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August 15
Thanks for a great summer! Enjoy the year and we will see you in 10 months!
August 14
Good morning from a misty CPLV. It's not just our emotions that are misty it's also the weather. We hear that there had been heavy rain down in NY but it has yet to hit us up here. Our luggage trucks departed at 8:30 and are due to arrive at 11:30 (weather permitting). We will unload when they arrive. Please come early so that we can unload the luggage as soon as the trucks arrive. Our campers will be having breakfast at 7:45 this morning. We will update here as the buses depart. Please allow a bit of extra time considering the weather.
Bus to Newark departed 8:30 a.m.
Long Island buses departed 9:30 a.m.
Westchester bus departed 9:30 a.m.
New Jersey/New York bus departed 9:30 a.m.
Van to Philadelphia departed 9:20 a.m.
Van to Maryland departed 9:20 a.m.
August 13 Update
Good evening from a very sad CPLV. We are all packed, the bags are sorted, and we're getting ready to enjoy our last evening as a Poyntelle family.
During Sing! last night, all alma maters referred to the starry Poyntelle skies, and watching the gates behind us as we leave. Tonight we get to celebrate our summer at Burnout and the two waterfronts. It did pour for a while, as is CPLV tradition on the last night, but it is now beautiful out. After dinner (Banquet on Poyntelle; LV had their Banquet last night) we'll head down to the waterfront. We've arranged the words Shalom and 2011 to be burned in a contemplative event. Then campers and staff members will have the opportunity to share what their summer meant to them.
After this, we head to the dining halls for yearbook signing and ice cream. Please ask your child to see their yearbooks; the staff really did a beautiful job. You will also be able to see either the Poyntelle or Lewis newsletter.
Now for some logistics. We will post times that busses leave camp. Please be aware that we do expect rain. Drive carefully! (Our bus drivers will too.) We've been discussing making sure you have all belongings before you leave the pickup points. Now, we'll discuss some of the things the kids should be bringing off the bus:
- any medicine they brought with them
- camp photos (1st session will be mailed home)
- any remaining spending money
- yearbook and newsletter
- swim cards (Poyntelle only)
- a huge smile!
It has been an absolute pleasure sharing the summer with your camper. We wish everyone a happy, healthy New Year and a great year of school. We look forward to seeing you next year in 18454!
August 13
Shabbat Shalom from a quiet CPLV and congratulations to our Maccabiah winners. The same color won on both sides! Ask your camper about it when they get home.
. After some Shabbat programming our campers will begin to clean out their bunks for packing. There will be an huge Lost and Found show at the Dining Halls after Lunch.
Each child will be receiving 4 luggage tags with a color indicating their bus or departure method. They will pack up their duffels and any extras that don't fit will be put in garbage bags which will also get a label with their name. They will keep out clothes for tonight, some bedding and clothes for tomorrow (although their evening and travel clothing will probably be the same!)
The luggage then goes to specific locations around camp. For example, all Long Island bus tags go in the laundry shacks, all Manhattan on Poyntelle go to the Pavillion, etc. This enables us to make sure that the luggage goes to the correct location, as the bulk of the luggage for some locations goes on luggage trucks. Campers on vans will have their luggage with them.
Long Island and New Jersey pickup locations will have luggage trucks, hopefully waiting for families when they arrive. Other luggage will be under the bus, or on the vans in which they are transported. Please remember to ask your child how many duffels they have and how many garbage bags are on the van, truck or under the bus. Bus counselors will sweep the busses after the kids are off and make sure no belongings are left on the bus. Any remaining belongings will be sent to a central location; please call or e-mail and we'll let you know where to pick them up.
We'll have more information later. Speak to you then!
August 12
Shabbat Shalom from another sunny, cool CPLV day. Maccabiah continues, culminating in Sing! tonight. Today, both sides of camp participated in the Apache Relay, a relay race where tasks include saying Hamotzi, smelling flowers up at the office, and finally making a 3 pt. shot from mid court.
We're really excited about finding out which team reigns supreme in Maccabiah, but all of our kids are great!
Watch this space for more info soon.
Have a wonderful Shabbat.
August 11
Good evening from a sunny, cool CPLV. It has been a terrific three days of Maccabiah so far, and the competition is intense. Did you get to see the Poyntelle pictures of the talent show/costume party? There were a lot of dinosaurs and robots wandering around.
Lewis had a great time at Rope Burn. It poured around 7pm, but we watched the sky. It cleared up and the LITs were able to burn the ropes. Congratulations to the White Lord of the Rings Team on their victory. Tonight the Poyntelle campers will have their Rope Burn; can't wait to see who burns through first. Lewis campers have their talent show.
Today, Lewis had a combination of Tennis/Volleyball/Basketball and Track and Field. Poyntelle campers had a Swim Meet, Triathalon and Track and Field.
Campers will be packing on Saturday. At that point, if their belongings have multiplied and don't fit in their original luggage, they will be given black garbage bags for the overflow. Their bedding from Saturday night will also be in black garbage bags. After you finish hugging your camper on Sunday, please ask them how many of these bags they have so you don't have to turn around and go back for them.
Have a wonderful evening.
August 10
Good evening from a sunny, warm CPLV. Our camper's are continuing in Maccabiah competitions. Today there were scavenger hunts on both Lewis and Poyntelle. Items included items of clothing, staff members, souvenirs from trips and more.
