Camp Merewether was so-o-o-o good!  We even have pictures !

This fall we had a great time, great weather, great food, great activities, and a great sense of caring for one another and for our neighboring Junior troop.  It was good.  Your trusty advisors were proud to be associated with such true Girl Scouts who really lived the Law this weekend – especially the part about “sister to every Girl Scout”.  No wonder Kat is so happy that some of our girls want to work for her next summer.  It has been suggested that we plan alumni camping trips or include our graduated members whenever they’re home in next year’s camping trips.  Sounds like a great idea!

December 19^th: Empty Stocking Fund service project, dinner out, and Secret Santa

December 19th we will be working the 4-7:30 shift at the Empty Stocking Fund distribution center in City Hall East (the old Sears building on Ponce de Leon Avenue). At our October meeting the troop voted to have dinner at Fellini's Pizza nearby on Ponce de Leon, and Pat has called them to reserve the upstairs room. Guess what? They've moved from the building where they had an upstairs room, and further research will be required. More news soon. Wherever we end up, we will do our Secret Santa like we did last year with a $15 limit. We drew names for Secret Santa at the last meeting, so if you don't know whose name you have, call Pat.

Mrs. Lott will be putting together our transportation plans. We know that that the 19th is the last day of exams, and we need for everyone to let Mrs. Lott know when you will be free to leave your sixth period exam. We'd like to have at least one car leaving from Lakeside in time to get some of us to City Hall East on time. We'll have later cars bringing the rest of us as needed. It will be the last day for the Empty Stocking Fund distribution, so the whole place will be really busy.

Winter Camping Trip February 27-29

The decision of the troop was that Valentine's Day is no longer a good time to camp, so we're giving up the Monday holiday after our trip. At the October meeting, we decided to go to Camp Merewether, and we decided that a leather project was the craft we want to do. If you have strong feelings about whether you'd like to make moccasins or a bag or a wallet, please let Pat know. We don't all have to do the same thing. Other activities that we're applying for are our traditional freezing horseback ride (a ring ride), high ropes, and maybe archery.

The Big Trip

By now you should have received a letter with the details of how we need you pay for the trip. Please remember to bring $100 deposit for each person from your family who will be going on the trip to the December meeting or get it to Mrs. Unger if you have to miss the meeting. Remember that now is the time to take care of getting or renewing a passport and making sure that you have at least one complete uniform. Thank goodness they changed the uniforms to something comfortable!

Gold Award Reminder

The Gold Award Committee are the people who get your application form when you fill it out and mail it in. They meet on the third Thursday of the month. If your stuff arrives on the third Friday of the month, it will sit until the next meeting. The next meeting is December 18. That's soon. Get a move on, dear ones.

If you're trying for the Gold Award scholarship, you need to have everything completed and turned in by February 1, 2004. If you're not going for the scholarship, you have until October 1, 2004. Evie has discovered that one of her college choices has an addition scholarship for Gold Award Girl Scouts. Many do, and you don't have to be finished by February to take advantage of those.

Spring Camping Trip April 30-May 2

We want a last hurrah with our seniors so we've planned an extra trip in the spring. We want to try to get the Farmhouse at Misty Mountain and have that long awaited semi-backpacking trip. The idea is that the girls who want to sleep in the meadow under the stars can do so, and those who want to sleep under a real roof can do that, too.

We're running the Service Unit Bridging Ceremony on May 9, 2004

Since we have girls bridging to adult and maybe receiving the Gold Award, we have decided to exercise leadership in order to get the kind of ceremony we want. We know that it's Mother's Day, but it's the best date that's available at St. Bede's. At the October meeting we decided on a tropical theme, and we'll borrow the Boy Scouts' bridge so that we can do what we need to do indoors regardless of the weather.

We want a tropical theme with leis in colors for each level that will be given to the girls who are bridging after they cross the bridge. We want fruit, cookies, and punch for the reception, and we want to make the ceremony move along better than last year. We plan to have the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards in the nave and then have a bridging parade that will be fun and get things done without dissolving into boredom. We will need some girls to attend a service unit soon to present our plans to the service unit.

The "Big Trip" schedule

The "Big Trip" list

These are the people who have signed their commitment forms.  Right now our group consists of these 20 people: