Author: Lexi Toledo

Hi everyone,

It looks like there may have been some confusion with the meeting schedule. I did send out a reminder last week that we would be meeting tonight 12/5 for our regular meeting however it looks like only a couple of girls were able to make it.

I understand that with the holidays upon us things can get a little hectic so no worries about tonight. I did want to remind you all that next THURSDAY 12/13 will be our Investiture celebration.

I will be sending out a sign up sheet for the pot luck after. The girls will get the badges they have earned up to this point along with their cookie sale packets so if anyone cannot attend please let me know so we can make other arrangements to get you the materials.

Below is the list of the remainder of our meetings going forward. Please let me know if anyone has any questions.

December 5 2018

Friday – December 13 2018              Investiture

January 16 2019

January 30 2019

February 13 2019

February 27 2019

March 20 2019

April 3 2019

April 17 2019

May 1 2019

May 15 2019

Friday – May 31 2019                        End of Year Celebration

Hi everyone,

With our schedule getting a little shifted during the holidays I just wanted to remind everyone that we are NOT meeting this week. Our next meeting will be on Dec 5th.

We will also be meeting on Thursday December 13th for our Investiture celebration. The girls will get the badges they have earned thus far and will also be receiving their cookie sales packets.

I’m still working on putting together our blessing bag donations as well as our service opportunity. It looks like that will be be happening in January instead of December.

I hope you all have a great week and I will see you all on the 5th.

Hello all,

I just wanted to remind everyone that we will be having a meeting tomorrow night at 6:00. We will be working on a Thanksgiving art project so please wear clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit messy in.

See everyone tomorrow.

Hello everyone,

FALL PRODUCT

Fall Product will be delivered to the Queen of Angels Church basement this Thursday November 8th between 1:00-3:00.  Ann Ryan will be there to meet the truck and needs help to sort out the orders.  Volunteers to help sort would be greatly appreciated.  Product pickup is from 3:00-7:00 in the church basement.  If anyone is not able to pick up their orders please let me know as soon as possible so we can make other arrangements.

HOLIDAY SERVICE PROJECT

Since we are learning about the power we all possess to create a positive change in the world I would like to use the December 5th meeting to have the girls put together “Blessing Bags” for the homeless that would be donated to Cornerstone Community Outreach in Uptown for use in their family and Individual shelters. The holidays are always a good time to remind our girls of the blessings in their lives and the importance of helping those less fortunate.

Ideally I would like to get at least 50 gallon size zip-lock bags put together that contain necessary items such as mini soaps, mini shampoo/conditioner bottles, toothbrushes and other personal care items.  Many of these items can be purchased in bulk for a good price through Amazon.  I can use some troop funds to purchase some of these items but I would also like to ask our troop families to help supply some of these items either through a cash donation or direct purchase.  I will put a spreadsheet together of items needed in a few days where you can sign up to purchase and bring to the meeting or give a small donation towards the purchase of  these items.  I would greatly welcome any of your thoughts or suggestions with this project.

Also if there is enough interest we could also participate in one of their volunteer opportunities.  Below are two of the programs where we would be able to help.  Please respond back if you would be interested in participating in one of these and what days would either be best or not good at all so I can begin to coordinate with Cornerstone on a possible date to go as a troop.

Dinner Guest Program
Our community meal is open to the neighborhood: whether that be a senior living on a fixed income, a friend sleeping under the viaduct, or just someone looking to share a meal and amiable conversation.
* Service time includes short project orientation, meal service, and clean up
* Volunteers much be ages 7 and up
* Accommodates individuals or groups up to 20 people
* A great fit for families looking to serve together

Food Pantry
CCO is able to offer a neighborhood food pantry once a week, thanks to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, local grocers, and our volunteers who participate in the Hunger Walk. Here you will help distribute groceries such as fresh produce, meat, baked goods, and dry good, to community members in need.
* Service time includes short project orientation, set up, food distribution, and clean up
* Volunteers much be ages 10 and up
* Great for families with elementary aged children and older
* Accommodates groups of 5 to 25 volunteers

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to remind everyone that there is NO meeting this Wednesday 10/31 due to Halloween.  I hope that everyone who is participating in trick-or-treating will have a fun and safe experience.  We will see you all at our next meeting on 11/14/18.

FALL PRODUCT

Thank you  to all of you who participated in the fall product sales.  Fall product pickup is tentatively scheduled for Nov 9th. There will be further details to follow.

OPTIONAL GIRL SCOUT ACTIVITIES

I’ve included a spreadsheet below of all of the optional Girl Scout sponsored events and activities happening in November and December.  With the holidays coming up it might be fun to plan some of these as family events or even possibly a troop event. There are all sorts of options available from Girl Scout night with the Blackhawks, The Blue Man Group, The Ballet, and sleepovers at the Brookfield Zoo. I recommend checking them out.  You can click on the event name and it will take you to the Girl Scout site for a full description of the event as well as a link to register if needed.

Girl Scout Activities Nov-Dec

Have a great few weeks everyone!

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to remind everyone about the Halloween party this Wednesday the 24th. This does fall on our normal meeting day so I’m hoping everyone will be in attendance. The girls may wear their costumes is they like. If anyone will not be attending please let me know.

Also a reminder to those selling Fall Product, please have your orders emailed to me no later than 9:00 tomorrow night. I need to have all the orders entered into the system by the 23rd. All of your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Have a great week everyone and hopefully I will see many of you all on Wednesday!