We did have a little rain this afternoon, and are trying to determine whether we will have Rope Burn on Lewis tonight. Rope burn is a longstanding CPLV tradition. A rope with a 4 inch diameter has been soaking in the lake for days. It will be suspended between 6-foot tall poles and our oldest campers with the most seniority light a fire underneath it, and build the fire until the rope burns through. Of course, the campers are closely supervised by counselor advisors. Campers with less seniority are wood collectors and wood breakers and are extremely important members of the team. The first team to burn through their rope wins! After the ropes break, the burners, breakers and collectors all run into the lake (closely supervised by the waterfront staff.)
Late breaking news: Lewis will have Rope Burn tonight unless the weather changes!
Poyntelle campers will be having fun this evening during their Talent show. Tomorrow night is their turn for Rope Burn!
We are all really enjoying the last days of camp! Hope you are too.
Have a wonderful evening.
August 9
Good evening from a Blue and White Poyntelle! Our campers are very busy in this first day of Maccabiah. This morning, at Poyntelle, Girls competed in Boating events. The Boys had a sports rotation including Basketball, Soccer, Gaga, Dodgeball and Jenga. After a silent lunch (can you believe our kids were sooo quiet?) there was Mission Impossible. This is when Maccabiah captains compete against each other in special challenges. Today there was an intense game of Knockout in the Gym.
At Lewis, the girls had waterfront activities such as swim races, biggest splash, etc and the boys played softball and soccer. Their mission impossible was Captain's Musical Chairs, one of CPLV's championship events at many bar and bat mitzvah's throughout the long winter!
All of our campers are very busy learning songs for Sing! on Friday night. They are preparing a cheer, alma mater and more.
Tonight we have College Bowl on both sides of camp. There is general trivia for all different age groups and counselors, as well as camp specific trivia.
It's really an exciting time in camp, although a bit sad because we know that Maccabiah means that we have to think about going home.
Just a note for parents: our children do love to receive packages, but as it gets closer to August 14th, we are concerned that the packages may arrive at camp after you've already hugged your camper, done a lot of laundry, and packed up the sheets and towels in the duffel for next year. Unless it is an emergency, please consider saving those packages for home.
Have a wonderful evening.
BREAKOUT!!!
Maccabiah, our 2nd session color war, broke out on both sides of camp last night. On Poyntelle it is Blue Dinosaurs vs White Robots. On Lewis Village it is the Blue Harry Potter vs White Lord of the Rings!
Watch the blog to keep up-to-date with happenings, and of course, look at pictures to see your camper's team!
August 8
Good evening from a sunny, warm Poyntelle. Today the weather has been just fantastic!
Our campers have been so busy enjoying all of the outdoor facilities. The waterfront has been extremely busy as our Poyntelle campers complete their American Red Cross Swimming Level Certifications. Our waterfront staff have been working with them to improve their skills and it's really paid off. Most campers are almost done and will either proudly present their cards to their families when they get off the bus, or receive it in the mail shortly.
Tonight, Lewis campers will be taking advantage of the beautiful weather and having a campfire near the waterfront, complete with songs and s'mores. Our Poyntelle campers will be visiting stations prepared by their fellow "Mad Scientists" based on their Camp Within a Camp Activity. This is a rescheduled event due to a Disco Night that just had to happen :)
Many parents have been asking for tipping information for their campers' counselors. If you go to the parent link on this webpage, you should see another link for tipping. Of course, you can always call the camp office with questions!
Congratulations to our 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team on their 2nd place finish in the Wayne County Intercamp Games. Great job, girls!
Maccabiah, our second session color war is almost here! Keep an eye out for breaking team announcements.
Have a wonderful evening.
August 7
Good evening from a sunny, rainy CPLV. Yes, sunny and rainy; just part of the weather we've experienced this week!
It was a pleasure seeing our second session visitors today. The weather cooperated, and it was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the camp facilities. We even had a special treat of a cookout for lunch in honor of our guests.
Tonight, the Lewis Village campers will be seeing the production of "Seussical the Musical." Our Poyntelle campers will participate in International Night, sharing in the culture of our British, Australian and Israeli counselors. There will be special food and games for all to enjoy.
It's hard to believe that we've reached week 7 already. All camp familes should be receiving letters indicating their camper's departure bus destinaton over the next couple of days. If you don't receive one by Tuesday, or have a change or question, please call the camp office at (570) 448-2161 and we'll be happy to help.
Maccabiah, our second sesson Color War should be starting soon. Campers are getting excited looking for clues as to when it will break out and how. Watch the blog for a special update so you can find out the teams. Of course, be sure to check out bunk1 so you can see all the campers dressed in their white or blue colors.
Sports Update
We played two friendly games against Tioga today. Lewis Boys and Inter Boys both played soccer, had a great time, but lost. Wait'll next time!
Have a wonderful evening.
August 6
Shabbat Shalom from a rainy Poyntelle. We've had such beautiful weather that it's nice (on a sleepy Shabbat) to see the grounds getting a good watering!
Last night, Rick Recht performed for us. He is truly part of a Poyntelle summer! We got to enjoy old favorites as well as new songs. If you are a new camp family, please visit www.rickrecht.com, and listen to what your camper will be singing when they get home.
Lewis Village campers enjoyed a quiet day on camp after all the excitement of their trip. Tonight, the LITs are going to a local performing arts camp to see South Pacific. The rest of Lewis Village will stay on camp for a fun Saturday night program. Our talented poets will be participating in an evening of Slam Poetry!
