Girl Scouts - SWAPs

Hi everyone. Isabelle attended a workshop last week on Girl
Scout SWAPs. I had no idea what SWAPs were but Isabelle
really enjoyed the workshop so I thought I would share with
you all in case your girl might be interested.

SWAPs are a tradition of Girl Scouts exchanging tiny
keepsakes. Each keepsake is attached to a safety pin with a
tag saying who is it from, the occasion, date, or maybe
their contact information. Every SWAP is different and
unique. Girls can make SWAPs based on an interest, for an
event, a holiday, or just for fun. You can think of it
similar to Disney pin trading - girls give and receive
SWAPs, they collect them on a lanyard to share and look it.
SWAPs are generally crafty and handmade.

I attached a few sample pictures. At the workshop Isabelle
made ones for a smores, a sleeping bag, and a bandana. Then
they all traded within the workshop with different girls.
It was crafty and alot of fun. If you search on pinterest
there are thousands of ideas. Adelina is going to Girl
Scout camp this summer and the camp theme is "Hunger Games"
and she found a really cute archery SWAP idea made out of
felt and toothpicks :) Search pinterest!

Here is my small pinterest board - just started yesterday:
http://www.pinterest.com/ljmarinello/girl-scouts-swaps

I am sharing this bc I know alot of our girls like crafts
and they all seem to like to give and receive :) SWAPS are
an activity girls can do at home and bring to meetings to
share with the troop and/or bring to events we attend with
other troops to give to other scouts.

This is not required but if anyone would like to bring SWAPs
to our meeting on May 4th that would be great. I am going
to talk to the girls about SWAPs for a few minutes and bring
some samples. I am also going to get each girl a simple
lanyard to start their collection. Whatever SWAPs girls
make, please encourage them to do a few things:

1. Always bring a minimum of 18 SWAPS to a meeting so the
whole troop receives (can give to the adults and leaders too
if they want!)

2. Always always make it attachable with a safety pin

3. Attach a small piece of paper/label with their name or
some other info.

Many of our girls will really enjoy this SWAPing activity.
Enjoy and see you soon!

Girl Scout Night with the Somerset Patriots

Hi everyone. See flyer attached for Girl Scout Night with
the Somerset Patriots. Unfortunately, many of us have the
Verne Fowler recital that day, but I wanted to share this
with the troop as it is always a great and popular event.
Details and registration info attached.

Girl Scouts - Dessert with Divas Event Info

Hi everyone,
As a follow-up to our meeting last week, we wanted to
provide some details and next steps for our "Dessert with
Divas" event.

The "Dessert with Divas" event is a community service
project being organized by our grade 3-5 girls to earn their
Bronze Award. They will be collecting donations for the
Newark Beth Israel NICU patients. Even though the event is
being organized by our grade 3-5 girls the ENTIRE troop is
participating in the event :)

INVITES
Attached is the invitation and printed copies of the
invitation were sent home on Sunday. All girls in the troop
are encouraged to invite special women to the event -
grandmothers, aunts, cousins, neighbors, teachers, etc. We
are planning for approx 80 people. If you have any
questions about the invitations please let us know.

RSVPS
All RSVPS should go through Dawn. Her contact info is on the
invite. If someone RSVPs to you directly, please just send
their info to Dawn. We want to ensure we have a headcount
of who is attending so we have enough food and supplies.
Thank you!

NICU DONATIONS
The event will be collecting donations for the Newark Beth
Israel NICU patients. A sample list of donation suggestions
is included in the invite. The girls in our troop should
also make a donation. A representative from the NICU will
be at the event to accept the donations that day.

ENTERTAINMENT
After a short presentation about the project and the NICU,
all of the girls are the entertainment for the event :)
They are putting together a "Diva Talent Expo" to showcase
all of their great talents. Each girl in the troop is
encouraged to participate and be in no more than 2 acts for
the expo. For the grade 3-5 girls we started talking about
their "talents" at the meeting. So far they have identified
gymnastics, singing, jump rope, circus tricks, and poetry
reading. For the grade K-2 girls we thought it would be
best to work with you parents on their "talents" and what
they would be comfortable performing. Please start to think
about this and let me know if you have ideas. Be creative!
We will finalize the acts for the expo at our May meeting,
so if you will not be attending please connect with me
before then. Thanks! In addition, Ashley Vitale will help
us coordinate a finale and bows for the expo. This will be
done at the May meeting. I will video the finale and bows
so any girl that is not at the meeting in May can review at
home and learn it. We will also practice it before the
event on June 8th.

FOOD and DRINKS
All girls in the troop are being asked to bring food and
drink items for the event. For families with more than one
girl scout, please sign up for one item per girl. To view
our sign up page, go to:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B4DAAA823A7FC1-dessert

The event is still nearly two months away, but hopefully
this information will get you started. Thank you and if you
have any questions, please let us know.

