Early Bird Registration and Incentives

Early Bird registration begins on 4/2/18 and ends on 6/15/18.  There are incentives for both the individual troops and the service unit if you are able to do early bird registration.  Please find the flyer detailing the incentives here.

Congratulations to the NR Service Unit and individual leaders!

The North Reading Service Unit was nominated and will receive the President's Award at the Annual GSEM Awards Ceremony on April 28th.  Please see the letter of recognition here.  Also Ruth Kennedy and Joanne Gibson will be receiving the Appreciation Pin for their dedication and service above and beyond to not only their troops but also for all they've done on the Service Team over the years.

Leader Meeting Minutes 3/19/18

North Reading Girl Scouts

Leader Meeting – March 19, 2018

Minutes of the Meeting

Meeting Started at 7:40 p.m.

Leaders/Volunteers in Attendance:

Debbie Nearing, Service Unit Coordinator and Troop 73891; Kerri Antonuccio, SU Membership Promotor and Troop 62803; Amy Kelly, SU Treasurer and Troops 71901 and 62804; Anne Valade, Fall Product Manager; Joanne Gibson, Cookie Manager, Hood School Coordinator and Troops 69175 and 62548; Amber O’Driscoll, Batch School Coordinator and Troop 76211; Denise Kung, Interim Recording Secretary and Assistant Fall Products Coordinator and Troop 62798; Rebecca Lowe, Troop 62550; Laura Cherwek, Troop 82417; Ruth Kennedy, Troop 73899.

WELCOME:

Debbie led us in the Opening Flag Ceremony and the Promise and welcomed the Leaders.

COOKIE UPDATES:

Cookies update from Jo – Still a few troops who have leftover cookies. Jo is writing thank you cards to local businesses who allowed troops to sell cookies. If you sold at a local biz, please send Jo some examples of what you are doing with your cookie money.  Recognitions should arrive by the start of May, once they are sorted and they can be picked up at the next meeting or at Jo’s house.  Amy reimbursed Leaders who brought Thanks cookies for SU to purchase.

Debbie gave cookie update from Regional Delegate Meeting – cookie sales are up 2.7%, online sales were much higher with ABC (16,891 cases!) this year versus 259 cases last year online!! Lord and Taylors will allow girls to sell cookies on March 24^th and they are calling it GS Day (check your local store).

Jo is looking for ideas of local businesses she can ask to allow us to sell cookies next year. GSEM told Debbie Dunkin Donuts has a contract with them as well as Walgreens.  DD now offers flavored coffee with 3 varieties of cookies: Thin Mints, PB Sandwich and Carmel Delights. DD purchased $50,000 of cookies from GSEM this year!

GIRL SCOUT LIFETIME REGISTRATION:

Debbie – NEW from GS: lifetime membership dues discount will be added for Gold Awardees not just graduates. – Debbie checking to see if there is a cap for number of years passed.

GIRL SCOUT SUNDAY PATCHES:

Debbie has GS Sunday patches still available.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION UPDATES:

Kerri – early bird registration beings April 2^nd.  Between 4/2 and 6/15 you get incentives! Families by 4/15 get $5 coupon for GS Store, by May 25 for troops get $50 program credit for up to 12 girls and $75 for more than 12, Service units get $300 for 50%, $400 for 65% and $500 for 75%.  Debbie will include a detailed incentive sheet in the Monday email.

Early Bird Recruitment campaign – Amber had an idea to create a flyer to give out to preschools (to recruit Daisy girls) – Kerri checking dates for a recruitment event

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE:

Memorial Day Parade – Rebecca brought a banner to show to the other leaders and we discussed ideas on how to make a banner for a new troop.  Check out the information about the length of the banner. If too long, girls will trip carrying it in the parade.  Banners also used for Fly Up Ceremony as well as parade.  Discussion on whether you use the same banner each level or create a new one.

