Welcome to Summer Camp 2021 at marin waldorf school
Dear Parents, We are delighted to welcome your children to the summer camp program at Marin Waldorf School! Our camp is based on the tenets of Waldorf early childhood education, incorporating ample outdoor activities and free play with a gentle daily rhythm appropriate to the young child. Throughout the summer, we hike, craft, cook, sing, and play together. While we are lucky to have our early childhood classrooms available to us—each equipped with a kitchen and children’s bathrooms—we spend most of the day outdoors, enjoying the sunny days in the shade of our old oak trees, or hiking to the nearby creek or into the open space near campus. Summer camp health and safety guidelines have been set by the state of California this year. Here at Marin Waldorf School, protocols for summer camp are very similar to the protocols we used throughout the school year and include: stable cohorts, frequent hand-washing, facial coverings for all adults and children, and physical distancing during meal times and rest times, when masks are removed. Our school nurse, Cammi Bell, RN, MS, has reviewed our summer camp health and safety plan, and she will continue to review state/county guidance throughout the summer. We will notify parents immediately if there are any updates to our procedures. Please review this packet and reach out to our camp office with any questions. Warmly, Nicole Mathers Camp Director nicolemathers@marinwaldorf.org
Required: Emergency Form and Health Agreement 1) Required: Please fill out and submit your child’s emergency form before the first day of camp and return it to Julie Meade, registrar, at registrar@marinwaldorf.org. If your child has an allergy and/or a medical condition, please note the condition on the Emergency Form and send an email to nicolemathers@marinwaldorf.org with the details. 2) Required: Please review and sign the community policy for summer camp 2021.
Hours, Daily Schedule, and Themes Sessions and Themes This year, our camp is divided into two three-week sessions. Session one runs from June 21 to July 9. Session two runs from July 12 to July 30.
Session One Week One (June 21-25): Working in the Garden Week Two (June 28 - July 2): Water Play Week Three (July 5-July 9): Crafting
Session Two Week Four (July 12-July 16): Fort-Building Week Five (July 19-July 23): Working with Wood Week Six (July 26-30): Outdoor Adventures
Hours and Daily Schedule Camp runs from 8:30 am to 3pm Monday to Friday. Please note, we will be operating on Monday, July 5. 8:30 – Arrival 8:45 – Morning Circle 9 – 10:45 am — Play, Activity and Snack 10:45 am — Walk or Hike, Storytime, Play and Lunch 1:30 pm — Rest time - Nap Time (for younger campers)* 2-3 pm — Drawing and Play 3 pm — Pickup * Rest Time: Our daily rhythm includes a rest time after lunch. Not all children fall asleep at rest time. If you would like your child to nap, please let us know.
Dropoff and Pickup Per health and safety guidelines, parents and non-essential visitors are not allowed to enter the Marin Waldorf School’s campus this summer and each of our campus’s summer programs will be kept entirely separate, including drop-off and pickup points. Campers should be dropped off and picked up promptly each morning in front of the school’s main office on Idylberry Road, where they will meet their teachers and walk to their camp room together. We request that parents make an effort to drop off their children promptly at 8:30am each morning and pick up promptly at 3pm. If you must drop off your camper after the morning arrival window, please park your vehicle, call the summer camp office (415-479-8190 ext 109), and wait for a staff member to bring your child to camp.
Early Pickup If you are planning to pick up your child before the designated dismissal time, please let Nicole Mathers know by calling 415-479-8190 ext 109 or emailing nicolemathers@marinwaldorf.org. You will pick up your child at the designated time at the school’s main entrance on Idylberry Road. When it is time to pick up, you may park in the red zone or one of the spots in Idylberry Road parking lot. Please do not block the loading zone, as this is used for emergency vehicles. If your child becomes sick at school and needs to be picked up before dismissal, we will contact you right away. Please see full details.
Late Pickup Pickup is at 3pm. There is no aftercare program following the regular camp day. Please call the camp office immediately if you are running late. There is $1/minute charge for late pickups.
What to Wear
Please choose sturdy and comfortable play clothes for camp, without logos and media characters on the children’s clothes. Shoes need to be easy to get on and off as well as sturdy enough so that your child can comfortably participate in all camp activities. Mornings in Lucas Valley can be chilly, even in summer. Many light layers are best.
What to Pack
Please send your child with the following items every day: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Backpack (every day) Hearty lunch daily (see below for additional details) Reusable Water Bottle (no glass), filled with water only Cloth napkin in their lunch Sunhat Clean mask/face covering, plus an extra mask/face covering Tuesdays only: an organic vegetable to include in our soup
Please send the following items on the first day of camp. They will remain in your child’s cubby: ● ●
Slippers or socks to use indoors A complete change of clothes in a bag ○ Long pants ○ Shorts ○ Long-sleeve shirt ○ Short-sleeve shirt ○ Underwear ○ Socks
Snack and Lunch
When preparing lunch for your child, remember that summer camp is peanut-free in all classrooms (some classrooms may have additional restrictions to accommodate students with severe allergies). Our day includes a warm organic snack, made fresh every morning! The snack schedule is as follows. Monday -Oatmeal Tuesday - Rice and Beans Wednesday - Vegetable Soup (please send a veggie Tuesday for the soup) Thursday - Millet and Pesto Friday - Pizza
Summer Camp 2021 Health and Safety Protocols
1. Summer Programs on the Marin Waldorf School Campus During the summer months, the Marin Waldorf School campus is used by several different organizations. From June 21 to July 19, the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training (BACWTT) hosts their summer workshops in the lower wings of the school. On the field under the oak trees, Marin-based camp/afterschool program Vilda operates outdoor camps for students 7+. Each of these groups will remain entirely separate from our early childhood summer camp, and each will be assigned different parking areas and entrances to campus.