Poyntelle campers are playing a game based on how well they know their counselors. We are all really enjoying being able to use our dining hall on this rainy day. Campers who preferred a more physical day are in the gym playing basketball. Tonight is Awards Night for our Camper Superlatives. Awards will be given out for Nicest Smile, Most Athletic, and other exciting categories.
We're looking forward to seeing our second session camper families for their Visiting Day tomorrow. Please check the weather before you come and dress accordingly. Visiting day will take place rain or shine :) Please wear sturdy shoes, in case you encounter any muddy areas and remember to leave all pets at home.
We have a large number of phone calls scheduled for tonight. Thank you for your patience.
It's time for August trivia!! What is your favorite CPLV song?
E-mail your responses to office@poyntelle.com and we'll give you a shout out if we can!
Have a wonderful evening.
August 5, 2011
Everybody got back safe and sound last night. Our poyntelle campers got in around 7:30 p.m. and enjoyed a late dinner. Our Lewis Village campers got in around 10 p.m. and will enjoy a late wake up this morning with a rolling brunch that they can eat whenever they wake up. More later...
August 4, 2011
Our Lewis Village LITs enjoyed a special pool party after returning to the hotel last night. It was a great way to wind down after a day of riding the coasters. This morning after a hearty breakfast our campers checked out of the hotel and boarded the buses for a tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They had lunch there and then departed around 2 p.m. for their return to camp. They will be stopping for dinner along the way and are expected back at camp around 10 p.m. tonight. We've missed them here at camp and can't wait for camp to be reunited tomorrow night for Shabbat and our very special guest RICK RECHT!
Our poyntelle campers are having a fabulous time at Camel Beach and are expected to return to camp around 7:30 p.m. for a late dinner.
Please remember that we have many many phone calls scheduled for Friday and Saturday so we appreciate your patience in waiting for your camper to phone home.
If you are on facebook, please take a moment to visit Smaller Earth. You'll see a parrot on the page. LIKE IT and then enter the voting. Allow FB to access your info (you can unlike it later to change this) and scroll to the last camp and vote for Camp Poyntelle. Voting ends at midnight tonight and we have a chance to win if we all pull together. Share this with your friends and family - let's make that Poyntelle Ruach come alive. VOTE!!!!
August 3, 2011
9:05 p.m. Our Lewis Village campers are safely back in their hotel rooms after a fantastic day riding the roller coasters. They're all ready for a comfy night sleep in their hotel rooms. Camp within a camp was so fun today. We had campers out rock climbing, campers out on a nature hike/camping trip, campers at the waterfront - sailing, skiing, wakeboarding, campers cooking, campers making pillow pals and campers doing amazing scientific experiments.
Tonight's evening activity at Poyntelle will involve the campers from the Mad Science program donning their lab coats and demonstrating all of the cool experiments they learned today. It will have a science fair format and each of the campers will run a different booth helping campers to do the experiments.
Last night, in Cleveland, our campers boarded the Good Times III for a dinner cruise around Lake Erie complete with a DJ and dancing. Camper superlatives were given out on the ship and camper awards as well. It was a great evening and our campers had so much fun dancing and laughing and enjoying the beautiful evening. After heading back to the hotel the LITs enjoyed a pool party. This morning campers had a great buffet breakfast at the hotel and then boarded the bus to Cedar Point Amusement Park. Cedar Point is the Roller Coaster Capital of the world! Check out cedarpoint.com to see all the fun they had. While at Cedar Point and throughout the Cleveland trip, LV campers are in groups with counselor supervision. Superstaff is always posted at strategic locations and other staff members patrol the groups to make sure that everyone is safe. As at camp, safety of our campers is always our number one priority.
Tomorrow our Poyntelle campers are heading out after breakfast to Camel Beach Water Park. I'm sure they'll have a great time taking over the park.
Parents: We have a lot of scheduled phone calls on Friday and Saturday so we appreciate your patience and understanding in remembering that there may be long lines at the phones on these last two days of scheduled phone calls. Thank you.
August 2, 2011
Boker Tov from CPLV. It's a gorgeous morning here in the mountains and we wanted to let you know that our Lewis Village campers arrived safely in Cleveland. They had a great dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland. After dinner, all the campers went to see Harry Potter and the reviews were fantastic. They are staying in a beautiful hotel and couldn't be happier.
Good Afternoon from CPLV - our Lewis Village campers are having a blast in Cleveland! This morning after breakfast at the hotel they climbed aboard the bus to tour Progressive Field the home of the Cleveland Indians. After the tour they were taken to Cleveland Heights an outdoor shopping mall near Case Western University. Campers enjoyed shopping in lots of great stores and had lunch at the outdoor mall. This afternoon it was back to the hotel to shower and dress to impress for an amazing evening activity. Stay tuned for details in the morning...
Our Poyntelle campers had second session pictures in the morning and their bunk rotations and chugim in the afternoon. A bit of a topsy turvy day but lots of fun. Tomorrow is an exciting day for our Poyntelle campers. It's camp within a camp when campers get to choose an special activity for the whole day. There will be mad science and after doing a lot of cool experiments during the day they will be hosting evening activity where they will show the other campers all the great experiments they learned. Some campers will be going out of camp on a rock climbing trip and some campers will be going on a nature hike through the wilds of Poyntelle to sleep in tents. The less adventurous campers can choose Iron chef with our very own chef Dara and go on a delicious adventure in the kitchen cooking. Our crafty campers can choose pillow pals where they can cut, stitch and sew up a new friend. A fun choice for campers is "So you want to be an English citizen?" where campers will enjoy cricket, crumpets and chips and learn what it takes to life a day in the life under her majesty. Down at the waterfront campers can choose waterskiing and wakeboarding or sailing.
