Hello to all! Welcome to the Machaneh Gilboa blog which we as a mazkirut will try to update as regularly as possible since we know how important it is for you parents to hear about how much fun your kids are having and what all those special activities are we run for them. For those who don’t know me yet my name is Jonathan Hasak and I’m Rosh Machaneh this summer.
Yesterday was filled with excitement and high energy as the tzevet (staff) greeted the chanichim (campers) with cheers, songs, ice-breakers, name games, and introductions to the camp's facilities. For most of us, this is what we have been waiting for all year and it was an amazing scene to greet two bus loads filled with kids and welcome all - both new and old - to Gilboa.
After having a round robin where kids learned the machaneh rules and policies, met the YMCA staff, checked in with Pat (our nurse), learned a few songs we sing daily, and got checked for their swim tests, we all gathered together at the toran, for what seemed to be the largest mahagal (circle) in contemporary Gilboa history! It truly is something to be proud of considering where we were my Madatz (C.I.T) year when we had all but twenty some kids.
The kitchen staff here has made it a priority to cook delicious meals and after last night's dinner, I can’t remember hearing so many compliments from both madrichim and chanichim about a meal (chicken stiryfry with vegan egg rolls) as I did last night. After the tochnit erev (night activity) when chanichim got to meet all the madrichim masquerading as secret spies, the entire machaneh went to bed immediately with their madrichim to get a full night of rest.
This morning Hitkanust Boker started right on time and no one seemed to be deprived of sleep, something we take seriously this summer for all our chanichim. We split into our anafim (work groups), ate breakfast, held a surprisingly high energy shira session given the amount of new kids who might have been unfamiliar or hesitant with our penchant for singing all day long, split into different sporting activities, and are currently at different sadnaot (rock wall, rikud, zman shaliach, kayaking at the lake, and arts and crafts). Within the next hour we will be having lunch and later today our night activity has been billed as Gilboa Science Fair with wacky crazy experiments.
So far, everything seems to be running smoothly, new kids are blending in right away with the great help of old chanichim. We’ve even successfully begun new traditions such as mandatory hand washing before meals with check ups, announcing the Ivrit Word of the Day and encouraging everyone to use that assigned word as much as possible (today's word: melafafon - cucumber), as well as installing an allotted time during the day for machaneh-wide water hydration games.
Until the next blog, we’ll continue to take care of your kids and show them the most fun possible.
(List of Tzevet (staff))
Amelim (4th and 5th grade) – Ma’ayan Weitzman, David Samson, Miya Libes
Chotrim (6th and 7th grade)– Niki Egar Sarah Breiner Zak Greenwald, Josh Sugiyama
Shomrim (8th grade)– Noah Hansen, Isaac Pasternack, Nessli Cherney
Bonim (9th grade)– Leo Goldberg, Alysse Fuchs
Bogrim (10th grade)– Eliana Polon, Leah Silverberg, Arik Davidson
Madatz (12th grade)– Rebecca Rozo-Marsh, Vincent Knowles
Kessem Specialist – Yoni Landau
Arts and Crafts Specialist/Rosh Nitsanim – Ariya Sasaki
Rosh Mitbach – Michal Waldfogel
Driver – Josh Schwartz
Mazkirut – Kara Segal, Yair Castel, Matt Brodsky, Jonathan Hasak
Yesterday was filled with excitement and high energy as the tzevet (staff) greeted the chanichim (campers) with cheers, songs, ice-breakers, name games, and introductions to the camp's facilities. For most of us, this is what we have been waiting for all year and it was an amazing scene to greet two bus loads filled with kids and welcome all - both new and old - to Gilboa.
After having a round robin where kids learned the machaneh rules and policies, met the YMCA staff, checked in with Pat (our nurse), learned a few songs we sing daily, and got checked for their swim tests, we all gathered together at the toran, for what seemed to be the largest mahagal (circle) in contemporary Gilboa history! It truly is something to be proud of considering where we were my Madatz (C.I.T) year when we had all but twenty some kids.
The kitchen staff here has made it a priority to cook delicious meals and after last night's dinner, I can’t remember hearing so many compliments from both madrichim and chanichim about a meal (chicken stiryfry with vegan egg rolls) as I did last night. After the tochnit erev (night activity) when chanichim got to meet all the madrichim masquerading as secret spies, the entire machaneh went to bed immediately with their madrichim to get a full night of rest.
This morning Hitkanust Boker started right on time and no one seemed to be deprived of sleep, something we take seriously this summer for all our chanichim. We split into our anafim (work groups), ate breakfast, held a surprisingly high energy shira session given the amount of new kids who might have been unfamiliar or hesitant with our penchant for singing all day long, split into different sporting activities, and are currently at different sadnaot (rock wall, rikud, zman shaliach, kayaking at the lake, and arts and crafts). Within the next hour we will be having lunch and later today our night activity has been billed as Gilboa Science Fair with wacky crazy experiments.
So far, everything seems to be running smoothly, new kids are blending in right away with the great help of old chanichim. We’ve even successfully begun new traditions such as mandatory hand washing before meals with check ups, announcing the Ivrit Word of the Day and encouraging everyone to use that assigned word as much as possible (today's word: melafafon - cucumber), as well as installing an allotted time during the day for machaneh-wide water hydration games.
Until the next blog, we’ll continue to take care of your kids and show them the most fun possible.
(List of Tzevet (staff))
Amelim (4th and 5th grade) – Ma’ayan Weitzman, David Samson, Miya Libes
Chotrim (6th and 7th grade)– Niki Egar Sarah Breiner Zak Greenwald, Josh Sugiyama
Shomrim (8th grade)– Noah Hansen, Isaac Pasternack, Nessli Cherney
Bonim (9th grade)– Leo Goldberg, Alysse Fuchs
Bogrim (10th grade)– Eliana Polon, Leah Silverberg, Arik Davidson
Madatz (12th grade)– Rebecca Rozo-Marsh, Vincent Knowles
Kessem Specialist – Yoni Landau
Arts and Crafts Specialist/Rosh Nitsanim – Ariya Sasaki
Rosh Mitbach – Michal Waldfogel
Driver – Josh Schwartz
Mazkirut – Kara Segal, Yair Castel, Matt Brodsky, Jonathan Hasak
Comments
I am making this post anonymously so as to not embarrass my son/daughter ("OH NO!! You mean my Dad posted something on the Blog!? WHAT did he say?! I'm, SOOOO embarrassed! etc. etc.)
Anyway, I'm a very grateful Dad. Have fun!
Call me "David"