Girl Scouts of Larchmont / Mamaroneck :: Where girls grow strong

Posted by: cathybennett - on Monday, May 13, 2013 - 02:33 PM

May 2013 GSLM Leader Meeting

Thank you to the 15 attendees who took part in the May Leader Meeting. Congratulations to Katherine who won this month's raffle...Girl Scout Tote bag.

Please note the June Leader Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 6, at the Scarsdale Girl Scout House at 6: PM We will be honoring our Outstanding Volunteers. A dinner is scheduled for all leaders and their daughters.

Early Bird Registration
On-Line Early Bird registration for 2013-2014 is open. Please follow the attached instructions to logon.
2014 Membership dues will increase to $15.00.

A few end of the year reminders:
- Each girl should receive a membership star and disc at the end of the year. Be sure to get these from council now as they sometimes run out.
- 3rd grade Brownies receive "wings" to symbolizing "flying up" to Juniors.
- If you are having a Bridging ceremony in a location other than the GS House and want to borrow the bridge, please contact Pat Allen to "reserve" it.
Fees will likely be charged for troops meeting in Mamaroneck Schools next year so plan accordingly.

Please enjoy the May edition of Currents.

See you at the picnic!

Pat Allen and Cathy Bennett
Service Unit Managers
Girl Scouts of Larchmont Mamaroneck
Upcoming Events

Memorial Day Parades
The Larchmont Parade is on Thursday, 5/23. No rsvp is required. We have not received an official notification but normally troops gather at 6:30 and the parade starts at 7pm. Meet in the upper parking lot of the Larchmont Train Station. Line up youngest groups to oldest (Daisies first, then Brownies etc.). Normally we are behind the Dixieland Band and before the Boy Scouts. Joyce Callahan from the VOL Recreation Dept. will direct you. No tossing or throwing candy or anything else into the crowds. Marchers should wear vest/sash and "uniform" clothing...either actual uniforms or white top, blue or khaki pants etc. Some troops design a troop t-shirt to wear. Just look neat and appropriate and like you all belong to the same troop. Most troops make a banner to carry. Parade ends at the fire station (Larchmont Ave.) where hot dogs are served. If you are driving to the starting point of the parade, leave early as they start to close off the streets.

Mamaroneck Parade is on Thurs. 5/30. Gather at Mamaroneck Ave. School at 6:30. Parade starts at 7pm. Parade ends at the American Legion on Prospect Ave. Same rules apply for attire, throwing candy etc. There is a ceremony at the end of the parade. If you stay, girls are expected to be still and quiet. Not recommended for younger girls.

Leader Daughter Dinner Thursday, 6/6 at 6: pm at the Scarsdale GS House. In lieu of having a Leader Meeting in June, we have a Leader-Daughter dinner to thank all of our volunteers. Invitation is attached. Please rsvp to Cathy Bennett. There is no charge and you don't need to bring anything. Please join us!

Food Drive - Saturday, 6/8 at Stop 'n Shop. We will let you know when sign-ups are available on the wiki site. We will need volunteers to transport food to the food pantry after the drive.

Eco-fest at Weinberg Nature Center in Scarsdale is on May 19th. They are looking for volunteers- Ideally mature teens preferably above the age of 14 to help with arts, crafts, games, face painting and general set up/ clean up.

There will be 2 shifts:
- Early Shift 10:30am-2pm
- Late Shift 2pm - 5pm (or whenever cleanup is finished)

Each volunteer can enjoy the festivities the remainder of the time at no fee. We could also use a hand for Pond Adventures Friday May 24th, 12-3

Lastly, we are recruiting summer volunteers to come Monday - Friday 9am - 3ish. They will assist with animal care, preparing crafts and as assistants to the camp groups that visit. For more information, contact Kate Murphy at kmurphy@scarsdale.com.

