Fall troop camping skills training for Encampment! And other training opportunities.

Register online for Fall troop camping skills for August 25 at Maude Eaton (Lodge), September 15-16 at Maude Eaton, September 22-23 at Cedar Hill, or September 22-23 at Wind-in-the-Pines.  These trainings will fill up quickly and may be the only ones available before our Spring 2019 Encampment.  Without training, you will not be able to stay overnight with your troop.

• Upcoming canoe and archery trainings: If volunteers in your community would like to become trained to facilitate archery or canoe with their troop or other troops in your service unit, there is a Canoe Training on July 14 at Camp Wind-in-the-Pines and August 19 at Camp Runels, and Archery Training on September 22 at Camp Maude Eaton.
• What's new on LEAD? We continue to develop new training resources available 24/7 for troop volunteers in LEAD online . The most recent additions are Stepping Up! Daisies to Brownies and Stepping Up! Brownies to Juniors, which are short modules designed to help leaders transitioning to the next program level with their troop.

Girl Scout Myth Busters

Some interesting facts you might not have known about Girl Scouts or something to share with others who might not know much about Girl Scouts:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10UzKaGrfwgKuaHvXakCQVOgmU8-1tR_M/view?usp=sharing 

2018 Games Galore Camporee

Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors are invited to register for the 2018 Camporee being held at Camp Wind-in-the-Pines October 12 -14.  The cost is $40 per adult and girl and you can use the link below for more information and to sign up.

http://www.gsema.org/en/events-repository/2018/camporee-2018.html

 

Alumni Day at Camp - Adults

Mark your calendars for this year's Alum Day at Camp for Saturday, June 23, from 1-4PM. Catch up with old friends, network with other Girl Scout Alum, shoot a bullseye at the archery range, enjoy sing-alongs and s'mores, or challenge yourself on the ropes course, all in the company of your Girl Scout family. Revisit Camp Cedar Hill's past, share your Girl Scouting stories, learn about opportunities to stay connected with GSEMA, and enjoy some surprises along the way. This is a day of adventure you won't want to miss!   Proceeds from this year's Alum Day at Camp will support our Campership Fund, which provides hundreds of girls each summer the opportunity to experience the joys of Girl Scout Camp. *New this year! Join us for an Expo and Cocktail Reception from 3-5PM!

Questions? Please contact Sarah Connelly, Development Coordinator, Special Events and Projects, at sconnelly@gsema.org or 857-453-5325.  Use this link to sign up.  https://3116.thankyou4caring.org/alum-day-at-camp

Nuturing the Grit in Girls – 3rd grade girls and older

Troop 71279 from the Reading Service Unit would like to invite you (parents, troop leaders and girls in 3^rd grade and older) to an excellent and informative presentation on Nurturing Grit in Girls on Monday, June 4^th from 7-8 PM at Camp Rice Moody.

Please see the flyer here for more information.  Register now because space is limited!  Contact information for this event is Carla Nazzaro at cjnazzaro@verizon.net or 781-942-1530.

Fancy Nancy PJ Party! June 22

All Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts are invited to a P.J. Party where they will be treated to allergy free snacks, games, and crafts.  Parents, this is a drop off event – a good opportunity to take some time for yourselves!  Maybe dinner out? See the flyer here for all the details!  

Catie’s Closet - Service Project

Brownie Troop 62803 is collecting toiletries and new and gently used clothes for Catie's Closet.  Catie’s Closet is a non-profit organization that provides clothing and toiletries to school-aged children living in poverty.  At schools where there are high rates of poverty, an unused room in the school is converted into a “closet” and students are able to obtain clothes and toiletries discreetly while they are at school.  By meeting students’ needs, Catie’s Closet boosts self-esteem and motivates students to attend school and focus on their education.  Collection boxes are located at the Middle School, Batch, Hood School, Ryer's Store, the Children's Room at the Library, Union Congregational Church and Aldersgate United Methodist Church. Boxes will remain at these locations until Monday, May 21st. If you would like to arrange alternate drop off or pick up, please email Karianne Bekier at kcbekier@gmail.com.  The girls are very excited about this project and hope that other troops will be able to participate as well!

