February 2013

Happy February!

As you can see, I'm trying something new this month. Let's see if a blog format works better for our Service Unit.

It was wonderful to see those leaders who could make it to the Leader Retreat this past weekend. Troop House 5 was full of laughter, good discussions, and Mod Podge. Did you know there's a glittery Mod Podge?

 

Did you know?



One discussion we had this weekend concerned the badges and awards troops and girls can work on if you're looking for something a little different. In the Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting under the Handbook tab, look for the section titled "Awards that Show What You've Learned". These are the national badges and awards through GSUSA, and it takes you through the basics of the Journeys for your age group, the leadership awards, service badges, explains the different types of proficiency badges, mentoring awards, meritorious service awards, My Promise, My Faith awards, and much more.  Our council and region also has some awards and interest projects available for our girls to earn such as the All Star Girl Scout patch for troops, and several many others. You can find these at:  https://www.girlscoutsww.org/Things-To-Do/discover-more/Pages/Badges.aspx. Please note that many of the council specific badges are being phased out, so if your girls want to earn them, you'll need to order the patches right away before they run out.

Better a few badges thoroughly deserved than a sleeve full of half-earned ones. -Scouting for Girls, 1930
 

Upcoming Service Unit Events

Come learn how to throw your own dinner party at Troop 41746 Manners Night  Tuesday, March 19 at Jenkins Creek Elementary from 5:45 to 7:30pm. $12 per girl, adults are free. Contact Lora Reed for more information.

Covington KidVenture Day Camp Registration Event will be held February 25th  at 6:30pm  in the library at Cedar Heights Middle School.

Certified CPR/First Aid Class open to any of our service unit volunteers. Feb 25 1:00-5:30 $15 to cover the cost of materials and if you would like a copy of the CPR/First Aid book $15. Please contact naomef@msn.com if you are interested.

 

Cookie News

Several folks have asked why we are not selling the new Mango Creme cookies. Here's the reply Kathy Lytle posted on Facebook:

"There are 2 bakeries in the US that produce GS cookies. Our cookies come from Little Brownie Bakers located in Louisville, KY. The other is ABC Bakers, which may be out of Virginia. They are the ones doing the Mango Cremes. Some of the cookies are similar, but with different names. Our bakery only produces the 8 cookies we had last year with some councils, such as ours, choosing to sell only 6."

An Early Girl Scout Cookie^® Recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

 

Help Wanted

Our Service Unit has lots of volunteer opportunities. Whether you've got just a little time, or are ready to tackle a whole project, we could really use your time and talents. We are a small service unit with big dreams and only a handful of people working to keep it all together.

One huge need we have is someone to help recruit adult volunteers. We do need leaders as well (especially for Daisy and Brownie troops), but having someone help identify folks who want to volunteer, and then help walk them through the process of becoming a volunteer would be invaluable. We also really need a cookie manager, and we'd love someone to set up a website for us.

Because other service units in South King County also are in desperate need of volunteers, Girl Scouts of Western Washington is looking into putting on a Volunteer Fair here in Covington! The plan is to have a day of Girl Scouting experiences for adults (s'mores anyone?), while informing prospective volunteers of all the volunteer opportunities available in our area. As of right now, we have it tentatively set for April 20th from 10am-2pm.

Please contact Amelia Higgins (fionasfolks@gmail.com) or Kathy Gendreau (kgendreau2@gmail.com) if you'd like to help out.



Girl Scouts of Western Washington Council News

 

Girl Scout offices will be closed February 18th.

2013’s Seattle Leadership Luncheon - March 14th. We invite you to join us for this great event. Listen to girls and guest speakers as they share what Girl Scouting means to them. Sign up to be a table captain or register as a guest. 

Summer Camp

The new camp guide for Summer 2013 has come out. Did you get it? Go here to take a look: http://camp.girlscoutsww.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2013-Summer-Guide-Camp-Brochure.pdf  There are several changes to note, so be sure to peruse the whole thing. One important difference is that the fee structure has changed to allow families to choose how much they will pay. To help keep our camps open and running great programs, the hope is that families will choose to pay the highest amount the can afford.

Journeys Workshops

The Jump Into Journeys workshop is devoted solely to working with the Journey materials – enjoying activities from the Journey books and discussing how to make this great program work for your girls! An excellent workshop for new volunteers and experienced volunteers new to Journeys. The dates are:

•  Feb 5     Seattle
• Feb 12   DuPont
• Feb 13   Marysville
• Feb 23   Renton
• Feb 28   Seattle
•  Mar 28  Federal Way

Outdoor 1 Workshop

The new Outdoor 1 workshop still includes outdoor progression and how to plan outings with girls, but there is also a totally new focus on what girl-led really means. Lots of hands-on work so everyone really gets the power of girl planning. Again, this workshop is great for new and experienced volunteers. The dates are:

•  Feb 7     DuPont
• Feb 12   Bellevue
• Feb 24   Seattle
• Feb 26   Edmonds
•  Mar 5    Bremerton
•  Mar 14  Bellevue
•  Mar 19  Seattle

Outdoor Learning Weekend, Robbinswold



New Leaders, established Leaders, and interested registered Girl Scout Parents are all welcome to this event held at beautiful Camp Robbinswold, in Lilliwaup, Washington, and is an excellent opportunity for leaders to obtain that required class, while previewing the camp for future consideration. 

