My Promise, My Faith Pin

Everything in Girl Scouting is based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The Girl Scout Law includes many of the principles and values common to most faiths. Thus, while a secular organization, Girl Scouts has, since the movement began, encouraged girls to take spiritual journeys via their faiths' religious recognitions.

Girls of all grade levels can now earn the My Promise, My Faith pin developed by Girl Scouts of the USA. This pin, which girls can earn once a year, complements existing religious recognitions and allows all girls to further strengthen the connection between their faith and Girl Scouts. A girl earns the My Promise, My Faith pin by carefully examining the Girl Scout Law and directly tying it to tenets of her faith.

To learn more about helping your girl scout to earn this pin, visit GirlScouts.org.

Target Take Charge of Education

This is not related to Brownies but since we are all Cucinella families I wanted to put this out there because it is something I did not know until this week...

If you shop at Target (and who doesn't?) and you use a Red Card, you can register it at the Target website and Cucinella will get 1% back on all your purchases.  It doesn't seem like much, but I was at the BoE meeting this past week and the PTO received over $1,000 from this program, so it adds up!

That's all for my PSA!

The week of 9/16 in pictures

Last week we participated in two fun events - the Proud to be an American Girl Scout workshop hosted by Troop 1789 and the Long Valley 275th Anniversary Parade.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

I think we are going to try to go, if you want to join us!

Two Voices in a Tent at Night

Parade - Finally Final Details

Just got this email this morning, sorry for the late notice!

• We are #20 out of 36, so right about in the middle of the parade.

• Come to Long Valley Boulevard, DO NOT enter Carl Lane. 

• If at all possible, CARPOOL.

• When turning on to Long Valley Boulevard come all the way in.  When proceeding to your spot stay to the left of the road.  Once you find your number please move all the way to the right, this way other parade participants can pass by.

• We will start lining up at 3:00pm; parade starts at 4:00pm SHARP!!!!!

See you later!!!

Parade - Final Details

• We will meet on Long Valley Boulevard off Old Farmers Road at 3:00 pm.  If I get a more precise location I will be sure to share it with you.
• PLEASE be sure your girl uses the bathroom before she is dropped off for the parade as there are no bathroom facilities en route.  Also, be sure that she is in full uniform: vest, plain white shirt or white Girl Scout shirt, khakis, comfy shoes (no flip flops, crocs, sandals or other open-toed footwear).
• Please be sure I have the number(s) where you can be reached in case of emergency before leaving your girl for the parade.
• The parade will kick off at 4:00 pm sharp.  It will begin at the corner of Old Farmers Road/East Mill Road, will travel down East Mill Road through the center of town, and will end at the Long Valley Middle School.
• You can pick up your girl at the Girl Scout festival booth.  Make sure you speak with me before taking your girl so I know she is accounted for.  
• Parade participants can park at the Long Valley Middle School.  At the end of the parade you will have 30 minutes to leave the parking lot.  If you choose to stay for the festival you will need to pay the parking fee of $5.00 and receive a ticket.  Please keep in mind that the parking fees help pay for the festival and fireworks and that Long Valley Girl Scouts has nothing to do with this other than to share the information.

Girl Scout Pride Day

Tomorrow (Thursday, 9/19) is Girl Scout Pride Day.  Girls are encouraged to wear their vests or anything Girl Scout (such as t-shirts or pins) to school.  Those who participate will receive a fun patch, so share your enthusiasm and let everyone know that BROWNIES ROCK!

Long Valley 275th Anniversary Parade

Next Saturday, 9/21 we will be marching in the Long Valley 275th Anniversary Parade!  Here are some of the details:

• Rain date 9/22
• This is going to be a big event.   Kicking the festivities off will be the parade  starting at the corner of Old Farmers Road and East Mill and heading towards the Long Valley Middle School.  At the Middle School, the girls will meet up with their parents to attend the festival which will be similar to the Fall Festivals of the past and will end with fireworks.
• Long Valley Girl Scouts will be marching as one group, so no individual troop flags are permitted.  We will have one banner leading the entire and the girls will be helping with a walking float that has been loaned to us from another service unit.    We will also have some mascots among our group.   
• Your girl needs to wear the official Girl Scout uniform:  vest over a Girl Scout-issued solid white shirt, Long Valley Girl Scout white shirt or any other plain white shirt with no graphics, khaki pants (no shorts), and comfortable walking shoes (no flip flops).  
• Long Valley Girl Scouts will have a booth at the festival, and if you are interested in volunteering to work there please let me know.

