Meeting Monday 1/24, 6-7pm

If you have been collecting paper sacks, please bring them. Tonight we will finish making our collection bags for the Wishlist Drive. Tomorrow, Tuesday 1/25, the girls will meet at Texas Land and Cattle. At 5:45 our meeting with the International Association of Administrative Professionals will begin. The girls will explain the whos and whats of the Ronald McDonald House and give the IAAP the Wishlist sacks. We will also attend their February meeting to retreive the filled sacks. 

Each girl should also have 5 or 6 bags in her possesion. She should give these to family, teachers, or neighbors. 

Cookie Note:

Everyone needs to turn in money on a regular basis. Additionally, if you have cookies, please sell them quickly, or return them to me. It is possible for one girl to not only affect the reorder status of our troop, but for our troop to affect the status of our entire Service Unit.

If you need more cookies, turn in your orders ASAP. Deliveries arrive twice a week.

Please let me know when your child is available for booths. Booths are available all day Saturdays and Sundays, and 4-8pm on weekdays- with late hours on Fridays. 3 girls are needed at each booth. If you tell me your child's availability ahead of time, it will make my job easier.

We are less than a week into Cookie Season and have already reached a quarter of our goal! Way to go, Troop 1563!

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Meeting Monday 1/17, 6pm

image by helen garcia, for GSUSA

WOO HOO! Cookie Season is upon us!
As advance warning, my "work" computer decided it won't turn on. I'm currently using an old computer and all my Girl Scout stuff is on the other one...

This is a parent meeting. Tonight we will do several things:

Court of Awards- If your daughter is receiving recognitions tonight, please bring a completed Badge Worksheet for each one. I can't figure out how to share my own documents on our website here, but I e-mailed it out a while back. If you can't find it, she can use regular paper to write which badge it is, the number of each activity she did, and what she learned or liked best of the activities and have you sign it.

Cookie Share- Out of love for all things Cookie, we will have a cookie share as our snack/reception. Please bring your favorite kind of cookies. Can be homemade or store-bought. As for amount, a dozen (or one package) is fine. We have 13 kids and if they each bring a dozen, we'll have more than enough for the troop, the parents, and the siblings.

Cookie Orientation- Please bring something to write with/on. I can't access my documents to print them so you might want to take notes. We will go over the general rules. Girls will recieve Cookie Portfolios (do not lose.) We will cover basic how-to's and announce the first set of booths picks. They did a random lottery for opening weekend, and we ended up in the number one spot. (Score!) Because we are so large, we got multiple picks. I tried to select locations and times I thought would be busy. I also try to schedule booths to allow sleeping in, but not interupt the main "fun time" of your weekend.

Cookie Distribution- Everyone will need to drive to this meeting. I hope to have the cookies sorted ahead of time. All cookies MUST be processed through Mandy or Gloriana. You MUST receive a receipt. Please do not touch/move/mess with cookies at the meeting until you are cleared to do so. Everyone will receive 48 boxes tonight. The next shipment arrives Wednesday (first day of the sale.) When you need more cookies you should text or call Mandy. You must turn in the money for at least HALF of your outstanding balance to be issued more cookies. 

Reminders- Wed 1/19 is the first day of the Cookie Sale, and also the night of our REI class. Their website says the class is now full. This weekend begins 6 weeks of Cookie Booths. Don't forget to sign up for booths. Opera night is Thurs 1/27. Registration for that is closed. UT Engineering Day is Feb 26, 2-5pm. It's free and open to boys and girls of school age. Tagalongs and families are welcome. If you would like to attend, I'll need you to answer the questionnaire sometime soon. Call me for details.

Ronald McDonald Wishlist Drive 

We now have an official plan on how to execute the Drive. Most of the girls took home some bags at our last meeting. Please pass these out and pick them up as it is convenient for your family. You can go door-to-door or give them to relatives/friends/teachers/co-workers, etc. Jessica is a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. The organization would like to help us with our efforts. Monday 1/24 we will make more bags. PLEASE BRING IN PAPER SACKS!  Girls will prepare a speech about our Service Project, why we are doing it, and who it benefits. The next evening, Tues 1/25, all girls that are available will attend the IAAP monthly meeting to give their speech and hand over bags. We will also attend their Tues Feb 22 meeting to collect filled bags. After that, arrangements will be made for our girls to deliver the collected goods to the Ronald McDonald House.

Our troop site looks weird on this computer...                                                                                                                                      

Meeting Monday Jan. 10, 6pm

Sorry for being so pokey with the Meeting posts lately. Getting things organized for Cookie Season is hectic!

Tonight we'll talk about Cookie Booths. The girls can also come up with some advertising ideas.

I need my Booth Parents and any parents wanting to be Booth Parents for a meeting tonight as well. Please bring your schedule for Jan. 19- Feb 25 with you. I also need one non-Booth Parent to supervise the kids (inside or out depending on the weather) while we have a Booth Meeting. I'm hoping the kids will let me get through their information quickly. I'd like to be out before 7:30.

Booth Parents:
1)Mandy (Amri)
2)Gloriana (Ariana)
3)Jessica (Gabriella)
4)Rosie (Naya)
5) Julie (Brigid) 

Additionally, we need to figure out a realistic way to get our Ronald McDonald Wishlist Drive done. It's a 3 part process (drop off bags, pick up bags, deliver to RMH) and the 2 bag portions need to be done in daylight. 

My ideas:
A) Divide the bags among the girls and let them each do their own street after school this week, pick them up after school next week.