Here's the link: Out door learning weekend. Each class has a description that outlines the course content, notes the Facilitators, and whether you’re sleeping indoors or outside.  This is the 52nd year for the Outdoor Learning Weekend!

If you have any questions, please contact Sonya Bachmann @ sonyamb@juno.com

Badge Workshops

 Home Science Brownie badge. Join us for hands on experiments. February 9th, Sammamish.  Event contact:  Jeanni Kenison

Pet Care workshop.  Pet Care Education & Fun.  There will be games, speakers, demonstrations & crafts.  Open to Daisy, Brownie, and Junior. March 9th,  Issaquah.  Event contact:  Carol Stamper

Cooking Brownie badge. Come cook yummy food from around the world.  April 20th, Sammamish.  Event contact:  Jeanni Kenison

Outings and Events

World Thinking Day in West Seattle -  Open to all Girl Scouts, hosted by Cadette Troop 41504.  Register as a traveler or as a host country.  February 22nd, Seattle.  Event Contact: Ginny Dierich

Engineering workshops -  Free!  Offered by Society of Women Engineers.  Open to Daisies, Brownies and Juniors.  January 26th, Bellevue.  Event contact: Holly Bork

Sweet Shoppe workshop.  Back by popular demand!  Join us for a fun-filled candy making session.  Everyone will get a fun Candy Making patch and make lots of candy!  January 25th & 26th, Issaquah.  Event contact:  Carol Stamper

Horsemanship workshop.  Come learn all about horses.  Even get to take a ride. March 23rd and June 1st , Issaquah.  Event Contact: Jeanni Kenison

5th Avenue Theater - Girl Scouts get an amazing deal on shows at the 5th Ave. Event contact: Tami Micheletti

Music Man - February 8, Seattle

Father-Daughter Superhero Day -  Become a modern day Superhero! Design your own costume and learn how to keep yourself and others safe. April 20, Issaquah.  Event contact:  Carol Stamper

 Volunteer Learning Conferences

 Follow the link to learn more about upcoming adult and older girl learning conferences.

Individual classes are available, too!  Want to learn how to cook in a cardboard box?  Need some tips on working with teen girls?  Confused about Journeys?  Take one of the amazing volunteer learning classes offered by GSWW.  Don’t have time right now?  Check out the great online learning resources ready for you. 

 

Fundraising

Camp Lyle McLeod needs to refurbish their emergency access road with new culverts to allow salmon to pass through on their way out to the ocean and then back up to spawn. We need to raise $30,000 to help pay for this project. Please contact Sue Ramsey to donate, or go to www.girlscoutsww.org and click on Donate.

 

How can your troop help support Girl Scouts of Western Washington's H.O.R.S.E. (Helping Our Riders Succeed Everyday) Program at our camps? We need to raise $60,000 to cover the purchase of 37 horses and their tack. For a donation of $500 (which can purchase as complete set of tack for one horse at our Girl Scout camps), your troop will have a horse shoe with your troop's number noted to hang in the horse barn. The donation of $1,000 can purchase a pony for our Girl Scout Camps, and will include a picnic lunch at Camp River Ranch or Camp St. Albans (TBD) for your troop, and for $1,5000 (which will purchase a horse for one of our camps), a picnic lunch will be included as well as a horse shoe with your troop's number noted on it. Please contact Sue Ramsey for more information or to donate.

 

Hey, did you know?

We have yet another fabulous announcement from our retail stores! This Friday officially marks the debut of our Free Ship Fridays! What is Free Ship Friday, you ask?

The first Friday of every month, every order placed via email or phone receives free shipping.

It’s like a virtual traveling store! Visit Pinterest.com/GSWWstore to see what’s in stock, then contact either store the first Friday of every month, receive your merchandise quickly (usually within 72 hours) and your bank account is none the smarter.

No waiting in line, no traffic jams and no extra shipping fees = more time, less frustration and more money in your pocket!

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

 

Anyone Interested in Travel?



 

There are two exciting trips coming up through the Travel pathway: one is a two-week trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, and the other is an international Scout and Guide encampment in Windsor Park for eight days. Go here for more information.

Peace Arch Celebration Update



Unfortunately, the International Peace Arch Association, both US and Canadian sections, have announced the cancellation of the annual “Hands Across the Border” celebration. The costs for running this celebration have skyrocketed to more than $10,000 per year.
For more information, contact 360-332-4544.