February Parent Coffee

“Make Friends: Coach Kids to Better Friendships”

Social and emotional skills, just like academic and athletic ones, are not fixed or personality dependent. The skills necessary to make and keep friends need to be discussed, modeled, and practiced at camp and at home. Come learn about:

Come learn from Audrey “Sunshine” Monke how to be your child’s “Friendship Skills Coach” at February’s Parent Coffee on Wednesday, February 7 at 10am PT. 

Register HERE for the February 7 Parent Coffee. Registrants will be sent a recording after the meeting. We hope to see you there!

 

November Parent Coffee

The GAC Parent Coffee series kicks off next month!

Join Audrey “Sunshine” Monke & Chelsea “Chelster” Rowe at 10am PT on November 15 for a discussion of your biggest parenting challenges. We’ll talk about our observations about campers and staff, share ideas and resources, and discuss topics you listed on your evaluations as areas where you want more parent education this school year, including:

Social Emotional Health of Kids & Teens (including anxiety, overcoming disappointment)

Social Media

Friend drama, mean girls, and bullying

Fostering independence & raising self-starters

Plan Ahead!

January 17 Parent Coffee – How to Raise Kids Who Become Thriving Adults

Audrey “Sunshine” Monke, GAC’s Chief Visionary Officer and author of Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults, will discuss simple, research-based and experience-backed strategies covered in HAPPY CAMPERS for bringing some camp strategies home to your family.

Summer 2024 Registration Now Open for Returning GAC Families!

Hello GAC Families!

Registration for Summer 2024 is now open for returning GAC campers (and siblings) and families who were wait-listed for 2023. We cannot guarantee or hold space for your camper and registrations will be processed on a first-come first-served basis. We recommend enrolling as close to August 1 as possible and before September 16 when we open enrollment for new camp families.

Some age groups in our two and three-week sessions are wait list only so be sure to check out the 2024 Dates & Rates, 2024 Availability, and contact us if you have any questions. Please enroll your camper through your My GAC Login or the Campanion app.

 

90th Year Reunion This Summer!

Gold Arrow Camp is celebrating 90 years! If you are a former GAC camper or staff member, please help us celebrate this incredible milestone on August 19, 2023.

If you’re not sure that we have your current contact information, please join our searchable Alumni Guestbook. Gold Arrow Camp has a long, rich history and we would like to continue to update our alumni database to share upcoming reunion events and news.

Check out more details and a link to register for the 90th Year Reunion Dinner.

We hope you’ll join us on August 19 to reminisce about your days (and years) spent at good ‘ol G-A-C.

GAC Virtual Assemblies are Back!

Summer seems so far away so we thought we would bring some GAC to you now with our virtual assemblies! If you’re new to GAC or need a refresher, most days (unless on outpost), campers will attend Morning Assembly at our beautiful outdoor amphitheater. After breakfast, the entire camp community gathers for announcements, games, songs, and fun before heading off to their first activity for the day. For cabins who arrive early, an optional dance party on stage is always a camper favorite.

From February through June, campers, parents, and staff are welcome to join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 4pm for a GAC Virtual Assembly. A reminder and link will be emailed to camp families prior to each assembly. We hope you’ll join us!

Manhattan Beach 10K Highlights

The GAC Runners had another successful year at the Manhattan Beach 10K! Thank you to the campers, parents, staff, and alumni who represented GAC on the course and at the booth! There were lots of smiles from a happy runners crew. Also at this event, the winner of a free week at camp was selected from the many names of parents who completed their 2022 Parent Evaluation by September 10th! And the winner is… The Shallenberger Family. Congratulations!

If your school or town hosts a running event, let us know! We love to be a part of these community events.

2022 GAC Events Calendar

Happy New Year! As we gear up for another summer of fun, friends, and growth at GAC, we have planned some online events in the coming months. Download a calendar for home and be sure to visit the Upcoming Events page for links and details.

Give us a call at 800-554-2267 x.0 or send us an email if you have any questions or need additional information about any of our events.

DOWNLOAD 2022 GAC EVENTS CALENDAR

 

Junior Counselor Application Opens Dec. 15

 

“After 8 years as campers, both my daughters were JCs this year. They both had the time of their lives. They loved it even more than being GAC campers, because it had all of the fun activities and traditions, plus the added perks of being trusted with more responsibilities and additional freedoms. After 1.5 years of COVID and all its disappointments, this was just what they needed for their mindset and their self-esteem. They both made deep friendships, both gained maturity, and both retain their love for GAC and intend to go back as counselors when they’re old enough. Thank you!” – 2021 JC Parent

Gold Arrow Camp’s Junior Counselor Program is designed to introduce older, returning campers to leadership roles with specific training and responsibilities in the camp environment. Our goal is for Junior Counselors (JCs) to return home confident in their leadership abilities and able to create positive change in their schools and communities.

The first two weeks of the month-long program focus on building leadership skills, teamwork, and training. JC participants will spend the second two weeks engaged in hands-on leadership and camp counseling experience while working with younger campers and experienced counselors.

Teens benefit greatly from a camp experience and GAC’s JC Program is no exception! This program is a fun, engaging, and fulfilling opportunity for our former GAC campers completing grades 10 and 11. Let us know if you have questions or need additional information.

Junior Counselor Application Opens December 15

 

GAC Families Rock!

A HUGE thank you to our camp families for your trust in us this summer and for your support in keeping GAC safe and healthy.

Because of the sacrifices you made and the care you showed for the health and safety of everyone in our camp community, we had a COVID-free summer at GAC. This remarkable feat was only possible with the commitment and flexibility from our camp families and staff to execute an ever-changing plan. We appreciate your understanding, as our procedures changed before camp and throughout the summer. Your vigilance, and your children’s willingness to comply with our guidelines, kept us all safe and healthy this summer. For that, we will always be grateful. 

Our 2021 summer theme was “Better Together,” which is something we have always felt about the GAC community. This year, more than ever, we were grateful to have the opportunity to come back together at camp for face-to-face interactions with our friends. It was refreshing for all of us to move from the isolation of the pandemic to the connection our camp community provides. 

It was such a delight to share the summer with your children, who showed us everyday what we knew to be true, which is that we are indeed, “Better Together.” 

We look forward to next summer when we’re together again!

March GATA Webinar

For this month’s Gold Arrow Teacher Academy (GATA) webinar on Wednesday, March 10 at 5pm PT/8pm ET, we are focusing on Growing Grit!

Grit, which is another word to describe the important character trait of “resilience,” is predictive of student well-being and success. In this webinar, we’ll cover ideas and strategies for helping students grow the grit muscles they need to thrive both in and out of school.

We know from decades of research that one of the most useful predictors of student success is how persistent they are when faced with a problem. This was catapulted into the public conversation by Angela Duckworth and her groundbreaking research on grit. Many of you have probably seen her TED talk in a professional development meeting! In this webinar, we’ll share what we’ve learned about teaching kids to develop grit at camp and share ideas for how you can help kids develop grit and how you can recognize kids for using grit in your classroom.

This webinar is free for all GATA members! If you are not yet a GATA member, you can join here or register just for the webinar here. Even if you’re not able to attend the live webinar on Wednesday, you’ll be able to access the recorded webinar and the accompanying resources.

JOIN NOW