B) I keep the bags. Kids that have time can call me/come over. Over the next 2 weeks, I will take clusters of girls around the neighborhood to pick up/drop off bags. 

Parents are invited to help- but remember that this is our Service Unit's service project. The point is for the girls to have a personal investment in their community and the world around them. 
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Meeting Monday Jan. 3, 6pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Faith
Emma
Gabriella
Syndy
Naya

Notes:

Naya, Syndy, Faith, and Emma received their troop binders. Moms- if you need me to e-mail the Badge Sheets that go in the binder, please let me know. She needs some sheets in her binder so that she can earn her badges. Please bring the binder in her Girl Scout bag to EVERY meeting (but not field trips.)

Try Its worked on:

Cookies Count (pg. 12) Activities #1 and #6
Smart Cookie (Council Patch) Activity #6

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Original Post:

Happy New Year, everyone! 
Today we'll try to figure out a realistic time to do our Ronald McDonald House Wishlist Drive. Our Service Unit wanted it to be a December activity, but holidays always seem to shuffle our plans.

We'll also work on the Smart Cookie and the Cookies Count Try Its. If you already have these patches, you'll make a wonderful helper for the girls that do not. The more we know about cookies, the better we'll do during the sale.

Reminder:

This coming Saturday (January 8th) is the Travis County Daisy/Brownie Cookie Rally in Cedar Park. We have 9 girls registered. Unfortunately, I do not have any contact information for the Rally, but you could call Cedar Park Center or GSCTX to find out if they are allowing pay-at-the-door, or if Tagalongs are welcome.

Rally RSVP list:

Amri
Gabriella (paid)
Brigid
Naya
Emonee
Emma (paid. needs $3 change)
Faith
Ariana
Atalli (paid)

Location:
Cedar Park Center
2100 Avenue of the Stars
Cedar Park, TX

Directions:

Take 183 North.
-If you don't mind the tollway, stay on 183A until New Hope Dr. where you'll U-turn. The Center will be on your right. [43 to 55 min. with traffic]
-The non-tollway version, based on googlemaps. (If you have personal knowledge of a frontage road along the tollway, please let me know.) Take 183 until the 45Tollway crosses it. Exit 183 and opt for it's service road (Research Blvd.) Take Research to Avery Ranch and turn left. Now turn right on 183/S. Bell Blvd. Take 183 to East New Hope/Co. Rd 181, turn right and the Center will be on your left. [48 min to an hr. with traffic]

A Note for Parents: 
What are Booth Parents?
Booth Parents are volunteer adults that supervise the kids at their booths. This year we have enough girls that we can run multiple booths at once. If you are only available one day a week, that will still be helpful. I have a mock schedule under our "Cookies!" tab at the top of this page.

You must have a current Background Check on file with Council. The 2 page application is available here. I believe they are good for 2 years, but you can call Council to check. 512-453-7391

If you would look over your schedule and see when you could host booths, that would be great. Please write me a note or e-mail me with your availability. It's almost time to make booth bids and I'll need to have some idea of what we can accomplish. 

We will have a Booth Parent orientation later. Does after the meeting on the 17th work for yall?

Booth Parents:
1)Mandy (Amri)
2)Gloriana (Ariana)
3)Jessica (Gabriella)
4)Rosie (Naya)
5) Julie (Brigid) 


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Meeting Monday December 20, 6-7pm

In general, if I'm in town, we'll have a meeting. We'll meet this Monday and we'll probably meet next Monday. We'll talk about cookies.
The following girls are registered for the January 8th Cookie Rally in Cedar Park:
Rally RSVP list:
Amri
Gabriella (paid)
Brigid
Naya
Emonee
Emma
Faith
Ariana

For those who did not RSVP to Mandy:
I try to avoid last minute registrations just in case something goes wrong with the process. If you still want to go, follow this link before 11pm Monday Dec 20th. Near the top there will be blue text telling you to "click here to register..." You will be directed to a calendar on which you will need to highlight the Jan. 8 Cookie Rally, then follow the instructions. You can either register as Troop 1563 or as an individual. The cost is $2 per Girl Scout, free for adults. You must pay with credit card.
(You can typically register in person with Jamie at Council, using any payment method- but Council is closed on Mondays.)


And now, just for fun, see if you can name the cookies:

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Meeting Monday December 6, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Amri
Desjonique
Faith
Emonee
Emma
Gabriella
Ariana
Syndy
Madison  

Notes:
After Show and Tell, girls voted to do their Holiday Party next week because they didn't know their family's plans for the Christmas break. I will be posting on this shortly.

Then we started Cookie Training. We learned about the 8 different cookie flavors: Thin Mints, Shortbreads, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Caramel Delites, Lemonades, Thanks A Lots, and Shout Outs. Girls in attendance were sent home with their Cookie Permission slips. Do not worry about the cookie order on the bottom of the slip- our first order has already been placed. Please return your permission slip at the Holiday Party next Monday.

Last year's cookie merchandise is on half-off clearance at the GS shop. I bought an "Ask Me About Girl Scout Cookies" car magnet for $4. They also have yard signs, window decals, locker/desk  magnets and other such. Some moms gave me money to get them some things. I will be going on Wednesday or Thursday if you would like me to get something for you. As a side note, the Daisy Go Round is no longer being offered. It has been replaced with the Shout Out. The Daisy Go Round is featured on the clearance merchandise. The new Cookie items will not be available until the New Year. Cookie Sales begin January 19.

