Miss Lori's Blog

Summer Camp 2011 Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Today is June 26th and the first campers for the summer arrive today between 2 and 4 p.m. YEA!!!

The staff have completed their training and are very excited for campers to arrive. Camp Pendola is fortunate to have a wonderful bunch of counselors and staff this year.

If you have received your confirmation packets...or read any of the information about this summer you may notice that there is no bus transportation except for the mini-week that begins on Wednesday, July 6. If you are in need of finding someone to car pool with, this blog could be the place to start. Make sure to include the week your child is attending. Their age, gender and your location might also be helpful.

I hope we see you soon and that Camp Pendola provides lots of memories to last a lifetime.

Miss Lori

Outdoor Program for Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:08:00 +0000

I was a part of a Parent Meeting at St. Mel's on Monday night, May 2. I suggested that they use this space to ask questions they might have. So parents...AND STUDENTS...please feel free to use this space to talk about your upcoming trips to Camp Pendola for school.

The schools that are coming this month are St. Thomas, Oroville; Sacred Heart, Red Bluff; St. Mel's, Fair Oaks; St. John Vianney, Rancho Cordova; and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Elk Grove;

Spring time at Pendola is great. I reminded many students students that the activities are different because it is "school" and that camp looks different because it isn't summer yet. However Camp Pendola is always a great place to provide lasting memories and to learn about this a special place in the Diocese of Sacramento.

Miss Lori

Getting Ready

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:41:00 +0000

Well it is getting to that time of year when I never am sure everything will get finished that needs to get done and this year is no different.

If you have found your way to this Blog you may already know that Camp Pendola, along with many others suffered lots of snow and wind damage during the winter. We dodged the bullet except for a number of downed trees until the last system in mid March. When I was finally able to get back into camp I discovered a tree had come down on one of the shower houses. Subsequently it has been determined to be a total loss.

This is what has gotten done so far. We finally have gotten new electric poles planted and new line strung from Tekakwitha (girls dorm) to the well. Because trees can no longer used they had to put in 4 new poles.

Propane tanks have been filled and the heaters for the small cabins are being serviced for the spring groups coming in beginning next weekend. Two of those cabins have not been used during heating season since 2004.

The internet satellite has been replaced. The snow literally stripped the dish of its receiver (or whatever it is called)and the dish and line needed to be replaced.

Brian and Keith Corcoran came up and spent a weekend with chainsaws. We still need to drag a lot of the logs but the brush is removed and access to buildings done. The tree is being removed from the shower house tomorrow.

This coming week will consist of a lot of cleaning in the buildings that will be used for spring groups. Most just need a dust mop, a few will need a little more.

Which brings up the final update....Camp Pendola's Annual Work Weekends are May 21-22 and May 28-30. We really could use lots of help. A couple of special projects include concrete repair work on the overflow at the pond and also probable replacement of one of the docks. In exchange for you hard work you will be fed, meet new people, enjoy time with your family, and maybe even enjoy a S'More. Please just give me a call(916-733-0141) or send an email.

MAY 15 IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT. So register now for summer camp.

Hope to see you all soon.

Miss Lori

Summer 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:06:00 +0000

In the past couple of weeks I have had an opportunity to refer people to past blogs that I have posted. If you are new, and have a first time camper I would like to refer you to my blog from December 2009. It has a great link to a book for parents about sending your child to camp. Also last May 19th blog has some tips for First time campers. I know my grandson has been practicing taking a shower so he is ready for his first time as a camper.

Camp Pendola was hit hard this past winter with the storms. The last storm resulted in a tree crashing down on the free standing shower house. It is a total loss. Now...if things go smoothly (no Murphy's Law please) there is a chance that the replacement might be done in time for camp. We will know more over the next few weeks if the plans get finished on time and the county approves them. You can check out the pictures on the Pendola Center Fan Page on Facebook.

Registrations are coming in both by mail and online. Hopefully we can continue to improve the process.

Work Weekend are May 20-21 and May 28-30. If you are looking for family time, and also a chance to spend some time "Up in the Pines", consider come to camp for the day or a weekend. Just give me a call so we can plan for food and projects. I know the first weekend we are doing some pond projects. We need some concrete patchwork on the overflow and a dock needs to be rebuilt. There is always a lot of raking and clean up around buildings and don't forget the kitchen.

