Cybernews - News for Girl Scout Volunteers

In This Issue

Quick Links

CEO Corner

Dr. Elinor Crawford Scholarship Fund

Product Sales

Girl Program
     All Grade Levels

     Daisy & Brownie
     GS Junior
     GS Teens
     Other Offerings

Alumnae

Girl Led

ACTION Rally

Region Meetings

GSUSA Announcement

Volunteers & Learning Opportunities

About Girl Scouts

Join Our List

Issue: # 3

November/2010

Dear Girl Scout Families and Friends,

Welcome to Cybernews - the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida's online newsletter keeping you informed of all the great things being done by and for Girl Scouts.

Go Green! Please share this newsletter as a great resource for other volunteers and parents to get involved this year. We will be updating our website frequently, along with the girl program book and adult learning calendars. If you would like to receive this newsletter, click the Join Our List button on the left.

View our online newsletter at S'more News and stay in touch via social media - fan or friend us at

CEO Corner

Message from the CEO

I love hearing the good news of Girl Scouting directly from girls actively involved in our council. Recently several Girl Scouts in K-12^th grades told me:

"Without my troop, I would not be able to go places and have fun"
"If I did not have Girl Scouting, I would feel left out"
"We are going to Savannah AGAIN! We love it there"
"I can make things better for the cookie program (by being on the product sales task group)
"This (True Beauty Festival) showed me how to love myself. It is not the clothes but the girl in the clothes that make a difference."

As a Girl Scout volunteer, we know what you did today. Surrounding and supporting every girl are women and men - coaching, inspiring, driving, teaching, listening, laughing, sharing and growing...and the list goes on! To all returning volunteers - welcome back and thank you for your time and talents! To all new volunteers - our entire council: girls, volunteers, board members and staff welcome you and look forward to meeting you at a variety of upcoming events. Know that you make a difference in the life of a girl and that you are helping to create memories with and for her...and you...for a lifetime.

Thank you,

Sue

Dr. Elinor Crawford College Scholarship Fund Applications Due March 1, 2011

In late November, a postcard will be mailed to all current 12^th grade Girl Scouts announcing that the application for the Dr. Elinor Crawford College Scholarship Fund of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. is available on the council website. The completed application, including required attachments and letters of recommendation, must be received at the council headquarters in Sarasota by March 1, 2011 (postmarked by February 28, 2011 if mailing). Scholarship awards will be presented at the Girl Recognition Ceremony on May 15, 2011. Award notification letters will be mailed to applicants by April 1, 2011. Please contact Marie Graziosi at 941.921.5358 ext. 338 or 800.232.4475 for assistance.

Product Sales

Design Your Future Fall Product Sale Update!

Thank you to all the troops, girls, and families that participated in the 2010 Fall Product Sale. Your hard work supports your troop as well as the entire council. Profits from the Fall Product Sale support all aspects of Girl Scouting within our council, from maintaining council properties and keeping program costs low to providing financial assistance so all girls can have a Girl Scout experience.

Nuts and chocolates from the Fall Product Sale will be delivered to your Service Units in mid-November so you can get them out to your friends and family before the holidays. Thanks again for your support!

Starting Today... Let's Get Excited About Girl Scout Cookies

The 2011 Girl Scout Cookie Program is right around the corner. The theme of this year's Cookie Program is "Starting Today" with tons of activities focused on financial literacy and how Girl Scouts can be in business for the future, taking action to make the world a better place. Get started now by talking to your troop about their goals and ideas for what they might want to do with proceeds from the Cookie Program.

Get the complete scoop on everything that's new for the 2011 Girl Scout Cookie Program by attending the Regional Meetings in December! Learn how to get the most out of the Girl Scout Cookie Program with your troop. Contact your Service Unit Cookie Coordinator or Corinne Wright, Director of Product Sales for more information.

Back to Top

Girl Program

New Event

How To Train Your Dragon - An Introduction to Animation

The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and Ringling College of Animation will be hosting workshops, introducing girls to the world of animation. Have you ever wondered how Hiccup was brought to life on the big screen? Or where the thoughts to create and breath life into a dragon originate?