FATHER DAUGHTER SPORTS DAY:

Father Daughter Sports Day – trying to secure the gym at the HS again, Amber and Karianne working on this. The event would be for Daisies and Brownies (maybe for Juniors). Turnout was good last year.  Amber working on securing a date for the HS gym.

TOWN WIDE FLY UP CEREMONY:

Amy requested June 20^th for June Fly Up ceremony (for 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grade). She thinks the time will be 6-8pm.  Amy awaiting to hear back from St. Theresa’s as to the date.

BLOG MANAGER POSITION OPEN:

We need to find someone to do the blog, Melissa Audier is stepping down after this year.  Amy suggested maybe a HS girl scout would be a good fit if trained as to what we need.

SUMMER CAMP AT GSEM:

Summer camp with GSEM – financial aid IS available. Check Camp Program guide mailed out or go online.  Space still available. Girls do not have to be registered in a troop to attend camp!

GSEM AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS:

Congrats to Jo Gibson and Ruth Kennedy who were nominated by their peers and will be awarded for outstanding service above and beyond the troop as part of the Service Team! They will receive an appreciation pin at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham on Sat April 28^th from 11-3pm. Anyone can attend, the cost is $25, and you just must log on to www.gsema.org and register.  Please contact Debbie to carpool.

Debbie surprised and congratulated the Service Team when she announced that she nominated the entire NR Service Team for outstanding volunteerism and really working and pulling together as a team and meeting goals in a difficult year. Thank you to Ruth Kennedy and Lisa Coroa-Bockley who endorsed the nomination and sent in very detailed and thoughtful letters.  Kim Lambert from Council also endorsed the nomination. The Awards and Recognition Committee and GSEM Board both approved the nomination for North Reading’s Service Unit, and we will be recognized at the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on April 28^th.  Please let Debbie know if you want to attend.  We can take 4 ST members free since Debbie and Anne are already free and Jo is already attending with a ticket.

ARBOR DAY AND PLANTINGS:

Ruth will be sending out information about GS Planting Day @ Veterans Memorial Park. Arbor Day celebration will be Friday April 27^th at 6pm – plant a tree at Ipswich River Park to celebrate Arbor Day. Meet at the gazebo and walk over to the planting area.  Contact Ruth Kennedy at ruthekennedy@gmail.com for information.

Meeting Ended at 8:45 pm

Minutes taken by Denise Kung

Reviewed and Edited by Debbie Nearing

April Vacation Brownie camping

New Session of Brownie Camping: April 14-15 at Camp Cedar Hill

Due to weather and rescheduling, we have a new session of Brownie Camping open the weekend of April 14^th. Experience overnight cabin camping for the first time! During the day, explore crafts, games, nature activities and more. At dusk, enjoy songs and s'mores around the campfire. Troops bring their own food supplies to cook in the kitchen or over a campfire. A minimum of two volunteers is required. Badge included. *Volunteer supervision required.

·       Additional volunteer training required: One First Aid-certified volunteer and one volunteer who has completed Troop Camping Skills-Lodge.

·      Register here: http://www.gsema.org/en/events-repository/2017/brownie-camping.html

     Please direct questions to Kimberly Connon at kconnon@gsema.org.

Reading Girl Scouts Celebrates 100 Years on March 10th

Girls first registered to be Girl Scouts in Reading, Massachusetts in 1918, only six years after the national organization was founded in Savannah, Georgia. To mark this milestone, an all-day celebration will take place on Saturday, March 10, 2018 (snow date March 11) from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at Camp Rice Moody located on Rice Road in Reading.

This volunteer organized event will kick-off with a pancake breakfast at 9:00 am, an annual tradition for Reading Girl Scouts for many years. A flag ceremony and visit from a re-enactor portraying Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low will occur at 10:45 am, prior to a 12:00 pm fashion show of uniforms through the 100 years. The afternoon includes a Sing Along at 1:00 pm, a campfire with s'mores from 1:00 - 2:30 pm and a tea and birthday cake at 2:30 pm to close out the day's festivities. Occurring all day will be photo booth activities, windsock making and crafts. Items for a time capsule will be accepted all day long and the time capsule will be buried and opened at a future Girl Scout celebration.

This celebration is free of charge and open to all, thanks to many generous sponsors. Donations are welcomed, and any proceeds will benefit the Reading Girl Scout Achievement Award. All participants will receive a commemorative patch designed specifically for this 100-year celebration. Guests will also be treated to displays of historical information through the 100 years. Reading Girl Scouts had a Drum and Bugle Corp, ran their own summer camp and overnight camp and much more!

Come for the day or stop in for a specific event. Full schedule of events can be found on the Reading Girl Scout website, https://sites.google.com/site/readinggirlscouts/.

Welcome our new CEO of GSEM!

Following a six-month national search and a unanimous vote of the Board, Denise Burgess has been named to lead the council as the Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Denise is an experienced leader with strategic planning, organizational development, operations, and communications expertise. She also is a strong resource manager who builds collaborative stakeholder relationships and mobilizes groups to action. I am confident you will be as impressed with her credentials and vision for the council as the board and search committee.

Denise most recently served as a resident country director for The Carter Center, the not-for-profit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. In this role, she led a field operation focused on monitoring elections, human rights, and mining governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Earlier in her career, she founded an international strategic planning, communications, and marketing consultancy. She appeared as a CNN correspondent from 2002 to 2005, managing the Middle East and Asia news desk during the Iraq invasion, then delivering live reports from Baghdad during the post-conflict phase. In this role, she was nominated for "Best Feature" by the National Association of Black Journalists. For 16 years earlier in her career, she served as an American diplomat working for the U.S. Department of State - Foreign Service.

Denise earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Princeton University, and a Master of Science in Communications Management from The Newhouse School for Public Communication at Syracuse University.

March Food Pantry Drive

March is Girl Scout month at the Food Pantry.  Please see the flyer  here to read about how the collection will work this year.  The big collection drop off will be on March 31st from 9:30 to 10:30 at the Town Hall gym.

 

Cadette Series at Camp Maude Eaton and Rice Moody

Full Series:

This is a brand new Girl Scout pathway just for Cadettes! Each fun and engaging session will include a guest speaker, hands-on activities, and networking with other Cadettes to connect outside of the program. You can register for your choice of programs based on your interest and time, or save money and sign up for the entire series on the GSEMA websit.

March:

Come join your fellow Cadette Girl Scouts for a fun day of learning about STEM. You will get to learn from an expert, participate in hands-on activities, and network with other Cadettes to connect outside of the program. Look for other programs in the Cadette Connections series to continue the fun!

April:

Come join your fellow Cadette Girl Scouts for a fun day of learning about Financial Literacy. You will get to learn from an expert, participate in hands-on activities, earn a badge, and network with other Cadettes to connect outside of the program. Look for other programs in the Cadette Connections series to continue the fun!

May:

Come join your fellow Cadette Girl Scouts for a day of Outdoor fun. You will get to learn from an expert, participate in hands-on activities, and network with other Cadettes to connect outside of the program. Look for other programs in the Cadette Connections series to continue the fun!

February: Health and Wellness (2/18 Maude; 2/24 Rice)

March: STEM (3/17 Maude; 3/24 Rice)

April: Financial Literacy (4/15 Maude; 4/28 Rice)

May: Outdoor (5/13 Maude; 5/19 Rice)

Memorial Day Parade 5/28/18

Planning to march in the Memorial Day Parade?  You can find a link here to all the information you need to get your troop ready to march! Remember, if your troop doesn't have a banner you might want to start your plans for making one now.

 

She and Me Tea Party 3/18

North Reading Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts are invited to the
She and Me Tea on Sunday, March 18th from 1:00—2:30 pm at
Camp Rice Moody, 29 Rice Rd, Reading, MA
$15 per couple, $5 per addl. girl
Please find invitation here.
RSVP: No later than Friday, March 2nd, 2018
Girls, bring your favorite adult female to share sweet treats, crafts and more.
Receive a patch for joining in the fun!

