FAQs

OSPREY Camp is located at Camp Solomon Schechter, just south of Olympia. For exact address and/or driving directions to our camp, please get in touch with our camp director.

Not only do we love the osprey bird that thrives in our local habitat, osprey stands for: “Opportunities for Stewardship Promoting Respect for the Environment and Youth“!

Our camp is located on a beautiful, forested, and fully gated camp property. Our heated cabins sleep 10-16 comfortably and include fully functioning bathrooms with toilets, sinks, and showers. New friendships are formed while eating family style in our spacious dining hall. Nutritious meals are served in a kosher, pork-free, and nut-free facility. Heated indoor buildings and covered outdoor shelters provide space for classes to enjoy our outdoor school in the rain, snow, and sunshine. OSPREY Camp is designed to get our students outside no matter what the weather has in store!

OSPREY Camp staff and Mentors are trained to teach standard-aligned curriculum with focus on exploring our natural environment. All OSPREY Camp curriculum is presented by trained educators and high school mentors, in small groups, and keeps students actively engaged with hands-on lessons. In addition to academics, we provide a variety of camp-wide activities, including hiking, line dancing, owl calling, GaGa Ball, arts & crafts, campfires, an exciting skits & songs program and more! *Activities are dependent on the school’s assigned camp week and scheduled activities.

During our academic sessions, students are supervised by their classroom teacher, a trained Osprey Camp educator, with the assistance of our high school Mentors. Mentors and teachers, along with our adult OSPREY Camp, staff provide 24-hour supervision in the cabins, dining hall, and during all camp activities. Student cabins are in close walking distance to Osprey Camp staff living quarters.

OSPREY Camp Mentors are recruited from local high schools. Students submit competitive applications, which includes approval and vetting from the student’s school district. If selected, Mentors attend a training day run by Osprey Camp staff. Following their training, Mentors are invited to attend a week of camp based on their evaluations from their training. Mentors continue to receive direct training and guidance from our OSPREY Camp staff and teachers throughout their camp week. All Mentors receive at least 100 community service hours, 0.5 CTE credits (if in the Kent School District) and written evaluations on their performance as a mentor. The Osprey Camp Mentor experience is an unforgettable leadership experience for teenagers to gain facilitation, problem solving, and outdoor skills.

Each class that comes to Osprey Camp has a dedicated medical liaison who will respond if a medical emergency arises. Additionally, all Osprey Camp staff are first aid trained and CPR certified. All teachers onsite receive emergency training in case adults need to respond to emergencies. If any emergency transport or response is needed, the Osprey Camp Director and that students’ classroom teacher will be directly involved. If further medical attention is necessary, you will be contacted via phone by the Osprey Camp Director. OSPREY Camp is 911 accessible.

Each school has medication distribution guidelines in accordance with their district’s medication distribution policy. Please talk with your child’s teacher or principal to obtain all required medication forms. Osprey Camp Staff will not distribute medication to campers — this must be completed by a school employee.

All medications on site will be safely stored in locked cabinets only accessible to assigned school medial liaisons and the Osprey Camp Director. All medications, prescription and over the counter, must be in their originally labeled bottle. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Our goal is for your child to feel as comfortable as possible and successful while at camp. There is no shame in bedwetting, it can occur at any age, and discussing our staff’s plan with your child in advance is also very helpful.

Please Note: If your child is a bedwetter, please include this information on their Permission Slip. Below are the strategies we implement for bedwetters:

1. If your child is a bedwetter, we will discreetly inform their Mentors for privacy and emotional support purposes. Mentors understand this sensitive information must be kept private.
2. Campers will be discreetly encouraged to use the bathroom a few times times before bed.
3. Osprey Camp Staff will check for wet sleeping bags every morning once students have been dismissed to the bell and exit the cabin. If a sleeping bag is wet, we will also replace their sleeping bag with a temporary one while washing theirs.

Sleepwalking is very normal, especially when children are sleeping in a new/different environment. Your child’s safety is our #1 priority during their time away from home.

Please Note: If your child is a sleepwalker, please include this information on their Permission Slip.

