EcoApachi

Friendship requests

Campers can submit friendship requests in the spring and we will do our best to accommodate mutual requests as long as campers are the same gender and entering the same grade.

EcoApachi combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math with the fun and adventure of day camp. We believe that kids learn best by doing and being actively engaged in exploring new things.

Topics

• Ecosystems
• Biomes
• Biodiversity
• Water Cycles
• Conservation

Activities & Experiments

• Sample Collection
• Nature Exploration
• Planting Trees
• Water Lab
• Building Bird Houses
• Hydroponics

Each day is a mix of hands-on learning and camp fun, including swimming in our indoor pool. We will incorporate art, technology gateways and campus lab tours into the schedule.

Heath Davis, Lead Instructor

When he is not at Apachi Northside, Heath is a Chicago Public School teacher. Through his classroom, he provides a wide range of “green” instruction with the hope that students make future lifestyle choices that are beneficial to the environment. Heath is known for engaging kids through creative hands-on activities, inquiry based exploration and cooperative learning projects that use technology to encourage communication.

Heath designed the EcoApachi curriculum specifically for our site. He is excited to spend another summer at Apachi Northside, and can’t wait to take science into the pool.

Our aquatics staff is supervised by Northside Aquatics Swim Club. They teach swimming in a safe, confidence-building environment. Safety is our priority and all members of our aquatics staff are certified lifeguards with CPR training.

Testing, placement, progress reports

Campers are tested at the beginning of summer and placed in an appropriate swim level based on their skills. They pass through levels based on both formal and informal testing. Progress reports are sent home during the summer with a summary of skills your child is working on and those already mastered.

Our aquatics director

Carlos Ceja is currently the Head Coach of Northside Aquatics Club. He holds a B.S. in Kinesiology and majored in Movement Science at University of Illinois-Chicago. Carlos coached swimmers, divers and water polo players that went on to compete at the collegiate level. In May of 2011, he was inducted into Roosevelt High School Sports Hall of Fame. Carlos is certified in American Sports Education, as a Water-Safety Instructor, for Safety Training of Swim Coaches and Lifeguard, First Aid, CPR and AED Essentials. He is also a member of a number of swim associations including being a Level 3 Coach and life member of the American Swimming Coaches Association.

Drop-Off

Our convenient carpool line helps your camper get to their group easily and speed you on your way. Just enter the lot towards the south end of the building and follow the path around to the drop off areas in front of the building. A staff member will come to your car rain or shine to help your child out of their seat. You’ll get to see your camper with a smiling counselor by their side and you never even have to get out of your car. At pick up time, just use the carpool line again. We will bring your child to you, buckle them in, and you will be on your way.

Optional round trip bus

For an additional fee, families can select to have their children take the bus to and from camp. Buses are driven by licensed, professional drivers and supervised by Apachi staff. Campers are required to wear seatbelts at all times. We have bus routes from several neighborhoods on the city’s north side. Our bus stops are “cluster stops” for groups of campers, not individual stops. We try to make the cluster stops convenient for families as well as safe and efficient.

For campers registered prior to April 15, you will select your bus stop from a list. Campers who register after April 15, will be assigned to a stop close to their home.

Food

We provide pizza lunch on Wednesdays and a hotdog cookout on Fridays as well as a daily snack. For the remainder of the week, please send along a sack lunch that we’ll refrigerate.

Food allergies

Safety and inclusion are top priorities at JCC Chicago Day Camps. Our camps are committed to being allergy-safe. While our camps are not allergen-free, we strive to make our camp environments as safe as possible for children with food allergies using a customized approach and working closely with each family to develop an action plan for the child. More information can be found here.

Immunizations & Health Forms

To participate in camp, campers must have a completed health form signed by a physician on file. We also require documentation of immunizations.