Best,
Andrea, Dawn, Erica & Lisajoy

Troop Website, Calendar, and Photos:
http://troop81423.blogspot.com

You are invited - Dessert with Divas

Hi everyone,
At our meeting this weekend I will be giving the girls
copies of the paper invitation for the Dessert with Divas
event, however, I wanted to share a digital version with you
that you could email to family/friends as a save the date.
June is a very hectic month, so feel free to start spreading
the word now. Girls were encouraged to invite grandmothers,
aunts, cousins, friends, special neighbors, teachers, etc.
Please see the invitation attached and here is some sample
wording you can use in your email to family/friends:

*****

<insert your daughter name(s)> and the divas in Girl Scout
Troop 81423 would like to invite you to attend a special
event called "Dessert with Divas." Full invitation
attached. This is an event benefiting the Newark Beth
Israel NICU. A successful event and donation drive will
earn the girls their Girl Scout Bronze Award. Divas of all
ages welcome to attend :)

Please support our Girl Scout Troop by bringing donations to
this special event, sample donation list attached. All
donations should be new with the exception of larger items
like infant swings or bouncy seats, which may be gently
used.

Dessert with Divas
Sunday, June 8th
3:00 to 5:00PM

Microsoft Corporation
101 South Wood Avenue, 9th Floor
Iselin, New Jersey

Dessert, coffee, and cold beverages will be served

RSVP to Dawn Scalise (732) 742-9321 or luvdddev@yahoo.com by
June 1st.

Girl Scouts - April 13th meeting and Late Spring Schedule Attached

Hi everyone,
Hope everyone is staying dry! I just cannot stand this rain
:( This is a long email re: Girl Scouts, so please read and
let me know if you have any questions.

Troop Meeting
Sunday, April 13th
3:00 to 5:00pm
Microsoft

Reminders:

#1 - Bring Happy Mail received and/or bring photos of what
received. We'll want everyone to share what they received
and sent with the group.

#2 - Blue Man Group bus $10 per person (including your Girl
Scout(s)) due to Erica by May 4th meeting.

#3 - Girl Scout Camp is a big part of the Girl Scout
experience, and we'd like to encourage all scouts to
consider attending Girl Scout camp this summer. Most
programs are day camp (not sleep over) and have a range of
great activities and adventures. At our meeting on April
13th we will have the girls that have attended camp in the
past talk about their experience with the group for a few
minutes. To encourage our troop's girls to attend camp, the
troop will reimburse you $50 towards a week of camp this
summer. Also, if you and your girl would like to preview
Girl Scout camp, we encourage you to attend the "Tours and
S'mores" Oak Spring Camp Tour. It is a free event.
Register online:
https://gsusa.ebiz.uapps.net/vp/FamilyManagement/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=211458984

#4 - Optional - Cash donations for Lori Decoite (James
Monroe Elementary School Art teacher, past speaker for our
Girl Scout troop) are being collected. The money to be used
towards a Visa gift card for her that she can use towards
replacing her personal items lost in the fire.

#5 - Attached is the updated schedule that takes us through
the end of the year. Please review the dates and times and
be sure to mark your calendars!

#6 - As always, girls should wear green shirt/uniform and
bring water/snack.

#7 - Grade 3-5 girls should please bring their Bronze Award
project journal and time log sheet.

Our Agenda for this Sunday's meeting:

Part 1 - all girls together
- Watch "World Thinking Day" video together
- Discuss Happy Mail activity and review what everyone
received/learned
- Talk about Girl Scout Camp
- Give out badges for WTD and Happy Mail

Part 2 - divide into age groups
- Grade K-2 working on Barbie "Do anything" badge
- Grade 3-5 working on "Dessert with Divas" event planning


Thank you and if you have any questions, please let us know.

Best,
Andrea, Dawn, Erica & Lisajoy

Troop Website, Calendar, and Photos:
http://troop81423.blogspot.com

James Monroe Elementary School - collection for Lori Decoite

Hi everyone,
As many of you know, my best friend from college Lori
Decoite is the art teacher at James Monroe Elementary
School. Lori did a sculpture and art lesson for our girl
scout troop in February 2012. A few people have asked me
how they can help Lori and the teachers. Right now they do
not need school supplies but they need to begin to rebuild
their classrooms and personal teaching items that were lost.
We all know how much personal time and money teachers put
into their items and supplies! Lori lost all of her easels,
her oil paints, her college art portfolio (horrible!), and
her iPad. No obligation, but since Lori was a friend to our
troop if anyone is interested to make a donation I will be
collecting money to get her a Visa gift card that she can
use towards replacing her personal items. No obligation.
Cash donations can be brought to the April 13th meeting.

