Camp Jaguar


“Welcome to the pack!”

– Jiggy The Jaguar

You don’t have to be a FXW student to be part of a summer of fun!

All our camps are open to the public, Pre-K through 8th grade, in Chicago, IL.

Sign up for the whole summer or just a week!

Programs

Arrival
Morning arrival takes place at FXW’s Old St. Patrick’s Campus on a staggered schedule starting at 8:30am with activities scheduled to begin at 9am. As soon as campers arrive, they’re met by a friendly member of our staff, or one of our Counselors-in-Training, who takes them to their applicable camp session home for the week in Jiggy the Jaguar’s Jungle.

Pack
A pack is a close-knit group of 10-12 campers and 2 counselors who navigate the day as a unit. The pack attend swimming together, eat lunch picnic-style, convene as a team during camp-wide competitions, and more. No matter where the day’s excitement may take them, campers can always return to the familiar faces of their pack.

While younger campers (entering PK- 2nd grade) stay grouped with their pack throughout the day and follow their age-appropriate schedule, older campers (entering 3rd-7th grade) get to choose the activities they enjoy most by customizing their day.

Our Elective Program introduces a co-ed environment where campers can specialize in activities that they enjoy most as well as meet other campers based on their common interests.

Whether your child wants to be part of a team that makes it to the Sports League finals, paint like Picasso or become a master chef at cooking, the choice is theirs.

They have opportunities to venture out into different configurations to attend specialized Enrichment Courses. Our most senior campers (entering 8th-9th grade) are given the option to join a pack as a Counselor-in-Training. Click on the tabs below to learn more about each of these programs.

Lunch
Campers are provided lunch and snack.

Camp-Wide Events
Some of the most unforgettable camp experiences happen when counselors, campers, staff, and CITs all gather in one place. It’s in these moments that the spirit of FXW’s Camp Jaguar is most deeply felt, so we make sure to work in lots of opportunities to come together. From talent shows to pack wars to special performances of all kinds, each day at FXW’s Camp Jaguar is full of excitement, tradition, and more than a few surprises!

Dismissal
At the end of the day, caretakers can pick up their campers right where they dropped them off, in front of the FXW’s Old St. Patrick’s School location. For those who don’t want the fun to end, we also offer an extended day program until 6 pm. Click on the After Camp Care tab below to learn more.

FXW’s Camp Jaguar is a fantastic opportunity for your Pre-K through Grade 7 child to build life skills, make friends, learn social skills, and gain confidence that can last a lifetime.

Through our age-appropriate activities and games, we encourage active participation all while having fun. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing!

With every day comes a new adventure packed with new experiences. Whether it’s making elephant toothpaste during Zany Science, playing sports, or cooling down in the fully supervised swimming pool 5-days-a-week, this will be an unforgettable summer experience for your child.

Your child will be met at each activity by one of our specialists. Each of these educators have specialized in one of our activities and will take charge of that alone. We believe this provides your child with a more unique and structured experience, and it is our hope that they get the most out of each day.

Our experienced summer staff have a passion and enthusiasm for working with young people. Made up of group counselors, division heads, and specialists, our team is in place to provide maximum support for every camper to succeed. We also want to give parents peace of mind by allowing face to face daily updates from division heads.

To us, summer camp is a continuation of your child’s education, and we have structured Camp Jaguar to be a fun environment to learn lasting life skills and build new friendships.

This program provides a stimulating learning environment for students entering 1st through 8th grade. Programs are taught by experienced FXW teachers and include a wide range of offerings from extension learning, athletics, and STEAM.

Our Counselor in Training (CIT) program provides the oldest Camp Jaguar attendees with an opportunity to gain leadership skills under the direct supervision of senior counselors and a division head.

CITs are assigned to a pack for the summer and assist campers with their daily activities.  It’s a great way for kids to gain hands on childcare experience while being under the guidance of our more experienced staff.

We expect our CITs to be active participants and fully engaged throughout the day and provide substantial support with regular check-ins and a continuous feedback loop.

This ensures that they feel comfortable and capable as they refine the skills needed to navigate a wide range of situations involving young children.

