Parents Newsletter - September 2012/October 2012
Welcome
Back/Welcome Aboard!!
We
would like to extend a hearty welcome to all returning and new families of the
2nd Riverside South Brownies. We are so excited to get the Brownie year started
again!
Meetings
Our
first meeting will be September 13, 2012. Unless otherwise indicated,
our meetings are
in the gymnasium at St. Jerome Catholic School, Thursday 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Please
ensure that your Brownie is there at 6:00 pm sharp, using the gym
entrance through the back
gym door. We will use the sign in/out system. Proper non-marking indoor footwear
is essential as we will often participate
in running games.
Our
schedule for September is a bit jumbled with camp and our tree-planting event,
but it will become more regular in October.
September/October Meeting and Special Events Schedule
Thurs. Sept. 13
|
Opening Night Take
Flight into a New Guiding Year
|
Thurs. Sept. 20
|
NO
MEETING
|
Sat. Sept. 22
|
TD
Tree Planting morning at Andrew Hayden Park (see attached consent form)
|
Thurs. Sept. 27
|
NO
MEETING
|
Fri. Sept. 28 to Sun. Sept. 30
|
CAMP
WOOLSEY!!
|
Thurs. Oct 4
|
Key
to Brownies – Guiding Archives Tour at Guide House
|
Thurs. Oct 11
|
Door-to-door
cookie sales (TBC)
|
Thurs. Oct 18
|
Key
to Brownies - Enrolment
|
Thurs. Oct 25
|
Halloween
Party!!
|
Dues
Please have your
Brownie bring $1 each week as
dues. These funds pay for the costs for crafts,
badges, crests, etc. for your daughter for the year. For more information on
how your registration fees, cookie money and dues help the unit, please see the
table at the end of this letter.
Uniforms
Girl
Guides of Canada is a uniformed organization. For the girls this means a Brownie
t-shirt (short/long sleeved); neck scarf; badge sash or vest and dark blue/black
shorts, pants or skirt (bottoms do not need to be official Girl Guide wear). All
items can be purchased on-line at https://www.thegirlguidestore.ca
and you can expect delivery within 3 to 4 days. There is a
shipping charge of $11 for all orders, although group orders would reduce this
cost.
Please
note that although a new style of Brownie shirt is available this year, the
previous orange shirt is still perfectly acceptable.
Brownie
Program
The
Brownie program consist of a number of “Keys” which we have split into a two-year
program
to allow each girl to complete the program over her two years in Brownies. Some
keys
are covered every year such as Key to Brownies and Key to Guides.
This year we
will
also be covering Key to Camping, Key to the Living World, Key to Active Living, and Key to I Can. If you have any questions about the program please talk to one
of your Guiders.
Interest
Badges
Each
“Key” includes a number of special interest badges. The unit will work on some interest
badges during the year but the girls are encouraged to work on any of the
badges that interest them and present their knowledge on the selected badge. We
will provide a regularly-updated list of badges that we will be working on in
the unit in our future newsletters to reduce duplication of badge work.
We
will test for special interest badges at most meetings starting in October.
This will be new to many of the girls so we will be discussing interest badges
during one of our first meetings. We are looking for badge testers! Please let us know if you are
available to help occasionally throughout the year.
For
badge testing:
If
your daughter is bringing a badge for testing at a meeting please ensure that
she brings the following and adds her name to the badge testing sheet when she
arrives:
a)
Her program book with your signature beside the badge which she has completed – the leader who does the
testing will also sign the book so you know that it was examined.
b) Any items pertinent to the badges (i.e., for the collecting badge bring in the collection, for an art
badge bring in what was completed, etc. – for large experiments, cooking etc –
a description from the Brownie is sufficient).
c)
Please ensure that the work is completed by the
brownie. It would be great that anything written
down is done by the Brownie. If she is not able to discuss what she has done
(i.e., too shy, forgets) this allows us to know that she understands the badge
components.
Upcoming
Events
Fall
Camp: The weekend of Sept 28 – Sept 30 some of our Brownies will go on
an adventure at Camp Woosley. The September 27 meeting will be cancelled due to
the trip. We will have a short discussion before our trip to remind Brownies
what is needed at the camp. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have
questions. There will also be another camp in the spring.
Fall Cookies: Selling
Girl Guide Cookies is a long fund-raising tradition in Girl Guides. Our fall
cookies will be arriving soon and our unit has 30 cases to sell! When the
cookies arrive we will be giving at least 1 case per family and would ask that
you pay the full cost of the case ($60) upon pickup.
Girl Guides offers
incentives for girls who are eager to sell cookies – this program is called Cookie
All-Star. The following are the prizes that were awarded last year. We will
be keeping track of the number of cases the girls sell individually this year.
·
Girls who individually sell seven
to 14 cases will receive a specially designed crest.
·
Girls who individually sell 15
to 29 cases will receive the specially designed crest and a $20 Movie
Voucher
·
Girls who individually sell 30
to 39 cases will receive the specially designed crest and a $75 gift card
for Indigo Books and Music Inc.
·
Girls who individually sell 40
to 79 will receive the specially designed crest and a $125 gift card for
Future Shop.
·
Girls who individually sell 80
or more cases will receive the specially designed crest and a Netbook
Computer**
A
few fun links you may enjoy visiting with information about Girl Guides
This
is the main site of Girls Guides of Canada.
This
is the Girl Guide of Canada Blog
The
Girl Guides review and recommend books for all age-levels monthly. You can find
the
books at this link with information.
This
is an on-line community for girls in Girl Guides only. Your daughter will need
their
IMIS
number to register for this group.
Where
do your fees go?
Registration
Fee ($150)
|
$19.00
to the 2nd Riverside South Brownies
The
remainder goes towards administration and gym rental
|
Cookie
sales ($60 per box)
|
$12.25
to the 2nd Riverside South Brownies
$0.75
to the Ontario Council membership fee subsidy fund
$20.50
to Ontario Council
$4.75
to the National level of GGC
$21.75
to Dare
|
Dues
($1 per week)
|
All
proceeds to the 2nd Riverside South Brownies to cover the cost of
badges, craft materials, special guest speakers, etc.
|