Reminders:
Please bring in paper sacks. We cannot do our Wishlist Drive if we don't have them. For instructions, see "Part Three" of the original post below.
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Original Post:
PART ONE: Today's the first meeting of the month, and that means Show and Tell! Today, girls are welcome to bring something to show the troop. Please review the Show and Tell rules with your daughter.

 1) Anything that is distracting has to leave the room when your turn is over (too noisy, too crawly, too cute, too awesome.) We still have Scout business to attend to afterward and other girls would appreciate attention during their turns.
2) Please limit your speech to ONE MINUTE or less. We cannot afford for you to go over your limit. If you have a lot to say, practice at home or write it down.
3) Be respectful. Think how you would feel if no one listened to what you had to say.
4) If you do not have an item you would like to bring in, you can tell us about a patch you've been working on, a trip you've taken, or anything interesting that has happened to you recently.
5) Participation is optional. If you do not have something to share this month, you can always share next month.

PART TWO: The girls will plan their troop Holiday Party.

PART THREE:We are collecting paper sacks for our Wishlist drive. Please get your groceries in paper sacks this month. Additionally, your daughter needs to be an active participant in her troop's needs. Take her to a grocery store, Target, Walmart, or any other retailers you can think of. Have her wear her vest.The two of you should go to the Customer Service desk and ask to speak with the manager. When the manager arrives, your Scout should say this little speech from memory:

"Hello, my Girl scout troop is doing a Wishlist drive for the Ronald McDonald House. We wanted to see if you would donate some paper sacks to help us."

It is important for your daughter's self-confidence and public speaking skills that she approach the manager herself, but please stand close by to answer any follow up questions to manager may have. Go here to learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities. The Wishlist link is at the bottom.

Some managers might offer additional assistance. The Wishlist asks for gift card donations. I have a copy of our 501(c)3 status letter. Take down the manager's name and number and we can get back with these stores. Remember to have your daughter say "Thank you," even if the store does not make a donation.

We will continue collecting sacks up until we do the actual drive.

PART FOUR:  I submitted our initial cookie order this week. Cookies don't start until January 19, but we will be doing a great deal of cookie training this year. Any leftover time at today's meeting will be spent talking about cookies. If you or your daughter would like to start learning about cookies, visit the ABC Smart Cookie link in the left column of our troop blog, or go here to play Cookie Games.

It is wonderful when parents can take order forms to their workplace, but girls should also participate in booth sales, door-to-door sales, and sales to friends and family. It is important for the children to be as involved as possible. Not only are Cookies the most popular fundraiser, but girls learn important life skills, such as goal setting, public speaking, basic math of money, budgeting, personal responsibility, teamwork, and manners.

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Meeting Monday November 29, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Amri
Desjonique
Faith
Brigid
Emonee
Emma
Gabriella
Ariana
Synthia
Madison (returning to our troop)
 
Notes:
All girls had an opportunity to contribute to our Gingerbread house. Girls that had previously worked on it glued Wishlist letters to paper sacks.

Reminders: 
We are collecting paper sacks for our Wishlist drive. Please get your groceries in paper sacks this month.

Additionally, your daughter needs to be an active participant in her troop's needs. Take her to a grocery store, Target, Walmart, or any other retailers you can think of. Have her wear her vest.The two of you should go to the Customer Service desk and ask to speak with the manager. When the manager arrives, your Scout should say this little speech from memory:

"Hello, my Girl scout troop is doing a Wishlist drive for the Ronald McDonald House. We wanted to see if you would donate some paper sacks to help us."

It is important for your daughter's self-confidence and public speaking skills that she approach the manager herself, but please stand close by to answer any follow up questions to manager may have. Go here to learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities. The Wishlist link is at the bottom.

Some managers might offer additional assistance. The Wishlist asks for gift card donations. I have a copy of our 501(c)3 status letter. Take down the manager's name and number and we can get back with these stores. Remember to have your daughter say "Thank you," even if the store does not make a donation.

We will continue collecting sacks up until we do the actual drive.
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Original Post:
Sorry for the late post- I hope you all enjoyed your holiday!
Tonight we resume meeting at the Austin's Colony Community Center.

Tonight the girls that have not had a chance to work on the gingerbread house will get to do the final touches. The girls will have to take turns working in small groups. The girls that have already worked on the house will start glue-sticking our Wishlist Bags.

If you have collected paper sacks for the drive, please being them tonight. I will bring glue sticks and the letters so we can glue them to the bags. If you have glue sticks, fell free to bring them. Also, if you have access to free printing, please let me know.

If you do not know about the Wishlist drive, please check your e-mail for "Troop News."  It explains the drive and what the girls can do to help get us started (collect bags.) We will continue collecting bags for the next few weeks.

Meeting Monday November 8, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Amri
Desjonique
Faith
Emonee
Emma
Gabriella
Naya
Ariana
Synthia

Thanks:

 To Desjonique's  mom for bringing a snack.

Notes:Girls made invitations for their families, about next week's Ceremony. Girls that are running for 3rd Grade Representative at Hornsby-Dunlap gave sample speeches. Girls that are not running asked questions to help the candidates prepare for the real deal. We ate leftover cupcakes for snack and discussed where grown-ups go to vote, who is allowed to vote, and why it is important to vote.

Reminders:
Fall products came in last night. Gloriana and I are trying to schedule our pick-up. If you would like to help sort, please let me know. Other wise, be expecting a call to come pick up your daughter's order.

