Dear Summer Camp Families,
June 12, 2019
We are excited to introduce you to a new Skill Card program we have put in place for the summer 2019 season. This program has been developed with the Youth Activities Committee in response to family and community feedback received during the IdeaShare forum they hosted last summer. Here are the answers to some questions that you may have: 1. What is the Skill Card program? The Skill Card program is a way for Campers to demonstrate the improvements they make in a given area or sport, through their own enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication. It will provide them with a specific goal, and then the sense of achievement when they reach that goal. The Skill Card program also gives family members an opportunity to increase their involvement with their camper’s skill development. The Skill Cards will be kept on-site at the Golf Shop, Tennis Shop and Pool Office, so during family time you can check to see which skills, concepts or missions your camper is working on. And then you can work on them together! 2. Why do we need a Skill Card program? The primary program goal is to increase youth enthusiasm for these sports. Campers represent the future members of our community, and primary users of this community’s amenities. In each sport, we have specific goals for campers to reach upon completion of the levels, which will give them the competence and understanding to pursue these sports independently. 3. Which sports are included? For this inaugural summer, the Skill Card program will be implemented in three areas: Tennis, Golf and Swimming. In the future, the program could be extended to other areas such as Nature, Art, Music, Lawn Bowling, and many others. 4. Is the Skill Card program coordinated with official sport instructional curricula? Yes! The Skills, Concepts and Missions in each level have been thoughtfully developed by Buck Hill’s certified youth instructors for each sport. The youth programs that we adhere to are: USTA NetGeneration for tennis, U.S Kids Golf and R ed Cross for swimming. 5. How does it work? Each area or sport has 4 Skill Card Levels. Each Level has 8-10 items, including: ➢ Skills, such as “camper can 2 putt from 20 feet 3 out of 5 times” ➢ Concepts, such as “camper can use a golf score card correctly” ➢ Missions, such as “camper visited Tennis Club outside of camp and played a match”
Dragonflies, Bullfrogs and Bears will all begin with Level 1 and move through the levels at their own pace. Senior Campers may start the summer with a Level Check and begin at a higher Level, at the Pro’s discretion. 6. What is the process for a camper to move from one Level to the next? In the Skill Card program, advancement from one level to the next is called “Leveling Up”. Every two weeks there will be a Leveling Up opportunity during each Camp Group’s scheduled session. Therefore, there will be 4 official opportunities to Level Up during the 8-week Camp Club summer. Campers may also request to be Level Checked by a Pro during non-camp hours, which is entirely at the Pro’s discretion given their time constraints. 7. Will campers earn prizes? Yes! When a camper Levels Up in any area, he/she will receive official sign-off from the Pro and Camp Director will be notified. At the next morning flag ceremony, the Camp Director will hand out Skill Bands. Campers can proudly wear their Skill Bands on their wrists or ankles, to demonstrate their achievements. At no time will campers who haven’t Leveled Up be made to feel left out or inferior in any way. Camp Club will not tolerate unkind words from any camper on this subject or any other. The spirit of the Skill Band is to recognize achievement in ourselves and our camp peers. 8. Who is eligible to participate in the program? All Campers are eligible to participate in the program, weather they attend camp for 8 weeks, 8 days or a single day. It is also important to note that no camper is REQUIRED to participate, regardless of how long they attend. Campers that do not wish to participate in the program will still receive the same amount of time in each area, but with more focus on fun and familiarity rather than skill advancement. 9. How can I get involved in the Youth Activities Committee? If you would like to find out about joining the YAC and helping to shape new programs and initiatives, please contact the current chairperson Monica Chun at monica.c.chun@gmail.com.
Sincerely, Chrissy Caiazzo-Pritchard Camp Director