Uniforms? --And, where do all of these badges go?

Does my girl scout HAVE to have a uniform?

The short answer is "no."  The long answer is... if your girl scout wants to do more than attend meetings and wants to receive badges that the troop earns together, she WILL need a uniform.  Also, in order to participate in official events or represent Girl Scouts, the blue tunic (or vest) is needed.  HOWEVER, if all your girl scout wishes to do is attend meetings, it isn't necessary.

Here is what the Girl Scout Website says:

"Girl Scout badges, patches, awards, and other insignia should be presented, worn, or displayed only after Girl Scouts have completed the requirements outlined in the appropriate program materials.
The GSUSA National Board updated the Girl Scout uniform policy recently to reflect the changing needs of our members and transformation of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Girl Scouts at each level have one required element (Tunic, Sash or Vest) for the display of official pins and awards which will be required when girls participate in ceremonies or officially represent the Girl Scout Movement.
For girls ages 5 to 14, the unifying look includes wearing a choice of a tunic, vest, sash for displaying official pins and awards, combined with their own solid white shirts and khaki pants or skirts. Girl Scouts in high school can also wear a scarf that unites their look with the sisterhood of Girl Scouts around the world. For adult members the unifying look of the uniform is a Girl Scout official scarf or tie for men, worn with the official membership pins, combined with their own navy blue business attire. Girl Scouts at the Daisy and Brownie levels will continue to have a full uniform ensemble available."

TROOP ACTIVITIES/ GOALS

PATCH GOALS
We will have 24 meetings this 2012-2013 troop year and during those, our goal is to earn our Daisy Petals (and 2 leaves), as well as the Between Earth and Sky Journey Patches!

FUNDRAISERS
We will have fundraisers to try to help off-set some of our costs as a troop - which may be used for our crafts, activities, and possibly trips and patches!  Our main fundraisers will be:

Nut/Candy and Magazine Sales - Beginning October 1st!
Girl Scout Cookies

 TRIPS/ACTIVITIES
Part of the fun in being a Daisy is being able to take part in new things, learn about ourselves and others, learn new skills, and develop our interests.  And, boy, do we have a lot of fun things in mind for this year!!

There are SO many fun things available for us to do, but we know we can't do them all.  We understand that finances/time are limited so we're separating these into three groups: during meetings, outside of meetings - but as a troop, outside of meetings - individual.

During Meetings - We will explore many fun crafts, nature, and more!  Stay tuned as we schedule fun things!

Outside of Meetings - As a Troop - 

October (Date TBA) - Bonfire, S'mores, Hot Chocolate, Stories (no fee, parent must provide transportation to and from)


November 12 - Exploring the Daisy Flower Garden. $7/girl.  See email for more details.
December (Date TBA) – Participate in Christmas Parade!
December (Date TBA) – Christmas Party!  Ornament swap and fun times!
January – Cookie sales begin!  Ice Skating? 
May – Fishing!  --If it’s warm enough, we are considering having an overnight “camp” trip.
June – Swimming Party!
August – Visit a Farm Together
September – Visit Homestead

Outside of Meetings – Individual – (these are things offered but are up to individual families whether they’d like to participate.  Transportation arrangements will be up to parents and parents will be in charge of accompanying their own children unless otherwise arranged)

December 8-9 – KaLightoscope Christmas and Snow Fairy Palooza! (see email)
November 10 – Swimming   $6
December 8 – Area Christmas Party.   $5
January 12 – Cookie Rally!  More info TBA.
February 9 – Father-Daughter/Mardi Gras Dance. $8 Ea.
March 14 – Skating.  $3.50 ea
April 20 – Mystery Dinner  $5
May 18 – Family Park Day/ Bridging Ceremony   Each family bring 2 Liter Drink and dessert.


SERVICE PROJECTS
We will choose at least two service projects (one being local). 

Local – Hope Unlimited Baby Bottles Fundraiser – Girls can bring change to meetings to fill up baby bottles for Hope Unlimited!  How many can we fill as a troop!?

World – Write letters to soldiers!
           -  Walk in a marathon for a cause like cancer? Autism? Aids? Orphans? Etc…

Welcome!

September 27, 2012

Dear Daisy Parents,

We are looking forward to an exciting, adventure-filled year with your sweet daughters! We will begin meeting October 1st and will meet on the first and third Mondays every month at 3:30 PM after school (even when school is not in session unless otherwise arranged).