Below are the strategies we implement for sleepwalkers:
1. Discreetly inform their cabin Mentors for safety purposes. Mentors understand this sensitive information must be kept private.
2. Once lights are turned out in the cabins, staff will place large tin cans, outside of the cabin, directly in front of the door. If a child (or Mentor) were to sleepwalk and attempt to exit the cabin, they would walk into the tower of cans, causing them to crash onto the floor. This loud sound would awaken the Mentors and students in the cabin.
3. We also place our sleepwalking students on the bottom bunk of our bunk beds and in a bunk furthest away from the front door. Our staff checks on each cabin throughout the night as well.

First, we HIGHLY recommend labeling your children’s clothes and packing things you are alright with getting lost. Kids are still learning to keep track of their belongings, and sometimes in the chaos things get mixed up.

Please refer to your camper’s Packing List for a full list of items to send with your child and items that are not permitted at camp.

Students should bring sturdy, closed toe walking shoes. Outdoor clothing is strongly advisable. Wear clothes that you can move in! Things like: jeans, leggings, t-shirts, sweatshirts, rain pants, fleece jacket, beanie, a raincoat, etc. Dressing in layers is also recommended. Due to the abundance of stinging nettles around camp and on the trails, shorts, capri pants, and tank tops are not allowed.

Additionally, please bring a day backpack (like your school backpack) and a reusable water bottle. There are lots of places to refill your water bottle throughout camp.

Lastly, everyone should pack an appetite for adventure, a positive attitude, and respect for all in attendance.

The following items are NOT permitted at camp:
• Cell phones
• Electronics of any kind (including tablets, e-readers, laptops, video games, etc.)
• Food, snacks, candy, gum, beverages of any kind
• Weapons of any kind (including pocketknives, Leatherman, hand axes, etc.)
• Legal or illegal drugs
• Alcohol
• Nicotine products, vapes, Juuls, etc.
• Pornography, inappropriate reading materials of any kind
• Offensive, inappropriate, or suggestive clothing of any kind
• Bear spray, mace, pepper spray
• Money, expensive items (E.g., watches, cameras)
• Perfume, Axe Body Spray, or Body Sprays of any kind *for individuals with asthma and allergies

No. OSPREY Camp is an screen free zone!

Items such as cell phones, electronic reading/music devices, laptops/tablets, video games, etc. are not allowed. We provide the unique opportunity of “unplugging and being present,” allowing our students, teachers, and Mentors to be fully engaged with each other and themselves throughout the week. Classroom teachers and OSPREY Camp staff will contact parents/guardians in the event of an emergency.

If your camper or mentor brings their cell phone to camp, it will be confiscated and given back to them at the end of the camp session.

NO outside food/snacks/gum/candy/beverages are allowed inside. We are also a pork-free and nut-free facility. Three well-balanced and delicious meals are provided each day and we also pass out snacks during morning and afternoon recess, as well as before bed if any kids are still hungry. Camp days are long days, and we know being well fed is key to enjoying one’s camp experience!

Our amazing kitchen staff can accommodate most dietary needs and food allergies. Parents/guardians are responsible for providing this specific information on their child’s Permission Slip, prior to their assigned camp week. If we are unaware of a child’s food needs before they come to camp, it is very difficult for us to properly prepare.

Please note that we do not allow outside food into our facility. We are a strict kosher, pork-free and nut-free facility. We will provide plenty of food, snacks, and treats throughout the day so you do not need to worry about bringing your own food!

Note for religiously observant families: We do not serve pork at Osprey Camp. Our meat served onsite is Kosher certified, but it is not Halal certified. Campers who would like to observe Halal eating requirements at camp can mark themselves as ‘Vegetarian’ on their permission slip and we will make sure these kids get nutritious, protein filled, meat-free meals at camp. Additionally, we will work with campers who come to camp during Ramadan to make sure they get nutrient dense meals during their specific eating hours.

Coffee and tea supplies are available for adult participants.

No. OSPREY Camp is a secular program. We happen to share a property with Camp Solomon Schechter, a Jewish Summer Camp. (That’s why our food is kosher, because we share the same kitchen facilities!) There is no affiliation between our programs, but while you are on property, you are likely to see Jewish religious iconography (i.e. the star of David and Hebrew words) We welcome all students, teachers, and mentors regardless of their belief systems. The OSPREY Camp program does not have any religious affiliation.