Leader Meeting Minutes 1/12/2017

Leader Meeting – 1/12/2017 at Flint Memorial Library

 In attendance: Debbie Nearing, Service Unit Coordinator and (73891); Jo Gibson, SU Cookie Manager and (62548, 69175); Anne Valade, Fall Product Manager; Melissa Audier, Blog Manager and (73894); Karianne Bekier (62803); Denise Kung (62798)

 Meeting start time: 7:40 p.m.

·         Anne distributed t-shirts to troop Leaders whose girls earned them in the Fall Product Sale fundraiser.  The Town earned $90 to go into our town service unit account. 

·         Cookie update – delivery will be at Agfa near Target like it was last year, 9-12:30, Sun Jan 22^nd.  Email Jo if you have cookies you want to get rid of and can’t sell.  She can contact other troops to see about transferring them.  Debbie noted the cookie recognitions opt out form has the wrong fax number on it. This is the form that you download from the GSEM website. She notified Travis at GSEM.  This form is due by February 1st for Cadette troops and older who want to opt out of prizes in the cookie sale and would rather get an additional 5 cents a box of cookies sold.

·         Jessica Blanchette and Karianne Bekier have volunteered to help organize the Father-Daughter Field Day event in April. More information to follow – Lisa A. will follow up with them.

·         World Thinking Day – we are going to skip having a town wide event this year. Debbie and Lisa emailed out ideas for troops to celebrate on their own in a Monday email.  The theme for 2017 is “Grow”.  If your girls participate in any World Thinking Day activities (log onto www.wagggs.org/en), they can earn their WAGGGS pin (blue and yellow pin which goes below their GS pin on their vest, sash, or blouse. 

·         Jan 16^th – Reading Girl Scouts invited us to their ice skating event at Burbank Arena on Monday, January 16th – flyer is on the NRGS blog website – Get there early for skate rentals.

·         Girl Scout Sunday will be celebrated on March 12th which is also Girl Scout Day. GS Sunday patches will be distributed at several churches in town (St Theresa’s, UCC, Aldersgate).  Any girl attending any House of Worship (including a Temple) on March 11th or March 12th can receive a Girl Scout patch.  Leaders should email Lisa Alexander or come to the March Leader meeting to get a patch.  Lisa will be sending out letters to the Houses of Worship and will send Melissa the flyer for the blog and attach it to a Monday email coming soon.  Lisa A. will order patches.

·         Amy Kelly’s troop is looking to run a Night of Beauty in March. More information to come.

·         Food Pantry drive will be held in March for the North Reading Girl Scouts and Melissa Audier and her Ambassador Troop 73894 will be coordinating it again this year.  Boxes will be distributed to all the elementary schools as well as other places in town to be announced.

·         Fly Up is going to be coordinated by Amy Kelly’s 8th grade troop this year; and will be held late June since they will be in DC. There will be a separate Daisy fly up ceremony with more information to come and this is because of the number of Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards we will have to recognize at Fly Up as well as the number of troops/girls graduating and Bridging to Adults. Girls in 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade and 12th grade are all eligible to fly up and participate in the Annual Town Wide Fly Up Ceremony.  We are hoping to have it again at the International Church but Amy Kelly will be our contact.

·         Reminder Daisy troops are asked to bring their troop banners to their Fly Up ceremony so this may be a good time to create one if you don’t already have one. Jo Gibson volunteered to help run Daisy Fly Up if we need someone as she attended last year.

·         Encampment – cutoff is end of January for voting on the theme using Survey Monkey. Troops should only vote once as a group.  Encampment Committee will get together, decide on a theme and send out flyer and registration form hopefully all by end of February!  Look up ideas for  “sit upons” online for ideas on how to make these for encampment (good activity for younger troops, reusable at other events for sitting upon). Anne brought in a few sample Kaper Charts to show Leaders which can be used at encampment or weekly troop meetings to keep girls accountable and responsible.  You can do an overnight with your troop leading up to encampment, to get your troop ready for the weekend campout. In past years you could do a sleepout at the library but you need to check to see if this is still offered.  There’s also a Girl Scout sleepover event at the Museum of Science. Other ideas: Rice Moody, Maude Eaton. For lodge or outdoor camping, an adult in charge needs special camp certification. Look at the activity guide – trainings should start in the spring again.

·         Debbie will be sending out via email and snail mail the Founder Award Scholarship applications to ten graduating senior Ambassador North Reading Girl Scouts.

·         Debbie printed out copies of a new Activity Girl Permission form for 2016-2017 to show Leaders.  This is required for individual events not at your normal meeting space, nor within walking distance of it (both of which are covered by the Annual Permission Form).  Make sure you are having permission forms completed for each field trip and that you bring the annual permission form with you wherever you go.

 Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

 Minutes taken by Denise Kung in the Secretary’s absence and reviewed and edited by Debbie Nearing