GET READY FOR SUMMER 2025
Open and Safe Community
Check out our Camper Care Essentials!
FAMILY HANDBOOK
Read our Family Handbook to learn more about Jacobs Camp and important camp policies.
PACKING LIST
Hat? Waterbottle? sunscreen? Use this checklist as you get your camper ready for camp for camp to make sure they have everything that they need.
COMPLETE ONLINE FORMS
Most of the forms are completed online. You can login into the CampInTouch system at any time to check the status of your account, make sure your contact information is up-to-date, and to complete the pre-summer forms.
All forms necessary for your camper(s) will be listed on your Forms Dashboard within your account. Please note that if you stop in the middle of completing one of the forms, what you have already entered will NOT be saved. It is important that you be prepared in advance to complete the forms.
Once you have submitted a form, you can review the information that you entered but you cannot edit it. You will have to get in touch with us if you want to change the information. For example, if you signed up for a Bus home and you want to cancel it or change to a different bus, please send an email to jacobscamp@urj.org or call 601-885-6042 for additional instructions.
camper information form
Must be completed for each individual child attending. This is information that will be very helpful for the camper’s counselors to have. It will contribute to the best summer possible.
Transportation form
Must be completed for each individual child attending. If you are flying to or from camp on Opening or Closing Days, please contact camp to make arrangements.
health and medical forms
Must be completed for each individual child attending. The Health Forms are a combination of online forms as well as forms you will need to download, print, complete and upload back to your account. Additional information is included in the Parent Handbook and you will receive emails with specific instructions leading up to the summer.
UNDERSTAND OUR POLICIES
Our goal is to create a fun and safe environment for everyone at camp.
Please discuss these policies with your camper to make sure they are well prepared for summer!
Electronics Policy
Our campers’ emotional well-being is one of our highest priorities, and this summer we will be unplugging from our devices in order to maintain camp as a healthy and safe place for every member of the community. We are confident all will feel the positive effects of being unplugged and fully immersed in camp life! We want to encourage campers to spend more time off their beds and indoors, promote socialization, remove the “haves and the have-nots” that occur when some camper have certain devices. Most importantly, in today’s crazy world, we all need a break from technology!
What makes Jacobs Camp so special is the community that we create each summer; it’s different from the world we live in the other 10 months of the year, and that contributes to our campers’ growth and development each summer. Like our partners at camps across the United States, we have given tremendous thought to this policy, and look forward to experiencing a summer where we are all “plugged in” to the connections we are making at Jacobs Camp, rather than our devices!
Below, you will find find a list of permitted devices. In short, we welcome digital cameras and music playing devices that do not have WIFI connectivity. If your camper needs music to fall asleep at night, we have looked up many options for mp3 players, and we suggest you check Amazon (see below). There are no laptops, gaming devices, e-readers, or portable DVD players allowed. Please bring your summer reading in the form of books! A full explanation of our cell phone policy is below, but there will be a zero tolerance policy in place for cell phones this summer, even with the sim card removed.
We know unplugging will have positive effects on the Jacobs Camp community. We encourage parents to be our partners on this endeavor. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call us at camp.
Allowed Devices:
iPOD/MP3 Players:If your child must have his/her music at camp, either for fun or Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation, please send a(n):
- CD player and CD’s,
- Inexpensive mp3 player, (like the one found here)
- Older generation iPod that does not have a touch screen.
Please Note: We will not allow any mp3 players/mobile devices with touch screens. This way we can ensure that our campers cannot watch videos, TV shows, movies or access the internet. As such, campers may not bring any smart phones or itouch devices, even if the SIM card has been removed
DIGITAL CAMERAS: We encourage you to send an inexpensive digital camera or disposable cameras (make sure you pack enough memory cards and batteries.) Please discuss proper handling of the camera and how pictures should be taken of bunkmates only with their permission. Again, this is camp, so please leave expensive cameras at home.
