Every Day

Campers must wear appropriate footwear: We recommend appropriate, sturdy, closed-toe footwear for beach and mud walks that will protect your children from broken glass and shells. Sneakers are perfectly fine but please remember that the kids and their feet will get wet during the day. Keen sandals, LL Bean water sneakers, water shoes, or other similar footwear have worked well in the past.

Campers must come every day with at least 16 oz. of drinking water: We cannot always guarantee that we will be near sources of safe drinking water during our daily expeditions.
Health Policy

Jeffrey Stockman, MD is the licensed physician who oversees Gloucester Museum School camp’s health care policy. He is available for consultation at all times. Dr. Stockman also assists us in the development of our policy, approves changes, reviews the first-aid training of staff, and develops and signs orders to be followed by the on-site camp health care supervisors. In addition, Dr. Stockman will confirm that all Health Care Supervisors have completed concussion awareness and response training available online at the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html

Our First Aid Kit is equipped with all of the emergency numbers. Those numbers include Police, Fire, Ambulance, Dr. Stockman, AGH Emergency Room, and Poison Control. All members of the counselor team are familiar with the contents of the First Aid Kit and location of emergency numbers.

Each group will have a trained and certified health care supervisor traveling with them. Jeff Crawford is our senior health care supervisor who will confirm that all additional health care supervisors are fully trained and that there is a health care supervisor present with each group at all times. We will always have two health care supervisors present; one will travel with each group.

Our health care supervisors are equipped to administer prescribed medications, manage diabetic conditions, and administer epinephrine or liquid Benadryl. In addition, our health care supervisors maintain a detailed medication log for all medical events and injuries. Each group maintains a separate medical log that is lists the date, name of patient, complaint and treatment, and all entries are filled out in ink. This log is readily available to health personnel associated with the camp and will be made available upon request to authorized representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and of the local board of health which licenses the camp. The Department of Public Health and the local board of health shall maintain the confidentiality of information relating to individual campers and staff.

Any medication that needs to be refrigerated and administered during the day will be kept under the supervision of one of the health care supervisors in a small, secured cooler. All other medications will be stored in a locked cabinet in the possession of the Camp Director.

The goal of GMS is to ensure the safety of each camper and provide a safe environment which prevents accidents throughout the course of each day of adventure activities.

Each member of our leadership team is certified in Red Cross First Aid and CPR, and Senior Lifesaving or WSI. They are also trained in Rock Climbing safety protocols. In addition, Amanda Madeira is a fully certified Wilderness First Responder.

Our leaders are trained to be sensitive to each camper’s abilities and limitations, and we adjust our activities to stay within these parameters. Our philosophy is to provide a challenging program without any sense of competition.

Our leadership teams all carry a complete first aid kit, cell phones, VHF radio (when appropriate), extra drinking water, sunscreen, bug repellant, and copies of each camper’s medical forms at all times.

Medications

• Do not pack medication with lunch or snacks.
• If your child requires the administration of medications during camp hours, you must complete the “Authorization to Administer Medication to a Camper” completely. Specify “Not applicable” where appropriate, and be sure to sign the form.
• Medication that will be administered at camp must be provided by the parent/guardian to the camp in the original container bearing the pharmacy label with the following information:
  • the date of filling
  • the pharmacy name and address
  • the filling pharmacist’s initials
  • the serial number of the prescription
  • the name of the patient
  • the name of the prescribing practitioner
  • the name of the prescribed medication
  • directions for use and cautionary statements contained in such prescription or required by law
  • if tablets or capsules, the number in the container
  • All over-the-counter medications must be kept in the original containers containing the original label, which shall include directions for use
• Medications will be stored in secure location at camp
• When the session ends, we will make every effort to return all remaining medications to the parents. If this is impossible, they will be properly destroyed.
• If your child is insulin dependent or has an allergy that requires an epinephrine prescription, you may grant your child permission to self-administer if you deem this appropriate. The camp Health Care Supervisor will be present to oversee self-administration.
• Please see our director if you require a written copy of our policies for the administration of medications, the name of our Health Care Consultant and Health Care Supervisors as well as our storage and record keeping procedures.

What if my child gets sick or hurt?

• • • All GMS personal have emergency first aid training.
    • Staff carry cell phones and VHF radios to communicate with emergency care personnel.
    • Parents are notified as soon as possible if and when an incident occurs.
    • Parents can reach campers via cell phone in case of emergency.

Care of Mildly Ill or Injured Campers:

• • • The GMS First Aid kits are equipped to handle most minor injuries and illnesses; including scrapes, cuts, blister, abrasions, etc.
    • If GMS can resolve the minor injury or illness, then we will continue with our activities, and notify the guardian at the end of the camp day.
    • If the camper is not able to comfortably complete the day with the camp, then GMS will contact the Guardian and make arrangements to evacuate the camper to the care of the guardian.

Care of Moderately Ill or Injured Campers:

• • • Campers who have sustained a moderate injury that requires further medical attention at a hospital or definitive care facility will be evacuated to the nearest facility – Addison Gilbert or Beverly Hospital – to be overseen by our staff doctor or the doctor on call.
    • The camper will be evacuated in a safe manner by the City of Gloucester School Bus Co. or by the ambulance.
    • Guardian(s) will be notified immediately.

Care of Severely Ill or Injured Campers:

• • • In the event of a serious life threatening injury or illness, we will evacuate the camper immediately to the nearest emergency room via ambulance.
    • GMS staff will stabilize the injury and administer basic life support, if necessary.
    • Guardian(s) will be notified immediately.