By the way you may wonder why the words "Up in the Pines" is in quotation marks. It is because they are words from the camp song. The words are:

Up in the pines there stands a camp
A camp of honor and of faith
The most wonderful camp in all the world
And Camp Pendola is its name.

We see the sun set in the west
The green hills where the campers trod.
I love my camp up in the Pines
And all my thanks I give to God.

Summer 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:32:00 +0000

Okay...so it is St. Patrick's Day....and another snow storm is suppose to blast the Sierra's this weekend. HOWEVER summer is quickly approaching.

For those of you wanting the convenience of electronic payment, this year Online registration is available. It is not perfect but is a step in the right direction...that being of the 21st century.

If you wish to have a camp brochure sent to you please contact the office. Either info@pendola.org or 916-733-0141 will get one in the mail to you. I have been trying to get the forms online since March 1. Hopefully they will get posted next week. I am having trouble getting them uploaded to the site.

This summer we are offering a week themed VBS Extreme. The topic is Go Green and focuses on environmental and personal stewardship. Pope Benedict frequently includes our responsibility to take care of what God has given us. And admonishes us to protect all creation for future generations.

So grab a buddy and come to camp in 2011.

Miss Lori

Just in time for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:40:00 +0000

I came to the conclusion several months ago that I am not very good at this Blog thing. It really is for a variety of reasons....one is that I am not sure anyone reads it and another reason is that this time of year it is difficult to come up with timely items to blog about.

BUT it is time for Christmas and on Wednesday, December 8..in addition to being the Feast of the Immaculate Conception...It is the National Wear Your Summer Camp T-Shirt Day because it is only 200 days til summer camp begins.

One of the greatest gifts a parent or grandparent could give their child this Christmas is a week at Camp Pendola. Contact me here at the office and I can put together a gift certificate in any amount that you would like to send or help a child to summer camp.

In addition to a week at camp...Treasure Shack items are also available for purchase. A few items are in the office, but if you are interested in shirts or sweatshirts you need to give me time to pick up the correct sizes from camp. I go to camp at least 1 day a week all year long so you just need to let me know.

Don't forget to put More Than S'Mores on your calendar for the last Saturday in February. This is a great event that helps provide some of the scholarship money needed to help send children to camp who otherwise would be unable to attend.

If you do read this I would love to know. Also what things you would like to know about. It was hoped when I started this, that it would be a place where parents could ask questions and receive information quickly. Especially those questions that a lot of parents might be interested in.

So Merry Christmas to anyone who reads this and I hope that we see you Up in the Pines at Camp Pendola in 2011.

Miss Lori
Lori Rosene

Summer is HERE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Summer is here and Camp Pendola is ready for the campers to arrive. We have just completed two weeks of training. The first week was certification training in First Aid, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and Lifeguarding. This past week was spent at camp learning about everything from child development to overnight camping trips. A day at the Bullards Bar learning camoe safety and rescues, and lots of time in the arts and crafts building challenging our creativity.

The staff is really fired up and ready for campers to arrive on Sunday, June 20.

There are openings in most sessions and yes you may still register for summer camp.

SOOOOO..come join us up in the pines for a fun filled week.

Miss Lori

Summer is close!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:39:00 +0000

Now is the time to get your registrations in. We have one program we have closed because it is full...That is the CILT program July 25-31 for young people entering 9th and 10th grades.

As camp time gets closer here are a few tips that I have "borrowed" from another camp...but they are great ideas and will really help if you have a first time camper.

Tips for the First Time Camper

1. Have your child spend the night with friends a few times before sending them to camp. This will get them use to staying away from home before staying a week at camp.

2. Have your child look for things with a flashlight one night. The sun is the only source of light in our cabins so when the sun goes down, the lights go out and we rely on flashlights!!

3. Have your child help you pack for camp. This will let them know exactly what is in their bag and will make it easier for them to pack on Saturday when they go home from camp.(Helpful Hint: pack each day's clothes in a separate plastic bag or clip with a clothes pin labeled with the day.)

4. Send a small plastic travel bag for the shower! Traveling to/from the shower house, little things get dropped! A caddy helps them keep up with their belongings.