Next week (the 15th) we will not meet at the Community Center- we will be having our Investiture/Rededication Ceremony at the Ruiz Branch of the library. Girls should arrive shortly before 6:30pm to prepare. Girls can invite anyone they want to come watch them commit not only to their troop, but also to the Girl Scout Movement. It will be a pot-luck supper. I will post more info soon.
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Original Post:
Sorry, I didn't have time to post with all the JGL planning and such. Thank you so much to all the parents for their help at the JGL event. I know the girls all had a good time. Congratulations to Gabriella and Atalli for their prize winning chilis! I left the event with all of the leftover cupcake goods. You are welcome to return (or just take home) anything you purchased. I will bring the leftover items to the meeting.

The Community Center is double booked next week (Nov. 15) so I have reserved a room at the Ruiz Branch of the library (off Riverside) for our Investiture/Rededication Ceremony. This time I was only able to book one side of the room, but they say it fits 40. I've booked the room from 6:30-8pm. We'll start with the ceremony and end with a potluck dinner.  

 Tonight the girls will make invitations for their families (for the ceremony.) If you have your Brownie Handbook and Try It Book, please bring them tonight, as we will probably review the Girl Scout Ways Try It. We will also talk about the Project Vote Patch, seeing as there is an election at Hornsby-Dunlap this week.


Fall products are scheduled to arrive this week. Gloriana and I will be going to pick them up. If anyone wants to help us sort through it. give me a call.

Meeting Monday November 1, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Amri
Brigid
Emonee
Emma
Gabriella
Naya

Thanks:
To Gabriella for bringing cookies.
To all the girls that shared during Show and Tell.
To the families that brought big bags of cupcake sprinkles.

Notes: 
Today girls made decorations for our cupcake tree that will sit at our booth this weekend.

Reminders:

The Juliette Gordon Low Event is this Sunday. Remember to bring at least 2 dozen undecorated cupcakes (in liners) plus at least one tub of frosting. We have a lot of sprinkles now, but with not all the girls attending the event, I'm concerned about having enough cupcakes. If you have time to make more it would be greatly appreciated.

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Original Post:
Today's the first meeting of the month, and that means Show and Tell! Today, girls are welcome to bring something to show the troop. We do have a few ground rules that I ask you review with your daughter.

1) Anything that is distracting has to leave the room when your turn is over (too noisy, too crawly, too cute, too awesome.) We still have Scout business to attend to afterward and other girls would appreciate attention during their turns.
2) Please limit your speech to ONE MINUTE or less. We have 12 girls in the troop and cannot afford for you to go over your limit. If you have a lot to say, practice at home or write it down.
3) Be respectful. People wouldn't share if they didn't think what they were saying was important. Think how you would feel if no one listened to what you had to say.
4) If you do not have an item you would like to bring in, you can tell us about a patch you've been working on, a trip you've taken, or anything interesting that has happened to you recently.
5) Participation is optional. If you do not have something to share this month, you can always share next month.

After Show and Tell, we will make decorations for our cupcake booth. Our booth has a Fall theme. If you have any supplies the girls could use to make decorations, please bring them. Poster boards, foam core boards, FELT, pom poms, GLUE, glitter, etc. We're trying to stick with Fall colors.

If anyone has battery operated Christmas lights, that would be awesome. Oddly, I have a dead tree that would look really cool in a pot on our table with cupcakes and leaves hanging from it. Does anyone have a large flower pot? I also have a pop-up canopy that suffered through a wind storm. If it will cooperate, we can use it for shade and extra space for decorations to hang. An extra table would be fabulous.

Reminders: You must bring your JGL registrations, payments (in a labeled envelope, please) and your Chili Cook Off forms to tonight's meeting. Remember, if you plan to be in the Chili Cook Off, you must contact Latheasa by Halloween. Her e-mail is vestinemotif@austin.rr.com

Don't forget: The Juliette Gordon Low Birthday Celebration is Sunday November 7. I'll be making the info-post shortly. FYI, we'll take turns manning our cupcake booth (parents and kids, alike.) I have e-mailed the registration forms to all of you. If you need anything, please call me.

cupcake image from here.
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Meeting Monday October 25, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Ariana
Faith
Amri
Brigid
Emonee

Emma
Gabriella
Naya
Synthia
Thanks:
To moms who brought snacks.

Notes: 
We made thank you cards and reviewed Dia de los Muertos and Juliette Gordon Low. We concluded the meeting by introducing our new Girl Scouts (and Woman Scouts) to the Friendship Squeeze and Friendship Circle. 

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Original Post:
At today's meeting we'll discuss what we learned about Dia de los Muertos. We'll go over the Girl Scout Ways Try It, and we'll talk about Juliette Gordon Low again. The JGL Birthday Celebration (hosted and planned by Girl Scouts in our Service Unit) is in two weeks: Sunday November 7. For some reason my profile on our Service Unit Yahoo Group won't let me in. Therefore, I can't get the ticket orderform. I'm working to resolve the situation. Here's what I know:

This is a family event. The ticket for your Girl Scout is $1. The tickets for everyone else are $2. These are the pre-pay prices. They are trying to get everyone to pre-pay so we know how many people to expect at the event. There will be a pay at the door option, but the price will be slightly higher. Everything inside the event is free. Orderforms are due at the beginning of November.

There is also a Chili Cook Off at the event. Participation is optional, but if your daughter and the adult buddy of her choosing would like to sign up, please let me know.

At the event, our Troop will host a cupcake "craft" booth. Depending upon the expected amount of attendees, we'll each bring a certain amount of undecorated cupcakes. Children at the event will decorate them in honor of Juliette Gordon Low's birthday.

If you have a folding table, I think we might need a couple extras for the event in general.

Meeting Monday October 18, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Ariana
Faith
Amri
Brigid
Emonee

And Welcome to:

Emma
Gabriella
Naya
Synthia

Badge Activities Completed:
We continued work on our Celebra patch, assembling our bride and groom and making skull necklaces.

Thanks:
To Faith's mom for bringing snacks tonight. 
To Adriana for helping with the necklace station.
To Gloriana for helping the skeleton station.
To Adriana and Julie for supervising the girlies outside.
To everyone who waited so patiently though the kid's meeting and again for the parent meeting.

Notes:
It's official: Troop 1563 now has 12 girls. With this many kiddos we need to assign some parent positions. We'll discuss these in detail in the near future, but we definitely need at least 2 adults to hang out during every meeting. We'll probably have our Investiture/Rededication Ceremony in November.

Reminders:
This Saturday we have a field trip: Mexic-Arte Museum's Dia de los Muertos Festival. We line up for the parade at 5pm. I will be making a post here about it Tuesday or Wednesday, but if you need info now, here is the official site.


Please let me know:
A) if we should expect to see you at the festival.
B) a headcount for parade participation. 

RSVP List:
Ariana and Gloriana
Atalli, Adriana, +1
Amri, Mandy, and Hava, possible 1-3 more
Emonee
Desjonique and Courtney
 
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Original Post:
The Registration Rally was a huge success! We will be welcoming a few new girls to Troop 1563 today!

Today we will assemble and dress our skeleton couple for use in the Dia de los Muertos parade.
We will also be starting skull necklaces. Please bring a cover up to keep messy things off your clothes.

We have not finalized our plans for the festival itself. We can attend festivities together as a Troop, or separately as families and then just meet up for the parade. The parade line-up is at 5pm, with the procession going from 6-7pm. The festival is Saturday October 23, from 2-10pm. It is hosted by the Mexic-Arte Museum, downtown.

Those wishing to be in the parade need to get me a headcount. We are asking that everyone who marches with our Troop dress accordingly (Mexican, skeltons.) Remember that we are working on a Mexican Heritage patch- so please no Halloween costumes.

Girls are invited to bring an ofrenda (an item honoring a departed loved one) to the festival. You can prepare their favorite dish, make a clay sculpture, or use this ofrenda coloring sheet - adding  a photo to the large circle and drawings in the small circles.

I will be making an info post here on our blog with final information later this week.

After 7pm tonight, we will be having a New Parent meeting. Girls can play while we talk, as long as there is an adult supervising outside. "Old" parents are also welcome to sit in on this meeting.

 
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Meeting Monday October 11, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Ariana
Faith
Amri
Brigid

Notes:Girls turned in Nut Ordersheets. (We still need Emonee's.)
Then we played "Steal the Baby" in preparation for this Saturday's rally. We also did Show and Tell. (In the future, Show and Tell will be part of the first meeting of the month.)
We finished the meeting by laying out our skeleton couple and painting their skulls.

Next week we will make a top hat and bow tie for the groom, and a headband/veil for our bride. We will also connect the bones and hopefully attach them to poles.

Reminders:
This Saturday morning is the Mustang Valle Service Unit Registration Rally. 
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Original Post:
The Nut Sale ended October 10. Please bring your green Nut Ordersheet to the meeting, as well as any donations or payments you have collected. Please keep donations separate from payments. Check your magazine sales and bring your goal sheets so the troop can share it's progress.

Please wear clothes that are okay to get messy. We will continue working on our skeleton couple for the Dia de los Muertos parade (paint, paper mache, etc.)

 Just so you know, Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday in which friends and families gather to reflect on the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Though the holiday falls near Halloween (Nov.1/2) it has little in common other than skeletons. Rather than being sad about the loss of your loved one, Day of the Dead is a day to remember the fun and happy times you shared together. Often times, people decorate sugar skulls to give as gifts, make favorite foods of their departed or make altars to honor them. The holiday is very colorful, full of food and festivities.

We will need an estimate on how many participants will be in our group for the parade. I need to turn in our group registration form soon. The festival/parade is Saturday October 23. We are asking all participants to dress for the event. If you need some ideas, go here.

Tonight we will also be preparing signs for this Saturday's Registration Rally. Our troop will be teaching a game: Steal the Baby. At the Rally I will be speaking to new parents. I need Gloriana and another parent to supervise our Troop as it teaches new girls how to play. Gloriana and this parent need to hang out at tonight's meeting to learn the basic rules of the game.

The Rally is this Saturday (October 16.) Our troop needs to be at the Austin's Colony Community Center at 9:30am to help with set up and decorating. If you must drive, please park in the street. The Rally is open to ALL girls in Manor and Del Valle School districts, so we do not know how many people to expect. The Rally begins at 10am and is expected to run less than 2 hours. There are 3 or 4 troops hosting (us included.) I will be busy with New Parent Registration. Parents of Troop 1563 should supervise our girls throughout the event.

Meeting Monday October 4, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Ariana
Emonee
Faith
Amri
Brigid

Notes:We started with Show and Tell. Amri shared a doll she made for the Puppets, Dolls, and Plays Try-It. Ariana told us about the horses she rides at the ranch: Pancho and Tater Tot. Atalli took Desjonique and Ariana in the other room and showed them a cheer she learned, then the 3 of them performed it for the troop.

