University Presbyterian Church - Chapel Hill, NC

Welcome to Vacation Church School, 2012!

Thank you for your registration.  In this online information, you will find details about our daily activities, lessons and projects. Additionally, this reference contains much of the logistical information you will need for the week. Please read through this information before bringing your child to Camp New Hope.

 [Click here for Volunteer Information] 

Schedule Information

This year, UPC's Vacation Church School will span Monday - Friday, June 25-29. Monday - Thursday, the day will begin at 9:00am and will end at 12:30pm. On Friday, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DAY ENDS EARLY; PICKUP WILL BEGIN AT 12:00 NOON.

On Sunday, July 1- Campers who are able and willing wil participate in 11:00am worship at University Presbyterian Church, where they will present a song learned throughout their week at VCS. We will send more details about participation in worship via email during VCS week.

2012 Curriculum

Grateful Hearts & Generous Hands

The underlying theme for the week will be on gratitude and generosity. Each day we will focus on how God provides all we need and we respond by being gracious to God and generous to others. Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord's Prayer) 

General Information and Inclement Weather

We will be outside Monday-Thursday.  Please apply sunscreen and insect repellent to your child before you arrive at camp. Please check for ticks on a daily basis. Send your child in old clothes as we will be playing hard and using paints, glue, dye, and other craft items.

If inclement weather occurs Monday-Thursday, we will hold VCS onsite at University Presbyterian Church. we will post information about our schedule by 8:00am on the day in question on the church website (www.upcch.org) and through the church office.

Click here for a chart with specific schedules for the week.

Drop off/Pick Up at New Hope Camp and Conference Center (4805 NC 86, Chapel Hill 27514)

VCS now offers a carpool line drop off/pickup option. Morning carpool line drop off begins at 8:45 a.m., and VCS volunteers will accompany children to their group gathering spot. Afternoon pickup begins at 12:30 p.m. The carpool line will circle the Dogwood building, near the entrance to Camp New Hope. Click here for an illustrated map.

On Friday, the carpool line will progress by the side (preschool) entrance to UPC. This entrance faces the UPC parking lot. AGAIN, PLEASE NOTE THAT PICKUP ON FRIDAY, JUNE 29 BEGINS AT 12:00 NOON.

Camp New Hope Volunteers who utilize the nursery in New Hope Presbyterian Church must park at the church and walk their children inside. The New Hope Presbyterian Church nursery is located down the hallway from the left door entrance to the building.

Please help us eliminate congestion in the carpool line area. If you wish to park and drop off/pick up your VCS participant at Camp New Hope, we request that you park in the paved parking lot near New Hope Presbyterian Church and walk with your child to his or her group gathering spot.

If you wish to park and walk your camper into University Presbyterian Church on Friday, we recommend that you park in the Rosemary St. Public parking deck. Please do not park in the UPC parking lot on Friday.

If you will be carpooling or arranging for someone else to pick up your child, please fill out the written form available (click here) and send to Heather Ferguson. You may also give a written form to any carpool line attendant at Camp New Hope. FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR CHILD, WE CANNOT SEND YOUR CHILD HOME WITH ANYONE BUT YOU UNLESS WE HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION.

Volunteer Parking

Camp New Hope Volunteers who utilize the nursery in New Hope Presbyterian Church must park at the church and walk their children inside. The New Hope Presbyterian Church nursery is located down the hallway from the left door entrance to the building.

On days you volunteer at Camp New Hope, we ask that you park in the paved parking lot near New Hope Presbyterian Church (see map). If you are bringing children with you, we ask that you bring them to the area designated for Campers of Volunteers. We will have a sitter there beginning at 8:15 to play with your children and then walk them to their group gathering stations at 8:45.

Participant Group Information

Children have been assigned to grades they will attend in the fall of 2012. Groups (ages Rising K-3rd) will rotate from station to station throughout the day (see map of VCS at Camp New Hope for station locations). All groups will begin each day at a morning All-Camp Gathering.

3-and-4-year olds and 4th/5th grade will remain in their own stations and follow revised schedules. For more information, please see the informational sections below for each of these groups. 

Your child's group leader will have a nametag for your child each day. The nametag is color coordinated to indicate your child's group. All groups will begin their days at an All-Camp Gathering on the field at the Main Pavilion. A group leader will take your child from the carpool line to this group gathering where another leader will greet him or her. Below is a list of each group's color (see map for locations):
 

• 3- and 4-year-olds--Red
• Kindergartners-- Orange
• 1st Graders, Group A-- Yellow
• 1st Graders, Group B--Green
• 2nd and 3rd Graders--Blue
• 4th and 5th graders--Purple

3-year-olds-Special Notes

If your child is not yet potty trained, please let Heather Ferguson know as soon as possible so that we may make arrangements.

We request that pull-ups and extra clothes you wish to send with your child be placed in a gallon-sized, zip-lock bag labeled with your child's name. Teachers will have these items on-site with them, and so we ask that you make them as portable as possible.

4th and 5th Grade-Special Notes

4th and 5th graders will gather each day at the back pavilion (see map). In this space, participants will enjoy a wide variety of activities geared toward their age group. Parents may drop off their child in the carpool line near Dogwood or may drive directly to the back pavilion. Please pick your child up in the carpool line near Dogwood (see map) as 4^th and 5^th graders will finish their day with the all-camp gathering.

On Tuesday, 4th and 5th graders will have time in the Camp New Hope pool. Please send a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and, if desired, pool shoes for your 4th or 5th grade camper.

This year's 4th and 5th grade curriculum may include a special off-site field trip. More information will be provided to families who have a child registered for this class. 

Snack and Food Information

VCS provides a snack each day for all campers, and on Friday we will provide bagels, cream cheese and fruit.  None of the snacks provided at Camp New Hope contain ingredients derived from peanuts, nor are they processed in facilities that process peanuts. If you have questions about the Friday lunch menu, please contact Heather Ferguson at .

Below is a list of planned snacks for the week of VCS. If you would prefer to send an alternate snack with your child for each day or for the entire week, please send it packaged in a ziplock bag clearly labeled with your child's name and a note to your child's group leader. Your child's group leader will make sure your child receives his or her own snack.

Group leaders will also have some snacks with them in case children get hungry later in the day. 

Food Allergy Precautions:

All snacks will be peanut-free (see menu in Snack and Food Information). If you indicated on your registration form that your child has allergies of any kind, your child's group leader will place a yellow bracelet on him/her each day. These bracelets will alert snack helpers, group leaders, and others that your child has an allergy.

"...Taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves... And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.  Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand..." Mark 6: 41-44

Project 5000, inspired by Jesus' feeding the 5,000, helps feed hungry people.  Through Project 5000, our children will have the opportunity to share our own small contributions of food and have it multiplied into greater usefulness.  Introduced to Chapel Hill in 2002, Project 5000 has filled more than 11,000 boxes each designed to provide emergency food for a family of four for two days. 

On Friday, in the Fellowship Hall at University Presbyterian Church, children will participate in a hands-on, fun-filled service project aimed at packaging a minimum of 50 boxes of food.  With your support, we hope to exceed that goal!  The filled boxes will go to the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service (IFC) to help support people in need within our community. 

Traditionally, children are asked to bring with them to Camp New Hope a non-perishable food item for donation to the IFC*.  All donations are welcome, though donations of powdered milk, canned meats and peanut butter are a high priority at this time for IFC.

*Please note that IFC is unable to accept dented cans or expired items.