Fly Up 6/20/18

Join North Reading Girl Scouts for our Annual Fly-Up/Bridging Ceremony.  Please find the invitation  here.
DATE: June 20, 2018
TIME: 6:30 pm—8:30 pm
WHERE: St. Theresa’s Church
63 Winter Street
North Reading, MA
Theme - Disney

Shoe Drive Service Project

Troop 71901, 9^th grade Seniors, will start a town-wide collection for gently worn shoes on May 1st. The collection bins will be posted all over town and items will be collected through the end of June. The shoes get sent to organizations aiding underprivileged nations and will be distributed to the needy.  INCENTIVE: the troop that collects the most shoes will earn a free badge workshop run by the Senior troop!

Girl Scout Leader Meeting Minutes 4/23/18

North Reading Girl Scouts

Leader Meeting – April 23, 2018

Minutes of the Meeting - LAR

Meeting Started at 7:33 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; Lisa Alexander, Troop 86279; Lisa Ayer, Troop 62798; Karianne Bekier, Troop 62803 and 82418; Melissa Audier, Blog Manager; Kim Lambert, GSEM Representative

WELCOME:

Debbie led us in the Opening Flag Ceremony and the Promise and welcomed the Leaders. Brownie Girl Scout, Olivia Antonuccio, held the American Flag during the Ceremony.

Cookie incentive update from Jo – the incentives have arrived and are available for pickup from Jo. Watch for an announcement on the Leaders FB page for more information.

Early Bird registration – we are at 13% renewal for the town. If we can reach 50%, we can earn a $300 incentive! Please help us reach this goal and consider renewing early. The deadline is May 25 for troops to get the $50 program credit (for up to 12 girls) and $75 (for more than 12). Kim suggested Debbie email each Leader separately to try to reach our goals.

Arbor Day Service Project – Friday April 27^th at 6pm at Ipswich River Park, organized by Ruth Kennedy. Come join in the celebration and help plant a tree!

Daisy Recruitment event – 4:30-6:30pm on April 28^th at the Library. Tell your friends and neighbors. There was some discussion about having an event geared towards parents to learn about how to prepare for Girl Scouts in terms of online leader training, how to form a troop, etc.  Kim Lambert suggested LEAD online to help Leaders as well to organize their troop.

Field Sports Day Event update – Amber confirmed the gym is reserved for this event and Debbie will be sending an email to all parents directly. The deadline will be May 7^th for signups.

Daisy Fairy House event, April 28^th – this is a service project being run by Lisa Alexander’s Cadette troop. Free for Daisies and 2^nd grade Brownies.

Girls Needed – Flag Ceremony for Town Republican Committee on April 30^th at the Horseshoe Grille. Participants perform the ceremony at the beginning of the committee meeting.

Memorial Day Planting event and service project May 19^th – join Ruth Kennedy to help plant flowers at Veterans Memorial Park.

Fly Up for Spring June 20^th – there was some discussion about the lateness of this event, which is scheduled to end at 8:30 on a school night. The consensus was Fly Up should end by 7:30-8 based on the number of troops participating.

Blog – we have a new blog manager! Thank you to Lisa Ayer for stepping up to take on this role.

Facebook Administrator – Debbie will check out to make sure we have one Administrator.  Karianne Bekier offered to help with posting to Facebook in the future.  Kim Lambert showed us an APP called BAND for group organizing.

Shoe Drive service project – Amy Kelly’s troop will start a town-wide collection for gently worn shoes on May 1st. The collection bins will be posted all over town and items will be collected through the end of June. The shoes get sent to organizations aiding underprivileged nations and will be distributed to the needy.  INCENTIVE: the troop that collects the most shoes will earn a free badge workshop run by Amy’s troop!

Meeting Ended at 8:33 pm

Minutes taken by Denise Kung

MONSTER JAM GILLETTE STADIUM – SCOUTS DAY

Monster Jam will return to Foxboro, MA on June 9^th and I’m happy to announce that there is once again Girl/Boy Scout pricing available for Girl/Boy Scouts, their friends and family! As long as there is at least one scout in your collective group, all may receive the special scout pricing! Tickets for Girl/Boy Scouts include a special commemorative patch as well as all who purchase scout tickets are invited to “Walk the Track” on the Gillette Stadium field before the show! Please see below instructions on how to purchase tickets:

• Choose website below of the council your troop is affiliated with. If you are unsure of which council you’re affiliated with, click here for Girl Scouts.
• Please read ALL of the home page verbiage on the website as it gives specific information that will be useful in planning your day!
• These purchase pages are specially designed to allow scouts, their friends and family to purchase seats for their individual families yet ALL sit together! The way that it works is one purchaser starts the group. Once they make their purchase, they will receive a special link that they may share to friends and family inviting them to participate! You can share this link with as many friends and family as you like. The bigger your group, the more fun things you can earn including Monster Jam prize packs and pit pass upgrade!
• Once sales close on June 7^th at noon, our team will then go ahead and assign your entire group seats so everyone who purchased under your special link will be able to sit together! This allows you to build a group without the hassle of collecting money and distributing tickets to large groups.
• Tickets will then be emailed to you within 24-36 hours of show time. When placing your order be sure to double check your email address! Your tickets will bounce back if your email is incorrect.  Please do not panic if you do not get your tickets until the night before the show. The process takes time to ensure everyone sits together.