Then we worked with paper mache. We covered toilet paper tubes to use as bones. We'll be constructing a large skeleton bride and groom to carry in the Dia de los Muertos Parade on Saturday, October 23.

Reminders:
Next week we will be working on our skeleton couple again. Please wear clothes that are okay to get messy and/or bring a cover up. Some of the girls want to bring Show and Tell items next week- which is fine- but we will try to keep it to just the first meeting of each month so that we can work on Scout activities for the bulk of our meetings.

 Next week we will also be working on signs for the Registration Rally. If your family has balloons, streamers, or foam-core board to donate, please let me know. Thank you!

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Original Post:

Last week the troop voted to make the first meeting of the month "show and tell." We will use a portion of this meeting to show off recently earned fun patches, talk about recent events in the girls' lives, and bring in anything of interest. Girls should be aware that we will also work on Scout activities, but we will allow each girl a brief moment to share whatever she feels like sharing. If items (or animals) are brought in, they need to be contained. After each girl has had her turn, the items need to be put away so as not to create a distraction during someone else's turn. If a girl has something too distracting or too big to bring to a meeting, she is welcome to invite the troop to her home at some other time to see it.

Today we'll also be doing a craft activity. Please wear clothes that are okay to get messy and/or bring some sort of cover-up, like an old mens dress shirt.

If your daughter took home her comic book page from last week, please have her bring it back tonight.

The Fall Product sale is under way. Please bring your Goal Sheet with you so that we can share our progress. Our Troop goal is for each girl to sell $300 worth of products. This goal was established to finance our camping trip to Brenham- where the girls wish to stay 2 nights and also tour the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. The Nut sale ends October 10. I hope that you have all registered on-line for the QSP magazine sale. If you have any questions, please contact me.

We have some weekend activities coming up this month, so please check out the Troop Calendar.

As a reminder, we will no longer be meeting at the church. We've made a switch to the Austin's Colony Community Center.
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Meeting Monday September 27, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Ariana
Emonee
Faith
Amri
Brigid

Notes:

Our first meeting at our new location went very well. We reviewed what we knew about Juliette Gordon Low, then we read a comic book about her. Then we used our favorite tidbits from her life and made our own version of a JGL comic book. Girls who took their illustrations home with them should remember to bring them back next week so we can assemble our book. 

We began talking about the Day of the Dead festival. Next week we will begin work on one of 2 projects: making Giant Skeleton Staffs to carry in the parade, or making an altar of JGL to display at the festival. Girls should wear clothes that are ok to get messy, and bring a cover up (an old button down men's shirt.)

Thanks:
To everyone who turned in registrations and permission slips.

Reminders:

Fall Product Sales start Friday October 1st. You can begin taking Nut orders on the ordersheet that day. You must also go online and register for the magazine sale. You must register and send your e-mails through their system or it won't count. The link will not be available until Friday, but I will register early in the morning and will hopefully be able to answer any questions you might have. I'll call you all to remind you. One thing you can go ahead and do with your daughter is the Internet Safety Agreement.  Print, sign and review with your daughter. Turn it in at the next meeting.
(There isn't a predesignated "print" button, but on your menu bar, under "file," you should have a print option.)

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Original Post:
Today's meeting will be at our new location: the Austin's Colony Community Center! If you are on 969 by the Texaco, go South on Hunter's Bend- go straight at the 4 way stop and you will drive all the way to the end of the road. The AC Community Center will be directly in front of you. Please use the gravel area for parking.

Bring your completed registration forms, photocopy of forms, the registration fee ($12 each) and your completed Fall Product permission slip. I must have all of these items turned in by September 30, so if you cannot bring them tonight you need to let me know.

Please check your daughter's badge book for the Creative Composing Try It. All of the girls should be nearly finished. The missing activities should be easy to accomplish at home. Just remember to sign the sheet so she can turn it in.

We will begin today's meeting by touring our new facility and learning our new rules. Then we will do a segment for our Juliette Gordon Low project, and also an activity for our Celebra patch. We will also review Fall Product guidelines. Remember, the sale begins October 1. We are trying to raise enough money to fund our spring camping trip and also cover troop expenses now through February. I believe this will be possible if each girl strives to sell $300 worth of products.

Please check the Troop Calendar for October's activities.

Meeting Monday September 20, 6-7pm

 This event has passed.

Attendance:

Atalli
Desjonique
Ariana
Emonee
Faith
Amri
Brigid

Notes:

We reviewed Fall Products today.
Then we learned some neat facts about Juliette Gordon Low and played a memory game.

I have not made copies of the Goal Sheet yet, but I will soon. I will give them to you when you turn in your registration paperwork and/or fall product permission slip. I need both of these forms by the 25th.

Soon we will be having our weekly meetings at the Austin's Colony Community Center. For those of you who do not live in Austin's Colony, when you are on 969 and reach the Texaco, go South on "Hunter's Bend." Go straight at the 4 way stop and continue to the end of the road. The community center will be directly in front of you. Pull in the dirt road and park to the left on the gravel. Please avoid parking in the grass.

Thanks:

To Gloriana for providing the troop with several pairs of childrens scissors.

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Original Post:

Today we will continue our discussion about Fall Products. Girls should have at least 12 people they can e-mail about magazines. (You cannot begin selling until October 1st.) At our last meeting we determined troop goals. The girls also decided on personal prize goals.
Results:
-Each girl  should aim for at least $300 in total sales. This will hopefully finance our Spring Camping Trip.
-The girls expressed interest in earning all 6 patches. I made goal sheets for the girls. I'll photocopy them and hand them out at this meeting so they can have a visual reference.


