Monthly Archives: April, 2013

Traveling to Highlands

April 24, 2013

  1. Ok moms and dads, it’s GO TIME – time to start making those travel plans to camp. Here’s an overview of what you need to know about travel to camp.
    By Car
    To Camp
    • The best time to arrive is 1:00 – 3:00 p.m on Sunday, June 23 or Sunday, July 14.
    • If you are staying in the area and need to drive back home, you may bring your son earlier that day.
    Directions from Minocqua: US 51 North to County M. Right on M until you reach N. Right on N 4.5 miles to The Corner Store. (Great ice cream cones!) Turn left at the store on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
    Directions from Eagle River: Hwy 70 west to St. Germain. Go straight on 155 at the intersection with the giant statue of Chief St. Germain. Go through Sayner to County N. Left on N to The Corner Store. Turn right on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
    Returning home by car
    We hope you will join us on the final Friday of the term for our Family picnic and banquet celebration, starting at 3 p.m. and ending around 8:30 p.m. Many parents will take their son home after the banquet is over around 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, and others will wait and take them home on Saturday morning. Camp is over at 9 a.m. on Saturday July 13 and August 10.
    By Bus
    To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
    • Campers may travel from Chicago one-way or round-trip on our chartered motor coaches.
    • We will depart from the EAST SIDE (the northbound side) of the O’Hare Oasis on Highway I-294 on both Sunday, June 23 and Sunday, July 14.
    • Please have your son there by 9:15 a.m. to load all of his baggage and leave by 10:00 a.m.
    • We stop in Rockford, IL to pick up boys at the Rockford Clock Tower at Business 20/State Street between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m.
    • We stop in Madison, WI at the Pine Cone Shell, Exit 132, 51 Madison/Deforest between 12:30 and1:00 p.m.
    • Each boy should bring a sack lunch to eat along the way.
    • The bus cost of $75 each way will be added to your statement at the end of camp.
    Returning home by bus –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
    • The motor coaches will return boys on July 13 and August 10 to O’Hare Airport, and the O’Hare Oasis on I-294 heading south. We expect to reach the O’Hare Airport by 3:45 p.m. where the boys on planes are escorted to their flights. Then the bus will continue to the Oasis. It should arrive by 4:00 p.m.
    • If your son is being dropped off in Madison, we plan to arrive by 1:00 p.m. If he is being dropped off in Rockford, we plan to arrive by 2:15 p.m.
    By Plane
    To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
    Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10 
    To Camp
    Fly into Chicago O’Hare and join the boys on the bus
    • Campers flying into O’Hare should arrive before 9:00 a.m. June 23 or July 14.
    • Please UPS or Fed Ex your son’s baggage to camp a week ahead. Include tracy@camphighlands.com with a confirmation email with the tracking number.
    • To complete an unaccompanied minor (UM) form, call or email camp the day before your son is traveling so that we can give you the name and phone number of the staffer to use on the UM form.
    • A counselor in a Highlands shirt will meet your son at the arrival gate and escort him through the airport and to where the busses pick them up.
    • We will call to let you know your son has been met.
    • If you are not using the unaccompanied minor form, we will meet your son at his baggage claim.
    • Once your son has been met by the CH staff member, he will board the bus and they will take the trip up to Camp. They usually arrive at camp around 4–5 p.m. And don’t worry moms, we make sure they are fed, but it doesn’t hurt to send them with snacks!
    • If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 14 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.
    • We must have a copy of your son’s itinerary and confirmation code.
    From Camp:
    • If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 14 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.