For families who need extra time before picking up their campers, an after-camp option is available for Camp Jaguar until 6 p.m. Our After Camp program involves a mixture of semi-structured activities that allow campers to unwind after a full day of action. Families are welcome to sign up for After Camp during registration, or on an as-needed basis.

What Makes Us Special?

Here at FXW, we believe in offering a little something for everyone to join in the fun. When you look through our camp catalog you’ll see we didn’t want any summer essentials to be missed. That’s why we build every camper’s schedule around favorites like water play, gaga, sports, arts & crafts, and more. Cool down while swimming or just dip your toes during our daily supervised swim time at Lakeshore Sport & Fitness. Stretch your legs learning a new game on FXW’s green space, or more.

In addition to these classic offerings, we offer opportunities for young and older campers alike to learn new skills or advance existing ones in our Jaguar Geniuses program. Scattered throughout the summer, these engaging sessions are run by our own wonderful teachers. Each course is carefully selected and designed by our masterful educators with a fun-first mindset. Whether you want to be the next Jane Campion in our film making camp or just brush up on your math skills for the next year, there is something for everyone.

We believe this combination of traditional summer activities and engaging enrichment programs makes us stand out from other offerings. Each day is designed to be fun and inspirational, allowing each child to explore and grow as an individual and with their newfound friends.

Summer Programs Director

Tom Burke

+1(312)268-2515

burket@fxw.org


At a glance

Programs available for children ages 4-14 

Open to FXW and non-FXW students

Six One-Week sessions beginning June 10 and ending July 26. Camp will be closed June 19 and the entire Fourth of July week.


Camp Schedule

Drop off between 8:15 – 8:45 am

Full day 9am – 3pm

After Camp 3pm – 6pm


Summer 2024 Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, we welcome all children to attend any of our summer programs, regardless of whether they attend FXW for school.

Our online registration system is now open.

In order to enroll, you’ll need to create an account with Camp-Brain (click this link or the button on the right-hand side called “Register for Camp”).

We fill spots on a first come first served basis.

If a session does fill up, please don’t hesitate to join the waitlist. We try to accommodate everyone, even if you don’t get in on the first try.

The prices for the FXW Summer Camp 2024 season will be:

  • $695 for campers and $615 for C.I.T’s during the 5-day weeks. $555 and $490 during the two 4-day weeks.

Registrations canceled before June 1st will be eligible for a full refund minus a $200 cancellation fee.

Registrations canceled after June 1st will not receive a refund.

Every camper will start out the day at FXW’s OSP Campus. Swimming and Rock Climbing will take place at Lakeshore Sport and Fitness.

There will be swimming every day.

In addition to swimming and rock climbing, there will be arts and crafts, dance, cooking and sports league. We’ll continue to offer gaga ball, a great game room, zany science activities and so much more with our fantastic group of counselors!

Session 1: June 10–June 14
Session 2: June 17–June 21 (Closed June 19)
Session 3: June 24–June 28
No Session the entire week of July 1-July 5
Session 4: July 8–July 12
Session 5: July 15–July 19
Session 6: July 22–July 26

Camp runs from 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m. every day it’s in session. Camp will not be held on June 19 to recognize Juneteenth, a national holiday.

Age-eligible campers: Preschool (must turn 4 by Sept. 1, 2024 and be toilet trained) to Rising Grade 7.
Age-eligible C.I.T.: Rising 8th and 9th graders.

Our Counselor in Training (CIT) program provides the oldest Camp Jaguar attendees with an opportunity to gain leadership skills under the direct supervision of senior counselors and a division head. CITs are assigned to a group for the week and assist campers with their daily activities. It’s a great way for kids to gain hands-on childcare experience while being under the guidance of our more experienced staff.
We expect our CIT’s to be active participants and fully engaged throughout the day and provide substantial support with regular check-ins and a continuous feedback loop. This ensures that they feel comfortable and capable as they refine the skills needed to navigate a wide range of situations involving young children.

Yes, a full lunch menu will be provided to campers every day and is built into the camp price. Snacks are also included.

Yes, the After Camp option will run from 3-6 p.m. The charge is $40 per day and can be purchased on a daily basis as needed via CampBrain.