Come explore and learn, hands-on, the various forms of animation that bring your thoughts to reality! Girls in grades 2-5 & 6-8 will work with experienced animation students in various mediums pertaining to animation: clay maquettes, or models, and/or flip-book animation, to create their own dragons. Girls in grades 9-12 will work with experienced animation students in various forms of traditional animation. In addition to the hands-on experience, the workshop will include a tour of the Ringling College campus, and discussions on animation technique and concepts.

GSLE Outcomes: D1, D3, D5, C3, C5, TA4, TA5

Recognition: How To Train Your Dragon custom patch

Location: Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota

Date: January 8, 2010

Deadline: December 15, 2010

Grade Level: 9 - 12 Time: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Cost: $22/ girl $20/ adult

Minimum: 15 girls 4 adults

Maximum: 20 girls 6 adults

Note: Fee includes all materials for program, lunch, tour of Ringling campus, and How To Train Your Dragon patch

Contact: Ann-Marie Mathews

Girl Scout and Boy Scout Night with the Everblades!

Saturday, November 20 - Doors Open at 6:00 PM

Show your pride while helping the community. All Girl and Boy Scouts who wear their uniform to the game and bring a non-perishable food item to donate to The Harry Chapin Food Bank will receive a special Florida Everblades Scout Patch!

Don't forget the fun! Enjoy an exciting game with your family and other girls as the Florida Everblades take on the Toledo Walleyes. Meet other Girl Scouts from around Southwest Florida and be sure to cheer when you see your group's name on the scoreboard. For more information contact the Everblades at 239-948-7825 ext. 1024.

Upcoming Program Events

Check out these upcoming programs in full detail in the Program Opportunities Book. Space is still available, register soon. Events held in October, November and December are now available for online registration. On November 15th, online registration opens for events held January 2011 - March 2011.

All Grade Levels

Fall Into Girl Scouts 11.14.2010

Camp Honi Hanta Page B-5

Local Food: Dakin Dairy Farm 11.20.2010

Myakka City Page B-6

Local Food: Florida Native 12.18.2010

Plant Nursery - Old Myakka Page C-6

Girl Scout Daisy & Brownie

Stress Less Yoga 11.14.2010

Bradenton Page B-5

Pint Size Superheros 11.20.2010

Blood Bank - Nokomis Page B-7

Sea Snooze: Mote Marine 12.11.2010

Sarasota Page C-2

Celebrations Around the 12.11.2010

World - Sebring Page C-2

Winter Wonderland 12.11.2010

Port Charlotte Page C-4

Stress Less Yoga 12.12.2010

GECC - Sarasota Page C-5

Girl Scout Junior
Check out these upcoming programs in full detail in the Program Opportunities Book. Space is still available, register soon. Events held in October, November and December are now available for online registration. On November 15th, online registration opens for events held January 2011 - March 2011.

Crime Investigators 11.13.2010

Ft. Myers Page B-3

Eco-Action Adventure 11.14.2010

Edison & Ford Estate, Ft. Myers Page B-4

Stress Less Yoga 11.14.2010

Bradenton Page B-5

Stress Less Yoga 11.14.2010

Bradenton Page B-5

Pint Size Superheros 11.20.2010

Blood Bank - Nokomis Page B-7

Low Ropes Course 12.04.2010

Camp Honi Hanta Page C-1

Sea Snooze: Mote Marine 12.11.2010

Sarasota Page C-2

Celebrations Around the 12.11.2010

World - Sebring Page C-2

Discovering the World of 12.11.2010

Plants - Venice Page C-3

Winter Wonderland 12.11.2010

Port Charlotte Page C-4

Stress Less Yoga 12.12.2010

GECC - Sarasota Page C-5

Girl Scout Teen

Check out these upcoming programs in full detail in the

Program Opportunities Book. Space is still available, register soon. Events held in October, November and December are now available for online registration. On November 15th, online registration opens for events held January 2011 - March 2011.

