Archive for June, 2010

Dear Timberlake families.

The first day is drawing close.  For some of you this is a familiar routine, for others it will be a new experience.    We want you to feel welcome the moment you arrive at Timberlake, and also for any camper to be able to integrate into camp swiftly.

- While our support staff will host a question and answer session at 3pm in Ken’s Lodge,  I hope to get a chance to meet with all of you who are dropping off kids with us so please approach me at any time.

- While some are coming from far away, the sooner you can arrive, the sooner we can begin camp!

- We will have a handout ready when you arrive to guide you through the sequence of arrival; where to go and who to see.    You will find a copy below.     Can’t wait to see you here!

- Oh yes - two words that help bring more peace to the day:  Diagonal Parking! 

We’re glad you’re here and hope you’re ready for a fantastic summer!

Below you’ll find the steps you will need to complete this afternoon:

1. Health Check – Please visit the infirmary and speak with Wendy & Jane, our nurses. They will answer any questions you may have regarding health & wellness this summer.

***Note*** Before visiting the nurses all necessary medical records/forms must be completed. The Main Office is available for faxing medical documents as needed. We cannot complete a camper’s health check without the necessary forms.

1. Move-In – Your camper’s counselor will show your camper down to his cabin. Counselors are happy to assist in moving items down to cabins.

1. Trips Sign Up – If you have not completed the Trips Survey, check with Kyle the Trips Coordinator at Ken’s Lodge to sign up for a trip.

———–Steps above need to be completed before moving on to below ———-

1. Swim Tests – All campers need to complete a swim test. Parents are welcome to watch but we ask to please not crowd the docks. If we experience inclement weather we shall halt the tests and restart when it has passed

1. Meet & Greet – For parents at 3pm in Ken’s Lodge (across from the Trading Post). Campers will settle in the cabin and start activities. This is a great time to say your graceful goodbyes.

1. Barn Chores – 4.00 pm. (We ask that all parents say their final goodbyes by this bell)

***Note*** Lunch will not be provided to campers or parents today. We ask that you please make other arrangements. The first camp meal will be dinner.

And yes, it rained this morning. But that didn’t matter a whole lot, because campers are coming! We are so eager for camp to start that we had a “Mock Day”. We are re-creating a typical day at Timberlake, with staff leading staff in morning and evening activities. We even have a little surprise scenario throw in to keep everyone on their toes.

This morning, after meeting we asked for “percolations” or thoughts that didn’t quite make it into meeting. With all the rain and having meeting indoors I was wondering how positive the comments were going to be. A new staff just blew me away by launching into a torrent of enthusiasm for how special and magical he was finding Timberlake.

Forget the rain. We have each other.

See you soon.

Dear Timberlake Families,

My name is Becky and I am the first lodge head at Timberlake this summer. I want to introduce myself to you right at the start of camp and let you know that I am always available should you or your child need anything. My number one goal is to help create a loving, accepting and safe environment in which campers can learn and grow by leaps and bounds.

This year will mark my third summer with Farm & Wilderness. Last year, I was a counselor at the Barn Day Camp and lived at Timberlake as a villager. I had the opportunity to be an “auntie” to Hawthorn cabin and pop in to join the fun when I had time off from the BDC. From the first night I read them to sleep, I had fallen in love with TL First Lodge. So here I am today, awaiting the arrival of a whole new crop of kids to read to, listen to and have fun with.

I grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, a suburb of New York city, and currently live in San Francisco where I teach yoga. I received my B.A. from Bard College in upstate New York in 2009. Education is my passion. So to circumvent the fact that my small liberal arts school did not offer an education major, I wrote my senior thesis on Dr. Seuss. Throughout college I worked at the local nursery school and was an active member of the school’s peer tutoring program.

Here at Timberlake my role is to facilitate communication between the director, counselors and parents and to be an extra source of guidance for the campers. I am the go-to person should you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to contact me by calling the Timberlake office, or the Bat Cave as we affectionately call it, and asking for Becky. I am here for you and ready to help make your child’s summer his best yet!

I’m looking forward to a fun, happy and healthy summer at Timberlake. I can’t wait to meet the campers and kick off the 2010 season with a bang!

Best to you and your family,

Becky Weiner

First Lodge Head

Timberlake Camp

Dear Timberlake Families,

To those who are new, welcome, to those who are returning, welcome back. It is going to be an amazing summer at Timberlake camp and at Big Lodge in particular.
Being new to the Farm and Wilderness Family myself, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share what experience I bring to the Big Lodge Head position. I have over 13 years of experience in several different educational settings, including six years as a counselor/head counselor at a camp located in the foothills of the Oregon Coast. I have also worked in a classroom setting for over 10 years helping students to meet their social, emotional and educational goals for personal success and growth.
I am very confident in the counseling staff that will be at Timberlake this summer and in their ability to give your camper an experience that is both memorable and remarkable. We have a  group that is highly knowledgeable, energetic, fun, and brings a wide range of skills. They make a phenomenal team.
This summer will be filled with growth, discovery, skills building and the confidence that comes from living within a caring and supportive community environment for your campers.
Before you arrive and as the summer progresses, I will also be your main contact person if there are any questions or concerns that may arise. Please feel free to contact me at enclin@hotmail.com or (802) 422 2316 for any special needs your camper may have while attending Timberlake (dietary, medical etc.) so that we may ensure the best experience for your camper.
I look forward to an awesome summer and to meeting each of you and your campers.

