Finding Safe, Fun Summer Camps
By Guest Blogger Jeff Turner, Director of Co-Curricular Programs at Summit School
Summer is fast approaching! Most of us cannot wait for warmer weather and outdoor activities for our children. This summer will offer children more opportunities than the summer of 2020. As a parent, what should you look for in a 2021 day camp experience?
Triad Moms on Main readers receive a 10% discount on camp fees for the next 10 days by using code TMOM10. The offer will expire on March 19.
Safe Environment: Careful planning and vigilant adherence to the 3Ws paid off with a healthy 5-week, in-person program last summer. This set us up well to begin our school year on August 25, 2020 with students and teachers on campus. We remain in-person thanks to the intentional and careful work of students, teachers, parents, and medical advisors. This summer we expect to continue the requirements of masking, distancing, and cleaning as recommended by the health department and our medical advisors. But this will not be a big challenge for us since most of our summer teachers are current Summit staff who will have a full school year of experience leading, teaching, and playing under the COVID-19 protocols.
New Friends: Summit Summer is open to all children, as usual. In a typical year, 60% of our campers are from other schools. Even though our program was reduced in size due to COVID last summer, our enrollment was 52% non-Summit. Many of our camps have filled quickly this year and we are planning to add more camps so more friends can join us.
Expert Teachers: Research shows that the single most important variable in a student’s classroom success is the quality of the classroom teacher. In much the same way, a great summer camp experience is the result of a great camp leader. Summit School prides itself on hiring experienced, joyful teachers to lead its Summit Summer camps. One example is Anthony Myers who will lead the LAMP Camp for Rising 4th & 5th Graders and Architecture for Rising 5th-7th Graders. He teaches 6th Grade Math during the school year and serves as one of the leaders of Summit’s Ebeling Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning. He earned a BA in Politics and International Affairs from Wake Forest and an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Virginia with an emphasis in gifted education He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Gifted Education through UVA where his research focuses on how to best teach 9-12 year olds. LAMP Camp is our Literature, Art, Music and Philosophy camp for gifted children.
Leaders Who Love Children: Summer is a time for learning and fun—so look for a program with happy teachers, busy classrooms, and lots of laughter. A successful camp instructor sees the world from a child’s perspective and is able to spark joy and curiosity in his or her campers.
Summit Summer 2021 offers over 50 enriching, challenging, and fun day camps for three-year-olds to rising 9th graders. Registration is open to the community. Learn more about these and other camps at summitschool.com/our-community/summer.
Some camps are full with waitlists; we will add more camps in March. A parent or guardian may “register” for waitlists with no fee and no obligation. As similar camp options are added, we will offer spots to those on the waitlist first. Information about waitlists and more can be found in our Summit Summer FAQs.
*Sponsored by Summit School
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