Sports Update: We had a friendly ultimate frisbee game against Camp Tioga and won 13-1. The campers had a blast!
August 1, 2011
Can you believe it's already August. This summer has flown by. I guess what they say about time flying when you're having fun is true. This morning our Lewis Village campers departed bright and early for Cleveland, Ohio. They brought along a bag lunch and snacks for the bus ride and they have some exciting activities planned for this evening.
Poyntelle campers are enjoying having the use of both motor boats on the waterfront and today was the perfect day to enjoy them. Tonight's evening activity at Poyntelle is Purim in August. Each bunk is making Mishloach Manot baskets for another bunk and they will be creating festive noisemakers and party masks for the program tonight.
It was great to have so many alumni visit this past weekend for alumni day. CPLV is lucky to have such a strong alumni base with people who care so deeply about camp and keeping the traditions and memories alive for future generations.
We are looking forward to greeting our second session families this Sunday for visiting day. Remember to bring your swim suits, comfortable walking shoes and hugs but please leave your pets at home. Don't forget to register online and enjoy our early bird discount special of $500 off the 2012 camp tuition. We will have car magnets on sale in the office as well as beautiful mezzuzot that were carved from the mantle over the fireplace in the old dining hall. Take a piece of Poyntelle history home for $36 to your home. The money from the sale of magnets and mezzuzot will go to our camper scholarship fund.
July 31, 2011
Hello families and friends. We're enjoying another beautiful day at CPLV. This morning we began new chugim at Poyntelle and campers had two bunk rotations followed by their chug choice. This week's new chugim include recycled wardrobes, ultimate frisbee, beading and crocheting and cooking/nature. This afternoon was Carnival! Carnival is run by the LITs and they did a great job as usual. The field was filled with inflatable slides and inflatable obstacle courses. We had churros, sno cones, soft pretzels and cotton candy. There was even a dj that provided fabulous background music for the afternoon. No CPLV carnival would be complete without a dunk tank, marriage booth and candy grams! Tonight's evening activity at Poyntelle is Clue - one of the most fun evenings at camp!
Our Lewis Village campers are getting ready for their big trip. They'll be going to bed early and leaving right after an early breakfast tomorrow for Cleveland. We'll be updating you with their exciting itinerary all week long.
Sports Update: Congratulations to the 8th/9th grade boys softball team for coming in 2nd in the Wayne County Finals! Way to go guys!!!
Letters for second session visiting day were mailed out on Friday but we forgot to include registration instructions in the envelope for registering for the 2012 summer season. If you need help registering online please contact us at 570-448-6811. The most important thing to remember is that if you have trouble signing in do not create a new account. Call us and we'll give you your username and password.
NOTE FOR LV FAMILIES: Our LV campers can't wait to go on their big trip, and because of that, there are numerous phone calls this morning, so please be patient.
July 30, 2011
Shabbat Shalom from CPLV! We hope that you are having a wonderful shabbat. Last night our campers put on their white shirts to welcome in shabbat down by the lake. Led by Cantor Bill for the last time this summer our campers sang and spoke about this weeks parsha. Walking together to our beautiful new dining hall as a community is a beautiful tradition and before our meal we honor the counselor of the week (COW). A counselor that has gone above and beyond the call of duty and receives a certificate and a special t shirt. The male and female COW then lead the blessing over the candles, the wine and the challah. A traditional shabbat dinner of chicken soup, strawberry field salad, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes and vegetables followed by chocolate cake is always a camp favorite. Dinner concludes with the blessing after the meal, more singing and dancing. This morning our campers have a late wakeup and a breakfast of bagels and lox spread before they come together for a counselor game. Siblings get to spend some time together on shabbat and we also make time for Israeli programming and free swim later. Our Lewis Village campers are getting ready for their big trip and will be leaving bright and early Monday morning. We have a fabulous itinerary planned for them and will keep you posted. Tonight Michelle Citron will entertain us with her beautiful voice and guitar playing. Enjoy your shabbat!
July 28th, 2011
We are so excited to have as our guest this weekend Michelle Citron. If you want to read a great article about Michelle check out:
http://israeljewishnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/michelle-citron-not-to-be-confused-with.html
She is going to be doing a workshop this evening with the girls at LV and will be performing for both sides of the camp tomorrow. Boys will be playing capture the flag.
You may not know that our Arts and Crafts specialist at Lewis Village, Myra, posts a fun mind bender outside Arts and Crafts everyday that campers see as they walk up to the dining hall. This keeps our camper's minds active as they go through the day trying to figure out the puzzle. Yesterday's puzzle was
D NOT D
E E
E E
P P
S YET S
In addition to challenging their minds, Myra provides plenty of fun craft activities. Most popular at Arts and Crafts this week are bedazzling, dog tag jewlery, fleece pillows, string art and the evolving mural on the wall of the Lewis Village gym.
Last night at Lewis Village campers went on an archeological dig just like our Poyntelle campers went on last week. The Israeli counselors organized the program and it was educational as well as fun.
Our Poyntelle campers and Lewis Village campers had a great time yesterday at the dance competition at Tyler Hill. We posted pictures of the competition in a folder under Lewis Village July 27. There are lots of Poyntelle campers in those pictures so be sure to check them out.
Our Lewis Village campers are super excited about their trip to Cleveland next week.