Community Camping 2013

Last Call for Community Camping - the weekend of May 31 - June 2. The camp is reserved and instructors are lined up for canoeing, archery, a naturalist and more! Please send your registration paperwork to Kristen Carpenter immediately! Her address is: 615 Munro Ave, Mamaroneck, NY 10543. Note that even if you have not reserved a spot yet for your troop, you can still register. Copies of the forms are attached below. Here's what to include in your package:

- Participant List - includes the names and emergency contact information for all girls and adults participating with your troop.
- Adult Contact/Medical Form for each attending adult.
- Check made out to GSLM: $20 per girl, no fee for adults (Troops that sent in reservation: remember to subtract $40 from your total now.)
- Copy of your training card(s).

A mandatory Safety/Information Meeting was held on May 1. Please contact Kristen Carpenter to arrange training if you missed it. Your camping liaison can be either a leader or a parent.

Kristen (kandjcarpenter@mac.com) and Lori (labpt@aol.com) are happy to answer any questions you have about the event, so don't hesitate to contact them.

Here you will find the following important information about this year's Community Camping Event, including:

- Summary Information
- Registration forms packet

Registration and Payment are due NOW!

Please make sure you've got the training necessary to participate in this great event!
• EVERY troop, whether coming only for the day or staying overnight, must be accompanied by at least 2 adults. See attached chart to determine how many adults you need based on how many girls are going.
• One adult chaperone must be qualified in First Aid and CPR. These certifications expire every 2 years, so check your training cards!
• Overnight in cabins: one adult must have Overnight Indoor Training (OIT); ideally also Overnight Outdoor Training (OOT).
• Overnight in tents: one adult must have Overnight Outdoor Training (OOT).
Officially, for CAB, there must be at least one adult in each cabin/tent area who has OOT. If you only have
OIT and want to stay overnight in a cabin, we will try to place you in an area with another troop whose leader has OOT. But please do your best to get your own Outdoor Overnight Training done, for maximum flexibility in assigning accommodations at Community Camping. Sign up for courses at the Council website.

First Aid/CPR Recertification Courses:
- May 14 6:30 - 11 PM Pleasantville Regional Office

Overnight Outdoor Training:
- May 10 - 11 Camp Addisone Boyce, Tomkins Cove, NY

If you have an older girl troop who would like to help run an activity for younger girls, please let us know. Any questions about Community Camping, please contact Lori Barger (labpt@aol.com) or Kristen Carpenter (kandjcarpenter@mac.com).

Event Recap

Someone Special Dance Patches are in your troop folders at the Girl Scout House. Please contact Cathy Bennett for Dance Photos at dutchgirl29@msn.com

Fire building Training was held on Sunday, 4/21 at the Larchmont GS House from 1-3pm. If you missed this important training, please contact Pat Allen at pattyall@optonline.net.

Earth Day - Several troops signed up to plant at the Kemper Memorial. They had a very nice time and the memorial look fantastic. Stop by and see their handy work this Memorial Day!

Ice Skating was a great success at the Hommocks Ice Rink on Friday 4/26. Many Girl Scout families enjoyed the evening skating and help our community by bring nonperishable food items to donate to a local food pantry.

Mother-Daughter Event- Jewelry making on Sunday, 5/5 was a huge success. About 75 couples made beautiful bracelets. We will definitely have to do this again next year – don’t miss it!

Cookies!

Reminder cookie money is due to the bank by May 18th. The cupboard is open as follows:

Cookie Cupboard Hours at the Tuckahoe-Eastchester GS House:

Sat 5/4 1-3pm
Sat 5/11 1-3pm
Mon 5/6- 7-9pm

Community Business
Backpacks - We are once again collecting new backpacks with school supplies for the kids "graduating" from the 4 year old program at the Mamaroneck Child Development Center. This is a Headstart program and it means a tremendous amount to the kids and their parents to receive a backpack and the school supplies needed for Kindergarten we have all we need right now!

Please email Pat at pattyall@optonline.net if you or your troop are donating a backpack and supplies and they will be collected at the GS House and are due by June 12th.

Annual Giving- If you have any remaining Annual Giving contributions, please get them to Pat asap. If you agreed to contact a local business to ask for a donation, please follow up with that as well.

Recruiting - We have 71 girls remaining on the wait list. As always, contact Lori Barger at labpt@aol.com if you can take any additional girls. Lori will be scheduling recruiting meetings this spring. Thank you to Erica Wishner and Lisa Pascetta who have agreed to support Lori with Recruiting and possibly take over in the fall.

GS House – Please make sure your trunks, boxes or bins are secure for the summer. Discard any food left over in the kitchen/refrigerator. All food items in the refrigerator or left on the counters will be tossed by 6/15.

Please make sure all items stored in the tunnel are in closed bins. Please no cardboard boxes, bags etc. and NO FOOD may be stored in the tunnel. We are looking into shelving for the tunnel.

Troop Annual Financial Reports - Remember that all troop accounts MUST be at TD Bank. Any questions, contact Pam Rossi at council at prossi@girlscoutshh.org. Troop annual financial reports are due by June 15, 2013. Please use your May 2013 to complete this information. A copy of the report MUST be return to council and to the community Treasurer, Cathy Bennett 1 Garit Lane, Larchmont 10538 or email her the financial report and a copy of your May bank Statement to dutchgirl29@msn.com. See attached form.

The Play Group Theatre in White Plains will be presenting the following performances this spring: (all shows 2pm and 7pm) To purchase tickets go to their website. See attached for more information.
• Steel Magnolias 5/5
• Children's Letters to God 5/12 and 5/19
• Beauty and the Beast 6/2 and 6/9

Prom Dress Drive - Christine Perciasepe, from Ambassador Troop 2522, is conducting a dress drive as part of her Gold Award. Her goal is to have a selection of formal dresses available at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop to make events like Prom more affordable for teen girls in our area. Dresses can be dropped off at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop or the main office of the church at 168 West Boston Post Rd. There is also a drop box at the GS House. See the attached flyer and distribute it to your families.

The Sharing Shelf of Westchester - Spring is around the corner and they need YOUR new and gently used spring and summer children's clothing to help clothe local children in need. Please check your closets, drawers, attics and basements. Needed items include short-sleeve and long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and light-weight sweaters, spring and summer dresses, shorts, summer skirts, jeans, sweats and light-weight pants, spring and summer jackets, rain boots, and sandals.

Equipment they need includes strollers, bassinets, pack-n-plays, and car seats (less than 5 years old). They accept and distribute all sizes, from newborn through XXXL but demand is particularly acute for sizes 4T thru 8 for both boys and girls.

They also LOVE donations of new socks and underwear but do not collect nor distribute used socks or underwear. Clothing should be in clean, wearable condition. Drop your items at the drop box at the Girl Scout House.

Leader Meeting Dates 6/6. Note that there is no leader meeting in June, but we will be having our Leader-Daughter Dinner instead.
Have a Great Summer!

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COMMUNITY BUSINESS

Posted by: cathybennett - on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 06:11 AM

Community Business
GS House Please stop by and see the beautiful job that troops 2524 and 2974 did in painting the main meeting room. More house improvement projects are underway. Note the dishwasher is currently broken.

Reminder: Do not leave ANY food out at the GS House. It attracts rodents. Only leave items in the refrigerator or freezer if they are labeled with your troop # and you plan to use them within the next few weeks. Food should be labeled with your troop # and dated. All food left more than 2 weeks will be discarded. Be sure all lights are out before you leave, including the back bathroom. Always sweep the floor, vacuum the carpet and completely wipe off tables and counters that you have used. Take all trash and recycling with you and put a clean trash bag in the trash can.

Remember - Always leave it better than you found it!! Attached is the latest GS House calendar with reservations. Please report any inaccuracies to Elisa Magro at emagro@girlscoutshh.org.