Package Policy
Package Policy In an effort to actively model our core values, we have a NO PACKAGE POLICY at Jacobs Camp. This means that unless there is explicit and specific permission, in advance, from a Jacobs Professional Staff member for a parent to send a package to our attention for their child, there will be NO packages accepted at camp.
housing & cabin assignments
Camper Cabins: A camper cabin sleeps no more than 13 campers and 2-3 staff members. Ample storage space is provided for every camper. Two cabins share a bathroom; each bathroom has 7 sinks, 7 showers, & 6 toilets. All top bunks are equipped with bed rails. Each cabin is equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. All of our camper cabins are air-conditioned.
How Cabins Are Assigned: Our year-round team works hard to determine cabin and bunk assignments in a thoughtful way. We take a lot of factors into consideration: the age and grade of each camper, where he or she is from, whether a child is a new or returning camper, medical concerns, and the friends they have requested to be with. Juggling all this information and making everyone happy is quite a challenge! As part of your online forms, you will complete a bunk request form.
We will use this information to accommodate your camper’s request as best we can. You will learn your camper’s cabin assignment when you check into camp on Opening Day. We will not make any cabin assignment changes at that time. When your child arrives to their cabin, they will find their nametag hung on a bunk that we have assigned for them. We reserve bottom bunks for campers with medical needs, and our counselors assign campers throughout the cabin in a way that will allow them to create and sustain meaningful friendships with their cabin-mates. This system ensures a fair and positive start for all of our campers from the first moment they walk into the cabin. We ask that parents discuss the positivity and cooperation needed to be successful in a shared living space with their campers before the summer.
Camper Code of Conduct
Our goal is to create a fun and safe environment for everyone at camp. Parents are encouraged to discuss the following issues with their campers prior to their session: Taking responsibility for one’s actions; zero tolerance for fighting, hitting, tripping, bullying, etc.; not using bad language; making new friends and sharing. We will also be asking for every camper to follow our masking and distancing protocols, which will be shared when they are finalized closer to camp. In addition to the rules below, we also ask that all campers follow the guidelines set out in the Brit Kehilah Machaneh – Covenant of the Camp Community. This document outlines the shared responsibility between the camp, our campers, and our camp families, in helping to ensure the safest summer possible. By committing to this Brit, our camp, our campers, and our camp families agree to a shared responsibility to health and safety before, during, and after camp.
Our camp rules are as follows:
• I will follow the directions of the adults and staff at camp
• I will follow all directions
• I will communicate my needs and feelings to the best of my ability using respectful and kind words.
• I will take care of myself by eating, staying hydrated, and practicing good hygiene while at camp.
• I will abide by the established unit curfew
• I will not possess or chew gum at camp
• I will not change my physical appearance while at camp
• I will not wear clothing that promotes liquor or drugs, contains inappropriate language, or is intentionally tight or revealing.
• I will not harm myself or others, physically or verbally
• I will be sharing my living space with other campers. I will be respectful of their feelings and their right to express themselves. I will respect their personal space and property.
• I will respect the camp policy that campers are not allowed in the cabins or living areas of those of the opposite sex.
• I will participate in all programs and activities.
• I will not leave campgrounds or wander away from or leave groups or activities without a staff member.
• I will treat camp property with respect. I understand that graffiti is not allowed, and that willful destruction of camp property will not be tolerated. My family will be held financially responsible for any damages.
• I will not bring any type of personal cell phone, computer, hand-held game device, tablet, etc. to camp. If I arrive at camp with these objects, I will turn them into the camp office where they’ll be kept in a safe and then returned to me when I return home.
• I understand that alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco products or any kind, matches, fireworks, and weapons have no place at camp and that possession of any of these items is forbidden.
• I will not participate in any form of cyberbullying after camp by using my computer or cell phone to threaten, insult, or harass any of my fellow campers or staff.
Canteen
On most days, campers get to visit the Canteen where they can select one item from an assortment of healthy snack foods. Three times a week, on letter day they can get a special treat after they write a letter home. No other merchandise is sold at the canteen and your child does not need money to visit the Canteen