Throwback pictures from our meeting with Lori:
https://troop81423.shutterfly.com/2448

Thanks,
Lisajoy

SWAPS Workshop - April 23rd 6:00PM

Hi everyone,

This is the 2nd of the two local programs I was telling you
all about. This is intended for girls K through 3, however
I am told the girls in grade 4 and 5 may also attend if they
are interested. It is only $8 per girl so please check your
calendar and see if your girl can attend. I would really
like to see a good portion of our troop attend since we have
alot of new(er) girls. This is perfect for them, and I
actually think this looks like alot of fun!

SWAPS Workshop (flyer attached - wrong date, only read
description)
Come learn about SWAPS (Special Whatchamacallits
Affectionately Pinned Somewhere)! SWAPS, the tradition of
Girl Scouts exchanging keepsakes, started long ago when Girl
Scouts and Girl Guides first gathered for fun, song, and
making new friends. SWAPS are the perfect way for Girl
Scouts to meet each other and promote friendship. Join us
at the Iselin Firehouse, and learn SWAPS basics and
etiquette. Then make and trade SWAPS with your sister Girl
Scouts!

Date: April 23, 2014 06:00 PM-08:00 PM

$8 per girl

Register Here:
https://gsusa.ebiz.uapps.net/vp/FamilyManagement/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=297190242

Thanks,
Lisajoy

Working It Out - April 10th 6:30pm in Iselin

Hi everyone,

They are running two programs local in the Iselin firehouse.
I'd like to encourage us to attend as many local programs as
possible so they continue to bring programs to our area.
This one is for girls grades 3, 4, and 5. See below. It is
only $5 per girl so please check your calendar and see if
your girl can attend. Thanks!

"Working It Out!"
Through games, activities and reflection, this program will
help your group become better team players and give you the
tools to promote cooperation, make decisions and prevent
arguments while working on your Bronze Award.

Date: April 10, 2014 06:30 PM-08:00 PM
Location: Iselin Firehouse 20 Auth Avenue Iselin, NJ 08830

$5.00 per girl

https://gsusa.ebiz.uapps.net/vp/FamilyManagement/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=265554946

Thanks,
Lisajoy

Girl scouts - "Happy Mail" Activity

Hi everyone,

One activity that I discussed with the girls was having a
quick pen pal exchange with another girl in our troop. Who
doesn't love to get mail these days? Since we are not
meeting again until Sunday, April 13th I thought this would
be a great activity to do now at home to keep the troop
connected. I think the girls will be excited to do this
too, and we will talk about it in our next meeting. It is
our "Happy Mail" activity :)

Instructions:
1. Have your girl send "Happy Mail" to her assigned pen pal
below by March 20th. The name on the left side is the
sender. The name on the right side is the receiver. "Happy
Mail" is more than a picture or a letter. See this link
below for some unique ideas of items that can go in the
mail. You can mail filled plastic Easter eggs, water
bottles filled with notes, flip flops with writing on them,
Frisbees, balls, etc. Whatever you choose to send, be sure
to include a note and the senders name. Make it unique and
fun!

2. Once your girl receives her "Happy Mail" have her reply
back to the sender with another "Happy Mail" by April 1st -
so you will be sending two pieces of "Happy Mail" to two
different girls. Again, be sure to include a short note and
the senders name.

3. Bring all "Happy Mail" items to our meeting on Sunday,
April 13th to see and review. This will be fun!

Have a look here for some really neat "Happy Mail" ideas:
http://www.giverslog.com/?tag=happy-mail
http://www.pinterest.com/imamberlee/13-ounces-or-less-happy-mail/

Attached is the current roster for home addresses.

Here are the "Happy Mail" partners (left is the sender /
right is the receiver):

Kate -> Christina
Christina -> Gianna Arduini
Gianna Arduini -> Nyla
Nyla -> Ruby
Ruby -> Makena
Makena -> Kylie
Kylie -> Kate
Gianna Grasso -> Isabelle
Isabelle -> Genna
Genna -> Jessica
Jessica -> Amanda
Amanda -> Devin
Devin -> Adelina
Adelina -> Annaliese
Annaliese -> Emily
Emily -> Maddie
Maddie -> Zahira
Zahira -> Gianna Grasso


Thank you and if you have any questions, please let us know.
Have fun with "Happy Mail" :)

Girl Scouts - World Thinking Day video project

Hi everyone. Hope the girls had fun at today's meeting.
The troop created a video for World Thinking Day 2014. The
theme was WW education, so the troop learned about three
different countries and what education looked like in those
countries. I must say, for only two hours I think they did
a really great job. Unfortunately, I had to put the
finishing touches on the video at home so the girls did not
see the final video. Please share this link with them. I
think they did really great!

Video link: http://youtu.be/Mvbt9z7FZPc

We will distribute World Thinking Day badges in a few weeks.
If anyone that missed the meeting is interested to do an
activity to qualify for the badge, please let me know.