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So you’re sending your child away to sleep-away camp…
The “away” part is significant. Indeed, living at camp, apart from parents, gives children an opportunity to experience a wonderful sense of responsibility and independence.
For many of us, throughout the school year, our children are only a text away. We are in near constant contact. Camp is, by nature, a departure from that kind of immediate contact. Yet, at the same time, we recognize that ongoing communication is indeed important. We want you to know all of the amazing things that are happening at camp, and we want our campers to know you are thinking of them.
Your child will want to hear from you at least as much as you want to hear from your child. It is especially important that younger campers and first-time campers receive mail from home within the first 24 hours of camp.
Please write to your child before camp begins, so they can receive a letter the first day. It is a good idea to mail your first letter one week before camp begins. (Some parents will even include a note in their child’s duffel bags.)
Mail is distributed every afternoon after 4:00 pm, except on Shabbat.
Letters Should Be Addressed To…
(Name of Camper)
Camp Ramah in Canada
1104 Fish Hatchery Road
Utterson, Ontario
POB 1M0
Campers are required to write home 2x/week.
Please do not be concerned if you have not heard from your child for a few days. While mail is picked up from camp daily, it is occasionally delayed. If you do not hear from your child for longer periods of time, you may want to contact your child’s yoetzet. For younger campers, we highly recommend sending pre-addressed, pre (Canadian OR Global) stamped envelopes.
We are very excited to be continuing our on-line Summer Services through your CampInTouch (CIT) Portal AND introducing the ability to send e-letters through our new Campanion app.
To access your CampInTouch Portal click here. Within your CampInTouch Portal, when you click on the email link, the system will guide you through the process of purchasing “CampStamps” to send and receive emails as often as you’d like throughout the session to your child(ren).
Each email sent will use a certain number of CampStamps based on the selections you make. Standard emails without add-ons (e.g. Stationary, Smart Words & Sudoku), as well as e-letters (the email response from your child(ren)) use 1 CampStamp each. Upon purchasing CampStamps you will also be able to gift them to your guests, however they will also be able to purchase their own CampStamps upon logging in.
CampMinder encourages parents to print off e-letters (email response pages) before camp and send them in their child(ren)’s duffel bag. There is no fee to print the e-letter pages — there is only a fee of 1 CampStamp once the e-letter is sent back to you.
Letters can be composed and sent conveniently right from your device. Parents who have opted to receive push notifications will get a notification when they have a letter reply from their camper in Campanion mobile.
To send and read letters in the Campanion app, click the three horizontal lines in the top left of your Campanion app to get to the Menu page. Choose ‘Letters’.
Send a letter: Click the pencil icon in the top right of the Letters page. Select the Camper from the dropdown, and add a message. When ready, choose if you would like a handwritten reply (using eLetter Stationary) click the box at the bottom. Click ‘Send Your Letter’.
Read a Reply: Camper letters are under the ‘Replies’ tab. You can save and share letters on the bottom of the screen, same as with photos. The Campanion app permanently archives sent letters so that you can re-read – and relive – each moment of camp any time. You can also easily view when letters have been received.
Like past years, emails will be printed and delivered to campers the day after you send it (with the exception of Shabbat).
Please note that E-Letters will take at least 48 hours for parents to receive a reply from campers. E-Letter stationery is given out to campers the day after parents send their email. Campers must write the note, turn it in as one of their two letters home per week, and only then is it faxed into the system.
E-Letters MUST be written in blue or black ink — anything other than that will not go through when it gets sent back.
It is important for families to have a window into the Ramah experience. To that end, you can expect to receive emails from us on Mondays and Thursdays. These emails will include a reminder to check the CampInTouch portal and Campanion app for pictures. Those bi-weekly emails will also contain information about camp and will highlight different elements of the camp experience.
Photos are stored within albums, making it easy to find and view images such as favorites or from different activities at camp. Parents can tap, swipe, and browse camp albums directly from their phone. This places your camp experience – and your child – at your fingertips.
Sharing photos has never been easier. Parents can share, download and favorite photos directly from their mobile device.
With Face Finder, tagged photos of your child are automatically organized into separate albums making it easy to view the moments that matter most. Get the joy of finding new photos automatically tagged for you.
We have exciting things happening at Camp Ramah this summer! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest peek into what we’re up to. You can expect to see new photos and stories posted daily!
Note: If you need help with anything regarding your CampMinder or Campanion account, click on the HELP LINK at the top right of the screen and browse the FAQs. If none of these answer your questions, click on the HELP TICKETS LINK and create a help ticket. These help tickets will be sent directly to CampMinder (for online camp applications, photos, email, etc.), and will be answered by CampMinder staff as quickly as possible.