Details and Policies for Summer Camp (updated 6/9/26)
Where
Drop Off & Pick Up
The drop-off window is from 8:30 to 9:15.
The pick-up window is from 3:30 to 5:00. Between 3:30 and 3:45 is an ideal time for pick-up. We generally want kids picked up as early as their parents’ work schedule allows because campers are usually exhausted by the late afternoon. From 3:30-3:45, campers will be in quiet time, a calm period for rest, a snack, hydration, reading, or drawing.
The front door will always be locked. Ring the doorbell for entry.
We won’t let campers in before 8:30, so please do not ring the doorbell before 8:30.
The drop-off and pick-up windows are the same for the Tween and Teen Assistants.
Start-of-Day Routine
On Monday, the kids will look at the list near the white cubbies to see their number for the week. This is their cubby number, their iPad number, their tray number, etc.
Children will put their backpacks and shoes in their cubby. (We have an indoor no-shoe policy at Activate for kids. Their shoes go in their cubbies. Some kids wear socks, and some go barefoot. Parents don't need to remove their own shoes.)
Children will sign in by writing their time in on the sign-in sheet.
Children will choose a free-explore activity. Here are the options, which are also displayed in the room.
Daily Focuses
Monday: Hands-On Art
Tuesday: Water Color, Shirt Design, & Frame Painting
Wednesday: Photography & Digital Design
Thursday: Animation
Friday: Engineering
Daily Schedule
Field Trip Schedule
These are field trips this summer. They are also listed on our Google Calendar.
Activate Camp Shirts
Campers get one Activate shirt per summer.
Campers wear their Activate shirts as swim shirts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because it helps us keep track of campers in the crowded pool and provides some sun protection. We’re not overly strict with this policy because we understand that sometimes shirts are in the laundry. If kids don’t wear their Activate shirt swimming, they should wear a different swim top that covers their torso and shoulders for sun protection.
Campers going on the Week-7 Oaks Park trip should wear their Activate shirt.
They don’t need to wear their camp shirts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Additional Activate shirts are available for purchase at Activate for $20. We can accept cash or Venmo.
What Clothes to Wear
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (pool days), campers should arrive at camp wearing their swim clothes and Activate shirts, if available.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, campers should wear play clothes that can get wet or dirty.
What Shoes to Wear
We recommend Crocs or similar shoes because kids can wear them as their regular shoes and wear them around sand and water by just pulling off their socks (if they're wearing them). Another reason that Crocs are ideal is that they’re closed-toe and stay on easily, unlike slides and flip-flops.
Campers who play in Johnson Creek on Tuesdays must wear footwear for safety reasons.
What to Bring
Parents should put their child’s name on as many of their child’s items as possible. This saves the staff’s time and the parents’ money.
Lunch and Snacks
Water Bottle
Change of Clothes in a Plastic Bag
Sunscreen (recommended)
Towel (recommended daily, but only necessary on swim days)
Goggles (recommended on swim days)
Book in a Gallon Zip-Lock Bag (optional, and the reason that it should be in a plastic bag is so it doesn’t get wet)
Large Backpack or Tote Bag to Carry all Belongings (lots of small bags are challenging to manage)
What Not Bring
Money (campers are not allowed to buy concessions at the pool)
Toys, Games, and Cards (except Thursday, see below.)
Custom T Shirts
Every summer, each camper designs an image to be affixed to a shirt using heat-transfer vinyl.
Generally, campers make their shirts in the first week of camp. However, some campers might make theirs on their second or third week of camp. We spread out the shirt-making because it's labor-intensive for the staff.
Shirts made with heat transfer vinyl should be washed in warm water and hung to dry to prevent peeling.
Animation Toys on Thursday
Thursdays are our stop motion animation days. Many kids enjoy animating Lego or other toys. We have plenty of toys at camp to animate with, but if children wish, they can bring in some Lego or other toys from home. If they bring in toys from home, they should be in a shoe box or a similarly sized box.
What Campers Receive Each Week
All projects are sent home on Friday in a numbered paper bag.
A few 4x6 prints of digital art
At least one maker-space project
A custom frame for their 4x6 prints
A hands-on art project
At least one painting.
What Campers Receive Each Summer
An Activate shirt.
A custom-made t-shirt
A drawing journal (sent home on the final day of camp).
Digital Projects
After a child’s first week of camp, their parents receive a link to a Google folder containing their child’s digital projects.
After subsequent weeks, we put digital projects in the same folder, but we don’t resend the link.
On August 31, we will delete the digital files, so parents should download any files they wish to keep before then.
Literacy
The literacy block is 30 minutes. For the first part, there is a whole-group activity. After that, campers have some independent reading time. We have a wide selection of books, but children are also welcome to bring their own. If kids bring books to camp, we strongly recommend keeping them in large zip-lock bags so they don’t get wet when in their backpacks with swim items.
Transportation
We use a passenger van and a minivan for transportation.
Aside from our two trips to North Clackamas Aquatic Park during the first week, all other trips are within a mile of our site.