Tonight is Cookout night at CPLV - hot dogs, hamburgers and all the yummy fixin's Campers will sit outside at the picnic tables and enjoy the beautiful evening. Evening activity at Poyntelle is Israeli night.
July 27, 2011
Good afternoon from a gorgeous sunny day at CPLV. Our campers are having a great time playing gaga, ultimate frisbee, basketball, handball, tennis and challenging themselves on our challenge course. In arts and crafts campers are using looms and beads to make fantastic woven beaded bracelets. We've got some great new chugim this week at Poyntelle. Par Core is a chug in which campers are making an instructional video on free style walking. We are offering a shooting and accuracy clinic for soccer. We've got running, hiking, boys lacrosse, water polo and hip hop dance. Auditions were held this week for Poyntelle's adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The cast list has been posted and rehearsals are underway.
Lewis Village waterfront was busy today with fishing, rowboating, canoeing, sailing and bouncing on the trampoline. Campers are loving basketball, softball, soccer and tennis.
Today 45 girls from Poyntelle and Lewis travelled by bus to Tyler Hill for a dance competition. They have been practicing their routines and looked absolutely fabulous as they boarded the bus to cheers of good luck from their fellow campers. Stay tuned to find out how they did in the competition.
Tonight's evening activity on Poyntelle will be a wacky challenge led by our very own Lewis Village L.I.Ts This is a great opportunity for them to practice the leadership skills they have been working on all summer.
July 26, 2011
Things have gone topsy turvy at Poyntelle today! At line up we lowered the flag and said Laila Tov to all our campers. We then went in to our fabulous new dining hall for quesadillas. After clean up campers had free swim and individual select followed by a lunch of chocolate chip pancakes,scrambled eggs, hot cereal, fresh fruit and yogurt. Lunch was followed by all camp free play and then bunk rotations and chugim. Snacks were given out and after rest hour campers will line up at the flagpole to raise the flag, sing this land is your land and shout out boker tov. Tonight's evening activity will be a pool party and campfire down at the waterfront.
Lewis Village campers have been participating in a wonderful chug that campers can enjoy for many years to come. They have been painting a mural on the LV gym wall that expresses the theme of shabbat. We've posted some pictures on bunk one as the mural is being completed and it's really incredible. The LIT girls will participate in a body image workshop this evening where the focus will be on improving self image and avoiding negativity. The rest of the Lewis Village campers and LIT boys will have a fun but messy evening activity called Slime Time. Challenges and Trivia contests that aren't completed correctly will have slimey consequences.
Sports Update: Congratulations to our 8th and 9th grade boys softball on their win today (9-5) against Seneca Lake. Next stop Wayne County Finals against Chenawanda. Good Luck Boys!!!
July 25, 2011
10:30 PM update: All of our campers have returned from the Scranton Yankees game and are getting ready for bed. They had a great time. Sweet Dreams...
We've had some rain today and some sun today and lots of fun. Our campers are boarding the buses for an evening with the Scranton Yankees. The rain is expected to attend right around the start time of the game. They are going to have so much fun.
In arts and crafts this week our campers have been making menorahs so that they can remember the warmth of camp in the winter when they bring the light of chanukah and camp poyntelle into their homes.
Please remember that July 28th is the final date for our office to process any checks received for Lewis Village camper spending money for the trip to Cleveland. Please call us in the office if you want to check the balance in your child's account. Remember Poyntelle campers will have one more trip after tonight to Camel Beach on August 4th
July 24, 2011
Boker Tov!
Our Israeli campers landed on time at Newark and are on the bus headed up to camp
9:10 a.m. Our Maryland Van just departed for Owings Mills, MD
9:10 a.m. Our Israeli campers just departed for Newark Airport
9:15 a.m. Our Long Island Bus has departed
9:22 a.m. Our Manhattan Bus has departed
12:00 p.m. Our 2nd session Israeli campers have arrived at camp. We are so excited to have them here with us!
4:11 p.m. Our Long Island campers and NY campers have just arrived at camp! They look beautiful and we're so happy to have them here!
While today started out with tearful goodbyes for our first session campers we are now enjoying lots of smiles as our second session campers are greeted warmly by our full session campers. Their arrival was looked forward to all day by campers and staff and when the buses rolled in the welcome was loud and cheerful. Our newest campers are settling into their bunks and getting refreshed for dinner.
On the Poyntelle side of camp dinner tonight will be chicken fajitas and evening activity is movie night under the stars. Campers will bring their sleeping bags and blankets out onto the field to watch a movie projected onto the handball wall. The kitchen has been making big pots of popcorn and there will be movie style candy to enjoy as well.
Lewis Village will enjoy beef stir fry tonight and then one of the most exciting evening activities of the summer. CLUE! The scene is set at Ray Hill Asylum (Our alumni might remember that camp used to be named Camp Poyntelle Ray Hill) where the warden is mysteriously murdered. Every one has a motive and an opportunity as the scene unfolds complete with counselors in costumes with lots of props.
A word about the food at Lewis Village. We want to assure all of our families of Lewis Village campers that we have both increased the variety of food available as well as the quantity of food at Lewis. We are making sure that all campers are getting enough food to eat and of course, with Mike our LV baker, there are always lots of delicious sweets and pastries available at breakfast and dinner.
Congratulations to our 10th/11th grade girls softball team for making it to the finals!!! Stay tuned for the results...