Urgent Shortages at Long Valley Food Pantry

September is Hunger Awareness Month, and the Long Valley Food Pantry is in desperate need of food, paper goods, toiletries and especially children's lunch items.  If you would like to contribute, you can do so in the following ways:

• Drop items off at the Pantry at 39 Bartley Rd (Long Valley Presbyterian Church) on Monday, September 16 from 4:00 - 8:00 pm
• Purchase the food you want to donate at YouGiveGoods and they will deliver the food to the Food Pantry and email you a tax receipt
• Bring food, paper products and toiletry items to the Long Valley 275th Anniversary festival from 5:00 - 9:00 pm
• Drop off your donation at the municipal building on Schooley's Mountain Road
• Donate cash by sending a check payable to "Long Valley Food Bank" to Washington Township Town Hall, 43 Schooley's Mountain Road

Campout Photos

A great and extremely exhausting time was had by all, and we can't wait to do it again!

Last Minute Camping Details

Some final details from our camp coordinator:

• The Pool will be closed this weekend due to the expectation of cooler temperatures.  No need to bring towels or bathing suits.
• The First Aid station will be located at the "Chatham House" also known as Troop House.  It will be staffed by a Registered Nurse and a Certified EMT.
• Our girls will be participating in stream exploration.  They will get wet to their knees.  Please pack a pair of water shoes or old shoes that can get WET!!  If you pack rain boots, know the water may go above the boot line and your girl will need a new pair of socks.
• Campers should pack one backpack and one plastic trash bag with their sleeping bags/pillow/stuffed animal in it.  Wear layers.  Rain coats or ponchos only; NO UMBRELLAS! 
• Please bring reusable water bottles with you, especially for between meal times.
• No additional food should be brought to camp unless you had contacted the coordinator with a food allergy or intolerance problem.  If this is an issue for you, please let me know.  Extra food attracts animals and bugs, and is discouraged.
• Beverages are available during meal times. (Iced tea, lemonade, juices, water and milk.)
• Girls must always have a buddy and/or an adult to go with them to the bathroom or anywhere else.  No girl will ever go alone.
• Please bring a flashlight, so you can see when walking to and from night time activities.  I have a nightlight for the cabin.
• Overnight campers may use your assigned cabin bathrooms after checking in on Saturday, Day campers may use the bathrooms at the troop house.
• No open toe shoes, flip-flops, crocs or sandals are allowed at camp.
• The trading Post will be open at various times during the weekend, and all girls will be allotted time to go.  If you choose to send money, generally approximately $5.00 would be a suitable amount, with the least expensive item being $1.00 and the most expensive item being $28.00 for a hoodie sweatshirt. 
• If you send money with your child, please place it in a Ziploc baggie with their name on it and let the troop leader know, so that nothing gets lost. 
• The cabins have bathrooms with flushable toilets and sinks.  There are electric outlets in each cabin.

CHECK-OUT INFORMATION

• Day Campers Check Out starts at 6:45 p.m. at the Dining Pavilion.  Day Campers are encouraged to join us for the 7:00 pm Campfire & S'mores and participate in the 8:30 pm skits in the Pavilion.  All Day Campers must be off property before Quiet Hours Start at 10:00 p.m.
• Breakfast is at 8:15am on Sunday.
• Check-out and cabin inspections will begin promptly at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday morning.  I think we should be home around 11:00 on Sunday morning, but I will text everyone when we are on our way.

So exciting!  See you all bright and EARLY tomorrow morning!!!

Prep for Campout

Our first campout is less than a week away!

Everyone should have received the paperwork and some information in the mail by now.  A few reminders:

