What a Great Camping Trip!

 

We had a good time and got a lot done.  Everyone was so adult about showing up on time for a kaper or a meeting that the advisors(formerly leaders) were sitting around most of the time. Special thanks to the Camping Committee and most of all to Rossie and her mom who both worked really hard on this trip.  We really missed Aisha, Jamie, Katie, and Nicole.

 

Saturday after we arrived, got set up, and settled we did a beautiful bead necklace designed by Evelyn.  Everyone made at least one (Diana made four) to be sold in the gift shop at the Juliette Low Birthplace in Savannah, therefore each of those girls has completed Service #1 for the Just Jewelry Interest Project Patch. 

 

After beading some of the girls glued 400 eyes on 200 white or black pom-poms which will be our abstract sheep swaps for New Zealand at the Service Unit Thinking Day next Sunday.  We need to get a head count to Mrs. Unger as to who will be able to attend and staff our booth. Mrs. Callaway will have to be in Gainesville. 

 

Girls who can come are finishing up with the backboard and so forth at the Callaways on Tuesday, February 19.  The event is this Sunday at Embry Hills UMC beginning at 1:30 p.m.  Mrs. Unger needs to know how many of us are attending so that she can pay our $3 per girl.  If you haven’t had a chance to get involved and want to do something, call Evelyn, who is in charge of this activity.  Here’s who’s doing what so far:

 

 

Saturday night Mrs. Gargiullo, who is an occupational therapist, and Mrs. Unger, who is a medical doctor, helped us to move forward on the From Stress to Success IPP. We were able to complete Skill Builder #1 and Technology #2. We did half of Career Exploration #1, learning about the career of occupational therapy, and we started Skill Builder #2. Remember to do your relaxation exercise for two weeks!  We hope that Jamie and Aisha will arrange for Mrs. Yura to come to our March meeting so that we can finish Career Exploration #1 and do Skill Builder #4.  Hint, hint!

 

Sunday morning we did not get up too early, and after breakfast we did some business and talked about a Gold Award schedule (see below).  Later Sunday Evelyn helped the latecomers and Pat to make bead necklaces to donate. 

 

The Great Backyard Bird count was successful, and Mrs. Lott is turning in our reports today.  We saw several wonderful birds, including a Great Blue Heron and a whole flock of wild turkey vultures.

 

During her trail ride Chandler had a scary fall.  Her horse suddenly decided to buck her off, but she wasn’t hurt except for scratches and achy muscles.  Thank goodness!  That is, of course, why the Girl Scouts are so hyper about safety with horseback riding, even if sometimes the trail rides are not as exciting as they might be.  It was lucky that Chandler is an experienced rider and was able to handle the experience well.  These things can happen any time to anybody.

 

Our Sunday evening activity was mostly loading up Pat’s truck so that she could go teach her class on Monday morning.  Mrs. Lott and Mrs. Unger supervised the clean-up, and everyone cooperated and worked hard.  About 11:00 a.m. the happy campers headed home.

 

Troop Business Meeting

 

It looks like Stephanie, Karen, and Evelyn are going to the Brownie Adventure April 27-28 at Camp Timber Ridge.  Jessie and anyone else who wants to help staff can call Lynne Krogh at 770-948-8200 by March 1.  Anne, Liz, and Rossie will be doing the May 5 Junior Adventure Weekend.  These are Leadership Hours.

 

Most of us have too many conflicts to help with the Atlanta Cat Club Show at Cross Keys High School Saturday and Sunday April 27-28.  Anyone who can and wants to volunteer should call Doreen Spencer, the Show Manager, at 770-493-4110.

 

CPR Saturday is March 2, and Christina, Diana, Liz, Anne, Jessie, Karen, Stephanie, Jenny (if she can), and Evelyn (until she has to go dance at 10) are planning to be at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at 7:30 a.m. to staff the event in the morning and take their CPR training in the afternoon.Doing the whole day will take care of Skill Builder #2 and the service project for the Emergency Preparedness IPP. We can add other girls who find out that they can come. If you want to do it, call Pat.

 

We’re working as a troop on three IPP’s for the Gold Award.  Each girl will need a total of four and may choose to use two or three of these and select her other IPP(s) to work on by herself or with friends.  The three are From Stress to Success, Camping, and Emergency Preparedness.

 

A few other opportunities have come up that we talked about in our business meeting. Thursday night this week (February 21) there will be a meeting of the Henderson Watershed Alliance, a group that wants to tailor it’s service projects to our needs. For example, they want to plan a Henderson Park clean-up on April 27, but since so many of us will be either at the Career Mentoring meeting or at Camp Timber Ridge, they want to ask us when to schedule it. We can then use this project as part of the service project we need for our Cadette Challenge. The meeting is from 7-8:30 in our neighborhood. Call Pat for directions and if you need a ride. Pat, Christina, Evelyn, Anne, Chandler, and Jessie are planning to come. Other girls may just show up at the meeting. Come if you can. Also, the Council’s Environmental Committee is coming back to life. More later.

 

Another good chance for a big chunk of leadership hours is happening this summer at Fernbank Elementary School. Camp Discovery will be a Girl Scout Day Camp held the week of June 24-28, Monday through Friday. There will be a training. If you’re interested please call the camp director Diane Loupe at 404-377-8264.

 

Red Cross Lifeguard Training is being offered for Senior and Adult Girl Scouts in April and May. Check Learning Opportunities on the Council Website for times and places. The cost is $75.00.

 

Hands On Atlanta is beginning a Youth Service Initiative that will offer opportunities for service and ideas for Gold Award projects. Mrs. Lott is a member and can help you find out what’s going on.