Annual Giving - We are still taking donations. Drop them with Pat at 5 Copley Rd. Larchmont. We have collected approximately $7,700 towards our goal of $11,126. If you have not made your own donation or turned in your troop's donation, please do so asap. Help us meet our goal!

Recruiting -Lori reported that we have 75 girls on the wait list and provided a breakdown of what grades and schools they are in. She will plan several recruiting meetings this spring. Lori is not sure that she will be able to continue in this role next year so we need someone to help her out this spring and learn the ropes and hopefully take over for her next fall. If you are interested, please contact Lori at labpt@aol.com. Please review the attached membership for accuracy.

TD Bank Switch - Just a reminder that ALL troop accounts must be moved to TD bank. Any questions, contact Pam Rossi at council at prossi@girlscoutshh.org.

STEM Alliance - Cordelia has offered to be our liaison with the STEM Alliance. See the Larchmont Mamaroneck STEM Alliance website for more information. For more information, contact Cordelia at creidylad@gmail.com

Sheldrake Programs Cordelia is also our liaison with Sheldrake. If you have suggestions for programs that Sheldrake could offer to Girl Scouts, please contact Cordelia at creidylad@gmail.com. There are also Vacation Programs at the Sheldrake. Please pass these along to your families.

Book Drive - Note that the Children's Book Drive has ended. Thank you for your support. It was very successful.

Kids Outdoor Calendar - Please see the attached calendar for a listing of Outdoor Events for kids during the month of March.

Prom Dress Drive - Christine Perciasepe, from Ambassador Troop 2522, is conducting a dress drive as part of her Gold Award. Her goal is to have a selection of formal dresses available at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop to make events like Prom more affordable for teen girls in our area. Dresses can be dropped off during the month of February at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop or the main office of the church at 168 West Boston Post Rd. There is also a drop box at the GS House. See the attached flyer and distribute it to your families.

The Sharing Shelf of Westchester - Spring is around the corner and they need YOUR new and gently used spring and summer children's clothing to help clothe local children in need. Please check your closets, drawers, attics and basements. Needed items include short-sleeve and long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and light-weight sweaters, spring and summer dresses, shorts, summer skirts, jeans, sweats and light-weight pants, spring and summer jackets, rainboots, and sandals. Equipment they need includes strollers, bassinets, pack-n-plays, and car seats (less than 5 years old). They accept and distribute all sizes, from newborn through XXXL but demand is particularly acute for sizes 4T thru 8 for both boys and girls. They also LOVE donations of new socks and underwear but do not collect nor distribute used socks or underwear. Clothing should be in clean, wearable condition. Drop your items at the drop box at the Girl Scout House.

Leader Meeting Dates 4/10, 5/1. Note that there is no leader meeting in June, but we will be having our Leader-Daughter Dinner instead.

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CPR & FIRE BUILDING TRAINING

Posted by: cathybennett - on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 06:09 AM

First Aid/CPR Recertification Courses:
- April 17 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Pleasantville Regional Office
- May 14 6:30 - 11 PM Pleasantville Regional Office

Overnight Indoor Training webinars:
- March 14 6:30 - 7:30 PM
- March 20 6:30 - 8:00 PM
- April 11 6:30 - 7:30 PM
- April 15 6:30 - 8:00 PM

Overnight Outdoor Training:
- April 28 - 29 Rock Hill, Mahopac, NY
- May 4 - 5 Rock Hill, Mahopac, NY
- May 10 - 11 Camp Addisone Boyce, Tomkins Cove, NY

Firebuilding Training:
April 21 1-3pm Larchmont GS House rsvp to Pat Allen at pattyall@optonline.net
If you have an older girl troop who would like to help run an activity for younger girls, please let us know. Any questions about Community Camping, please contact Lori Barger (labpt@aol.com) or Kristen Carpenter (kandjcarpenter@mac.com).

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COMMUNITY CAMPING

Posted by: cathybennett - on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 06:06 AM

Community Camping 2013

Time to get excited! Community Camping is coming May 31 - June 2, at Camp Addisone Boyce (CAB) in Rockland County.

Please refer to the following important information about this year's Community Camping Event, including:
- Summary Information
- Reservation form
- Registration forms packet

The Reservation Form is due 3/25 and the Registration and Payment are due 4/20.
It's also time to make sure you've got the training necessary to participate in this great event!
• EVERY troop, whether coming only for the day or staying overnight, must be accompanied by at least 2 adults. See emailed chart to determine how many adults you need based on how many girls are going.
• One adult chaperone must be qualified in First Aid and CPR. These certifications expire every 2 years, so check your training cards!
• Overnight in cabins: one adult must have Overnight Indoor Training (OIT); ideally also Overnight Outdoor Training (OOT).
• Overnight in tents: one adult must have Overnight Outdoor Training (OOT).

Officially, for CAB, there must be at least one adult in each cabin/tent area who has OOT. If you only have OIT and want to stay overnight in a cabin, we will try to place you in an area with another troop whose leader has OOT. But please do your best to get your own Outdoor Overnight Training done, for maximum flexibility in assigning accommodations at Community Camping. Sign up for courses at the Council website.
First Aid/CPR Complete Courses:

- April 8 6:30 - 11 PM Pleasantville Regional Office

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Posted by: cathybennett - on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 06:03 AM

Upcoming Events
First Aid/CPR was held at the GS House this Saturday, 3/9, from noon-3pm. See below Community Camping section for additional training sessions.

Mamaroneck St. Patrick's Day Parade is 3/17. If you are marching in the parade, please provide Pat with feedback after the event. Some concerns have been raised about the focus on drinking after the parade. If it creates an inappropriate or uncomfortable atmosphere, we need to know.

Brownie/Daisy Vacation Programs will be held on 3/27, 3/28 and 3/29 at the Larchmont GS House. Girls can earn the Home Scientist Badge, Earth Smart Patch or Making Games Badge. Registration form is attached. Please forward to your troops and have them register asap.

Firebuilding Training will be offered on Sunday 4/21 from 1-3pm at the Larchmont GS House. RSVP to Pat. If you don't have Overnight Outdoor Training, you cannot build a fire or cook over a fire without this training.

Earth Day Activities 4/20 Sheldrake Clean Up 10am-noon. The event is described as "clean up and nature activities." Interested parties should contact Jenny Geer at jengeer@aol.com. 4/22 Kemper Memorial looking for girls to help with clean up and planting 4/22. If interested, contact Jan Northrup at jannorthrup@gmail.com.

Ice Skating at Hommocks Ice Rink. Friday, 4/26 5:30-7:00pm Bring non perishable food item. Skate Rentals $3. Friends and family are invited but all children must be chaperoned by a responsible adult. Please distribute attached flyer to your troop.

Mother-Daughter Jewelry Making Event will be on Sunday 5/5 at the Larchmont GS House. It will be led by Melanie Rose of Beadz. There will be three time slots between 1-4pm. Cost is $10 per person. Reservations forms will be distributed shortly. We will need a few volunteers to help the day of the event. Please let Pat know if you can help.

Operation Cookie Drop - Cookies will be transported to the military on 6/1. More information to follow.

Our Year-End Leader Daughter Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, 6/6 at 6pm at the Scarsdale GS House. There is no charge for this event. It's our way of thanking you for all you do for your troops and the community.

Food Drive - we have scheduled for Sat. 6/8 at Stop 'n Shop. We will need volunteers to transport food to the food pantry. Sign up will be on the wiki site when we get closer to the event.

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Community Business

Posted by: cathybennett - on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 11:14 AM

Book Drive - Troop 1833 is conducting a children's book drive to help replace books that were lost in two elementary schools during Hurricane Sandy. They are looking for books appropriate for grades K-5. There is a drop box at the GS House. They will be collecting books for the next two months.

Prom Dress Drive - Christine Perciasepe, from Ambassador Troop 2522, is conducting a dress drive as part of her Gold Award. Her goal is to have a selection of formal dresses available at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop to make events like Prom more affordable for teen girls in our area. Dresses can be dropped off during the month of February at the St. Thomas Thrift Shop or the main office of the church at 168 West Boston Post Rd. See the Leader Meeting Minutes to attached flyer and distribute it to your families.

Fall Product Sale Incentives were distributed at the Leader Meeting. If you didn't pick yours up, contact Ana Alegre at anaalegre@optonline.net to make arrangements.

Recruiting - Note we still have 80 girls on our wait list. Please let Lori know if you can take any more girls in your troop. labpt@aol.com.

First Aid/CPR Training has been scheduled for Sat. March 9th at the Larchmont GS House from noon-3pm. Cost is $40 (or possibly less if we get a large enrollment). RSVP to Pat at pattyall@optonline.net.

Volunteer Essentials Training will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29th from 10:30am-1:30pm at the Larchmont GS House. Pat is facilitating. Email her at pattyall@optonline.net to enroll. This is required for all new leaders.

GS House - The lock on the door is not working properly. Council has been notified and they are working on a solution. In the meantime, arrive a few minutes early for your meeting to allow time to "fiddle" with the lock. It may take a number of tries to get it open. Also please review the attached GS House reservation calendar and contact Elise Magro (emagro@girlscoutshh.org) to reserve the house or change/correct reservations.

Please remember to keep the girls out of the tunnel. There are a number of glue boards in the tunnel and around the house to trap mice and bugs. Please be sure the girls do not touch these, as they are EXTREMELY sticky!

Play Group Theatre in White Plains - Legally Blonde 1/12, 1/13, 1/19, 1/20, 1/21 For tickets, go to www.playgroup.org.

Hommocks Musical - Aladdin 3/31, 2/1, 2/2 For tickets, go to www.hommocksmusical.org.

Leader Meeting Dates 2/6, 3/6, 4/3, 5/1

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TROOP BANK ACCOUNTS!

Posted by: cathybennett - on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 11:08 AM

Many troops have not yet turned in their year-end financial reports and bank statements from last year. These were due last July. Cathy will contact those troops who have not turned in forms. All GS troop bank accounts must be at TD Bank. According to council, the following troops do NOT have an account at TD Bank. They must be moved to TD asap. Questions? Contact Pam Rossi at prossi@girlscoutshh.org.

Please check the Leader Meeting Minutes for a list of troops with bank issues.

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Got Cookies???

Posted by: cathybennett - on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 11:06 AM

Cookies will be $4 a box this year. Troop profit will be $.70 per box. However, if you meet or exceed your troop's initial order from last year, you will earn an additional .05 per box sold. Special awards are being introduced for girls selling 600, 1000 or 2000 boxes. New troops that achieve a 100 box per girl average earn bandanas for each girl plus a Super New Troop patch. Cookie credits will be available in April but will only be awarded for initial orders (not goal getters or booth sales etc).

Please contact Susan Deshensky with the name and email of your troop cookie chair, as well as your troop number.

January 14-19 SU Cookie Chair trainings (Once our Service Unit Chairs are trained - Susan Deshensky and Janine Bevilaqua - they will set up a training for troop chairs)

February 8 Cookie orders due for Girl Scout Week booths

February 15-March 10 Initial order-taking period

March 9-17 Girl Scout Week booths

April 13-20 Service unit deliveries

April 19-May 11 Booth sale period

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Annual Giving

Posted by: cathybennett - on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 11:03 AM

If your Annual Giving Chair has not yet picked up the materials for your troop, they are at the GS House. We are going for 100% participation! PLEASE support your troop AG Chair and encourage parents to donate whatever they can. Donation envelopes are due back to Pat by 2/14. Just a reminder that all Annual Giving Chairs must be registered adult Girl Scouts. See the Leader Meeting minutes to download the Annual Giving Training that was delivered on January 9th.

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