The Fall Product Sale is sort of complicated this year, so I will type up a How-To Guide. We are selling Nut Items Oct.1-10 via sign up sheet, and Magazines Oct.1-Nov.15 on-line. Determining subscriptions and total sales will be a waiting game.

"Nut Items" include all items from the sign-up sheet. (various nut products, candies, and a calendar.)

All girls must turn in FP permission slips ASAP. I have to turn them in before the end of the month.
All girls must register for the sale on-line ON October 1st. I will have the link for you later. Parents and girls must also do the on-line safety pledge.

There are a lot of fundraisers going on now, so give your family and friends a heads-up.

I apologize for the difficulty associated with this sale, but it will be well worth our time: The Troop keeps 35% of all Nut product sales, and $2 for every magazine subscription. If we all work together, we can finance our Big Trip, plus cover monthly activity fees and badge costs for the next several months. And we all know how much the girls love earning badges!

Meeting Monday September 13, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Amri
Atalli
Faith
Ariana

Notes:
Meeting went as planned. Girls received Fall Products materials. More details about the sale will be coming shortly. I am also e-mailing parents a Troop Newsletter of sorts.

I have not handed out the "100 degree" patches.
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Original Post:

Today we'll talk about Juliette Gordon Low and the upcoming birthday celebration in her honor. We will also discuss Fall Products. The sale begins October 1st. More info about Fall Products is available here on our Troop Blog, under the "fundraisers" tab. There are also links to fun Fall Product games and activities. Today I will hand out permission slips and training materials. Be sure to keep the materials in your Girl Scout bag. We'll be needing them again soon. 

Check your Badge Books for "Creative Composing." Many of you have either completed or nearly completed this badge. I have them on hand if you will turn in your completed sheets. I also have "I survived 100+ degrees" patches for the girls that were in the parade.

If you have your registration paperwork (plus a photocopy) and your fee, please bring it to the meeting tonight. Thanks!

Meeting Monday August 30, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Amri
Brigid
Faith
Desjonique

Notes:
Girls shared their thoughts about our troop. We briefly went over Fall Products. Girls voted (a tie) to either be on the Craft Team (Desjonique and Amri) or the Games Team (Faith and Brigid) for the Juliette Gordon Low Birthday Bash. Despite which team we end up being on- as a compromise, the opposite set of girls will get to make a key decision for the team.

Results of Tonight's Discussion:
For the 2009-2010 GS year, the girls enjoyed performing, going on field trips, doing Try It Activities, and selling cookies. Girls would like to participate in more extravagant parades, like Day of the Dead and Christmas Parades. In the 2010-2011 year, they would like to go camping, ride a train, go on hikes, make art related to camping, tour a cavern, go to the zoo, 6 Flags, Sea World, and a water park. They would like to do the following Community Service Projects: donate to the Austin Nature Center, Read Books to children in the hospital, volunteer at the Humane Society, make dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House, do a PB&J Drive for the Texas Baptist Childrens Home, buy gifts for less fortunate children at Christmas via Brown Santa and Angel Trees.
In the future, they would like to take a Big Trip to California or Disney World.

Most of the girls voted "yes" for the Blanton Art Visit on pg. 16 of Possibilities. It will be $5 for girl. Because not everyone wanted to go, this will be a "pay for yourself" event. I need to know who all wants to go so I can register us. More info will follow.

We began developing our Kaper Chart. Positions include Snack, Room Checker, Bathroom Checker, GS Promise Leader, and Friendship Circle Leader.

Girls began work on Troop Rules. Here is their list so far:
Don't take too long in the bathroom.
Don't interrupt while others are speaking.
Clean up after yourself.
Stay positive with your words and behavior.
Be respectful.

We also briefly went over our 2010-11 Big Trip: Camping/Blue Bell Creamery Tour. Girls agreed doing it on a two day weekend would be too rushed. We will try for a few days over Spring Break, given that the AISD and DVISD Spring Breaks overlap. If not, I will find us a 3 day weekend and we'll plan around that. More info to come...


The Registration Rally will be this fall. Some of our girls want to volunteer. When a date is set, I will pass along the information.
Troop 1563's Investiture/Rededication Ceremony will probably be after the rally, allowing new girls to join prior to the ceremony.

Assistant Leader Gloriana is arranging for us to move our weekly meetings. Once the details are finalized, I will let you all know.

Badge Activities:
The shop was closed today, so I will go sometime before our next meeting to check on the 100degree patches for our parade participants.
Brigid and Desjonique are both due their Creative Composing Try Its. Faith needs to check with her mom to see if she has completed activities #3 and #6.

Girls not in attendance/ Activities they are missing:
Mikayla/ #6
Ariana/ #3
Atalli/ none- badge is due
Emonee/  none- badge is due

Art to Wear Activity #1 was signed off for girls who attended the GS Sleepover. Faith needs to check with her mom.

Reminders:
No meeting Labor Day, September 6th. Enjoy your family time!
Please bring registration papers, fees, and a photocopy of your registration form to our next meeting, September 13.
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                   Original Post: Today we will share our thoughts on this most recent scouting year, and our hopes for the upcoming one. We'll talk about badges we'd like to earn, potential field trips, community service projects, and fundraisers. Girls will also come up with rules for the troop, develop a kaper chart and discuss this year's big trip (Campout/BlueBell Tour.)