Crime Investigators 11.13.2010

Ft. Myers Page B-3

Eco-Action Adventure 11.14.2010

Edison & Ford Estate, Ft. Myers Page B-4

Stress Less Yoga 11.14.2010

Bradenton Page B-5

Low Ropes Course 12.04.2010

Camp Honi Hanta Page C-1

How Far Would You Go To 12.11.2010

Save A Life? Blood Bank SRQ Page C-3

Discovering the World of 12.11.2010

Plants - Venice Page C-3

Stress Less Yoga 12.12.2010

GECC - Sarasota Page C-5

Looking for something different to do at your troop meeting or as part of a day at camp? Do your girls want to do something that you don't know how to do? Here's how to make that possible!

Programs on Parade - Programs on parade are when a trained facilitator will go to your meeting, camp, ect and do a complete program for your girls, most are linked to some insignia. We provide all the supplies all you have to do is supervise the girls. Complete descriptions can be found in the program book at www.gsgcf.org

On Demand Programs - On demand programs are your opportunity to have a trained person take your girls canoeing, kayaking, low ropes, high ropes or archery. You can use this if you are at camp for the weekend or if you just want to spend a couple hours.

Tote Program/Council Own Patches - Have the skills to teach on your own but not the necessary materials, then check out the tote programs. Totes have all the information to lead the girls through the activities. (Will need to scroll to the correct page)

For more information about any of these opportunities contact Melissa Mason or call 941-921-5358 ext 336.

Alumnae

Reconnect With Your Sister Girl Scouts!

Renew friendships and reconnect with Girl Scouts.

Share your Girl Scout memories.
Volunteer in a new capacity with girls and/or adults.

Become part of a group of sister Girl Scouts who keep the spirit of

Girl Scouting ablaze!

Be counted as we move together towards the
Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary in 2012!

How Do I Use Girl Led?

There are some in every crowd the fidgety ones, the spinning ones, the sleepy ones, etc. You can probably think of your girls and know who I am talking about. Here are some pointers on how to use the personalities of your girls to help them lead!

Start small: Think of jobs she can do. For example a girl with a short attention span could be the reporter at the end of a meeting who tells you what was talked about. This will force her to engage (even if it does not appear she is) and tell what happened at the end. Another idea is to call on her to do little things throughout a meeting keeping her focused. Most of the time girls who seem disengaged are actually paying attention and just waiting for a job. You may want to place a girl who likes to help in charge of snack next week or allow her to pass out papers. Use the energy of a hyper girl to your advantage by putting her in charge of a game. Bossy girls enjoy managing clean-up or other activity that needs directing. Put your talkers in charge of reading, saying the pledge, or the skits/plays then let it go. Your quiet ones may want to be in charge of the paperwork for the troop or take notes for girls that are absent.

This can be difficult to start but once you begin, you will see yourself starting to hand off more and more responsibilities to the girls as they earn your trust. You will also find that once your girls are directing their energies in a positive way, your time together will be more productive.

ACTION Rally on December 4th, 2010

All registered Girl Scout members (age 14 years and older) are invited to join delegates and alternate delegates on December 4, 2010 at the Gulfcoast Event and Conference Center to attend ACTION Rally. Learn principles of the democratic process and how to advance our mission for girls. Meet and interact with other members, region chairs, Corporation Team members, and members of the Board of Directors; and contribute ideas for governance and strategy. Delegates and alternates will receive education to best serve as a delegate at the Annual Meeting in January.

Registration begins at 9:00 AM and activities are scheduled from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM. The Girl Scout shop will open at 2:00 PM. Please bring a dish to share for lunch according to the first letter of your last name: A-F dessert, G-M vegetable, N-Z potato, pasta or rice. Register here to attend. We look forward to seeing you!

December Region Meetings

Our next region meeting dates are set with another fantastic agenda.

Arrive between 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM to meet and mingle with fellow volunteers and staff. Welcome and Cookie Kick-Off will begin promptly at 6:30 PM. All new and inexperienced troop cookie managers are required to attend. If you thought the fall product sale training was great you won't want to miss what the cookie product sales task group is putting together!

Grade level break out time will follow Cookie Kick-Off training and focus on ways to connect the Journeys and your troop cookie sale with being Girl Led! We're looking forward to seeing you there.