July 23, 2011
Shabbat Shalom from CPLV. The weather up here is a little bit warm but we are expecting the heat to break tomorrow. In the meantime we have all been drinking lots of water and making sure not to over exert. Yesterday campers at Lewis Village enjoyed individual select and a chug after a late wake up and campers were able to come over to Poyntelle and use the swimming pool. So, perfect for the hot weather. Friday night Lewis Village campers had their first Lewis only shabbat. They enjoyed going back to their shabbat spot and having some quiet bonding time with their fellow campers. This morning was late wake up as usual on Saturday morning and on the Lewis Village side breakfast is optional and campers can sleep in and meet at the waterfront at 10:00 am for shabbat programming. Lewis Village campers had the parachute program that Poyntelle campers had a couple of weeks ago. They heard the story that I posted here and then created a parachute for the people who fill their parachute and gave it to them.
Our first session campers have spent the morning packing and we are sad to say goodbye to them. An all camp free swim this afternoon cheered everyone up though.
Tonight is banquet! The theme for banquet at Poyntelle is Dr. Seuss and after dinner we will all enjoy CPLV's theatrical production of Seussical the Musical! At Lewis Village, banquet is going to be a counselor roast. The tables will be decorated with funny pictues of the counselors and campers will have the opportunity to roast their counselors in a loving yet humourous way. Everyone is showering and putting on their finest attire. Pictures will be taken outside before dinner. Dinner tonight is thanksgiving style. We will be having turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. We have so much to be thankful for at CPLV. We are grateful to our first session parents for sharing your beautiful children with us for the first 4 weeks of camp and hope that the memories they made will last them a lifetime.
We are looking forward to the arrival of our second session campers tomorrow and will post on this blog in the morning what times our buses depart from camp and when our second session campers arrive at camp.
July 21, 2011
Just wanted to let you know that all of our campers are back at camp safe and sound! They all had a fabulous time and stayed hydrated. Everyone is ready for a relaxing shabbat!
July 20, 2011
Good evening from a warm CPLV. Campers at Poyntelle are doing their final prep for tonights Sing and the scores are so close that any team could come out ahead after tonight. Tomorrow our campers will all be going on trips. Lewis Village will be heading out to Dorney Park, Poyntelle Inters will be heading to Hershey Park and Juniors are heading to Knoebels. We are aware that the weather will be warm tomorrow and are going to make sure that our campers stay hydrated throughout the day. We know they are going to have a fabulous time at these parks.
Sports Update:
8th grade girls basketball vs Wayne for Girls: The girls were down by 1 point with 6 seconds to go. We scored and had an exciting win! We are now in the Finals!! You Go Girls!! :)
A note from the office gals: If you have campers at Lewis Village and plan to send up additional spending money to put in their account for the trip to Cleveland the money must be received in our office by July 28th in order to have it available for them to take on the trip. You can send checks to us at
Camp Poyntelle Attention: Office
P.O. Box 66
Poyntelle, PA 18454
July 19, 2011
HaRuach is in full force at Camp Poyntelle. It's a very tight race at this point. Campers had a full day of track and field, sports rotations and waterfront activities. Mission Impossible was a watermelon eating contest that was a perfect activity for a warm day like today. Tonight's evening activity is "Yo, check out my ride" where each team will be given a golf cart to decorate and points will be awarded for the most creative "ride".
Lunch today was chicken nuggets and french fries. It was a silent lunch and points were awarded for the loudest HaMotzi. Dinner tonight is tortellini and garlic knots.
A long standing tradition at CPLV is canoing down the Delaware river. Lewis Village campers that chose this trip set off early this morning and have spent the day canoing along the beautiful scenic Delaware. We just heard from the supervisors and everyone is safe and having a fabulous time. They've stopped for the night and will be pitching tents, building a campfire and cooking their own dinner. Tomorrow they will canoe a bit more and return to camp in time for dinner. Lewis Village is having a Lag B'omer campfire program tonight and tomorrow and Friday is picture day.
We are happy to be hosting campers from the Central Queens Y this afternoon and tonight. After an afternoon at the waterfront they will be joining Lewis Village for evening activity. They will sleep at Poyntelle in the rec hall and enjoy activities at camp tomorrow morning before heading back to the Y after lunch.
July 18, 2011
It was so wonderful to see all of our families enjoying camp together yesterday at Visiting day. We hope that you all had a great time enjoying our facilities and beautiful lake. We couldn't have asked for better weather. As you probably know by now HaRuach broke out the night before visiting day on Poyntelle. It was a huge surprise and probably the first time in HaRuach history that even the captains were unaware of breakout. It took place during havdalah as Cantor Bill called 8 counselors up to one by one to help out with the havdalah service. As they all stood there they counted themselves and the campers counted them and slowly the magical number of 8 counselors began to dawn on everyone. The curtain was parted and a huge banner appeared while music played indicating that HaRuach 2011 was beginning. Everyone was so excited and very surprised. The theme of HaRuach is appropriately Havdalah!
We have Aish (fire), Bisamim (spices), Hamavdil (separation) and Gefen (grape juice). Last night was opening ceremonies at the campfire and the competition began this morning with girls at the waterfront and boys doing a sports rotation of soccer, basketball, dodge ball and gaga. Lunch today began with a contest for the loudest HaMotzi followed by a silent lunch when teams lose points if any members talk. After lunch and rest hour boys competed at the waterfront and girls competed in their sports rotations. Tonight's evening activity is College Bowl.
