JJ’s Jam Start of Summer 2022 Newsletter
Dear JJ's Jam Families,
Our youngest campers graduate into the JJ’s Jam program soon and then we officially kick off summer! We are excited to see everyone and have a few important reminders as we get ready for the start of summer. Please read this newsletter carefully as it contains information regarding our health guidelines, calendar, and field trips for this summer.
General Reminders
Please remember that JJ’s Jam has a zero-tolerance policy for any behavioral issues that may arise at any time during camp. Parents will be notified and must be available to pick their child up if needed.
Closed toed shoes and socks are required. Please do not send your child in crocs or sandals.
Children will need to have their own non-aerosol sunscreen each day as we do not share sunscreen. We will apply and re-apply frequently throughout the day! Each child, including siblings, should have their own bottle labeled with their first and last name. These are kept in the classroom and parents will be notified as needed to replace this.
Outside toys are only allowed on designated days. Books, however, are encouraged to be brought in daily.
The JJ's Jam Permission Form is required to attend JJ's Jam. If you have not signed it yet, please do so as soon as possible.
JJ's Jam events and programming can all be found on our Google Calendar which is located on our website and can be added to your calendar via the link below.
What to Bring to JJ's Jam
Please bring the following items to JJ's Jam daily.
Sunscreen to leave at JJ’s Jam (non-aerosol)
Water Bottle
Backpack
Close-toed shoes - no crocs or sandals please
Sweatshirt or rain jacket (if needed)
Hat (if needed)
Extra change of clothes (if needed)
Masks (please send more than one or have your child leave an extra mask in their locker)
JJ's Jam COVID-19 Info
JJ’s Jam will continue to follow many of the same protocols that were in place last summer and have been in effect throughout the past school year. Please see below for the current policies in place regarding masks to promote a healthy & safe environment at JJ's Jam.
Each pod of children will be in a separate classroom with the same daily staff.
The mixing of children is staggered for playground times, transitions in the corridor and lobby areas.
Classrooms have been separated by partition walls to allow for smaller group sizes with active learning and active play areas.
Our buildings are cleaned daily with a GEN-EON misting system to sanitize the facility.
Additional program requirements and recommendations regarding masks are as follows:
During learning time, masks will no longer be required to be worn in the classroom by both staff and school aged children.
Masks will still be required to be worn in community and common area settings outside the classroom for school aged children and adults. These areas include, but are not limited to the hallways, the staff lounge, interaction between staff and parents, and other communal areas.
We still ask masks to be worn at drop off and pick up by staff, parents, and school aged children at Jack & Jill. Wearing a mask for just a few minutes a day while you drop off and pick up will help keep reduce the spread of germs within Jack & Jill!
Staff will be required to wear a mask if they are handling a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
We are supportive of staff or school age campers who choose to continue to wear a mask daily.
School age children participating in JJ’s Jam programming will not be required to wear a mask in the classroom or outdoors while attending JJ’s Jam daily programming.
School age children participating in offsite indoor field trips will be required to wear a mask at the offsite indoor field trip setting as required by the field trip destination.
School age children and staff transporting on buses to and from daily field trips will be required to wear masks.
Jack & Jill and JJ’s Jam will continue with its policies and strategies to maintain social or physical distancing in the program. Children will remain divided into small, designated PODS that stay together as much as possible throughout the day and from day to day.
Children will be limited to mixing between their assigned daily POD as much as possible for staffing and ratio requirements.
Jack & Jill maintains the option to modify the mask wearing policy as needed due to increased illness and necessary changes with increased COVID exposure.
JJ's Jam Team: Summer 2022
We are very excited to announce our team for this summer! We have a group of teachers for this summer that you will meet in the coming weeks & many returning faces! See below for a complete list of teachers at both locations!
Blaine:
Ms. Cory: Blaine Site Coordinator. Ms. Cory joins JJ's Jam for an 8th summer and brings over 20 years of experience in preschool and school age to JJ's Jam. She will be running the program for 1st grade through 6th grade in Blaine this summer.
Ms. Paige: Blaine Site Coordinator. Ms. Paige joins JJ's Jam for a 4th summer and brings many more years of experience working at Jack & Jill! She will be running the program for Kindergarten in Blaine this summer.
Ms. Kaitlyn: Ms. Kaitlyn joins JJ's Jam for a second summer. She has recently finished her second year of college and brings many years of experience of working with children. She will be working with our Kindergarten program in Blaine this summer.
Ms. Ava: Ms. Ava joins JJ's Jam for a second summer. She has recently finished her first year of college and brings many years of working with children. She will be working with our first grade and second grade program in Blaine this summer.
Saint Anthony:
Mr. Giles: School Age Director. Mr. Giles joins JJ's Jam for a 6th summer and will be working with all age groups at both sites throughout the summer.
Ms. Vanessa: Saint Anthony Site Coordinator. Ms. Vanessa joins JJ's Jam for a 3rd summer and brings nearly 20 years of experience working with children to JJ's Jam! She will be running our Kindergarten school age program in Saint Anthony this summer.
Ms. Nicole: Saint Anthony Site Coordinator. Ms. Nicole joins JJ's Jam for a second summer but brings over a decade of experience with children to JJ's Jam. She will be running our 1st and 2nd grade program in Saint Anthony this summer.
Ms. Lydia: Ms. Lydia joins JJ's Jam for a 6th summer. She is currently attending graduate school at the U of MN. She will be helping out in all programs this summer!
Ms. Cora: Ms. Cora is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus college and is currently finishing up the school year teaching 3rd grade! She will be helping with our 2nd and 3rd grade programs this summer in Saint Anthony.
Ms. Lauren: Ms. Lauren has recently finished her third year of college at UMD. She brings many years of working with children and summer camps. She will be helping out with our second grade and third grade programs this summer.
Ms. Kaylan: Ms. Kaylan just finished her second year of college at UMD and brings 3 years of experience with summer camps! She will be joining our Kindergarten program in Saint Anthony this summer.
Ms. Abby: Ms. Abby just finished her first year of college at Purdue University and brings coaching experience to JJ's Jam! She will be helping out with our Kindergarten through 2nd grade programs this summer.
Mr. Mac: Mr. Mac is a graduate of UW-Parkside and is currently attending UW-Eau Claire pursuing an early childhood degree. He brings over a decade of experience of coaching and working with children. He will be helping out with our 1st and 2nd grade program in Saint Anthony this summer.
Mr. Caleb: Mr. Caleb recently graduated with an early childhood learning degree from Luther College. He will join our JJ's Jam program this summer before teaching pre-K at Jack & Jill this fall!
Arrival and Departure Times
JJ’s Jam is open the same hours as Jack & Jill Childcare, from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Saint Anthony and 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM in Blaine. However, please note that certain field trips will have highlighted arrival times. Your child needs to be dropped off by this time daily or else they will miss the day’s activities, as the buses for these field trips can leave as early as 8:15 AM. Additionally, there are certain field trips with highlighted return times. We will not return on these days until the scheduled return time.
Summer Communication: Monthly & Weekly Newsletter
As with last summer, you will receive a monthly newsletter outlining the field trips and activities for the month. This will also provide details on any field trips with earlier departures or later arrivals during the month or any dates that provide special items (ie a swimsuit and towel). We will also send out a weekly newsletter reminding families of these weekly schedules.
We cannot wait to see everyone this summer! Please reach out with any questions.
Best,
Giles Koski
GilesK@jackandjilledu.com