CAVEAT: This is a sketch of the year and things may change based on unforeseen circumstances and we ask families to be understanding.

Every Girl Scout Troop is a little different. While adhering to the Girl Scout Daisy curriculum, troop goals and activities are developed by the interests of the girls, the leaders, and the families that would like to participate. Currently, we are considering a wide range of fun activities to meet the developing interests of Kindergarteners such as: Dino Digs, Magical Fairy Palooza's for winter time, fishing, swimming parties, camping, bicycling, challenge courses, fencing, ice skating, roller skating, sledding, hiking, arts and crafts, COOKIES!, hayrides, parades, exploring different skills and mentors to teach them, learning about different community jobs.  Sounds FUN, right?!  Of course, we are still in the planning phases and look forward to seeing what kind of interest there is for these!

The total cost for this year will be the membership fees of $24 per each girl PLUS any trips they choose to go on with us (these will vary and will be announced, they are also optional) and PLUS some patches (We are hoping to find a business or family to help sponsor us this year to help with providing the daisy flower petal patches and the Between Earth and Sky Patches).  Many girls will choose to wear the uniform (see below), but those and the books are OPTIONAL and NOT REQUIRED.

 Our troop objectives and goals are listed below.

DAISY TROOP 270-- Objectives (Being Kind is Most Important!)
· Open doors for girls at an early age and help them to acquire skills and interests that they will take with them into the future.
· Promote girls’ perception of themselves as competent, responsible, and open to new experiences and challenges.
· Help girls develop sensitivity to others and respect for their needs, feelings, and rights.
· Foster the ability to build friendships and working relationships.
· Foster an ability to make decisions that are consistent with girls’ values and that reflect respect for the rights and needs of others.
· Help girls develop concern for the well being of their communities.
· Encourage girls to use their skills to work with others for the benefit of all.

Troop 270-- 2012/2013 Goals
· At least 1 "BIG" Field Trip (along with the other fun activities we have planned)
· 2 Service Projects (one being local)

· Earn Daisy Petals
· Earn Daisy—Between Earth and Sky patches

Registration Fee and Troop Dues
Your GSA registration/membership ($24.00) and we are going to try to not collect troop dues this year.  The GSA registration/membership fees are used to enroll your daughter as a Girl Scout for 2012-2013 (the registration/membership dues DO NOT go to our troop) and generally, troop dues are used to defray the costs of running the troop meetings. While we’ll try to keep costs low, there will be expenses for fun trips.  - However, each of these "fun trips" are completely optional and you can pick and choose what you are interested in.  Please remember, Girl Scouts is open to everyone! If you have any problem meeting the costs of this program, financial aid is available.

Troop Communication
We will employ the use of our troop blog (mytroop270.blogspot.com) as well as group emails to get information to the troop/parents.  We will also send some things home with the girls after meetings.  You are welcome to call Ashley or email her if you need anything.

Parent Volunteers
As a Daisy, the troop will not require as many parent volunteers at meetings or events. We would, however,like to include interested families.  We will be posting volunteer needs as they come up (some ideas: volunteer for snack schedule, accompany us on trips, etc.)

Meeting Snacks:
Meeting snacks should be healthy and easy for cleaning up. Apples, carrots, cheese, crackers, animal crackers, frozen yogurt tubes. Please sign up for snacks for either a meeting or an event you are planning on attending.


Forms

• Health: We need a new health form (blue) for each girl this year.  These need to be filled out at or before Oct 1, please!
• Volunteer Forms
• GSA Form Membership

Uniforms and Insignia
For a Daisy Girl Scout to be in “official uniform” they only need to wear their Daisy membership pin. Most families will choose to purchase the Daisy smock (optional) to wear to meetings and special events.
Parents may supply (if they choose): smock, wavy American flag, World Trefoil pin, iron-on troop numeral Daisy insignia tab, individually earned badges.
Troop will provide (if we have a sponsor): Daisy petal (as earned), troop earned badges, journey patches, program activity patches, service hour patches, and membership stars.

Books
We will be using The Daisy Girl Scout Handbook (Petals), and The Journey Book “Between Earth and Sky” for field trips. Girls do not need to purchase books, however they can be a fun way to "dig a little deeper" into our activities.

Leadership Team
Ashley S—Troop Leader (Organizer)
MaryBeth E - Co-Leader
Jolene - Parent Volunteer

I look forward to seeing each of you very soon!  This will be a FANTASTIC year filled with FUN and MAGIC!