Opening Day Information
We are excited to welcome your family when Camp Arrowwood opens on Sunday. We have a fantastic staff waiting to serve, love, and encourage your child.
MEET OUR 2024 Staff: Click here for this year's staff video. We have also introduced them to Instagram over the last few weeks!
If you missed our updated 2024 parent info packet. It’s here.
Remember to pack for your Tuesday Theme Day:
Session 1 | 6/9: Aloha Arrowwood (Tropical)
Session 2 | 6/16: Wild West
Session 3 | 6/23: Sunshine & Lemonade (Wear Yellow)
Session 4 | 6/30: Stars and Stripes
Session 5 | 7/7: Christmas in July
Session 6 | 7/14: Team Spirit(Jersey Day)
Theme days are designed to bring fun, camp spirit, and celebration! Campers and staff are encouraged to dress according to their session theme, but not required. Either way we will have a great time!
Opening Day Procedure!
Our 2024 opening day procedures will be similar to last year and are designed to make the process speedy and ease both parents’ and campers’ anxiety. Campers experience much less homesickness from a quick and short goodbye. For the good of your camper, we encourage you not to linger. This will allow your camper to bond quickly with his counselors and camp without you.
Process - As vehicles arrive on campus, they will line up along the driveway next to the Shelter Gym behind a line of orange cones. At 3 pm, camp staff approach will vehicles in the order they arrive at camp, and families will be greeted in their vehicles and directed to the camp cabins where they will meet their counselors. Parents can quickly help their campers make their beds, greet their counselors, and head back to the Shelter Pavilion. In the Shelter Pavilion, campers and parents can visit the camp store, have their pictures taken, and visit the Camp Nurse (if needed) to drop off medication or to answer any questions. Because we have very limited parking at the cabins, we ask you to be as quick as possible up at the cabins. Our parking lots are small by design to create a campy feel, we are sorry it limits our opening day speed of check-in.
Arrival - We will be using the first entrance to camp, not the main entrance located past our barn (don’t worry, you’ll see signs). Cars are welcome to line up in our driveway but remember that we will start the check-in process at 3:00 pm. Please don’t come early, it’s awkward for everyone.
Driving to Camp - The drive up to camp is a great time to encourage your child as they most likely have a few last-minute jitters about being away from home. Remind them that if they are having a problem at camp, they can let their counselors know and that together they can find a solution.
Meet the Senior Staff - We would love to speak with you while you are at camp. Mr. Seth will be stationed in the Shelter Gym or at our welcome tent. Maria, Esther, and Ethan will be around as well!
Health and Medication - In an effort to be more speedy, campers will receive a health and lice check after dinner on Sunday night. If your child has a fever or other symptoms of illness, please do not bring him to camp on Opening Day. Please call the camp office and consult with our camp doctor about their arrival time.
By entering Camp Arrowwood on opening day, you are confirming that your camper is in good health and has not had a fever in 24 hours.
If you brought any medication for your child, daily or as needed, please deliver these to our Camp Nurse in the Shelter Gym after taking your camper's belongings up to the cabin. Do not hand them to your child’s counselor. If you have not completed your child's online health form and/or insurance information, make sure to do so before arriving at camp.
Lice - Do not bring your child to camp with live lice or nits (lice eggs). Upon discovering either at the health screen, our camp nurses will consult with the director and notify the parents to come and pick up their child. Please avoid this by thoroughly checking your child prior to his arrival. If you are unsure, our camp nurse is available in the Shelter to check anyone out before you leave.
Cabin Assignments - If you have a roommate request, that’s great! If you have a camper coming alone, ready to make new friends, that’s even better! In case you have a roommate request, we will always make sure that your camper has at least one of their roommate requests in their cabin. It is not healthy or possible to work out an extensive matrix of camp requests to get perfect cabin assignments individually tailored to your child. We only have so many beds and staff in each cabin. It would also be a bad experience for a solo camper to be in a cabin with 11 other campers who already know each other. We want to be set up for success – not failure. Roommate requests are found in your Parent Portal account on your camper form, most of you completed it when you signed up for camp. PARENTS - please encourage your camper and take any changes in stride. You often care more about bunk location, top or bottom bunk, or roommates than your child does. If you have a concern, let us know; we are here to help! Some helpful tips on how to make friends at camp are here. Here is a walk-through of our camp cabins with Elaina. She was a counselor last year, and she is back to lead our High-school Leadership program.
Letters/Mail - You are welcome to send your camper a letter while at camp. Please allow three days for delivery. As a reminder, we are NOT allowing care packages at camp. If you would like to leave mail for your child at check-in, you may drop it off at the Camp Store in the Shelter Gym.
Arrowwood Camp Store - We have Nalgene bottles, t-shirts, stickers, and more exciting Camp Arrowwood gear in our Camp Store. For your convenience, the Arrowwood Camp Store will be open on Opening Day. Stop by!
Forms - If you have any outstanding forms, please log in to your Camp Account and submit them.
Let us know if we can do anything to help! We are looking forward to a great Summer.
Looking forward to Sunday,
Seth Houser
Camp Director
P.S. Click here to get to the parent packet.