Sports Update:
Our sports teams have been busy and many teams have made it to the finals. Here's a list of our current standing:
10th/11th grade boys Baseball - 1/4 finals
8th grade girls Basketball - semi finals
8th grade boys Baseball - semi finals
10th/11th grade boys softball - 1/4 finals
7th grade girls basketball - 1/4 finals
9th grade boys baseball - semi finals
10th/11th grade boys tennis - semi finals
7th grade girls softball - 1/4 finals
7th grade boys Baseball - semi finals
5th grade boys Baseball - semi finals
8th/9th grade boys Softball - semi finals
10th/11th grade boys soccer - 1/4 finals
Let's not forget we also play friendly games like volleyball and ultimate frisbee as well as participate in tournaments in flag football, dance, movement and cheer
July 16, 2011
Shabbat Shalom! We've been having a wonderful shabbat at CPLV and are also busy getting ready to see you all tomorrow. Lewis Village ended Ha'Ruach on Thursday evening and Friday night they all sat together with our Poyntelle campers dressed in white shirts. We spoke about how all week campers were competing against one another and wearing their team colors and how beautiful and special it was to all be together in our white shirts as one, welcoming in shabbat and focusing on the peace and love that is CPLV. G3, G4 and B3 led services Friday night and they did a beautiful job working with Cantor Bill to make Shabbat a meaningful experience for all of our campers. After our traditional friday night dinner (yummo) we had a dance and song session. The dance chug from Lewis Village performed the dance they had been working on all week as did the dance chug from Poyntelle.
Today campers had a late wakeup and came to breakfast in their pajamas. Breakfast was bagels, lox spread, coffee cake, fresh fruit, yogurt, hot and cold cereals. After breakfast campers had some time to clean up their bunks and then it was time for some Jewish programming. Campers at Poyntelle spent time talking about fairness and they had an experiential exercise in which they played a game but the rules were changed so that they weren't fair. This allowed campers to talk about how how it feels when things aren't fair and we spoke about fairness as a jewish value.
Tonight's evening activity at Poyntelle is a treasure hunt/archeological dig. Campers will have to do a variety of tasks by division in order to receive clues that will direct them to places to dig. They will be digging up pieces of a broken vase and when they have retrieved all the pieces they will re-assemble the vase in the dining hall with glue. The word on the vase when re-assembled will be Hatikvah.
Lewis Village is planning a week long activity based on the popular show the Amazing Race. Stay tuned for details.
We are very much looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow for visiting day. Please remember that the gate will open at 9:30 and that we ask you to stay by your cars until that time. Don't forget swim suits and towels and comfortable walking shoes. We will have bricks for sale tomorrow and if you bought a brick last year for our new dining hall please be sure to stop by and see the beautiful walkway leading up to the hall. We also have very special mezzuzot for sale tomorrow. In our old dining hall we had a beautiful fireplace with a large wooden mantle over it. Fred, our caretaker, created 300 very special mezzuzot out of the mantle that we will be offering for sale for $36 a piece. Finally, we are also selling car magnets that will be the talk of the town ($3 a piece, or 2 for $5). Please do stop by the office and say hello and check your child's account balance for the second session trips coming up and the last week of trips for our first session campers.
See you all tomorrow. Please drive carefully.
News Flash: Due to a countywide power outage, we were not able to do most phone calls last night. Don't worry, we still had SING at LV and Dinner Theater at CP (thanks to our generators!). Deepest apologies, and we will have our campers call you today! Thank you for your understanding!
July 14, 2011
Good afternoon CPLV families. We've had gorgeous weather today and Lewis Village is in their final hours of HaRuach. Last night's talent show was amazing. We have some very talented teenage campers at Lewis Village and the scores are so close that any team could pull ahead tonight at Sing. Sing is the culmination of HaRuach when teams present their shield, cheer, comedy song and oneg.
On the Poyntelle side of camp we will also be having a great evening activity. It's dinner theater! Bunks will prepare skits to entertain the camp and we will be dining on a fabulous special disney themed dinner. Appetizers include 'three little pigs in a blanket', 'pinocchio potato puffs' and 'mulan egg rollls'. Choices for the main course include, 'beauty and the briskett', 'chicken little's chicken marsala' and 'under the sea fish'. Dessert will be 'mad hatter's chocolate ravioli'
We are looking forward to seeing all of our camper's families on Sunday for visiting day. Please travel safely and remember to stop by the office to check your child's money balance in his or her account and to look at our new very cool car magnets ($3 a piece/ 2 for $5). Remember to leave your pets at home, wear comfortable shoes and bring your swim suits and towels to enjoy our beautiful waterfront.
July 13, 2011
Good evening families. The weather was a little bit cooler today but has still been very comfortable.
Bible Raps spent the last two days with us running special workshops with our campers. Last night at Lewis Village campers had a "rap off" with free style raps that they had written themselves and also rapped some raps written by the Bible rappers.
Ha'Ruach has been really exciting at Lewis Village. Today was our iron man and iron woman competition. They had a lake swim, a kayak race and a running race. The white team won the iron man competition and the red team won the iron woman competition. We've also had swimming relays, watermelon eating contests, and a triatholon. Campers are working hard on their shields, banners and songs for sing.
Campers on the Poyntelle side of camp will experience a live version of the popular food network show, 'Cake Boss" tonight as they participate in a cake decorating competition.
