Please note our special closing this year on Friday, June 27
Friday, June 27 Special Closing Pilgrimage 11:30- 11:50! We will end our week with a Pilgrimage to the doors of the Church. We will not enter as a groups. If you would like to take your family to the noon Mass, we encourage that. We will parade over as a group and since our Pilgrimage to Heaven should center around our families, we invite families to join their children at their pickup stations and get into the “parade”. We will be singing one song, you probably won’t know and one that you probably will. Join us in the singing and the dancing as we close out our VBS in this Jubilee Year. We know that it will be pure chaotic fun but think by joining your children inside at their regular spots, it will cut down on the chaos of linking with them outdoors.
Picking up T-Shirts and Packets. You can pick up your children’s T-shirts and camp materials on Sunday, June 22 between 8:00 am and 12:30 pm. If you are unable to pick them up on Sunday, you can pick them up on Monday, June 23 between 5:30 — 6:30 pm. For those who still cannot pick up their packet, they will be left in a box with your family’s name on it on a table in the vestibule of the Cafeteria/Gym. Your child should wear his/her T-shirt each day of camp and to the Saturday picnic so they can find their group. There is a restroom in the vestibule where your child can change shirts if you are picking up the first day of camp.
Messages to VBS staff during Camp hours: VBS staff cannot access messages through email or text during VBS hours (6 am- 12:30 pm). If it is necessary to contact someone in VBS, please call the parish office at 703 378-7646 and someone will come over and deliver the message.
What your child should bring to camp (and what he/she shouldn’t): Your child will only need to wear his/her t-shirt to assure he/she is in the correct group. He/she should not bring anything else. He/she will not need anything else – no backpack, no water bottles please. Volunteers cannot keep track of all the stuff. Your child will be given an 8 oz. water bottle during games out on the field and will be given water with snack. Your child will also be given a cinch sack to keep his/her crafts in – it will be taken home on Friday. If your child will not be attending Friday, make sure we know so you can take it home on his/her last day of camp. At the end of each day, the group leader will collect his/her nametag and hand it out again the next morning so that you don’t have to keep track of it. If you see that your child still has it on at pickup, please give it to the group leader or bring it to the kitchen.
Absences/Late Arrivals: You do not need to report absences or Late Arrivals for campers. We do appreciate an early heads up for Camp Counselors so we can cover responsibilities. If your child is arriving late, check with us in the kitchen area and we will direct you to the current location of your child’s group to join.
VBS Schedule:
VBS is Tuesday-Friday (June 24-27) from 9:00 a.m.- 12 noon. Please arrive between 8:45 and 8:55 so that we can begin our opening skit on time. Please do not arrive before 8:45 because group leader volunteers will not be there to greet your child. Doors will not be unlocked until 8:40 a.m. We have last minute preparations and cannot babysit. Noon is the Closing Prayer. Please wait until the Prayer is over to take your children.
Please pick up your child promptly after the close of VBS. Teen volunteers staying for lunch must be picked up by 1:00 p.m. We need to vacate the premises, and we cannot stay around to babysit.
Volunteer lunch is for all Teen Volunteer Camp Counselors and families of Adult Volunteers. Volunteers attending should RSVP by 2 pm the day prior to lunch so adequate amounts can be provided. We are sorry, but we cannot feed all the siblings of Teen Volunteer Camp Counselors. RSVP for lunches at St. Timothy Teen Volunteers: VBS 2025 Volunteer lunches.
Where to drop off and pick up your child: Your child’s t-shirt is the color of his/her group assignment. You will find out your child’s assignment when you pick up your t-shirts.
If your child is PreK or Kindergarten, you will drop off and pick up your child at the table in the cafeteria with the tablecloth and balloon the same color as the t-shirt.
If your child is 1st grade – 4th grade, you will drop off and pick up your child in the designated area along the wall of the Gym. There will be a banner on the wall with an image the same color as your child’s t-shirt.
5th-6th graders will meet in the Cafeteria along the back wall.
Teen volunteers not participating in the Opening Assembly will report to their designated stations. Room numbers and locations will be given on the family assignment form in the bag with the t-shirts.
Dropping off and picking up inhalers and Epipens: Please drop off your child’s medical equipment with an adult volunteer in the kitchen. Please be sure to have it clearly marked. You can drop it off and pick it up daily or leave it for the week. Please pick it up Friday or at the Picnic on Saturday.
Snacks and Allergy Information: The ingredients for the snacks during the week are attached to this email. As you can see, it is more of a “treat” than a “snack”. Please feed your children breakfast before coming. If your child cannot have the snack for the day, please let us know ahead of time and bring an alternative to the kitchen at the beginning of the day. Please do not send the snack with your child. If we have not heard back from you that you will be bringing a snack for your child, we will assume he/she can receive the original snack, and we will provide it. Make sure the snack is clearly marked with your child’s name and group color/grade level. Please pick up any lunch bags after camp. Volunteers are not responsible for getting supplies back to you. We ask that you do not send an alternative for non-health reasons such as dislikes. We have over 250 kids. We may be doing you a favor with your picky eater. Peer pressure and lack of alternatives work wonders on developing cooperation skills.
Jubilee Years such as Pilgrims of Hope focus on Works of Mercy. Our service focus for VBS families this year is Feeding the Hungry with donations of non-perishable food items for the St. Vincent de Paul. The 5th-6th graders will be making baby blankets for donation to the Tepeyac Center and Crisis Pregnancy Centers. We will also be accepting donations of diapers for families in need.
Medical Issues: We have made note of any health issues you have raised on your registration and shared it with your child’s group leader as appropriate. If you have any specific information you need to share for your child’s safety and care, please let us know.
Family Picnic: On Saturday, June 28 all families are invited to join us for a Potluck Family Picnic after the 9:00 a.m. Mass. We will provide hot dogs and pulled-pork sandwiches and drinks. We ask families to bring sides and desserts. Your children will perform a song they learned with their Camp group. We will have moon bounces, games, face painting, etc. Please RSVP by Thursday, June 25 so we have an estimate of how many to expect. You can RSVP and sign up at St. Timothy VBS: St. Timothy VBS Pot-Luck Family Picnic 2025
We hope we have covered most of the questions with this email. If not, please contact us at sttimchantillyvbs@gmail.com. Thank you for sending your child(ren) to St. Timothy VBS this summer!
St. Timothy Catholic Church, Chantilly, VA VBS 