June 23. If you recently mailed, faxed, or uploaded forms and they do not say "submitted" (on CampInTouch), please log into your portal next week to check the status.

2. If you have not yet completed your Medical/Hospital Authorization form and your CampMinder health form, please do so ASAP.  


Please Note: These forms are mandatory for your child to attend camp; children will not be permitted into camp without completed forms. 

3. COVID Surcharge: We will assess a $350 COVID Surcharge on each camper to help cover the extensive costs of testing and adapting camp to run safely. 
 
Click here to pay our Covid Surcharge.

4. For a complete listing of camp policies and procedures, please consult our 2021 Camp Handbook. 

5. Click here to access our 2021 Packing List.

6. A final Transportation, Testing, and Luggage Drop Off Schedule will be provided by Thursday, June 24. Please contact [email protected] for all transportation or testing inquiries. 

Thank you for choosing Ramah! We very much appreciate your partnership in helping to ensure a successful summer. 

Please read to the bottom of the email for more important information.
A Note from our Parent Liaisons (Yoatzot)
In a few short weeks, your children will be arriving at the gates of camp to the smiling faces of their madrichim and fellow chanichim. That moment of anticipation of the summer that lies ahead is, for many campers, the culmination of almost two years of waiting to be back at their summer home. For many campers, it will be their very first journey through the gates of the machaneh. For all our campers, it represents a new summer and a new beginning. New beginnings hold wonderful excitement and promise, but they can also provoke feelings of worry about the unknown. 

For parents of new campers, encourage your children to check out the Camp Ramah Website so that they are visually acquainted with the space and talk to them about the activities and the daily camp schedule. This can help new campers have a sense of what to anticipate, particularly in the first few days. It will also give them a chance to bring up any issues they are worried about so that together you can think through some possible strategies for any moments of sadness or other potential problems they are concerned about. Having these conversations in advance of camp helps new campers to feel prepared and in control. Above all, communicate to your children your firm belief and confidence that they will be successful. Remind them that there is a great support network available at camp and they should let their counsellors know how they are feeling. Our Camper Readiness resource offers even more tips on how to prepare your campers for this summer. 

Please be sure to include your children in preparation and packing for camp. Give real thought to what is going in the bags and, perhaps more importantly, what is staying out of those bags. By involving them in the process they will be more comfortable and more likely to utilize what they have. Be sure to consult our 2021 Packing List.  

Reminder: Along with many of our sister Ramah camps and other Ontario camps, Camp Ramah in Canada is "unplugging" to make camp a SCREEN-FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CAMPERS. Please remember to leave cell/smart phones, iPods, iPads, laptops, and gaming devices of any kind at home. Campers are welcome to have devices that have no screens at camp for listening to music or taking pictures. To read more about this policy, please click here.

For this summer, we are allowing ebook devices as long as they are not enabled with wireless data connectivity. 

If there are any issues, please expect a camp director or your child’s yoetzet to reach out directly to you. 

During the summer, questions and issues do arise. As your yoatzot (parent liaisons); we are here for you to facilitate home/camp communication. If you wish to speak to one of us, please call the camp office to leave a message or send an email. You can expect to hear back within 24 hours, outside of Shabbat. Our contact information is below.

We very much look forward to being with your kids in camp! Happy Packing! 
Yoatzot:

Danna Lieberman, 
Shorashim (completing Grade 2)
Arazim (completing Grade 5)

Naomi Dzaldov, MSW, RSW
Nitzanim (completing Grades 3 & 4)
Kfirim (completing Grade 6)

Jen Kaner Byrne, BA, B.ED
Tzirim (completing Grade 7)
Nachshonim (completing Grade 8)

Shana Brandes, RN
Magshimim (completing Grade 9)
Alonim (completing Grade 10)

Casey Green, BA, B.ED & Adam Green MSW, RSW
(all Tikvah campers)
Health Information

We will be rotating through 5 fabulous doctors this summer:

Dr. Tanya Wyman, Chair of our Medical and Wellness Committees
Dr. Jake Rosenberg, Pediatrician
Dr. Laura Waltman, Pediatrician
Dr. Joanna Shapiro, Family Doctor
Dr. Tali Wise, Pediatrician

Click here to read their bios.