Visiting day letters have been sent out and we are very excited to see you this Sunday and share all the fun and exciting things we've been doing at camp this summer. Visiting day will begin at 9:30 am and we ask that you stay by your cars until the gates open and then proceed in an orderly fashion to your happy campers. If you have campers on both side of camp do not worry. We will provide a shuttle service back and forth from the Poyntelle side of camp to the Lewis Village side of camp so that you can visit all of their bunks and meet all of their counselors. For your convenience lunch will be served on both sides of camp but please be sure to visit our new dining hall on the Poyntelle side of camp if you do decide to eat at Lewis Village.
Please remember to bring comfortable walking shoes as our terrain is rocky and don't forget your swimsuit and towels to enjoy our beautiful 70 acre private lake. Please remember that no pets will be allowed on campgrounds during visiting day.
At this time of year many parents begin to ask about our tipping policy. We have posted a link to a tipping letter on this website that includes our suggestions for tipping as well as the names of all of our current counselors. To access the letter click on the link for parents at the top of the page and then click on the link for online forms. You'll see the tipping letter at the bottom of the list - it's in a smaller font than the other forms. Click on the link to open up the word document. The date at the top of the page says 2010 but we promise it is a current list of our counselors at CPLV.
JUST IN: We will have very cool car magnets for sale on visiting day. They have just arrived and they promise to be a hot commodity. They will be available for purchase at $3 a piece or 2 for $5. Be sure to stop by the office and pick them up while supplies last.
July 12, 2011
Good afternoon families and friends.
Last night's evening activity at Lewis Village was a movie night. As campers sat together watching 'Fantastic Four' with hebrew subtitles for our Israeli campers they noticed that the scene changed to the the CPLV waterfront. As 2 L.I.Ts were playing catch in the water a camper swam by with a little fin on his back and "attacked" the campers. The scene then switched to 2 L.I.Ts fishing off a boat. One L.I.T said to the other, "Did you hear something?" The other replied, "no" and then quite suddenly the L.I.T's were pulled into the water as ketchup splashed up onto the boat. A few other scenes followed from well known films by directors, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg until finally the L.I.T's came running onto the stage dressed in their HaRuach colors and screaming "BREAK OUT" The teams for this year's HaRuach at LV are the previous 4 mentioned well known famous Jewish Directors.
Last Night's evening activity at Camp Poyntelle was Human Board Games. Campers have played all these popular board games but last night they had a chance to play these games as the pieces. They were divided into 8 groups and each group travelled to 4 of the 8 following games to have a chance to play: hungry hungry hippo, Checkers, Twister, Battleship, Canteen land, Pictionary, Guess Who and Chutes and Ladders.
Sports Update:
6th grade boys basketball played a tough game against Island Lake but lost. The final score was 28-2. 7th grade boys softball also lost their game against Westmont 10-3 but played well and gave it their best shot. 10th/11th grade girls tennis had a tough loss against Westmont as well. These girls also played hard and gave it their all. 5th grade boys won their baseball game against Camp Lohikan (11-3) and 9th grade boys won their baseball game against Camp Weequahic (10-1). We congratulate all our campers on their good sportsmanship and no matter what the final score we always give them a pat on the back and tell them they're fabulous!
July 11, 2011
Today was a warm day at CPLV. Campers are enjoying an all camp free swim this afternoon at our beautiful 70 acre private lake and after free swim there will be ice cream for everyone. There are so many activites to do down at our waterfront. Campers love paddling around the lake on paddleboats, canoes and rowboats, floating on surfboards and bouncing on the trampoline. Our deep water swimmers enjoy the challenge and tradition of a lake swim over to the other side of camp which is a 2 mile swim round trip.
Our chugim are in full swing this week and in our camp beautifcation chug campers are doing leaving a beautiful mark at CPLV. This week campers are building a new mailbox that will live outside of our new dining hall. It is our hope that years from now these very same campers will bring their children to camp and point to this mailbox and say, "I built this when I was a camper" Our running chug is learning stretching and cool down exercises and as they progress from a mile run to a two mile run they are learning proper form and how to pace themselves.
I'm sure you are always interested to know what your campers are eating :) This morning we had delicious pancakes for breakfast, lunch was macaroni and cheese and dinner will be chicken stir fry. But the biggest news from the kitchen is that for dinner tonight we will be using for the first time at CPLV reusable plates, cups and silverware. This is part of our continuing effort to be environmentally more conscious. With 300 campers at CPLV we were using over a 1,000 styrofoam plates, plastic cups and plastic silverware daily. The amount of waste that we will reduce by switching to reusable plates, cups and silverware will not only help to save the environment but will save us quite a bit of money every summer as well.
Last night our girls at Camp Poyntelle had an all girl sleepover in the rec hall. Imagine the best slumber party with all your best friends and you'll picture what the rec hall was like last night. The boys had a field night and they had an awesome time as well.
July 10, 2011
Good afternoon families and friends. Today was an incredibly moving day at CPLV. Many of the families that donated money and energy into making our new dining hall a reality were here at camp for the dedication ceremony. As campers and staff shared with them what CPLV meant to them there wasn't a dry eye in the audience. The message that was shared with our campers was that when you have a vision and you work hard at something anything is possible. Campers also came to understand that it's always important to give to others who may not have what you have. Our campers sang, cheered and turned our dining hall from a building into a spiritual home.
A special moment in today's ceremony was to recognize Katie Albers, the head of our waterfront at CPLV. Katie has been with CPLV for 28 years and as she said this afternoon, "It was meant to be a one summer job for some extra money and then I found a home" We all feel this way about CPLV.. our home away from home.
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