Best Regards,

Erik Biornstad
Big Lodge Head
Timberlake Camp

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Timberlake summer 2010. My name is Coleman Yunger and I am the Senior Lodge head. I will be your primary contact through phone and email during the summer. You can leave a message at the Timberlake office (802) 422-2316 or email me at cole.yunger@gmail.com. This is my third year in this position and my sixth summer total at Timberlake. I want to assure you that I am qualified for this job. The two years prior have helped me gain insight on how to be a great presence for Senior Lodge, but I have spent other summers at Timberlake in other roles such as waterfront head for two summers as well as cabin staff for two summers. I have found an amazing home here at Timberlake and I am trying to pass on the wonderful skills that I learned here as a boy myself. Coming into my tenth summer at Farm and Wilderness I am excited to bring many years of experience to my job, but I am also excited to learn new skills from your boys. The Senior Lodge staff members are all skilled, eager to teach, and willing to learn from the campers. I have put together a great group of young men who will help teach your boys amazing skills this summer.

I have had the pleasure of knowing most of your boys for sometime now and I hope to build on those great days from summers past. I am equally excited to meet the new campers to Senior Lodge and new campers to Timberlake. Above all I feel the best quality that I bring to this job is a willingness to learn from the boys about their needs and their wants and how to provide for them.

Sincerely,

Coleman Yunger

TL Staff 2010 are AMAZING! I enjoyed learning during the interviews what they had accomplished before, but now I am thrilled to see where they are willing to go. F&W is a values-based organization and I am proud of how people are not only open to learning new skills but also to leave behind the comforts of home, including all the props and conventions that decorate most young people’s lives. This staff is already showing strength and leadership on personal level.

While there is certainly a lot of work happening. We fill ourselves up with creative solutions and fun. Six days ago, staff begun their first day of orientation with a game. Instead of just a walking tour of camp, we opened with a skit, with a mission to accomplish:

Skit/Story:

The evil Papa Idol has taken the ability to make music from the cheerful denizens of Timberlake, once his plans to install a PA system are in place, there will be no stopping him, canned corporate music will reign for eternity and no one will be allowed to even hum a melody that hasn’t be corporate-approved.

Your mission is to travel through the land, finding the ingredients to a potion that will banish Papa Idol and let simplicity reign.

Every staff became familiar with the different areas of Barns and Gardens, Work Projects, Outdoor Living Skills, and the Waterfront. Returning staff were engaged, and everyone had to watch out for the “Schmeanies” (or Staff Handbook Meanies) who jumped out unexpectedly with questions from the staff handbook.

After this afternoon, we will have new Red Cross certified Lifeguards and Water Safety Instructors, Work Project, Barn and Gardens staff trained in Risk Management and curriculum design. Other courses include Trips Training, Outdoor Living Skills and others. And plenty of help in the kitchen with Pots and Hobart as well!

After a well-deserved day off, we’ll have a two day intensive Wilderness First Aid course.

And then the nine days of  Staff “Week” begins.

We can’t wait for all the campers to arrive and make all this training worthwhile!

I have been very inspired by conversations with staff lately. When I ask them about what they are proud of, they come up with some remarkable accomplishments, but most of all they are proud of finishing what they start.

Market pressure kids and parents alike to buy, try, then discard for something more novel. Karate lessons are started, science kits are purchased but it’s so easy to become distracted these days.

And on the personal level, we can sometimes forget personal commitments and move to greener, fresher pastures.

“Integrity” means whole and unfragmented, and I appreciate that as a group we will hold that value of an integral experience this summer both with the friends we make and the skills we learn.

Blue Skies!

Tulio

Back in Spain I used to do a staff orientation skit where I would sit on the floor in a robe and gray beard. Staff would file in and by candlelight I would tell them a story of a faraway land that must be believed to be seen. I spoke of the numerous Elves, filled with light, magic, delight and sometimes mischief! I told of the Good Wizards that worked to shape and aid the magic of the land and elves. And finally, I spoke of the Elders, who were rarely seen, but were present through the elves and who must be respected, for they made this land possible.

The Parents are those Elders, and you make this non-profit land of Farm and Wilderness possible so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts, insights, inspirations or concerns with us before, during or after this summer.
(cue: “This land is your land, this land is my land….”)

Blue Skies!

Tulio