Dear Families,
As the countdown starts for Summer Camp 2024, it's time to give you some hints and tips about what to expect, and how to prepare for the time of your life.
Below you will find important information about arrivals and departures, what to do at the airport, what to pack and when you can use your mobile phone. Please get in touch with us at summer@la-garenne.ch with any questions.
Kind regards from Villars,
Summer Camp Team
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Optional Extras: Europa Park, Lake Camp and Juventus Football are hugely popular and sell out very quickly. If you would like to add one of these options, let us know and we can add you to the waiting list for a place.
Europa Park: for those of you who have a confirmed place on the two-day trip to this exciting theme park in south-west Germany, the trips are scheduled for 1-2 July and 29-30 July.
Consent Forms: if you have signed up for parachute, paragliding or a horse discovery experience, please complete a Consent Form.
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➡️ Download the Summer Camp Clothing List. At the end of every Summer Camp, we always have a huge pile of unlabelled, unclaimed lost property. Please, please label every item as we cannot be responsible for items left behind because we cannot match them with their owners!
➡️ Don't forget:
- A warm jacket or waterproof
- Hiking boots or hiking shoes with good grip soles
- An adapter for Swiss plug sockets
- Charging cables for electronic devices
- Headphones for Family Time on Wednesdays and Sundays
- A pencil case, pencils and pens
- Your passport
➡️ Finishing touches
- Leave any expensive designer clothing at home.
- Give your child the password for their device and video platform so you can communicate at Family Time.
- Switch off Data Roaming on your child's device to avoid an unexpected bill from your phone company. Wifi is available throughout the campus.
- Label every piece of clothing with your child's name.
- Check your child for head lice two days before you arrive!
- Label medication with instructions in French or English.
- Send flight times or arrival details to info@la-garenne.ch.
- Check out the Summer Camp photo gallery once camp starts.
- Follow our Social Media channels for news and updates.
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Arrivals
The official camp arrival and departure timings are here. If your child is travelling alone, please send their travel itinerary and Unaccompanied Minor details to travel@la-garenne.ch. We can only meet children at the airport if we have this information in advance. See below for our official school driver's details to give to your airline.
Airport Meeting Point
For students arriving at Geneva Airport, the meeting point is in the Visitor Centre on the Arrival Floor. Look for the La Garenne Summer Camp signs. Zurich Airport arrivals will be in the arrivals hall of the relevant terminal.
School Shuttle Transfers
Transfers from and to Geneva Airport on arrival and departure days during official hours are included in the Summer Camp fees. Transfers outside these times are charged at CHF 600 each way. Zurich transfers are always payable and cost CHF 890 each way. Our shuttle service is only for students, so parents should make their own arrangements if you wish to visit La Garenne. We accompany Summer Camp children to the check-in desk and hand them over to the care of airport staff.
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These are the details you need to give your airline if your child is travelling as an UM (Unaccompanied Minor):
Responsible person from La Garenne
- Mr. Serafim Leite de Azevedo
- Swiss Passport No: X1105102
- Role: School Driver
Address
La Garenne International School
Chemin des Chavasses 23
CH-1885 Chesières
Tel: +41 (0) 24 495 24 53
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Students who are coming to camp with their parents (rather than arriving at the airport) should arrive on the first Saturday of the camp between 10:00 and 16:00. Check in is at Chemin des Chavasses 23, 1885 Chesières. Please send the estimated time of your arrival in advance to travel@la-garenne.ch.
Day students should check in and collect their camp uniform on the Saturday *before* their camp starts. Day students then return at 08:30 the following Monday. Pick up each day for day students is at 18:00 unless we notify you of a different time. |
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Every Summer Camp student should bring a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Desktop computers, smart watches and tracking devices are not permitted.
At check-in, all phones and electronic devices are handed to a member of staff. Children only have access to them only during Family Time. Please label each device, cable, charger, accessories and headphones with your child's name.
To connect the devices to the school wifi, we need the passcode for each device and the username and password for your chosen calling service e.g. Skype, WeChat, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Viber. All devices must have settings/interface available in English or French.
During Family Time (see below), you can contact your child using your preferred calling platform. If your child does not answer, call the school on +41 24 495 24 53. If you are not available at Family Time, let us know in advance and we will reschedule your call.
Data roaming charges are the parents’ responsibility. You can disable roaming on your child’s device if necessary.