I think that about covers it for now! Updates on scout activities and patch pick up will be placed on the purchase sites so please keep them handy! Thanks so much and I look forward to another amazing show!

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
https://fevo.me/MonsterJamGSEM

CANCELED Daisy/Brownie He and Me Field Day

CANCELED This event is open to Daisies and Brownies.  Girls, grab your dad or other caring, male adult for our Field Day Event being held on Sunday, May 20th from 1 pm - 3 pm in the North Reading Middle School / High School Gymnasium – Check out the flyer here!  Leaders may drop off registration forms and money at April 23^rd Leader meeting or drop off to Amber O’Driscoll – her address is on the flyer.

Giving Back to the Moose Hall 4/28/18

The North Reading Moose is a nonprofit organization whose primary goal is giving back to the community.  As you know, we have many of our NRGS events held free of charge at the Moose.  We wanted to share this information to our Leaders in the event they are able to give back to the Moose as a thank you for their letting us use their venue.

The North Reading Moose and North Reading School System are hosting a MUSIC BINGO EVENT to benefit much needed improvements to the Moose function hall.

Location:    North Reading Moose Function Hall, 140 North Street, North Reading

Date:           Saturday, April 28th

Time:           7-11pm 

Cost:           $30 pp (cash or check); $300 per table (cash or check)

                    $32 pp (online payment); $320 per table (online payment)

This will be a fun-filled night of entertainment with Peter Accolla of NuImage Entertainment that can't be missed!

Great music, dancing, raffles, prizes, etc.  All proceeds from the event will go toward hall improvements.

 

Seats will be limited so reserve your seat - or an entire table.  Please contact the Moose directly for registering for this event.

Ann Thompson, North Reading Moose Lodge 1511, 617-413-9069, annt921@aol.com

DRIVING MY FINANCIAL FUTURE

April is Financial Literacy Month and we are proud to announce our collaboration with Toyota Financial Services and Girl Scouts of the USA to offer the Driving My Financial Future program!  Please find information about it  here. Girls in grades 4-12 can learn all about budgeting, owning a business, how to finance their dreams, and more----- all while earning badges and a new patch! Please contact customercare@gsema.org if your troop or service unit has questions about participating in this program.

SPRING INTO A STORY

Where's Waldo? Find him while on a scavanger hunt at Camp Cedar Hill on April 18! Where's Waldo 30^th anniversary activity books are available at the GSEMA shop at Camp Cedar Hill. Also, join us at meet the author and illustrator events this spring!

GIRL POWER ON THE HILL

G.I.R.L.s take over the Massachusetts State House! On April 19, research the bill for hands-free use of mobile phones while driving, and then debate it on the floor of the House of Representatives. Meet the women of the State House at a special luncheon, then tour the State House and find the Sacred Cod! This program only runs biennially, so click here to register by April 5 to be a part of the action!

BOOK SIGNING EVENT

You are invited to a special book signing on Sunday, April 8, from 1-3 PM at Camp Cedar Hill. Jane Healey, author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club, will talk about the inspiring stories of the smart, spirited, enterprising young immigrant women living in Boston's North End at the turn of the 20^th century. Join us to discover how Girl Scouts is connected to the story through Helen Osborne Storrow. Books will be available for purchase, and this event is open to anyone over the age of 14. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend.

DAISY FAIRY HOUSE EVENT

On Saturday, April 28, at 12 to 1:30 p.m., Cadette Troop 86279 will be hosting a FREE community service project for all Daisies at the Ipswich River Park Gazebo!  See flyer here for more information and to register.  All forms should be returned to your Leader by April 20^th to be dropped off at our Leader meeting on Monday, April 23^rd.   Contact Lisa Alexander at krisandlisa@hotmail.com or Karen Buscemi karenbuscemi@gmail.com with any questions. 

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.