5. We only have showers (no bathtubs). Showers can be scary especially in an unfamiliar place. Have them practice using a shower at home before coming to camp. We also practice water conservation so help them take a quick shower.

6. Remember to LABEL EVERYTHING!! Living with other people, clothes can start looking the same! Please send old clothes.

Hopefully these tips will help make your child's stay at camp a little easier and more comfortable.

This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to learn responsibility and be self-directed while being away from home (with a little help from their counselor, of course)!

If you have any questions, you may post them here or call the office at 916-733-0141.

Beginning June 12 the Sacramento Office phone will be forwarded up to Camp Pendola. Or you may call Camp Directly at 530-288-3263.

The staff and I are getting really excited for camp to begin. See you soon!!

Miss Lori

Summer Camp Registration

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:46:00 +0000

It is difficult to believe that summer staff begin to arrive at camp in about 1 month. That means that summer camp registrations are coming in. The CILT program this year is large enough we had to add an additional cabin and staff for the program. Now if only the rest of the programs would pick up.

Parents...May 15 is the deadline for the early bird registration fee. After that fees go up $15. Remember that you can make payments to spread the cost. The summer staff is nearly complete and there is great bunch of young people very excited to help your child have a terrific time at Camp Pendola. A couple of staff were even up at camp this past weekend helping to put the finishing touches on some activity plans.

We have new orienteering maps for activities this year and also have added some GPS's so we can do more geocaching. Our arts and crafts program is adding new items this year for all ages of campers. Would you like to create your own boomerang and learn how to throw it???? Well come to camp and we will show you how.

So fire up for summer and spend a week with us at Camp Pendola.

If you have any questions this might be a good place to ask them. Otherwise call 916-733-0141.

Miss Lori

Pendola Center's "Split Personality"

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Pendola Center has a "split personality". It is really an interesting phenomena. Most of the time my blog is spent on information for parents of summer campers or maybe to summer staff alumni. However Pendola Center really has two other sides to it "personality".

Last weekend nearly 60 adults and youth from Holy Rosary and Presentation Parishes participated in a retreat. It is so special to see the excitement and enthusiasm in the youth and their retreat leaders as they go through the weekend. I am always amazed when priests from throughout the diocese are finding their way to Pendola Center for the first time. As youth enjoy their time at here, it is important they know that Pendola Center really belongs to them, the youth of the diocese. And it is up to them to take care of it and all of God's Creation that they have an opportunity to experience at this place up in the pines.

Creature Camp is another personality of Pendola Center. Creature Camp is an outdoor education program, primarily for 5th and 6th grade students in our Catholic schools. At Pendola, students, their teachers and adult volunteers come for three or four days for a science based curriculum to explore and appreciate God's Creatures. This spring we have two schools trying a spring Creature Camp experience and I am looking forward to sharing the discovery that awaits them.

I believe that I am extremely blessed to be able to experience all of Pendola Center's personalities. If you would like more information about any of programs, or an idea for something new, please contact me.

Miss Lori

Because of Camp....

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Since Tuesday, February 16, I have heard that phrase a lot. I was at the National American Camp Association Conference in Denver for four days and Because of Camp...is the basis of their public service announcement campaign. We had the opportunity to hear how Because of Camp Keri Strug, a Olympic gymnast, learned to be a team player and how Luis Benitez led a climbing expedition to Mt Everest that included one member who was blind because of his camping experience as a youth.

Listening to these stories, and watching the PSA that is on You Tube filled with celebrities is maybe a little intimidating to compare to our own camp experiences. However that is exactly what I have been doing over the past couple of days. At the Friends of Pendola More Than S'mores event on Saturday, February 20, I spoke briefly about Because of Camp and made the statement that it was because of camp I am the person who I am today. That too is a pretty lofty statement and also doesn't say a lot. So I have been trying to reflect on what that means.

Because of Camp I have learned lifeskills. Everything from how to cook to how to fix a toilet that won't stop running. Many times during my young adult life, I would do a task...or make a suggestion and someone would ask, "How did you learn to do that?" Invariably the answer would be "At Camp". It took me a long time to realize that my camp experience made many of my skills and experiences unique.