There is no Family Time on the first Sunday of a Summer Camp session. We find this helps the settling-in process and can prevent homesickness.
Family Time (all times are Swiss time)
Wednesdays: 26 June, then 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 July and 7 August from 08:30 to 09:10
Sundays: 30 June, then 7, 14, 21, 28 July and 4 August from 10:00 to 11:00
Occasionally, children might miss Family Time during extra activities. We will fix another time for you to speak to your child.
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For teenagers, mobile phones are allowed between from midday to 21:00, except during:
⛔ lessons (private or group)
⛔ meals
⛔ activities (unless by agreement with staff)
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Wherever groups of children are gathered, there is head lice. It is not an indicator of poor hygiene. We ask you to check your child's hair two days before arrival and start treatment if lice are found. Let us know on arrival if treatment is still underway. All children will be checked again during Camp and treated if necessary.
Please also consider vaccinating your child against tick-born encephalitis. Some of our activities take place in the countryside where ticks are present. While the risks of infection are small, getting at least one dose (preferably two) of the vaccine before the start of Summer Camp means extra reassurance.
All Summer Camp students who live outside Switzerland are invoiced for health insurance and are covered by the school's insurance policy. If you live in Switzerland, please bring a copy of your current insurance certificate when you check in.
Medication, including vitamins and herbal remedies, must be handed to staff on arrival. It must be in its original packaging and clearly marked with your child’s name. Dosage instructions must be in English or French. If you have a copy of your child's prescription, please bring this with you. |
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Typical Schedule
07:30
07:45
08:30
08:40
09:15
12:05
13:00
16:00
18:00
18:15
18:45
19:45
20:00
20:30
21:45
22:00
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All times subject to change!
Wake Up for Boarders
Breakfast for Boarders
Day students arrive Monday to Saturday
Private Lessons / Free Time
Language Lessons - French or English
Lunch for all students
Afternoon Activities
Afternoon snack
Day students are collected by their parents
Supervised free time
Dinner for Boarders
Evening Activities
Shower and getting ready for bed
Lights Out For 5-10 Year Olds
Lights Out For 11-12 Year Olds
Lights Out For 13-17 Year Olds
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Social Media and Website
Photos from Summer Camp will be published regularly on our social media. Please inform us in advance if you do not wish your child to appear on our social networks or the school website. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that they will not be shown in a group photo. We also cannot guarantee that your child will appear on our digital platforms!
Photography
Our school photographer offers the chance for your child to have a unique, personalised photo package to remember their stay:
- CHF 650 for 50 pictures (minimum 4 weeks stay)
- CHF 400 for 25 pictures (available for all lengths of stay)
After the end of Summer Camp, we will send you a link to download the pictures. Please email summer@la-garenne.ch if you would like to purchase a digital photo package.
Birthdays
If a student has a birthday while they are with us at Summer Camp, we can organise a special celebration with a cake, a small gift and refreshments. The cost is CHF 250. Please let us know if you wish to add this option. |
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Please bring just one suitcase and a backpack. We do not have capacity to store extra luggage. If the suitcase has a lock code, please share it with us and label the luggage with your child's name.
Pocket money has already been charged to the parents’ invoice and the children will receive it in instalments during their stay. If you wish to leave extra money, you can do this on arrival day.
For teenagers, you could consider adding a credit or debit card to their phone, (e.g. Apple Pay). Physical credit cards are easily mislaid so please do not send one with your child. The school is not responsible for lost cards or money.
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We aim to give every single child the best experience possible at Summer Camp. Our experienced staff are always there to listen if your child needs to talk.
We encourage all students to uphold our simple rules of courtesy and respect:
✅ Only speak in French or English.
✅ Greet everyone with “good morning” or “good afternoon”.
✅ Respect other people.
✅ Respect other people’s property.
✅ Behave responsibly at all times.
✅ Listen carefully to instructions from staff.
Behaviour such as violence, bullying, theft, swearing, vaping etc. will be dealt with by the School Director. Parents will be informed if their child's behaviour is considered to compromise the wellbeing of other pupils.
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La Garenne International School is an accredited IB School offering the International Primary, Middle Years and Diploma programmes as well as a High School Diploma. We also offer short-stay integration programmes and winter camps. Please contact us at admissions@la-garenne.ch for further details. |
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Summer Camp Video
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