If you have your registration paperwork and fee, please bring it with you. Please make a photocopy of your registration paperwork. Bring your badge books as well.

Meeting Monday August 23, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Amri
Atalli
Emonee
Brigid
Faith
Desjonique
Ariana
Madison
+parents and siblings

Thanks:

To the girls for their fabulous performances, and to the parents for providing snacks, and to everyone for helping clean up. 

Reminders:

 2010-2011 Registration Papers have been sent out. If you need more, let me know. The forms and fees are due by September. Our Service Unit is trying to organize a Registration Rally for new girls. All Scouts that get a new girl to join (regardless of which troop) are eligible for an Add-a-Friend patch.
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Original Post:
Tonight: girls will perform their Best Memory Showpieces. We will also have our Court of Awards. Feel free to bring snacks for the families to enjoy. See ya tonight!

Meeting Monday August 16, 6-7pm

This event has passed. Sorry for not posting prior to the meeting.

Attendance:

Amri
Atalli
Emonee
Brigid
Faith
Desjonique
Ariana
plus Alex and Bethany

Badge Activities Completed:
Creative Composing Try It Activity #4, watercolor paintings.

Thanks:
To Faith's mom for providing snack- birthday cake and cupcakes! Happy birthday to Faith!

Notes:
Faith will be officially joining our troop. I'm excited that we are growing. We may need to move into a larger meeting room! The upcoming Registration Rally may also drum up some more members.

Reminders:
Parade this Sunday- I'll update you all when they give more information. As for now the girls should wear their Troop T-shirts, vests, and shorts. It will be hot, so pony-tails, sunglasses, hats and sunscreen are recommended. Those wishing to participate in a Girl Scout picnic after the parade need to provide their own food. The picnic will be very informal.


Our next meeting is the first day of school. Parents are encouraged to come- girls will be doing their Best Memory Performance for their Creative Composing Patch. They should have been working on this at home. We'll also be having our August Court of Awards. All Badge Worksheets that have not been turned in will have to wait until the next award ceremony. I have the feeling there are several sheets lingering out there. If your daughter forgot her book at some point, you can glance over our previous posts to check for her attendance and participation, then sign off on the activity. If I do not physically have her sheet, I do not buy the patch.
 

Meeting Monday August 9, 6-7pm

This event has passed.

Attendance:

Amri
Atalli
Emonee
Brigid
Faith
Mikayla
Desjonique
Ariana

Badge Activities Completed:
Creative Composing Try It Activity (half of)  #4. Today we worked on drawing, next week we will do painting. Today we did a study of Milo's face. The girls voted for next week: a watercolor painting of a field of flowers and a rainbow.

Thanks:
Thank you to Ariana and her mom for providing fresh snack today. Thanks to Brigid and Atalli's families for helping restock our Troop pantry. Thanks to Mikayla for bringing Milo, her orange kitten for show and tell.

Notes:
We opened the meeting by discussing upcoming events: the sleepover, the parade, the girls performance art and Court of Awards, and Juliette Gordon Low's Birthday Celebration. We had snack and show and tell and then worked on Try Its.

Reminders:
I need Parent Permission Slips for everyone who is attending the Troop Sleep Over this weekend. Please view the Sleep Over post for more details. The troop is also seeking float decorations. Please bring them to the sleepover. Parents wishing to ride with Mandy to Green and White Night should let me know. Details can be found on the troop calendar.
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Original Post:

Today we will continue work on our Creative Composing Try It. We'll work on drawing this time- next week we will do painting.

Gloriana and Ariana are providing pizza bites today. Our  troop is in need of snacks. I would love it if we could restock our pantry snacks (prepackaged items, including drinks) and then do a caper chart assignment for fresh snacks. Each week a different girl would be in charge of bringing a snack. It can be fresh fruit or baked goods, anything she wants to bring. If she forgets- I'll have our pantry snack for back up.

Today we'll also discuss our troop's role in our Service Unit's upcoming Juliette Gordon Low Birthday Celebration (a Service Unit event held around Halloween.)

Juliette Gordon Low's Birthday Celebration is an annual event for our Service Unit, held at Ghost Town in Manor. It will be on a Saturday, starting around 4pm. There will be a small admission fee to help recoup the expenses, but everything inside the event will be free. We are still in the planning stage, but the event will include a father-daughter (or mother-daughter) chili cook off, a games area, and a craft area. This is a private event for Girl Scouts in the Mustang Valle Service Unit, plus friends and family. All Scouts will need to help with set-up, break-down, and cleaning.

If you have connections to ANYTHING please let us know. Among other things, we need ice, spoons, cupcakes, napkins, and hay bale seats would be nice...We expect about 200 people.

Our Service Unit wants to carry out more events- with the girls doing most of the planning. If you have any ideas for future events (for at least 100 people) please let us know.

Reminders: At home, girls should be working on their performance for the Creative Composing Try It. They each selected a favorite memory to perform, in whichever method they prefer: dance, song, poetry, story-telling, puppetry, mime, etc. We've learned a lot about performance art lately. The girls can have props, costumes, make up, or nothing at all- wherever their imaginations take it. The performance is August 23.

Parade Notes:

The Back to School Parade is soon. Girls wishing to help make decorations can call me when they want to come over. Every little bit helps. Our troop will be riding in at least 2 trucks. Other Troops might be joining us. We want to have a Girl Scout family picnic in the park when the parade is over. Let me know if your family would like to participate.