summer 2025
COVID-19
Our team is continuing to observe the rapidly changing effects of COVID-19 and examine in detail how this will impact our summer. While it is too soon to make any firm decisions due to the fluidity of the situation, we remain optimistic and are devoting our energies to carving the path to providing a safe space for our campers and staff. While the ultimate decision to open camp this summer remains out of our hands, our priority is to be ready to provide our kids with a unique opportunity to spend their summer feeling a sense of normalcy that has been absent from their lives for so long.
Here are some ways in which we have already begun to plan for the summer:
Staying true to our mission, vision and values
While we are not able to make precise decisions now about our day-to-day programming and operations, we are clear that the decisions that will be taken will be guided by our Mission, Vision and Values. As we work to re-imagine a summer like no other Massad has yet seen, all of our contingency plans take into account the preservation of Massoret Massad and the magic that lives within our intangible spirit and family atmosphere.
Reasonable risks vs large rewards
The health and safety of our campers has always been our priority. This is a summer that comes with obvious risks and, with that in mind, we are working hard to ensure that every detail is accounted for. We will adapt to the circumstances by considering all aspects surrounding testing, cohorts, outdoor spaces, etc. in order to reap the greater benefits of being together.
Expanding our horizons and learning from others
We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to hear from those who were permitted to run camp last year in the Unites States and learn from their successes and failures. We remain in constant contact with our fellow Montreal Camp Directors as well colleagues and experts from across North America. We are taking part in countless conversations in order to better understand best practices surrounding COVID-19 and to share concerns, solutions and strategies.
Our stellar medical team
We have been so fortunate to have medical experts from among our Massad community join our efforts to get our kids to camp safely. They have, and will continue to be, part of our planning processes each step of the way. We are now awaiting the final drafts of field guides provided by both the Quebec and Ontario governments, drafted through recommendations made by experts in the field, that will seek to outline health and safety protocols to be followed by all overnight camps. Our medical team will have the opportunity to review this field guide and help us to implement its guidelines in a way that is deemed both in line with current Public Health directives and suitable to our specific routine and landscape.
While we can’t be certain of what Kayitz 2021 will look like, we can be certain that we will be right there with you along the way. Our goal over the next few months is to remain open and transparent with you, our parents, and to be a resource of hope and light for our campers. As we approach the summer, we will release a detailed COVID-19 plan for our families that is based on the most current and accurate information available to us. We ask for your patience and trust in our team that as soon as we have news to share, we will share it without delay.
Please share our message of optimism with your children and let them know that we are working hard to get them back home this summer. Let them know that camp may be simpler this year and that will be wonderful. Camp will be a place with more bonfires, with more time in the agam, with more time to bond with bunkmates and reinforce lifelong friendships. While this summer may be different, it may also be the best one yet!
Please feel free to be in touch anytime if you have any questions.
Parent Portal
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Summer Contact
Communication with your camper
Snail Mail
We urge you to start mailing letters about a week before camp begins, so that your child receives mail right away. Please address letters to:
Camp Massad
1780 chemin du Lac Quenouille
Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
J8C 0R4
Follow the “Email” link on your CampInTouch dashboard to send your camper a note of up to 50 lines. We print these emails each morning and deliver them with mail after lunch. For same day delivery, please submit your email by 9am.
Phone Call
For emergencies only. If your child will be celebrating a birthday at camp, we will be happy to arrange a time for your child to call you from the camp office. Otherwise, the only situations in which we permit phone calls are to help solve a problem or in an emergency.
Photos
See what your campers have been up to! Login to your CampInTouch account to see the exciting new photos that we upload each day. Look for your own camper in action or live a camp day yourself vicariously through all of our animated photos!
Photos will only be uploaded everyday between 1-2pm.
Packages
Campers are not permitted to receive packages in camp, unless: (1) a camper is missing a specific item, (ie. they forgot their favorite stuffy or hat at home) or (2) a camper is celebrating an in-camp birthday. In this case, one package per child will be permitted. Food is not permitted in any packages, at any time.
Visit Camp
Parents, family and friends of campers will only be allowed to visit camp on Visiting Day. The camp remains a closed community at all other times. If you are a prospective parent interested in a scheduled tour of camp, please contact the camp office to make arrangements. We would be happy to show you around!