Girl Scout Sunday 3/11/18

Girl Scout week is celebrated each March, starting with Girl Scout Sunday and ending with Girl Scout Sabbath on a Saturday, and it always includes the Girl Scout Birthday, March 12.  The Girl Scout Birthday, March 12, commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization's first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. Girl Scout Sunday this year is Sunday, March 11th and Saturday, March 17th, for the Sabbath.  Please see flyer here. Any NR Girl Scout who attends a House of Worship on that day, will receive a participation fun patch.  If any girl attends another House of Worship outside of North Reading or outside of the Mass or Service where patches are being handed out, please let us know and we will give you a patch for those girls.  

Mystic Valley Elder Services – Service Project

Please consider helping the Mystic Valley Elder Services regarding an “emergency closet”.  They have staff/aides that serve elders in the community who help clean, bathe, feed, and help elders with their needs.  These aides have access to the “emergency closet” where they sign out items if they see clients are in need.  If your troop would like to do a service project by collecting and donating some of these supplies, please check out the flyer here. If you have any questions please contact Amy Kelly at kellys@majekelly.com.

GSEM Service Event 2/4/18

Reading Service Unit Event for Sunday, February 4, 2018:

Forever Girl Scouts, friends and current Girl Scouts are invited to make hats for children in homeless shelters this coming Sunday (prior to rooting for our Patriots to win the Super Bowl).  We will be gathering at Camp Rice Moody from 12:30 - 3 pm.

Please find the flyer here.  Please share with all your friends.  We will get lots of hats made, make new friends, chat and snack!

World Thinking Day

As a Girl Scout, you are part of a special group of girls that stretches across the world. On February 22 of each year, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 146 countries celebrate World Thinking Day. (That’s one big celebration!) World Thinking Day is a way to celebrate with girls all over the world by doing the same activities. The 2018 World Thinking Day theme is “Impact.” Making an impact means having a strong effect on something or someone. This World Thinking Day, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides will think about what it means to make an impact on the world—and celebrate being part of the global sisterhood that is Girl Scouts + Girl Guides. Check out this website with Making Friends for some great troop ideas – www.makingfriends.com/world-thinking-day.  Then honor your girls with the WAGGGs pin for their vest. 

GSUSA Raytheon Cadette, Senior, Ambassador STEM Pilot Program

GSEM is excited to announce they have been accepted by GSUSA and Raytheon as a partner council to pilot the new Computer Science Journeys for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors! Neither STEM experience nor access to computers are required to participate.  They sent an invitation email to troop leaders yesterday.  Interested Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, and multi-level troops (grades 6-12) please complete this brief form by January 19.  If chosen, your troop will receive a $100 Amazon gift card to support troop-related program expenses.

Want to participate? Here's how:

• The troop completes six one-and-a-half-hour Journey sessions between February 2 and April 1.
• The troop volunteer completes an information form before the start of the program and a post-program survey.
• Each troop member completes a session tracker after each meeting and a post-program survey.

Ice Skating Events!! 1/15 and 1/20

Reading Girl Scout Ice Skating – January 15^th MONDAY!!!

Reading Girl Scouts and Joshua Eaton's Grade 5 Junior Troop 85448 invite you to their annual skating day on Monday 1/15/2018 from 9:30-11:20 at the Burbank Ice Arena in Reading MA! See flyer here -- no advance registration needed, open to all from all towns, and not limited just to Girl Scouts! $5 for ages 5-65;/$15 max per family/under 4 and over 65 free! 

Winchester Girl Scout Ice Skating - January 20th

Winchester Girl Scout's annual ice skating evening on Saturday, January 20th from 6-6.50 PM.  The event will be held at Flynn Arena (300 Elm St, Medford) -- open skate will follow from 7-8:50 PM.  Cost: $5 per person with a max of $12 per family (4 & under and 65+ free).  GS Fun Patch included!  They would love to see girls from other towns also join us as well! Please see flyer here.