Because of Camp I sent my own child to camp. He had both day camping and overnight camp experiences. Now it is nearing the time for my grandchildren to begin camp. I was ready to say 3 generations of campers until I remembered my Dad was a camper and was probably instrumental in my first camp experience. I remember him telling how his mother made him and his brother go to camp and how homesick they were at first. I also know that the hand carved totem poles on my living room wall that he carved while a camper where objects among his most cherished.

So if you are considering a camp experience for a child for the first time, please know that camp offers an opportunity for children to learn many things. Each person's experience is different. And if you had a camping experience, your "Because of Camp" statement is not the same as mine. Regardless of the experience, even if the only thing remembered is the bugs and the dirt, the perseverance and resilience to overcome the challenges of being away from home, living with people you have just met, and being independent enough to put on insect repellent when reminded, there will be a because of camp experience that will make a difference in the life yet to live.

I hope that you will consider Camp Pendola for a camp experience this summer and that this "camp up in the pines" will provide one of those because of camp statements that is remembered a lifetime.

Miss Lori

Returning camper discount

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Hello,

It always seems difficult to talk summer camp registration in January. Yet, many families are beginning to plan vacations and in this economy, budgeting for summer camp experiences. In fact, camp registrations have started coming in.

To help parents, we are offering a special early registration for returning campers. Lock in last summers prices by registering now. You don't have to commit to a date yet, just send in a deposit and completed registration. Then when you are ready you can contact us with the dates you want. If we haven't heard from you we will send you a reminder about May 1, 2010.

Worried about a session filling up? Last year the only session that we closed was the mini week. So yes we could have a session fill. However, since Camp Pendola is still in the process of rebuilding, AND we added an additional week this summer, it is unlikely that any of the sessions will fill before May 1. If we are getting close to ANY session filling, we will immediately send out an email to notify those returning campers who have not yet selected their dates. It is important that we have correct email addresses to have quick contact with you.

All forms and information have been updated on the pendola.org web site. If you have any questions, please contact us at 916-733-0127 and talk to Kim. Or you can ask them here on my blog, especially if it is a question you think others might have.

Pax,
Miss Lori

Great Resource for Parents

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Each year we receive phone calls asking if a child is ready for a sleep away camp experience. MY response is always the same. Parents know their child best and need to decide if their child is comfortable on overnights with friends and family. To help the child with getting ready for their first time at camp, let them spend two or three nights with relatives or close friends. Sometimes it is more difficult for the parents than for the child. Especially letting them go without a cell phone, or call "just to say goodnight".

To help parents and children make the summer camp experience easier, Dr. Chris Thurber wrote a book for parents. It is called The Summer Camp Handbook. NOW IT IS AVAILABLE FREE ONLINE. Check it out at

http://www.summercamphandbook.com/

I hope this helps parents with making choices for their child for this summer. If you are considering Camp Pendola for a summer camp experience, we are having a Parent Information Meeting at the the Pastoral Center in Sacramento on Wednesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. The Pastoral Center is located at 2110 Broadway. This is a great time to come and ask questions and find out a little more about camp.

If you would like to see Camp Pendola, please call me at 916-733-0141 to arrange a visit.

We hope to see you this summer at Camp Pendola.

Miss Lori

Help Wanted for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:43:00 +0000

It is hard to believe it is time to think about summer jobs at Pendola with the first day of winter just two days ago. But it really is that time. Last year all positions were filled by mid March. With the economy I anticipate a quick filling of most positions for 2010.

Who can be a counselor/staff person at Camp Pendola?
If you were a CIT and have graduated from high School OR
If you have completed at least one year of college or are 19 years years old

Also looking for a head cook/kitchen manager and a Health Services Manager.

All employment forms are available on the web page.

Staff commitment for 2010 is June 13 - August 11. Certification training is June 7-11.

Interviews will begin the end of January.

Welcome to Miss Lori's Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Lori's Blog) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:04:00 +0000

This is a great time to reflect on all the joys, blessings and challenges of this year. It is also a great time to look to the future. I begin this new avenue of communicating with parents, campers, friends and supporters of Camp Pendola/Pendola Center, with the hope that 2010 will find lots of people returning and new people discovering how special of place it is.

I hope that this space will help people find information and news in a way that a web site doesn't. If we are able to add an RSS feed from this blog and the pendola.org website, please subscribe to the feed to get the most current information and updates.

Merry Christmas and here is looking toward a Blessed New Year.

Miss Lori
Pendola Center Director