GENERAL INFORMATION
LIFE AT MAAMINIM
Learn Life.
That's basically our motto. At Camp Maaminim we are passionate about the fact that the summer months are a time where boys should learn all about life and develop life-long friendships, talents and Rabbeim. Your son should discover potential and kochos he didn't know he had. He should come out from behind his school desk and enter a world filled with exciting opportunities and challenges that typically don't come up throughout the school year. Interacting, in fact living, with friends and having countless opportunities to put all that he's learnt in to practice. Figure out what he loves and what he doesn't. What makes him soar and what get's him down, and how to navigate it all, and have incredible amounts of fun like a ben Torah should.
Whether it is bein adam la'makom, bein adam la'chaveiro or bein adam la'atzmoi - camp is the place where boys can and will iyH develop in to the most menchlach and productive bnei Torah they can be.
COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR CHILD
To provide the very best for you and your son we need your partnership. Often in camp, children are not communicative or open with their thoughts and feelings. If you sense any issue from your conversations with him or if you have any concerns, please communicate this with us so we can do whatever we can to help. We know that communication is key, and we hope all campers will feel comfortable talking to anyone on the administration if the need arises - however, we are also cognizant of the fact that we won't be aware of all issues until they are communicated to us and we need your help in this area if it becomes necessary.
We will encourage campers to call home only on Erev Shabbos on the camp-provided phones. Nevertheless, we do feel it’s important for children and parents to have the the comfort of knowing that they will be able to call home if needed. Therefore, during the week, phones will be made available to campers during various predetermined times, when necessary. If you feel your child is calling too often, please let his counselor know so we can try to assist in limiting it.
Parents can call our office during office hours 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday-Thursday and 9:00 AM - 6:00 on Friday.
In case of an emergency after office hours, instructions will be left on the recorded message on our main number.
Remember good old hand-written mail and postcards?
There is something about receiving actual mail that is a huge part of the camp experience. Boys love getting letters, and eagerly anticipate hearing from home. Please make sure to include your child’s full name. Mail is sorted and distributed every other day. Our mailing address for writing letters to your camper during camp is Camp Maaminim, 169 Laymon Rd. Swan Lake, NY 12783. Please include your son's bunk on your letter. (Don’t worry – even if you leave it off, the mail will still get to him) Alternatively, you are welcome to send an email to your son at campermail@maaminim.com and it will be printed out and given to him.
Packages
Package Shipments (i.e. Amazon, UPS, etc.)
The ease with which parents and relatives are able to ship packages to campers has caused an unprecedented amount of packages arriving to camps in general. Obviously this can often lead to social tension and/or jealousy, and from a practical perspective this causes a major logistical headache when the staff needs to dealing with possibly hundreds of packages on a daily basis.
For those reasons, no packages containing food, toys, games. etc. will be allowed and from any
couriers bringing them to camp. If you need to ship something important to your son (i.e. clothing item, goggles) please email the office to let us know that it is coming.
Cases of Water will be sold in camp with pricing competitive to all supermarkets.
CAMP LAUNDRY
Laundry is sent out three times a trip. Each child puts his laundry into a laundry bag that he will be given by the camp. Please make sure to pack enough clothing to last 10 days. Be sure that all articles of clothing are clearly tagged with your child’s name and, if possible, phone number as well. We cannot assume responsibility for any lost or ruined laundry.
LOST AND FOUND
It is crucial and very helpful to have names sewn or ironed on to all personal belongings, including eyeglasses, cameras, and luggage. Name stamps and permanent ink should not be used, since they are usually unclear, especially after laundering. While we'll make every effort to return misplaced items, camp is not responsible for any personal belongings. The camp does not assume responsibility for loss, theft, or damage caused to any items. Please do not send clothing/electronics that you would be devastated to lose. Any unclaimed articles left in camp by the end of the summer will be donated or discarded. There are numerous sites such as www.namebubbles.com that sell great name sticker labels you can order.
TRIP MONEY/SPENDING MONEY
If you would like to send your camper with spending money for trips, please place it in a separate envelope with his first and last name. Your child should give it to his supervisor upon arrival in camp so that it can be placed in the camp safe. in the camp safe.