• If I do not have your completed paperwork, your daughter cannot camp.  Please get this to me early this week so I can get myself organized.  If you hand it to me on Saturday morning I cannot promise I will have enough presence of mind to not lose it.
• Girls who did not decorate their trefoil at last week's meeting - you know who you are - should get one to me ASAP.  I will work on our troop banner this week and all the girls should be represented on it even if they will not be camping with us this weekend.
• There are going to be a LOT of girls there, and not much parking, so we must carpool to minimize the chaos.  Please have your girls at my house at 6:30 am on Saturday 9/14 and I will bring them all to the site.  Breakfast will be served immediately following check-in.
• We will know on Thursday if we will be able use the pool, and thus if you need to pack bathing suits and towels.  I'll keep you posted.  Personally, I think it's been a little brisk for swimming....but that's just me.
• Check out for day campers is right after dinner at 6:45 pm on Saturday at the outdoor Dining Pavilion.  Day campers can stay for the campfire (which I hope they do since they all have a part in our skit!).
• Check out for Sunday begins at 9:45 am.  I will bring the girls back to my house and they can be picked up there, unless you need them earlier for some reason.
• We will be doing our SWAPs after lunch, so don't forget to have your girl make a few more at home if she wants.
• Troop 602 is working on their Silver Award and is collecting swim noodles, dive sticks and kick boards to benefit girls in need who camp at GSNNJ properties.  Feel free to send a donation with your girl.
• What to bring:  a sit-upon, sleeping bag tied in a plastic bag, change of clothing, sweatshirt and/or sweater, winter jacket and/or lightweight jacket, PJs or sweatsuit, flashlight with new batteries, rain poncho and boots, hair brush or comb, something to tie back long hair, toothbrush and toothpaste, non-aerosol bug repellant, stuffed animal (optional), money for trading post (optional)
• What NOT to bring:  umbrella, food or gum (except for those with allergies, contact me with any questions regarding this), iPod/M3P player/DS/cell phones/other electronics, hair dryers or straighteners, open toe shoes, irreplaceable clothing or other items, other valuables
• Medications:  Must be in the original container clearly labeled with the camper's name and instructions for administration, a statement giving the first aid adult permission to administer the medication
• The trading post will be open during the weekend, but it is completely optional.

Looking forward to it!

~Kelly

Meeting Notes ~ September 4, 2013

Yesterday we had our first meeting of the new year!

We started out by decorating trefoils for our new troop banner and introducing our new Kaper Chart which will give our meetings a little more structure.  Each girl has a job to do for each meeting, and the jobs will rotate from meeting to meeting so each girl will have a chance to do each job.

They had fun looking at their Popsicle Stick People and did a great job of figuring out who was who without even looking at the names!  Can you?

Mckayla led us through the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law, and then since this meeting was all about preparing for our upcoming campout, we read a couple of books about camping.

Then we had a snack of popcorn and S'mores cookies before we got down to business!

Our two main tasks for the meeting were to select a skit for our troop to perform for the campout, and to make some SWAPS to trade with other girls while we are camping.  We gave the girls three skit ideas to choose from, and with some discussion they settled on "Two Voices in a Tent at Night" by Kristine O'Connell George.  We rehearsed it a couple of times, and put together a list of props that we could use to make it more fun!  Our Executive Assistant for the day, Elizabeth, wrote them all down in our meeting notes.

After that, we spent time making some SWAPS, or "Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere", to share with our new scouting friends next weekend.  SWAPS are a great way to break the ice when meeting new people, and give the girls a collection inexpensive and thoughtful souvenirs.  We made several together, but if the girls want to make some more on their own it would be great, because there will be an awful lot of potential new friends to meet at the campout!

We finished up with a Friendship Squeeze led by Mia, and Photo Journalist Allyson took some photos of the group

and I took some too, so all the girls could be included!

Troop Business

• Don't forget that we will have a meeting tomorrow - Wednesday, September 4 at my house from 4:30 - 6:30 pm (or whenever everyone is done with their ice cream socializing).  We will be working on our skit for the campout and on our SWAPS.  Extra hands will be helpful, so if a couple of moms can stay to help that would be fabulous.  Also, if you have a Rainbow Loom, please bring it.
• I would like to have a moms' meeting soon so that we can discuss some of the logistics for the year.  Would Friday, September 27 at 6:00 pm at my house work for everyone?  All the girls could come, and maybe we could do a potluck?
• I sent each girl some paperwork, you may have already received it.  Please get it back to me ASAP, especially for those of you who are attending the campout.  
• Two upcoming events:  on Wednesday, September 19 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm, there is a workshop called Proud to be an American Girl Scout that I would like our troop to attend.  Please let me know ASAP if your girl will attend as there is a charge for this workshop and I need to reserve our spots.  Also, on Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 pm our troop will be marching in the Long Valley 275th Anniversary Parade.  We will march from Old Farmer's School to LVMS, where there will be a big celebration including fireworks.  Please let me know if your girl plans to attend.

Looking forward to kicking off our first Brownie year together!!!