Medical Forms

If you have not yet completed your Medical/Hospital Authorization form and your Medical History Form, please do so ASAP. 


Please Note: These forms are mandatory for your child to attend camp; children will not be permitted into camp without completed forms. 

CampMinder Electronic Health Form

For campers 12+, we HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before camp. Please click here for more information. Getting vaccinated keeps you and all of camp safe.

Please ensure that your child is up-to-date with their vaccinations, especially tetanus. Please ensure you review ALL information and update anything that has changed (OHIP info, medications, etc).

If you are having trouble filling out or submitting these forms, please contact the office as soon as possible: [email protected] or 416-789-2193.

Summer Medication
Our infirmary is stocked with a variety of over-the-counter drugs. Please note that provincial law requires that all medications be kept in the infirmary at camp.

Medication drop-off will be with bag drop off and COVID testing at Beth Emeth on July 5th. If you are not in Toronto, please bring all medications to drop off at camp.

There can be NO medications in the cabin. This includes Tylenol, Advil, Vitamins, etc. If you will be sending medications to camp with your child, please make sure you print out the medication page from the medication section of your camper's Medical Form; if you have not completed this form, please do so at your earliest convenience and place all the medications in a resealable plastic bag. If the medication(s) requires refrigeration, please come prepared with your own ice-packs and advise the staff at medication drop-off on July 5. 

If you are able, please make an effort to ensure that the medication comes to camp in a blister pack. Pharmacies will fill blister pack orders if they are requested at the time you place your order. Beginning in 2022, all medications must be in blister packs.

If you are having trouble, please contact the office: [email protected] or 416-789-2193.

Medication Vacation
We understand that some parents wish to give their child a "vacation" from their regular school-year dose of medication over the summer. Often, this is because camp is assumed to be a less stressful environment than school. While camp is a time for relaxed fun, campers (and staff) still require their executive function skills to manage successfully in the daily camp environment. This is an important decision, and an individual one. We ask that you discuss it with your physician before considering taking your child off medication for the summer. Please note that, in general, we do not support "medication holidays" at camp.

Lice
Please check or have someone professionally check your child's head for lice no more than 3 days before they come to camp. A lice check can be done by you, a nurse, doctor, or a "lice specialist" in your community. 

It is imperative that your child DOES NOT come to camp with lice: it is a nuisance to all concerned! If your child has been treated prior to coming to camp, please inform the camp immediately, and please make sure all lice and nits have been removed. 

Dental
Please make sure all dental work is completed prior to camp. Visiting the dentist during camp results in a disruption of your child's program, and costs associated with any treatment will be charged to you.

Infirmary (The Marp)
Our infirmary is well staffed. There is always a doctor and a team of registered nurses in camp. To contact our Infirmary directly over the summer, please dial 416 789 2193 ext. 2507
Transportation, Testing & Luggage
MANDATORY PCR Tests 5 Days and 2 Days Before Camp: July 2 (Friday) AND July 5 (Monday)
These tests will be conducted at Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda (100 Elder St., North York) in their Wilmington Ave. parking lot on the west side of the building. Please arrive at Beth Emeth during your assigned time on both days.
 
Luggage and Medication Drop Off: July 5

Camper Drop Off: July 7

Note: A final Transportation, Testing, and Luggage Schedule will be provided by Thursday, June 24. Please contact [email protected] for all transportation or testing inquiries. 
Summer Communications
So you're sending your child away to sleep-away camp... 

The "away" part is significant. Indeed, living at camp, apart from parents, gives children an opportunity to experience a wonderful sense of responsibility and independence. 

