September Leader Meeting Sep 9

September Volunteer Leader meeting is Mon., Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. – Flint Library Activity Room (Early bird patches will be available at this meeting for your girls who signed up prior to June 30^th).  Stop by and pick them up please!

Also, Cori authorized representatives will be available to update or collect Cori forms at our September meeting.  Please check your CORI expiration dates through your My GS account before they expire. The approved Cori application is attached here.
 

NRGS AT the Apple Festival!

NRGS Information table will be at the Apple Festival on Sat., September 14^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  

Fall Product Sale startes Sept 16th

Fall Product Sale Starts September 16^th (samples of candy and nuts will be on hand and information will be handed out to troops interested in selling at the September Leader meeting)  This is a short sale ending October 23^rd so plan on coming to the meeting to pick up your kits to hand out to the girls.  Selling Fall Products gives your troop money before the Cookie Sale even begins!

GSEM’s Volunteer Conference, Nov 17

GSEM’s Volunteer Conference is November 17^th this year and in Burlington, closer to home.  This is booking up fast.  Sign up now if you are interested in attending by logging onto your My GS account.

Canoeing, Archery & S'mores - Sunday, Oct 6

Join us for Canoeing, Archery & S'mores hosted by North Reading Girl Scouts! This event is open to ALL Girl Scouts on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at Camp Maude Eaton in Reading from 11am-3pm. Registrations are due to your Leader no later than Sept 14. Cash, Venmo and checks accepted. See flyer here for more information.

Encampment Success!

Thank you to everyone on the Encampment Committee who helped to plan and coordinate a very successful Encampment for 117 girls and over 40 adults this past weekend!  A special thank you to Anne Valade and Amy Kelly for all the work they did to put together the badge workshop and the scavenger hunt trail.  A huge thank you to Kerstin March for coming to Encampment to be our lifeguard, canoe facilitator, and for running the s’mores/sing-along at inspiration point!  Another huge thank you to all of our facilitators for archery and canoes, Jo Gibson, Michele Reyen, Rebecca Lowe and Adrienne Dunn.  The girls had a blast we heard.  Thank you to Mother Nature—the weather was just perfect for an Encampment, after all the rainy weekends we had leading up to our big day…  Finally, thank you to the Leaders and adult volunteers who gave up their weekend to give the girls an experience they will never forget!

Encampment – Follow Up

Arts Badge -- If your girls were not able to complete all the steps needed to earn the Arts Badge we handed out at Encampment, you can contact Anne Valade at avalade@baystatedisposal.com before Friday and she can let you borrow supplies she still has on hand that will assist the girls in earning their Badge.  You will need to contact Anne by Friday!! 

Lost and Found – We have several items that were found at camp after Encampment.  If they belong to any of the girls in your troop, please let us know ASAP or we will dispose of them in the next couple of weeks. 

Found items:

a Trolls beach towel

      a beach towel with beach things like umbrellas printed on it

      a girl’s pair of pink/purple crocks

      a blue water bottle

      black stockings or leggings

Register for Fall Programs-Now Open!

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for fall programs and activities! Search for activities on our website by program level to view chronological results. Click an activity title to view more information and register. New programs are added to the Activities page regularly, so be sure to check our website often!

Healthy Minds, Healthy Girls Training for Volunteers

This summer we’re offering several trainings for volunteers on how to provide mental health support and guidance to girls. Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches volunteers how to help an adolescent experiencing a mental health challenge, and will take place at Camp Cedar Hill on June 22. This course is offered at a discount—register by June 15. Stress Management for Girl Scouts Pathway courses are also available to volunteers at all Girl Scout levels—sign up on LEAD Online.

Camp Wind-in-the-Pines 90th Birthday

Since 1929, Camp Wind-in-the-Pines has been a place for girls to make wonderful summer memories. Join us in celebrating the camp's 90^th year! All friends of WIP are invited to a special celebration on Saturday, July 27, from 1-4 PM. Campers and their families, alums, and staff are welcome for a day of swimming, archery, crafts, and campfires—and everyone will receive a commemorative patch.

Girl Scouts State Parks Weekend

Girl Scouts love getting outside, especially in our majestic state parks! Revel in the wonder of nature with your girls on July 13-14. On this weekend Girl Scouts will be partnering with state parks across the country, and GSEMA will be offering discounted access and Girl Scout exclusive events in state parks in eastern Massachusetts to girls and volunteers. Get some fresh air, see memorable sights, go fishing and boating, and make new friends. Girls who attend a Girl Scouts Love State Parks activity will also receive a patch!