    Fly into Rhinelander or Central Wisconsin Airports
    To Camp
    – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
    Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
    • A counselor in a Highlands shirt will meet each boy who flies into Rhinelander (RHI) or Central Wisconsin Airport in Wausau/Mosinee (CWA) on June 23 or July 14.
    • We will call to let you know your son has been met.
    • If you are completing an unaccompanied minor form, call or email camp to get the name of the counselor who will meet your son.
    • If you purchase a round trip ticket, please arrange a return departure after 9:00 a.m. from Rhinelander and after 10:00 a.m. from Central Wisconsin.
    • We must have a copy of your son’s itinerary and confirmation code.
    International Travel
    To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
    Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
    • Your son may fly in and out of Wausau/Mosinee (CWA) on June 23 or July 14. This is often the best option.
    • If your child needs to change planes at any point on the trip, he must stay on the same airline carrier. This is to ensure he does not have any issues as an unaccompanied minor. If you have questions, please call us or discuss this with your travel agent or airline representative.
    • Campers flying into O’Hare should arrive before 9:00 a.m. June 23 or July 14. -OR- We are able to coordinate pick-up of your son from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) the night before Camp. They will spend the night in Chicago and then ride the bus to Highlands the next morning. However, their flight needs to arrive after 6 p.m. the Saturday night before Camp starts. If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 13 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.
    • We will call you to let you know your son has been met. Please make sure we have the best numbers to reach you.
    • You must pay the unaccompanied minor fee for both directions. It is very difficult for us to manage this at the terminal.
     

  2. Get ready for Camp 2013!

    We have big news here at Highlands. As the days inch closer to the beginning of camp, we have many things we’d like to share with you.
    1. The newest and biggest change is the way we are handling our medication at camp.
    In keeping with the American Camping Association’s recommendations, we are requiring that ALL prescription, over-the-counter medications and vitamins be provided to our campers by CampRx. CampRx is a division of DirectRx pharmacy, a family-owned Pharmacy that has been in business for more than 20 years.
    CampRx will package each child’s medications in a customized, portable, watertight CampRx EasyPak, which will be delivered to your child’s camp before he or she arrives. This guarantees accurate, timely dosing and dispensing of your camper’s medications while they are away from home this summer.

    To register with CampRx, visit www.camprx.com. Then click the Login button on the top of the page and follow the Parent Registration link. Once you have entered all of your camper(s)’ basic information, print the order confirmation page and mail it with the hard copy of your prescription to:CampRx, 1179 Maplelawn Drive, Troy, MI 48084

    Please keep in mind that all medication information needs to be submitted 30 days before your camper(s)’ session (by May 30 for first term, by June 20 for second term).  This includes vitamins and over the counter allergy medicine.
    We’re looking forward to a safe an enjoyable session this year with the help of CampRx. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact CampRx, toll free, at 877-302-3881 or by email at info@camprx.com.
    2. Please verify your forms are complete.
    We are so excited to have all of our forms online this year. Most forms are web-based (meaning you don’t need to mail them to us!), but there are still a few forms that require a signature. Those we encourage you to FAX back to us at our fax number 1-708-310-6033. Each paper form has a special bar code for your camper, and the form is automatically attached to your son’s record (how cool is that!?). You can also simply upload a scan of the form by clicking the small arrow on the far right next to the form name. And if that’s all too difficult, you can easily mail them to us. We need ALL FORMS by June 1. Please do NOT send your camper to camp with his forms.
    3. Travel, travel, travel
    Most of you are getting organized for your travel to camp. Remember, if you are flying to camp, you must arrive to Chicago O’Hare by 9 am on Sunday morning. When you book your return flight, you must make the reservation AFTER 6 pm on Saturday evening. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Bachmann by calling 1-800-868-3398 and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also email us at tracy@camphighlands.com.
    4. BunkNotes
    We are still using Bunk Notes our two-way email system. This log-in information is different from your parent username and password where you get to your camper’s records. We will be switching systems next year and it will all be one unified password, but for now, you’ll need two passwords. Read more about the system and how you get set up on the home page. There are even instructions in Spanish!
    5. The photo gallery
    The photo gallery requires it’s own password that you’ll receive in an email.
    6. The blog and Facebook
    Check the blog often. During the summer we make updates several times a week. We share important information with you there, plus it’s a great way to feel connected to what’s happening at camp.
    7. Contacting us at camp
    Don’t hesitate to contact us at camp. You will most likely get Tracy B. on the phone when you call! The best time to find us in the office is 9:00 – 12:30. The afternoons we are in and out of the office, but we check the messages often and will get back to you quickly!
    8. Thank you!
    We so appreciate your son’s attendance at Camp Highlands. We try our best to keep you informed about what’s going on at Camp. If you have ideas about things you’d like us to report on, just let me know! I love hearing from parents, and am always available for a chat. If you have any concerns at all just give me a ring. And there are still spaces for 2013. If you know of someone who could benefit from a summer at camp, shoot us their caregiver’s email here. We’ll put some goodies in the mail to them!