For many of us, throughout the school year, our children are only a text away. We are in near constant contact. Camp is, by nature, a departure from that kind of immediate contact. Yet, at the same time, we recognize that ongoing communication is indeed important. We want you to know all of the amazing things that are happening at camp, and we want our campers to know you are thinking of them.

Emails & Photos

It is important for families to have a window into the Ramah experience. To that end, you can expect to receive emails on Mondays and Thursdays. These emails will include a reminder to check the CampInTouch portal for pictures (also posted on those days). Those bi-weekly emails will also contain important information about camp and will highlight different elements of the camp experience.

Facebook & Instagram

We have exciting things happening at Camp Ramah this summer! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest peek into what we're up to! You can expect to see new photos posted on Mondays and Thursdays.

Letters To Campers

Your child will want to hear from you at least as much as you want to hear from your child. It is especially important that younger campers and first-time campers receive mail from home within the first 24 hours of camp.
 
Please write to your child before camp begins, so they can receive a letter the first day. It is a good idea to mail your first letter one week before camp begins. (Some parents will even include a note in their child's duffel bags.) 

Mail is distributed every afternoon after 4:00 pm, except on Shabbat. 

Letters Should Be Addressed To...

(Name of Camper)
Camp Ramah in Canada
1104 Fish Hatchery Road
Utterson, Ontario
POB 1M0

Letters From Campers

Campers are required to write home 2x/week. 

Please do not be concerned if you have not heard from your child for a few days. While mail is picked up from camp daily, it is occasionally delayed. If you do not hear from your child for longer periods of time, you may want to contact your child's yoetzet. For younger campers, we highly recommend sending pre-addressed, pre (Canadian OR Global) stamped envelopes.

Email

We are very excited to be continuing our on-line Summer Services through your CampInTouch Portal. Every parent has their own account where they will be able to email their child and view photos regularly during the summer. 

We encourage you to log in to your CampInTouch Portal before the start of the summer so you can familiarize yourself with the summer services available and ensure that your account is ready to go! 

To access your CampInTouch Portal, click the CampInTouch button on our website or click here. 

Emailing Campers

Within your CampInTouch Portal, when you click on the email link, the system will guide you through the process of purchasing "CampStamps" to send and receive emails as often as you'd like throughout the session to your child(ren).

Each email sent will use a certain number of CampStamps based on the selections you make. Standard emails without add-ons (e.g. Stationary, Smart Words & Sudoku), as well as e-letters (the email response from your child(ren)) use 1 CampStamp each. Upon purchasing CampStamps you will also be able to gift them to your guests, however they will also be able to purchase their own CampStamps upon logging in. 

CampMinder encourages parents to print off e-letters (email response pages) before camp and send them in their child(ren)'s duffel bag. There is no fee to print the e-letter pages — there is only a fee of 1 CampStamp once the e-letter is sent back to you. 

Like past years, emails will be printed and delivered to campers the day after you send it (with the exception of Shabbat).

E-Letters from Campers

Campers are required to write home 2x per week. Some will write "snail mail," others will write via E-Letters. 

 Please note that E-Letters will take at least 48 hours for parents to receive a reply from campers. E-Letter stationery is given out to campers the day after parents send their email. Campers must write the note, turn it in as one of their two letters home per week, and only then is it faxed into the system. 

E-Letters MUST be written in blue or black ink - anything other than that will not go through when it gets sent back.

If you need help with anything regarding your CampMinder online account, click on the HELP LINK at the top right of the screen and browse the FAQs. If none of these answer your questions, click on the HELP TICKETS LINK and create a help ticket. These help tickets will be sent directly to CampMinder (for online camp applications, photos, email, etc.), and will be answered by CampMinder staff as quickly as possible.
We are looking forward to an amazing Kayitz 2021!
[416-789-2193]  [[email protected]]  [www.campramah.com]