Important Dates
2025 Early Bird Special
Before october 14, 2024
2025 Regular Tuition
As of october 14, 2024
Important Dates
Full session
June 24 - August 12, 2025
First Session
June 24 - July 20, 2025
Second Session
July 20 - August 12, 2024
Starter Camp (1st Session)
June 24 - July 08, 2025
Starter Camp (2nd Session)
July 20 - August 4, 2025
Visitors Day
July 20, 2025
Packing for Camp
The following suggested packing list is based on a 3-week camp session. Please use this as a guide while packing and, regardless of your child’s age, please supervise their packing!
Laundry is done once per week with a one-day turnaround.
Campers are allowed two (2) duffle bags each, one for bedding and one for clothes, plus one small carry-on bag for the bus. No trunks or garbage bags are permitted.
All items must be clearly labelled.
Family Weekend
Are you an alumni who is looking for a reason to sleep in your old cabin or swim in the agam again? Are you a parent who wants to see how your campers live/will live during the summmer? Bring your family and come spend the weekend with us on Lac Quenouille! Boating, Omanut, Sports, Shira, a Massad Shabbat and Havdallah - all culminating in a Merutz Ha'Gadol! Don't miss out on the magic of Massad!
Refer a friend
Become a Massad Ambassador!
Give $180, Get $180
We are always glad to meet your friends and family who want to join the Massad mishpacha. Tell your friends about our first-time camper opportunities like Starter Camp and Camper for a Day and help us spread the magic of Massad! For every camper that signs up following your referral, you will receive $180 off your tuition and they will also receive $180 off their tuition!
New campers FAQ
During the week, there is no specific dress code. Campers and staff dress informally, in comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing. In keeping with Massad tradition, campers dress up on Friday evenings and Saturdays, marking Shabbat as a special time. Boys typically wear nicer shorts or pants with a clean shirt, girls wear dresses, skirts or pants and top.
If you or your child are not comfortable with an item of clothing getting lost or dirty, it should not come to camp. In addition, valuable jewelry should not be brought to camp. The following items are not appropriate for camp: platform or high-heeled shoes, expensive clothes, valuable jewelry, or anything with a disrespectful or “questionable” logo.
Yes! Photos of your child(ren) will be posted on our CampInTouch portal. Please note that on days when new photos are uploaded, this will only occur between the hours of 1PM – 2 PM. This is to help avoid the need to keep checking the site throughout the day for new photos.
- Practice problem-solving using “what-if” situations: “What if you lose your baseball glove? or “What if you don’t feel well?” so that they know how to handle various situations, and understand that help is always available.
- Our staff undergo “ages and stages“ training, designed to support our campers and will be ready to help your child through such obstacles.
- Talk about some of the daily routines at camp that your child may not be used to. For example, making his bed, participating in cleaning the cabin, or helping clear the table after meals. For younger campers, it may help to practice the following skills ahead of camp: Making her bed; Folding his own clothes; Showering and getting ready for bed; and clearing the table.
Snail Mail
Yes! Please write often! Campers love to receive mail, delivered after lunch every day except for Shabbat. Especially for first-time campers, please send mail before they even leave for camp, so mail is there waiting for them. Please focus your letters on positive things; it is not appropriate to break bad news to your child through mail while at camp. It is also not recommended to comment on how much you miss your camper; we do not want them feeling guilty for having fun without you. Our summer mailing address is:
Your Camper’s Name
Camp Massad
1780 Chemin du Lac Quenouille
Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec J8C 0R4
Email:
Follow the “Email” link on your CampInTouch dashboard to send your camper an email. We print these emails each morning and deliver them with regular mail after lunch. For same day delivery, please submit your email by 9am. Emails received after 9 AM will be delivered on the following day. Emails are not printed or distributed on Shabbat. EMAILS WITH PHOTOS WILL NOT BE PRINTED.
