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Check out the information and resources for parents now available on ACA's new website.
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Dear Beaver Families,
I hope you and your children had a fun and happy Halloween. Don't forget to save your costumes for the coming summer, since Halloween Day is one of our favorite special events each season. While the summer of 2010 seems a long way off, we begin our camper registration on December 1, less than one month from now. So while we prepare for Thanksgiving and a holiday season spent with family and friends, please continue to consider a positive summer camp experience at Beaver a priority for your children. As you read the articles below, you will see that we're introducing a number of new opportunities and exciting changes this summer, all of which aim to better serve the needs of our campers. As always, I encourage you to call or come by the Camp Office to chat about your child and how we can best provide them a summer of fun and memorable experiences.
Warmly,
Nat Saltonstall
Director
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2010 Camp Dates
We have solidified our session dates for the summer of 2010, so get out your calendars and start your planning now. The primary camp sessions are as follows:
Session 1: June 28 - July 9
Session 2: July 12 - July 23
Session 3: July 26 - August 6
Session 4: August 9 - August 20
This season's schedule still leaves plenty of breathing room between the end of the school year and the start of camp for most children. On the other end, camp will still end two weeks before Labor Day weekend.
Please note: Camp will be closed on Monday, July 5, and the last day of camp, Friday, August 20, will be a half day.
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2010 Camper Registration
Camper registration for the summer of 2010 will commence on December 1 for returning families and December 15 for new families. Online registration will provide the most efficient way to enroll campers. Credit cards can be used for deposits and you will receive immediate confirmation by email.
The registration link will go live on our website on December 1, and we will also send out an email to all returning emails on that date with a link to the online form. We will be mailing you copies of the 2010 printed brochures during the week of Thanksgiving. Please note that the printed materials you receive this year will look a bit different than the thick booklet you've received in the past. It's time for us to start being more kind to trees! In the meantime, if you have any questions at all, please give us a call.
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New Senior Camp Program
We're excited to launch our new Senior Camp division of General Camp for the summer of 2010. This new program has been designed to meet the needs of our oldest campers in grades 5-8 with an emphasis on increased camper choice and greater program depth. Senior campers can now customize their entire day with morning and afternoon electives. Other program features include:
- Optional swim instruction (with prior parent approval)
- 90 minute extended morning elective
- 3 afternoon electives in conjunction with Upper Camp offering dozens of new options
- Field trips every Friday to different destinations such as Water Country, Canobie Lake Park, and area beaches
Check out a sample weekly schedule from our website and feel free to give us a call to learn more. With the addition of Senior Camp, Upper Camp now becomes a smaller community that serves exclusively our 3rd and 4th graders. |
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The New Lower Camp - for 3, 4, and 5 Year Olds
We have made several significant improvements to our Lower Camp program for the summer of 2010. Most notably, the program now includes 3 year olds in addition to 4 and 5 year olds (the old program name of Thrilled-to-be-Three has been retired). Campers will still be grouped by age and the program has been tailored to meet the developmental needs and interests of each age group.
3 Year Olds
- Longer program day with a pick-up at 1:45pm
- Extended Day is now offered to 3 year olds
- Group size remains at 12 campers with 3 counselors
- Sample weekly schedule
4 Year Olds
- Same strong program with 5 activity periods each day
- Indoor Tennis will be offered as a new activity in our gym this summer
- 15 campers per group with 3 counselors
- Sample weekly schedule
5 Year Olds
- New daily High 5 program introduces 5 year olds to exciting new activities such as Woodworking, Martial Arts, Ceramics, and our Low Ropes Course
- Sample weekly schedule
Check out sample schedules and more information on the Lower Camp page of our website, and please call us with any questions. |
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New General Camp Activites for 2010
We can't wait to bring a host of new activities to our General Camp Program next summer. Campers of all ages will see new opportunities appearing in their schedule.
Lower Camp
Indoor Tennis will be offered to 4 and 5 year olds in our gym using scaled down nets and equipment.
5 year olds will experience Woodworking, Ceramics, Martial Arts, and the Low Ropes Course through our new High 5 programming.
Middle Camp
Our 1st and 2nd graders will now have the chance to play outdoor basketball, indoor tennis, tetherball, and disc games like Ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee Golf
Upper Camp and Senior Camp
New electives will include Frisbee Golf, Tetherball, Cooking, Camp Radio Station, Video Newscasts, and outdoor basketball.
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What's New in Our Specialty Camps?
This coming summer we will continue to offer a wide range of specialty camp opportunities to campers ages 6-15. The popularity of these programs remains strong, as they provide a great alternative to the traditional camp experience and allow campers to immerse themselves more deeply into activities they love. Notable changes for the summer of 2010 include:
A new High Adventure 3 program is being introduced for campers aged 13-15. This program provides an even greater challenge to our oldest campers as it offers longer trips and even more adventurous activities! It will only be offered during Session 4 from August 9-20.
High Adventure 1 will be adjusted to serve campers aged 9-11 and High Adventure 2 will serve campers aged 12-14.
Walker's Woodshop will be offerred for 4 weeks instead of just 2.
Studio Art is also doubling its capacity and will be offerred for 4 weeks.
Vertical Challenge will be shifted to weeks 7 and 8 to allow for more balanced scheduling.
Due to the popularity of our Extreme Sports camp, we will be offering a total of 6 weekly sessions from week 3 through 8. |
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Camp Survey Feedback
Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete our online surveys and shared important feedback about their camp experience with us this summer. We learned some valuable information, both about what families believe we do well and about areas in which we can improve.
- 74% of families heard about us through a friend
- 67% rated their overall experience as "Outstanding"
- The top 4 ways that campers grew this summer according to their parents: experienced new activities (82%), made new friends(72%), improved swimming ability (65%), and gained confidence (55%)
- 91% of families believe that Beaver's staff is our greatest strength
- 96% rated their child's counselors as "Outstanding" or "Good"
- 86% of families say the are "Definitely" or "Most Likely" returning to us next summer
- Favorite Outdoor Explorations Trips: Purgatory Chasm, Mt. Washington, Roger Williams Zoo, the Tide Pools, and all the overnight camping trips
- Favorite Middle/Upper Camp activities: Sports, Adventure/Challenge, Woodshop, Special Events and Swimming
- Favorite Threes/Lower Camp activities: Playground, Swimming, Sports and Outdoor Games, and Storytheater
- Favorite lunch: Friday BBQ!
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2009 Camper Statistics
Just in case you were wondering who our campers really are...
- 53% girls and 47% boys
- 64% returned from the past summer
- Campers ranged in age from 3 to 15, with an average age of 7
- 15 international campers
- 14 campers from states other than Massachusetts
- 34% of our campers came from Newton, 17% from Chestnut Hill, and 16% from Brookline
- 35% of our families send two or more children to Beaver
- 52 campers were from Memorial-Spaulding, 46 from Baker School, 41 from Heath, 40 from Countryside, and 39 from Angier
- We also had 27 campers from Solomon Schecter
- 77% of our campers registered by the end of January
- Lower Camp sessions 2 and 3 were the first to fill and did so on January 1
- 93% of our campers were registered using the online process
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