Communications

A major goal of the summer camping experience is to build independence and self-reliance. Your child will be strongly encouraged to write home at least once a week. Parents/Guardians may also communicate with their camper(s) through letters and a special email system (see below for more information). In order to assist parents in communicating with Camp and check on the status of their camper(s), Camp maintains a staff of Yoetzim (Parent Liaisons). These skilled senior staff members have extensive experience in working with children and will answer any questions you may have about your camper’s summer.

Mail & Flat Package Policy

Snail Mail

Prior to Camp, you will receive an email with the guideline for communicating with Camp as well as a list of the names of the Yoetzim (Parent Liaisons) assigned to each aidah (division) for each session.

Campers are required to write home twice a week.

Letters sent through the USPS may take some time to arrive home. If this happens, don’t worry as “no news is good news”! If you receive a homesick letter from your child, or are just concerned, please call Camp and ask for the Yoetz/et. Your child’s Yoetz/et will check out the situation and get back to you within 24 hours.

Please write your child often!

You should send your first letters to Camp one to two weeks prior to the start of the Camp session, as mail service to Clayton can be slow. Please allow at least a week for mail delivery, as there is no mail pickup at Camp between Friday and Monday.

Address all mail to your camper(s) as follows:

Camper’s Name

Bunk #_____

Camp Ramah Darom

70 Darom Lane

Clayton, GA 30525

Flat Package Policy

Camp Ramah Darom will only accept flat envelopes up to 12”x15” for magazines, photos, or books. Small items such as stickers, pens, and rubber bracelets are permitted as long as they fit inside the flat envelope. DO NOT SEND FOOD, CANDY or GUM. Any food sent to Camp will be disposed of. Packages that are not flat and or larger than 12”x15” may be returned to the sender at the senders’ expense.*

Books

*For the avid readers among our Camp community, we will accept boxes mailed from Amazon containing BOOKS ONLY.

Necessary Items

*Should your child forget an item (e.g., sunscreen, water bottle or sandals) please be in touch with your child’s Yoetz/et. Often, they are able to obtain these items for your camper avoiding the wait and hassle of shipping something to Camp. If an item still needs to be sent, after obtaining permission, please address the package to Camper’s Name, Aidah Name, c/o Yoetz/et Name.

Email at Camp

Campers can receive Bunk Notes from parents and guardians through Bunk1. There is a small fee that covers the cost of technology, supplies and staffing so that we can offer this service. Each morning (except Wednesdays and Saturdays), emails will be printed out and distributed to campers around lunchtime. Emails received after the batch is printed at 7am or received on Wednesdays or Saturdays will be distributed to campers the next day.

Parents can also send a request for a handwritten response with their email, which will provide the camper with one page to write back to parents. These forms, once filled out by your child and returned to our Camp post office box will be sent electronically via Bunk1 back to the parents. Even if you have sent an email, please do not expect an immediate reply! It can sometimes take a few days for your child’s reply as they may be out of Camp on a trip, involved in a day-long camp activity or just busy having fun!

Phone Calls

Phone Calls at Camp

Unless it is an emergency, campers do not speak to parents on the phone. Please note that cell phones are not permitted at Camp. If a camper brings a cell phone, it will be collected and held in the Camp office safe until the end of the session.

If you are concerned about your child’s well-being, or if you want to find out how your camper is doing, please leave a message for the Yoetz/et. Contact information for Yoetzim will be emailed to you before Camp begins. The Yoetz/et will research the situation and get back to you within 24 hours. Please note that messages left for the Yoetzim on Friday afternoons are not generally returned until Sunday morning. In addition, most of the Yoetzim are off on Wednesdays. Messages left on Wednesday will be returned on Thursday morning.

If the situation is an emergency, please follow the emergency contact procedure as outlined under “Parent Logistics.”

News from Camp

News & Updates from Camp

In addition to the letters parents will be receiving from their child(ren), our online photo galleries, regular videos, aidah updates and pre-Shabbat news updates (Drishat Shalom) will help parents stay connected with all the fun happening at Camp.

Drishat Shalom/Pre-Shabbat News

During the summer, Drishat Shalom will be emailed every Friday before Shabbat. This weekly news update will summarize the week and touch on intangible aspects of the Ramah Experience – the magical parts of Camp that photos and videos cannot capture.

Camper Photos

Photos & Videos

Each day, our Camp photography staff takes a myriad of photos of campers in action, and we will upload those photos twice a week. We will share a combination of posed and candid photos at a diversity of Camp locations and activities. You can easily download photos from Bunk1 and share them on social media.

We will share videos with you, giving a glimpse of the activity, excitement and programmatic highlights.

To access summer photos, log in to bunk1.com (under “Returning Users Login) or the Bunk1 app using the same email and password you use to log into your family dashboard. NOTE: IF YOU ARE AN ADMIN ON YOUR FAMILY DASHBOARD, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT and NO CODE IS NEEDED!

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