Please do not send your child to camp with any of the following symptoms:

• • • Undiagnosed rash, sore or other skin condition.
    • Severe sore throat.
    • Excessive coughing.
    • Diarrhea or vomiting
    • Any other contagious disease or symptom

For the well being of our other campers, a child must be fever-free and have stopped diarrhea and vomiting for a full 24 hours before returning to the program.

Communicable Diseases:
GMS will be responsible for insuring that each case of any such communicable disease occurring in a camp is immediately reported to the local board of health. The report shall be made by the Director. Such report shall include the name and home address of any individual in the camp known to have or suspected of having such disease. Until action on such case has been taken by the camp health care consultant, strict isolation shall be maintained.

Illness Reporting Procedure:
GMS will be responsible for insuring that each suspected case of food poisoning or any unusual prevalence of any illness in which fever, rash, diarrhea, sore throat, vomiting, or jaundice is a prominent symptom is reported immediately to the local board of health and to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, verbally or by telegram or telephone. This report shall be made by our Camp Director.

Disciplinary Policy

Our policy is designed to preserve the safety and welfare of each camper and to prevent any physical abuse, harassment or bullying.

Discipline and guidance will be consistent and based upon an understanding of the individual needs and development of each child.

GMS disciplinary policy is designed to maximize the growth and development of each child and to protect the overall welfare of the group.

• • • Corporal punishment, including spanking, is prohibited
    • No camper will be subjected to crude or severe punishment, humiliation, or verbal abuse.
    • No camper will be denied food, water, or shelter as a form of punishment.
    • No child will be punished for soiling, wetting, or not using the toilet

GMS has a three-strike policy – we will contact parents after each incident of inappropriate behavior or disciplinary infraction. The fourth time a camper has to be spoken to regarding inappropriate behavior, we will call the parents and require that child be removed from the program.

Please be forthright with any behavior issues your child is experiencing either at home or in school. GMS cannot accept children with extreme behavior issues due to the nature of the camp. We need to keep campers safe while traveling and must be aware of any issues that could compromise the well being of either your child or the other campers.

Unregistered campers: If a child shows up at camp and is not registered the child needs to be returned to the parents and GMS will not assume any responsibility for said unregistered camper.

Camper no show policy: Campers are asked to be at camp by 9am. The bus comes to camp at 9:15 to depart for the day trip. If a camper is not present by 9:15, the director will call the parents and then depart for the day activities. The director will then follow up with a phone call to the family in the evening. The Director will make every attempt to contact the guardian to learn the details and act accordingly.

Traffic Control: GMS uses City of Gloucester School Buses for the transportation of all campers. Campers will be instructed to stay clear of roads and to cross as a group with a staff member. All drop off and pick up traffic will remain in the parking lot and campers will be kept on grassy areas clear of traffic. Infrequently, the O’Maley parking lot is needed for a Med-flight landing. When this occurs, Gloucester police and fire department arrives to cordon off the parking lot to insure the safe arrival and departure of the Med-flight. In such circumstances one head councilor will be positioned at the parking lot entrance to direct parents to drop off or pick up down at the baseball field on the street side, where another head councilor and remaining councilor staff will greet arriving campers, keeping them well away from parking lot until the mid-flight has departed and the police and fire departments indicate it is safe to return.

Sun Protection: Each camper is instructed to come to camp with a tube of sunscreen, a hat, and protective clothing. The first activity of the day includes the application of sunscreen, and this is repeated at least two more times before we adjourn at 3pm (morning snack, and after lunch) GMS provides children sunscreen of 15 or higher.

Bug protection: Each camper is instructed to bring a bottle of bug spray that is appropriate for him or her.

CORI and background review of staff (105 CMR 430.090)

Gloucester Museum School will review the background of each staff person who may have unsupervised contact with a camper. This will include prior 5-year work history, 3 positive references from non-relatives, and a criminal history review – including Sex Offender Registry, & CORI (including juvenile report) for staff members & volunteers.

No person is allowed to work or volunteer at a camp until GMS has obtained all required background information, reviewed it and made a determination regardingthat information.

Each staff person who may have unsupervised contact with a camper shall have a background free of conduct, which bears adversely upon his or her abilities to provide for the safety and well being of the campers.

GMS shall determine whether each staff person.s conduct, criminal or otherwise, shall disqualify that person from employment or presence at the camp. In making this determination, GMS shall consider the following: prior 5-year work history, 3 positive references from non-relatives, and a criminal history review – including Sex Offender Registry, & CORI (including juvenile report).

Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are prohibited at all times at camp and anywhere we travel.

Unrecognized persons: Given the fact that our summer camp is held around Cape Ann and that our campers are often in public places that do not restrict visitation by residents or non-residents while camps are in progress, unrecognized persons are abundant and expected. While we are not able to restrict unrecognized persons from the area our campers are in, we are able to restrict people who are acting in an unusual and/or unsafe manner around the campers. When an unrecognized person is observed acting unexpectedly or suspiciously (i.e. taking pictures of the campers, engaging the campers in conversation, soliciting, etc.) the following protocol is followed:

• Staff will make note of the person’s location, description, and the suspicious activity they are undertaking.
• Staff will report the person, their location, description and activity to the GPD and ask city police to approach the person, report that they have been the subject of a complaint, and inquire about their suspicious activities. They will make the person aware that they are interrupting camp activities and endangering the children. At the discretion of the police, the person will be asked to move to another location or to leave the area.
• The unrecognized person’s description and a summary of the situation will be shared with all GMS staff members and recorded in a log book.