Phone calls:
We are more than happy to discuss your child’s welfare with you, but campers are not permitted to receive phone calls. Calls with parents or loved ones can cause a child to feel vulnerable and homesick and therefore, frequent upbeat letters and emails are a much better way of letting your children know that they are loved. Please explain to your child before camp that he or she won’t be talking to you on the phone, and that there are a lot of caring counsellors always available to talk to at camp. As such, cell phones with SIM cards and any wifi-capable devices are not permitted in camp.
Note: Hadracha Campers (Machon Alef and Malam, ages 16 and 17) may be permitted occasional use of their phones during the summer at the discretion of our senior staff. At all other times, their phones will be kept in a secure location.
For Montreal campers, luggage will be sent to camp the day before your campers arrive. More information on this will be sent out prior to camp. Luggage will be brought by our staff directly to each camper’s bunk.
For non-Montreal campers, luggage must be brought to camp with your camper on arrival day.
General FAQ
Camp is wonderful, but it doesn’t always feel that way instantly. Children need time to acclimate to new situations and homesickness is natural for both new and returning campers. To a homesick child, it is important that we acknowledge the reality of their feelings and take positive steps to ensure a positive camp experience. In addition to writing often, here are several steps you can take to help prepare your child for camp, and minimize homesickness:
- Speak openly about homesickness if you deem it appropriate. It can happen to anyone.
- Please don’t say, “If you don’t like camp, you can come home.” Children who are having difficulty adjusting to camp will then compound the problem by not giving it a fair chance. Explain that there will not be any phone calls to or from home.
- Encourage your child to bring something for their bed area to make it feel like home. A stuffed animal can often make a big difference.
- Involve your child closely in the different steps of getting ready to come to camp. If you purchase something new for your child for camp, get excited and get them excited when you give it to them, put their name on it, etc.
- If you receive a negative letter, please call and alert us, but also be aware that the letter was likely written several days earlier. There is a good chance that matters have improved dramatically since the letter was written. Campers may also write negative letters immediately after an unhappy experience, when, an hour later, they’ve completely forgotten the incident and are once again enjoying camp.
- Please prepare yourself for the separation. Homesickness can be triggered by parents projecting their anxiety onto the child. Avoid statements like: “I’m going to miss you terribly,” and “How am I going to get through the next week without you?” You do not want to make your child feel guilty about leaving you.
Campers are permitted to bring 1 reusable grocery size bag of certified Kosher and nut-free food to camp. Campers’ bags will be diligently checked upon arrival and any food brought to camp that does not meet these requirements will be confiscated and donated to our local shelter. No food may be sent my mail.
Camp Massad is free of screens and gaming devices. Devices for music and photography purposes will be permitted for use in the campers’ individual bunks however the devices cannot have any videos, movies or games stored on them or have any internet connectivity capabilities.
Clothes for camp should be durable, inexpensive, and informal. Warm weather clothing and rain gear are essential. The only time campers “dress up” is on Shabbat. Please follow this link for a detailed packing list. A reminder that your campers belonging must be packed in duffle bags, not drawers or trunks.
Food and candy, expensive clothing, and items that are valuable or sentimental are all best left at home. Hotpots, kettles, electric appliances, cell phones, computers, TVs, DVD/Video players, candles, matches, and knives are all strictly forbidden at camp and will be confiscated. Confiscated items may not be returned at the end of the summer. Please do not pack your child’s belongings in trunks and drawers. For a more complete list, please refer to our Parent Handbook which can be found in your CampInTouch Account.
We offer weekly, on-site laundry service to the campers. Please only send items that are easily laundered, non-bleeding, and well-marked with your child’s full name. Camp assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged laundry items.
Tutoring by staff members trained in Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation is available to children preparing for this important milestone. Please advise us ahead of the summer if your child will require assistance in this area.
The One Happy Camper Grant is open to first time campers only. Get up to $1,000 off your child’s first summer at Jewish overnight camp! LINK: https://www.generationsfund.ca/en/camps/ohc/?ref=CampMassad#.YEE-jXlOnIU
CAMPS Access Grants provide up to $1,000 off summer camp based on household income and number of children attending. This grant will be applicable for a period of up to three years for income eligible families. LINK: https://www.generationsfund.ca/en/camps/grant/?ref=CampMassad#.YEE-3HlOnIU
For additional assistance options, please contact the camp office directly.