 

And, finally, the Council is starting a Girl Scout Chorus that will perform at the 90^th Birthday celebration next November at Six Flags. It sounds like it will be a good group, so if you’re interested, the flyer is attached.

 

Our Troop’s Gold Award Calendar

 

The camping trip laid so few responsibilities on Pat that she had time to catch up on her Girl Scout paperwork and to think through a schedule for our Gold Award. Our girls who are presently sophomores really have only two years from now to finish their Gold Awards if they want to apply for scholarships. Our girls who are presently freshpersons have more time, but the scuttlebutt is that they want to work on the same schedule and finish their Gold Awards their Junior Years. Cool!

 

Here’s a game plan for a girl who wants to be finished by February of 2004:

 

By September, 2002	Attend a Gold Award Workshop
	Finish 2 Interest Project Patches
	Finish the Career Exploration Pin
	Finish the Girl Scout Challenge
	Complete 15 leadership hours
	Update her Gold Award Notebook
By January, 2003	Finish 2 more Interest Project Patches
	Finish her total of 30 leadership hours
	Update her Gold Award Notebook
March-June, 2003	Think up her project plan
	Submit her notebook and idea to the Council
June-August, 2003	Submit her project plan formally to the Council
August-September, 2003	Get Council approval
	Meet with her Council-appointed counselor
October 2003 – January 2004	Work on the project
February, 2004	Submit final report
	Apply for Scholarship
May, 2004	Attend the Council and Service Unit ceremonies

 

As you can see this is actually do-able. If we do actually go to Switzerland or Mexico, what a trip it would be to celebrate finishing all those Gold Awards!

 

Next meeting Saturday, March 9 led by Aisha and Jamie

 

Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 9 from 7-10 at the Callaways. We’re hearing about conflicts: Both Gargiullo’s, Liz, and Chandler are all committed to other projects and want to meet on Friday night. We’ll need to make a decision soon. Please let Aisha and Jamie know if you, too, have a conflict. Committee chairs, please, make your plans about what you want to work on, and let Aisha or Jamie know how much time you’ll need.

 

Cookie Booths

 

Thanks to everyone who signed up for cookie booths last night. Mrs. Lott will be finalizing the schedule and letting you know when she needs you. 

 

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WANTED: GIRL SCOUTS WHO LIKE TO SING AND WHO WANT TO SHARE THEIR VOICES EVERYWHERE!

 

Do YOU like to sing? Do you maybe know a few great Girl Scout songs that you want to teach to other girls from across the state? Would you like an opportunity to sing in front of large groups of people?

 

The Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia is starting a Council Choir in conjunction with our council’s 90^th Anniversary Celebrations through 2002.

 

This special-interest group is open to all Brownie-Senior Girl Scouts in the Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia’s jurisdiction. Girls will be learning music in preparation for special concerts with Melinda Caroll (Girl Scouting’s most famous songleader) at the council 90^th anniversary celebration in November, as well as concerts at other council functions. No prior experience in a choral environment is required – we are just looking for girls who love to sing and would like to share their talents with others!

 

Basic Requirements:

• Girls must be registered members of GSUSA.

• Girls will need to own or purchase a full Girl Scout uniform (including pins, vest/sash, blouse and skirt/pants) as well as purchase a choir t-shirt (around $8). Financial assistance for both may be available.

• Girls will be required to attend monthly rehearsals – dates have not been confirmed for this yet, but these rehearsals most likely will be on a Sunday afternoon from approximately 2-5 pm. Location is also yet to be determined – possible locations include the VSC or the Georgia-Pacific Conference Center downtown (auditorium).

• Girls will need to be available on Friday, November 1 (evening) and Saturday, November 2 for the rehearsal and performances at the council’s 90^th anniversary celebration at Six Flags over Georgia.

• Parents and girls will need to sign a year-long contract committing to their participation. In this contract will be laid out all the performance information, rehearsal schedule, etc. Parents will also be asked to sign permission slips and health forms for their daughter’s participation in practices and performances, as well as Photo Release forms.

• Cadettes and Seniors may participate in the council choir as well as be active participants in existing council committees as long as committee meetings and choir rehearsals do not conflict. You must commit to being active members of both.

Join us for a choir information session and organizational meeting on Sunday, March 10 from 2-5 pm at the Georgia-Pacific Conference Center in downtown Atlanta. Girls will be involved in special “choral” activities to give them a taste of performing and what the choir will be like, and parents will be given additional information and will be able to give input on meeting dates, times, etc. Girls need to register as individuals – this is not a troop event.

 

We are also still looking for adult volunteers with previous children’s choir experience to join our team in planning and implementing this special project – please give us your information on the form below!

 

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Interested? Please fill out the interest indicator on the form below and send it in. You will be sent additional information on the March 10 information session upon receipt of your interest indicator. Questions? Call Sarah Henson at (404) 527-7387 or e-mail at shenson@girlscoutsnwga.org.

 

2002 GIRL SCOUT COUNCIL OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA CHOIR INTEREST FORM

Troop Number:                                                Service Unit:                                   

Girl Name:                                                                                                            

Address:                                                                                                               

City/State:                                                      Zip:                                                

Evening Phone:                                               Email:                                                                                                       

Parent Name(s):                                                                                                   

I am a (circle one):        Daisy           Brownie           Junior           Cadette           Senior                           

 

 

Age:                       Grade:                              County:                                                

 

 

Mail to: Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia, ATTN: Sarah Henson, 1577 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329

Fax: (404)929-1987

E-mail: shenson@girlscoutsnwga.org