Swimming at Sellwood Pool and Playing in Sellwood Park
Open swim is from 1:00 to 3:00.
We bring three staff to the pool: one on the pool deck and two in the pool.
At 2:00, the staff person on the pool deck goes to Sellwood Park playground, and campers have the option to go with them.
Sellwood Pool Safety
Portland Parks and Recreation and Activate require all children entering the deep end to pass a swim test during every swim session. The test involves swimming the width of the pool (approximately 20 meters) without touching the bottom. Backstrokes and doggy paddles are not permitted. Parks and Recreation distributes bracelets to those who pass.
Children under 48 inches will stay within arm’s length of an adult.
There will always be at least a 1:10 staff-to-camper ratio in the pool.
North Clackamas Aquatic Park Safety
In the first week of camp, we’ll go to North Clackamas Aquatic Park instead of Sellwood Pool on Monday and Wednesday because Sellwood Pool doesn’t open until Thursday.
We require all children entering the deep end of the wave pool (marked with a line on the bottom of the pool) and the diving well to pass the swim test, which is swimming a lap without touching the bottom. Backstrokes and doggy paddles are not permitted.
Children under 48 inches are not allowed on the slides.
Lifejackets are available upon parental request.
Johnson Creek Park Safety
Johnson Creek Park has two creeks: Johnson Creek and Crystal Springs. We allow children to wade in either creek under supervision, and we use stretches of the creek without drop-offs, deep water, or swift currents.
For safety reasons, kids must wear water shoes, preferably closed-toe, quick-drying shoes like Crocs. Flip-flops and slides are not recommended because they are open-toe and can come off easily. On a few occasions, they have gotten lost in the current. Children can also wear old sneakers in the water.
Children are allowed to go as deep as their knees.
Children are required to wash their hands upon returning.
As the summer progresses, Johnson Creek warms and slows, worsening water quality. At that time, we stay out of Johnson Creek but still allow kids to play in Crystal Springs, which is cleaner, spring-fed, cold, and originates less than a mile away.
Sun Safety
We recommend that parents apply sunscreen to their children before camp.
If a child brings sunscreen, we will ensure they reapply it after lunch.
Campers must wear tops that cover their torso and shoulders, both in and out of the water.
We recommend hats for sun-sensitive kids.
Blog
We have a private password-protected blog for Activate families. The blog features photos of campers and students and reflections on teaching, art, special events, word studies, and other thoughts.
We post on the blog at the end of the camp week.
For privacy reasons, we don’t post photos of children’s faces on social media or in non-password-protected portions of our website.
If you're part of the Activate community and would like the password, send an email to greg@activateschoolpdx.com.
Medication Administration
If your child requires medication during camp or has an inhaler or EpiPen, please fill out the Medication Administration Form, and let us know. Remember, medication must be kept in its original packaging.
Behavior
If a child's behavior is unsafe, destructive, extremely disruptive, or defiant, they will be sent home and may not return to camp for the remainder of the summer. A prorated refund will be given.
If a child teases or name calls, an incident report will be written, and staff will contact the child's parent/guardian. If it happens a second time, we will document it again and contact the child's parent/guardian. If it happens a third time, they will be sent home and may not return to camp for the remainder of the summer. A prorated refund will be given.
Staff
Greg, the camp’s founder and director, is on site all day.
Aria, a recent Reed graduate, works in the afternoon.
One of our three high school-age staff (Charlie, Rex, and Bijou) helps out at the pool and in the mornings.
We have two middle school-age TTAs (Tween and Teen Assistants) on-site almost every day.
Contact
If you need to contact us during camp hours, you can text or call us at 503-389-0153. Texts are preferred. If you text us, please identify yourself.
If you need to contact us outside of camp hours, email is preferred: greg@activateschool.pdx.com.
Refund and Cancellation Policy
Sickness Guidance
We do not offer refunds if a child is unable to attend camp due to a sickness or injury.
Fever: Keep your child home if their temperature is 100 or higher. They can return to school when the fever is below 100 for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication.
Diarrhea: Keep your child home if they have had three or more watery or loose stools in 24 hours or sudden onset of loose stools, or if the student is unable to control bowel function. Students may return after 48 hours after the diarrhea resolves or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.
Vomiting: Keep your child home if they have vomited, and it can’t be explained. They may return after 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.
Coughing: Keep your child home if they have a persistent cough that has not yet been diagnosed and cleared by a healthcare provider OR any acute (non-chronic) cough illness that is frequent or severe enough to interfere with participation in usual school activities. They may return after their symptoms have improved for 24 hours.
COVID: Keep your child home if they test positive for COVID for 5 days. If the symptoms and fever subside, they can return to school masked through day 10.
Head Lice: If a child has head lice, they can be in school provided that they have had an initial lice treatment. Staff should be notified.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): Keep your child home for unexplained redness of one or both eyes and colored drainage from the eyes or eye irritation accompanied by vision changes or symptoms such as eye irritation, pain, redness, swelling, or excessive tear production that prevent active participation in usual school activities. Students may return after symptoms resolve or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.