Older Girl Fly Up Update

Fly Up/Bridging Ceremony will take place at 6:30 on June 18^th at St Theresa’s Parish Hall.

• Please check the roster Lisa sent via email to make sure we have the correct names of your troop members for the Program
• Please check your assignments to make sure they are listed correctly
• Remember to bring your Troop banner to the ceremony
• Each Troop should bring a case of water and 2-3 dozen cookies/brownies/pastries to share at the refreshment table
• Girls should wear their uniforms, Leaders their pins, and if desired girls can dress/decorate to the theme of “Under the Sea”.

Early Bird Renewal – Deadline June 7th

We are getting closer to goal, but still quite a ways from earning our $300 incentive. We sent out emails to every registered family this evening in the hope we can meet our deadline.  If you are a troop leader re-registering your troop, please do this by Friday.   If you already re-registered your girls, thank you!  

Encampment – The Great Outdoors

An email will be sent out tomorrow with the final schedule for each troop’s activities for Saturday, June 1^st!  It is looking like Mother Nature will be on our side thus far so we are not going to think rain for Saturday!  Please pay careful attention to the final email we send out as this will contain important last minute information with reminders and/or updates you will need for Encampment.

Fly Up Program

We will be putting together the programs for Fly Up next week and ask that you watch for emails asking you to confirm girls in your troop eligible to participate.  Also, if you have a girl in your troop who has completed her Bronze, Silver or Gold Award and needs to be recognized at Fly Up, please let Lisa Coroa-Bockley know ASAP.

Memorial Day Parade Information – May 27

The Memorial Day parade is Monday, May 27^th rain or shine at 10 a.m.  Troops should arrive at the meeting house on the common and line up according to levels with Daisies first.  Girls can take turns holding their banner.  Remember Leaders to remove the pole from the banner so it’s not as heavy.  Wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, Girl Scout uniforms for the girls, Girl Scout pins for the Leaders, and bring a first aid kit with the girls annual permission form showing their emergency contact information in the event of an emergency on the parade route.  Girls should carry a water bottle or an adult could pull a wagon with water for the girls.  The parade will stop for a few minutes for the HS band to play and girls can take a little rest drink their water.  We remind Leaders to remind the girls to be respectful and that North Reading Girl Scouts do not hand out or carry balloons any longer in the parade and we absolutely do not throw candy into the crowds as it’s a safety issue.  Parents are allowed to walk with the girls in the parade and any girl can participate without a troop or her Leader. 

 

Encampment – The Great Outdoors

Just a reminder that if your troop is participating in low ropes at Encampment, you can either pay the extra $5 per girl to reimburse the NRGS by one check handed in at check-in the day of Encampment or by submitting it to Amy Kelly at Venmo @amy-kelly-78.  These are the troops and the amounts owed for your reference:

Troop 62458 $70.00   Troop 69171 $30.00   Troop 62803  $70.00           Troop 86279 $25.00

Troop 62550 $50.00   Troop 69175 $45.00   Troop 85336  $25.00

As soon as we find out what the weather will be for next weekend, we will send out the final schedule for Saturday’s activities.  There will be one final Encampment email with important reminders which will be sent out early next week.

Bronze and Silver Award Final Report Reminder

This year, GSEMA has moved forms online to improve volunteer experience and collect more data on how girls develop as leaders throughout our footprint. To access these reports please visit the Bronze Award and Silver Award webpages. The final deadline for those bridging up to a new grade level is September 30!

Don’t forget to check our Facebook Leader page and our NRGS blog website in the coming weeks for new information at www.northreadinggirlscouts.blogspot.com. 

Last Call for Photos for Older Girl Fly Up Slideshow

May 15^th is the deadline to send in your photos for the Slideshow.  If you have not yet sent in your photos to Mary Lasdin, please take the time by Wednesday to do so.  Send your 5-12 photos from your troop to Mary Lasdin at lasdin@comcast.net by May 15^th to be included in the slideshow.  Mary would like you to label the photos if possible with your troop # in order of your favorites.  For example, troop 71901.1, 71901.2 and so on.  If you need help scanning older photos, let Mary know. 

 

Daisy Annual Fly Up Event

The Daisy Fly Up Invitation is now attached here.  Fly Up is scheduled for Monday, June 17^th, at the Aldersgate Church at 6:30 p.m.  We would ask that all girls arrive by 6:15.  Daisy Fly Up will be less than an hour and we will have refreshments after the ceremony.  We would ask each troop to collect a supply of bathroom toilet tissue and Glade air fresheners from your girls to donate to the Aldersgate Church in lieu of a monetary donation for the generous use of their space for Fly Up.  We can answer any Fly Up questions at our May Leader meeting.