Cookie Info.

It's simple to order cookies from a cupboard:

1. Submit a Planned Order in Smart Cookies by 10 PM any Sunday during the cookie season. (Note: A completed order will appear as "Not Approved" until order is picked up at the Cookie Cupboard.)
   
2. Pick up the order the following Tuesday-Saturday from the Cookie Cupboard of your choice, or the one closest to your home:
   Andover Cupboard
   143 Abbot Street at Camp Maude Eaton
   Open: Tues, Thurs, Fri: 10 AM-4 PM | Wed: 12-6 PM | Sat: 9 AM-12 PM
   To contact this cupboard call 844-727-2884.

GSEM is thrilled to announce an exciting new incentive!   Girls who sell 500+ packages of cookies will be entered into a drawing to win two tickets to Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium! After reaching 500 packages sold, one additional drawing entry will be made for each additional 100 packages sold. The name of one lucky winner will be drawn at the 500 Club Celebration at Canobie Lake Park on May 20, 2018.

 

FUNTASTIC Event - an afternoon of crafts, fun and games! 2/3/18

Reading Service Unit Event for Saturday, February 3, 2018:

Funtastic Event  – Grades K through 5!!! Check out the flyer here.

Liquid Starch Slime, Valentine Yarn Monsters, Paper Heart Friends, Love Bugs, Butterflies, Friendship Bracelets, Face Painting, Sports and Games and More! Camp Rice Moody $12 per girl. Troop Leaders should submit troop member registrations with all payments by Thursday Jan. 22nd to: Carla Nazzaro, 32 Red Gate Lane, 781-942-1530.  Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.  Each troop is responsible for their scout-to-adult ratio.  Please make checks payable to:  Girl Scout Troop #71279 

Night Of Traditions 1/5/18

Reading Service Unit Event for Friday, January 5, 2018:

It's time for the annual Night of Tradition!  Sorry this is late...we just received this from Reading on New Year’s Eve.

We are excited to share a night full of new activities and traditions this year! We hope you will join us for our Girl Scout Night of Tradition on January 5th from 5 to 8 pm at Camp Rice Moody in Reading! We are excited to say that this year's event is open to Girl Scouts and friends of all ages (K-12).

Like last year, each girl will take home a sample of the original Girl Scout cookie to share with friends and family. Each girl will bring home a song book of songs they learn and some new ones to teach themselves! And of course each girl will receive a fun patch!

This year, girls will be making a painting to express their creativity like Juliette. Girls will also be participating in a service project and a unique candle ceremony. As well as some other special activities!  We hope you will join us for this year's Night of Tradition.To register, complete this form or see the attachment.  Please register by January 2nd. After that date, the registration fee will increase from $12 to $15.

Disney on Ice GSEM SCOUT Event!!!

We are so excited to announce the scout show dates/times for Disney On Ice Presents Dream Big at Agganis Arena at BU playing in Boston from December 22  - January 1!

We are so happy to let you all know that in addition to the official Disney On Ice scout night on December 29^th at 7pm, we are also offering special scout pricing for additional performances for those who are unable to attend the show on the 29^th! However, please be aware that the scout clinic and patches are not included with the additional performances.

Here’s how it works:

·        Click the link below that is under the scout council that you belong to

·        Once taken to the page, please ready EVERYTHING under where it says “Pay Separately. Go Together” as it as specific instructions for this show

·        The magic of this purchase page is that it allows each family to purchase their tickets and then share with other friends and family who can then purchase their tickets yet still sit with the group all together!!!

·        Your tickets will arrive via email 48 hours before the performance

·        Enjoy the show!

 

Disney On Ice Presents Dream Big - Girl Scouts of eastern Massachusetts:

https://www.fevo.com/discovery/Disney-On-Ice-Presents-Dream-Big--Girl-Scouts-of-eastern-Massachusetts-deAUxyrF