We are officially counting down to the start of Kayitz 2021!
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This past summer has reinforced that camp is an indescribable gift to our children - a community in which they can strive, thrive, and grow emotionally, socially and as Jewish leaders.
We are planning to safely open camp for kayitz (summer) 2021, while understanding that we will have to be flexible and that camp may look different in order to accommodate health and state regulations. We value the incredible relationship we have with our camp families, and we will always consistently communicate openly and transparently about all camp matters.
In conjunction with medical experts, community leaders, state and local health agencies, and camping professionals, we are convening committees to research and review best practices to ensure that we develop a program that is focused on health and safety while maintaining our cherished Ramah traditions.
We have published a draft operational guide for our camp community and will regularly update this guide to provide a clear picture of our current plans and considerations for summer 2021 both with what we know and what we do not know for the sake of transparency.
Summer 2021 Draft Operational Guide
Stay tuned for our next session in the Summer 2021 Town Hall series.
During each session we will present our current plans for the coming summer and answer questions from our community.
We hope this message finds your family healthy and safe amidst the difficult times in which we find ourselves.
We recognize that our world is still significantly different than it was several months ago, and we want to be open and honest with you about how we’re proceeding on the path towards a safe and successful summer in 2021. We will continue to update our community regularly and provide the most current information available to us to support our families in decision making.
If your family is in need of additional support during these trying times, feel free to reach out to Rabbi Sarah at sarah@ramahnorcal.org. We are here to help you in any way we can.
We have received inquires about camp and our hope is to be able to answer many of them through the following FAQs. As always, feel free to reach out. For general inquiries, email info@ramahnorcal.org and we will forward your inquiry to the correct person to respond.
We are planning to be able to operate safely and at near-full capacity. We will be closely following local and national health guidelines as well as licensing requirements. We know that we will likely need to adjust our protocols and programming to ensure the safest summer possible in 2021. We are already in the process of looking closely at group sizes, travel arrangements, increased sanitation, and programmatic needs as we plan for kayitz (summer) 2021. We will communicate changes to our families. As always, we will be flexible and creative, always keeping the most important thing in mind – the safety of our campers!
While it is our greatest hope to run camp in kayitz (summer) 2021, we realize that there are still many unknowns for this summer. As a result, we have modified our normal refund policy (which can be found here):
• In the event that camp cannot open for kayitz (summer) 2021, all families will again be eligible for a full refund of their deposits and registration fees.
• If camp opens but it is not medically safe for your child to attend (due to his/her health or a family member’s), you will be able to cancel your child’s enrollment and receive a full refund. COVID-related medical information will be required in one of our pre-summer forms. If your camper or a family member has an underlying medical condition that puts them in a high risk category, please be in touch with us so that we can work with your family and your medical professionals to determine an appropriate plan for camp as well as a decision-making timeline.
• If camp opens and you choose to withdraw your child without a COVID-related medical reason, our regular refund policy will apply. Withdrawals made prior to March 1, 2021 are 100% refundable under this policy.
CANCELLATION DATE | CANCELLATION FEE |
On or before the last day in February, 2021 | None |
March 1 – April 1, 2021 | Full Deposit |
April 2 – June 1, 2021 | 50% of Tuition |
After June 1, 2021 | Full Tuition |
Click Here for the full regular refund policy
• If camp opens but cannot run at full capacity, and so we need to adjust our dates, families will get a refund if the revised schedule does not work for them. Families will be given an opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of this revised plan.
The health and safety of our community continues to be out number one priority. In addition to the in-depth planning we do in a regular season of operation, we are focusing on the following key areas of focus in developing plans for Summer 2021:
Key areas of focus
*We are working closely with a variety of agencies and organizations to establish protocols for operating in a safe and healthy manner. Key stakeholders involved in the development of our protocols include:
We know that we will likely need to adjust our protocols and programming to ensure the safest summer possible in 2021. We are already in the process of looking closely at group sizes, travel arrangements, increased sanitation, and programmatic needs as we plan for kayitz (summer) 2021. We will communicate changes to our families. As always, we will be flexible and creative, always keeping the most important thing in mind – the safety of our campers!
First, we thank you for your support. If you haven’t joined us yet in this critical fundraising effort, please consider a meaningful gift that will ensure decades more summers at Ramah Galim. We are truly grateful for any contribution you are able to provide right now. Please click here to support our Camp Recovery Campaign.