2. Camp Day Practices This summer, there are several protective measures that we will take to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at camp (more information on each of these measures below). ● ● ● ● ●
Wearing protective face coverings Keeping physical distance, especially when eating or resting with a mask off Frequent handwashing/hand sanitizing Being outside or in an amply ventilated space Staying home when sick
Protective Face Coverings All faculty, staff, caregivers, family members, and campers must wear approved facial coverings when they are on campus unless they are eating or taking a supervised and planned mask break.
All campers are required to bring a mask with them each day, wash it at the end of every day if they are going to reuse it, and provide a plastic bag to place the mask in when it is not in use. Please send your child with an extra mask each day in case their mask gets soiled. While masks take some getting used to, we have found that children adapt to their masks rather easily. We will ensure that the students get regular breaks from wearing masks and capitalize on outside instruction as much as possible to make safe “mask breaks” possible and to help ensure the general safety and well being of our students and faculty.
Physical Distance While eating or resting, children will be seated at least 6 feet apart. One student will only be allowed in a bathroom at a time.
Frequent Hand-Washing Campers will wash hands before eating, after free play, after using the bathroom, and after coughing, sneezing or touching their faces. Hand sanitizer may be used at other times if there is no running water or plumbing available.
Being Outside We will continue to be guided by our commitment to a nature-based approach to learning and land stewardship. Campers will spend the majority of the day outside, in designated outdoor play areas for each room.
Camp Cohorts Each camp room (Hollyhock, Morning Glory, and Sunflower) will be a stable cohort of students throughout the summer. Cohorts will never mix on campus. Siblings are placed in the same cohort during camp.
2. Sick Policy In accordance with the school policy, children with contagious diseases, fevers, streaming noses, nausea, diarrhea, etc., need to stay home until fully recovered (usually one full day free of symptoms). Sick children will be sent home. Please notify Nicole Mathers, camp director, in the summer camp office if your child has been diagnosed with a contagious disease, including strep throat, pink eye, and hand, foot, and mouth, or if your child or a household member has been directed to get a test for COVID-19.
3. When to Stay Home and When to Consult a Doctor We will be following the Marin County yellow tier decision tree for when to keep your child home from camp or get tested for COVID-19. (Below – please click to enlarge.) Campers should be assessed by their parents or caregiver for signs and symptoms of COVID before coming to camp each day. Please notify the camp office and consult with a healthcare provider if he/she has any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath / difficulty breathing, loss of smell or taste, fever ≥100.4° F or chills, sore throat or diarrhea. Per the decision tree, campers with these symptoms must schedule a COVID-19 test and that child and any siblings must stay home until a negative test is confirmed. Additionally, please note that your child should stay home from camp if any household member (18 years old and over) has any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath / difficulty breathing, loss of smell or taste, fever ≥100.4°F or chills, body ache, fatigue, headache, congestion / runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.
4. Notification of Absences and COVID-19 Testing This summer, it is important that our staff keep accurate attendance records for all campers. If staying home for any reason, please notify Nicole Mathers at nicolemathers@marinwaldorf.org. Please let us know if your child’s pediatrician requires a COVID-19 test. We will request a copy of the negative test results before your child may return to camp.
5. Getting Sick at Camp If a student displays signs of illness, parents or a caregiver will be notified. Caregivers are asked to plan their daily activities in a way that will allow them to prioritize the pickup of a sick child. The expectation is that that children will be picked up within 30 minutes of a phone call.
Exceptions for Chronic Conditions Healthy students and staff with chronic conditions such as well-controlled asthma or allergy symptoms (no fever) that cause coughing and clear runny nose are permitted to stay at camp if they describe the condition to the camp director before the first day of camp.
6. Parents and Visitors Currently, all non-essential visitors, including parents/guardians and students from other schools, are not allowed on campus while camp is in session. This includes the front office and summer camp rooms, which are currently closed to the public. Maintenance, cleaning, and groundskeepers may be allowed on campus during the school day in emergencies or to perform routine services in which they will not have contact with students or teachers. When coming to campus, all visitors must adhere to all campus protocols.
7. Nonessential Travel Along with the CDC, the state, and Marin County public health, we continue to require a 10-day quarantine (or 5 days followed by a molecular test) for any non-essential out-of-state travel. The restrictions are the same for both air and car travel.
8. Community Expectations We expect that families will follow the Marin County Health Department guidance for best practices related to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and that parents and guardians will have regular conversations with children around these protocols, practice them at home, and emphasize the importance of following teacher directions related to health and hygiene at camp.
9. Changes to Plan All of these policies and practices are subject to revision as circumstances, national and state guidance change. Additionally, we recognize that some issues are not addressed here. The school will promptly inform families of any substantive changes to our Health and Safety Plan.
Contact Us Camp Office: 415-479-8190 extension 109 Camp Director: Nicole Mathers mailto:nicolemathers@marinwaldorf.org Hollyhock Teachers: Ursula and Has Morning Glory Teachers: Lisa and Zana Sunflower Teachers: Leah and Daniella Julie Meade, Front Office Staff, Marin Waldorf School mailto:registrar@marinwaldorf.org