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone had a good time creating their bath sachets at our meeting this past Wednesday.  I just wanted to remind the girls to continue journaling in their notebooks.    At our previous meeting I challenged the girls to spend 5 minutes in complete silence, away from their technologies and the chaos of life to reflect on themselves and the journey we are on.  I think they are at a great age to learn to make take time out for themselves to decompress and just think about life.  Journaling also helps them learn to really think and focus their thoughts.  During that 5 minutes of quiet contemplation I ask that they focus on the different aspects of the journey we are working on.  We are working on learning about the air and all its components, how to combat air pollution, and eventually come up with a service project that will help our community in some way improve on one of the elements we learned about.  Last week’s journal entries should have focused on sound and noise pollution with reflections on their experiences with  the good and bad sounds of the world around us.  This week’s entries should focus on the smells around us.  Both the good and bad smells around us and what can be done to improve our air quality.

WHITE PINES

All those attending White Pines the weekend of the 19th-21st should have all gotten an email from Colleen regarding final details for the trip including directions and a suggested packing list.  I am also including a copy of that information here just in case anyone may need it.  If there are any additional questions or concerns regarding the trip please do not hesitate to contact me or Colleen Herman.

White Pines Directions and Packing List

A few things to make note of for the trip:

• The facility asks that no rolling bags or suitcases be used when packing your things.
• Please bring your own water bottle.
• You will need cash if you plan on purchasing anything from the gift shop.
• Please do not bring or limit  the girl’s use of technology during the weekend.
• Dress in layers
• Do not bring ponchos for the rain as it scares the horses.

FALL PRODUCT

At our last meeting the girls went home with an envelope of materials for our fall fundraiser.  For those of you participating in the optional Fall Product fundraiser please be aware of the important dates below.

Orders need to given to me by the 22nd so I can have them entered into  the system by the 23rd deadline. All associated money can be turned in at the following meeting.  Product delivery will be sometime the week of November 8th-11th.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

We will be having an all troop Halloween party on Wednesday Oct 24th from 6-7 PM.  Attendance is not mandatory but its usually a pretty nice time for the girls.  The girls can dress up in their costumes if they wish but they are not required.  As in previous years there will be some activity stations that the girls will rotate through in groups.  Since the Cadettes are the oldest of our girls we ask that if they come they spend some time helping to run the activities for the younger girls as a way of developing their leadership skills.  Please let me know if your daughter will be in attendance so we can plan accordingly.

Have a great weekend everyone and see you all at our next meeting.

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that White Pines payments are due tomorrow. I will be available today from 6-7 at the Voss Center during my Junior meeting for anyone wanting to drop off payments. Or they can be sent electronically through the Venmo app. Please see the previous blog for further info.

Thank you to those that have already sent your payments.

I just wanted to remind you all that we will be meeting tomorrow night at 6:00. We will begin working on our Breathe Journey.

Some additional reminders…

Money and paperwork for White Pines are due by Oct 4th to Colleen Herman or you can turn them into me tomorrow night and I will forward them to her.

We are still collecting troop dues. Thank you to all who have already submitted those dues. The $25 dues per girl help to offset the cost of badges and supplies.

Both fees can be turned given in cash, check payable to Girl Scouts, or electronically via the Venmo app.

If turning in cash please place in an envelope with your child’s name, amount, and purpose ( White Pines, or Dues). If paying by check please include your child’s name and reason for payment on memo line.

Anyone choosing to make a Venmo payment can submit it using the info below and please reference your child’s name, Troop #, and reason for payment.

Please let me know if anyone is planning to attend the Girl Scout picnic on the 29th. We just need a head count to make sure we have enough food. The fee is $4 per person.

Last but not least, the girls will go home with a fall product packet. This is our fall fundraiser. I understand that many of you are participating in back to school fund raisers and adding one more may be a bit much. This is an optional fundraiser that can earn the girls some prizes. Feel free to participate but if not that’s fine too as we ask that you put a lot of effort into our cookie sales which directly benefit the troop.

Have a great day and see you all tomorrow.

Hi Everyone,

This is a last call to sign up for the White Pines Weekend.  I have heard from a few of you and wanted to give anyone on the fence one last opportunity to sign up.  So far I have the following people signed up to attend:

Williams (2)

Wielgopian (2)

Rangel (2)

Favorite-Perdoux (2)

Chicoine (1)

Toledo (2)

We will be starting our Breathe Journey at our next meeting.  This journey will teach the girls about the power they have to help the environment by becoming effective leaders and advocate for the change they want to see in the world.  I am really looking forward to working with the girls on this.  For the journey we will be using the Breathe Journey book that is an optional purchase for the girls.

The girls do not need to purchase the book.  I will copy any necessary sheets they may need for them but I know that some girls may enjoy following along with their own copies.  The book is an optional purchase from the Girl Scout Store and costs $7.00

Upcoming Optional events…

Periodically I will post upcoming events sponsored by the Girl Scouts that the girls can attend to supplement and enrich their scouting experience.  These events are all optional and may come with a cost.  They give the girls an opportunity to earn additional badges and fun patches, while allowing them to meet and interact with girl scouts from other troops outside our service unit. You should be able to click on the titles below to get additional information about the events and to sign up.  Please scroll all the way across to see cost and registration information.  You may need to access this list from the blog online if it doesn’t come through clearly in the email.