Region                  Date           Place
East                      Mon, Dec 6            S. Florida CC - Highlands Campus
Central                  Tues, Dec 7           Pt. Charlotte United Methodist

(21075 Quesada Ave)
South Thurs, Dec 9 Hodges University

(2655 Northbrooke Dr)
S. Central Wed, Dec 13 Island Coast High School

(Cape Coral Area) (2125 De Navarra Pkwy)

N. Central Tues, Dec 14 GECC, Sarasota
S. Central Wed, Dec 15 Gateway Charter High School

North Thurs, Dec 16 First Presbyterian Church

(1402 Manatee Ave W - Bradenton)

You may attend the region meeting that works with your schedule.

For more information, contact Amanda Jacob.

GSUSA Announcement

Girl Scouts of the USA is working with Entertainment One, the distributors of the new film "The Secret of Moonacre," to spread the Girl Scouts 2010 brand campaign messaging. The Girl Scouts "What Did You Do Today?" campaign video has been included as a bonus feature on all DVDs and Blu-rays of "The Secret of Moonacre" - currently available in stores.

"THE SECRET OF MOONACRE"

A MAGICAL ADVENTURE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF "BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA" ARRIVES ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

An acclaimed adaptation of the beloved, classic children's novel The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, "The Secret of Moonacre" is a new family fantasy spectacle directed by Rugrats-creator Gabor Csupo ("Bridge to Terabithia") that stars up-and-coming actress Dakota Blue Richards ("The Golden Compass") along with Loan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four"), Tim Curry ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show") and Natascha McElhone ("The Truman Show"). This fairy-tale adventure - complete with magical castles, unforgettable characters and mythical beasts - is rated PG, and is Dove Family-Approved.

The Plot... After being orphaned, young Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) must leave her luxurious home and live with her eccentric uncle Sir Benjamin at the mysterious Moonacre Manor. There, she discovers a magical moonlit world torn apart by an ancient feud. Now, Maria must unearth the secrets of her past in order to fulfill her destiny... all before the 5000th moon rises and Moonacre Manor disappears into the sea forever.

Visit "The Secret of Moonacre" website (www.secretofmoonacre.com) for more information. There you will also find a special article posted for GSUSA that explains "How Dakota Blue Richards became Maria Merryweather."

Volunteer Resources & Learning Opportunites

Green Pages

The Girl Scout Green Pages are now online and available for download. The Green Pages are a county-by-county resource guide for leaders, parents and other volunteers. You can check them out at www.gsgcf.org in the Downloads section.

Remember, the Green Pages are still under construction, and new collaborators will be added frequently. If you know of other collaborators that should be included in The Green Pages, please contact Anne-Marie Mathews.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Online registration is now available for November and December trainings.

November 2010

6^th Troop Camp

Recertification Caloosa Pg. 13

7^th Archery Caloosa Pg. 13

13^th Leadership Essens. Hardee Pg. 9

20^th CPR Charlotte Pg. 15

20^th First Aid Charlotte Pg. 15

20^th Leadership Essens. Bradenton Pg. 9

December 2010

11^th Troop Adventures

With Your Girls Honi Hanta Pg. 13

Click to see a full schedule of volunteer learning opportunities.

Troop Adventures - Online

Troop Adventures is required for you to leave your meeting spot! This includes attending council sponsored events, field trips and hotel stays. It is also a prerequisite for troop camp. You can now complete this course on-line and receive your certification. Please click on this link for more information.

About Girl Scouts

All programs sponsored by the council have specific program outcomes so you can be sure that your Girl Scout gets the full Girl Scout Leadership Experience every time she participates. Because no girl is the same, customizing the Girl Scout experience and letting the girl choose how she participates in Girl Scouts gives her control over her Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Each program and activity she participates in will encourage her and help her gain confidence in her skills and ability to be the girl she wants to be.
Girl Scouting builds girls of Courage, Confidence and Character who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA and serves over 10,500 girls in ten counties including: Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, and Collier.

For more information about the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida visit www.gsgcf.org.