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FROM THE CEO Happy New Year Volunteers, Girl Scouts, and Staff! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, and I do wish you a prosperous and joyous year as we begin 2014!
2014 brings lots of change and excitement at Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast. First, the Ventura office is now headquartered in a new location at 1500 Palma Drive, Suite 110, Ventura, CA 93003 and will begin operations on January 2. The new retail shop will re-open on January 7 at this address, however merchandise will be available at the mobile shops at the Cookie University locations on January 4. Please stop by to check-out your new headquarters and mark your calendar - there will be an official ribbon-cutting during National Cookie Weekend on February 7 - more details will follow on events that weekend in the new Ventura location.
Second, 2013 ended with continued growth in Girl Membership compared to same time last year, and Lifetime Members have increased dramatically as well. Thanks to all the Service Units and Membership Team for all you are doing to bring Girl Scouting to more girls in our council!
Third, we are so excited about the upcoming Cookie Program! If our Fall Product Sale serves as an indicator of success, then we will do great! We are piloting the Direct Sale in Santa Barbara, and we look forward to seeing the results of this pilot. Also, we are excited about the partnership with our new baker, ABC, and the fact that we now have a gluten-free option. Please ensure that all of our Girl Scouts are registered so they can participate in this fabulous Financial Literacy program that teaches those 5 important life skills: Goal-Setting, Decision-Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics.
Thank you all for being a part of the Movement - 2014 will be a great Girl Scout year!
Again, Happy New Year to all!
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 COOKIE SALE The Cookie Sale starts 1/11/2014. Is your troop roster correct? If not, please contact Kim McCalister: kmccalister@girlscoutsccc.org. COOKIE SALE DATES! January 11-26 -Initial Order taking February 7-10 - Troop Cookie Pick-Up February 14- March 16 - Cookie Boothing March 16 - Last Day of Cookie Sale
New and available now for 2014 Cookie Sale!
COCO Cookie Command It's the girls own online e-cookie business. Encourage girls  to join COCO (Cookie Command), it is a safe website where, with the help of their parent, girls can:
- Set their goal of how many packages of cookies they want to sell this year.
- Make plans for how to reach those goals.
- Check on the progress of meeting the goals.
- Send eCards to friends and family to tell them it's cookie time and ask for their support.
- Girls must deliver cookies in person and collect payment in person
The COCO Troop Page makes it easy for troop leaders to:
- Post messages to girls about the cookie sale.
- Monitor the troop's progress.
- Send girls Cheer's to encourage them
- Set a troop goal and see the progress
- Use reports and worksheets to manage the troop's sale
COCOmobile
For the 2014 selling season, COCO has gone mobile just for girls! Introducing  COCOmobile for the Apple® iPhone®, iPod touch® or iPad® ...the mobile app that puts cookie selling right in the girls' pockets! What can girls do in COCOmobile?
- Set and track goals
- View recognitions, identify level achieved, track sales needed for next level and celebrate recognition achievement
- Enter and manage cookie orders
- View a summary of orders and item totals
- Email confirmations to customers for new and updated orders
- Share nutritional information and product images with customers when taking orders
- Track order payment and delivery status
- Automatically sync with online COCO information available at abcsmartcookies.com.
Set up your COCO girl and troop account today!
Questions? Contact Desiree: dstilwell@girlscoutsccc.org
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VOLUNTEERS
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Every time you show courage, it grows - Juliette Gordon Low
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for PROGRAM ADVISORY TEAMS Interested in joining a fun group of fellow volunteers, who love girl-led, engaging, fun and local program activities? Please consider serving on a regional Program Advisory Team. Parents, leaders, and older girls are invited to join. Meetings will be held alternately in person and via conference call once a month.Three teams will be established in the Northern, Central and Southern regions to better serve girls! Meetings start this month. Please send your interest and location to programs@girlscoutsccc.org.
MONEY-EARNING vs. FUND-RAISING CLARIFIED in the world of Girl Scouting...from GSUSA:
- Money-Earning Guidelines - An activity planned and carried out by girls to earn money for troop/group expenses.
- Fund-Raising - (Girls can NOT fund-raise) Techniques used in a public appeal for contributions to fund the program and activities of the organization. Fund-raising, which often relates to short-term needs, is only part of a fund development plan. In Girl Scouting, Fund-Raising is the responsibility of adults.
JOIN THE DAISY CHAIN New Daisy leaders will receive a starter packet with easy instructions for the first four meetings. Ask Membership Managers or Service Unit Managers about the starter kit. When the packet is completed, new Daisy Troops will receive one Journey book of their choice.
BROWNIE CIRCLE New Brownie leaders now have a started packet too! Just what the Brownie Elf ordered to be able to join the mix of Girl Scouts. Also, check out Quick Start on the GSUSA website for more ideas for new Daisy, Brownie and Junior troops.
Questions? Contact Camille cjaque@girlscoutsccc.org
ATTEND LEADERAMA NORTH! January 25, 2014 Develop and expand your volunteer toolkit. Sessions vary in topic from exploring Journeys to learning Girl Scout crafts and traditions. Network with peers and share best practices. Leaderama is open to all registered Girl Scout troop leaders and co-leaders. Register to attend at www.girlscoutsccc.org/events.
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 DAISIES & BROWNIES
GOLDIEBLOX™ KITS AVAILABLE JAN 2014 NEW GOLDIEBLOX™ DIY KITS AVAILABLE IN THE NEW YEAR! These kits will inspire the next generation of female engineers. Construction toys help girls develop spatial skills and get them interested in math and science. Check the GSCC website, DIY KIT section for more info coming soon! . Watch this great video of what this tool and girls can do. Check out the GOLDIEBLOX commercial here.
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JUNIORS, CADETTES, SENIORS AND AMABASSADORS
STILL TIME TO JOIN THE SAVANNAH TRAVEL TRIP - SUMMER 2014 C/S/A Sixth
grade Cadettes and above are invited to join the fun on an amazing journey! Experience the southern charm and architecture of Savannah, visit cool historical sites and the first Girl Scout Headquarters. Participate in the programs at Juliette Low's Birthplace. Girls will make new friends and lifelong memories! Visit GSCCC Travel for more information. Questions? programs@girlscoutsccc.org
GOLD AWARD UPDATES All 2013-2014 information, including access to the new online application (Girl Scouts is going paperless), is available on the Gold Award page
on the council website.
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ALL PROGRAM AGE LEVELS
Winter Program highlights! The calendar is always evolving and being updated throughout the year with new and exciting program opportunities including:
- Girl Scout Night with the Santa Cruz Warriors - D/B/J/C/S/A - Santa Cruz - 2/8/14
- Girlsport! Cal Poly Womens Basketball - D/B/J/C/S/A - San Luis Obispo - 2/15/14
- First Aid Badge Workshop - B/J - Salinas 2/28/14
- First Aid/CPR Certification - Senior/Ambassador Adult - Arnaz - 2/22/14
- Painting for Brownies Badge Workshop - Newbury Park- SAVE THE DATE - March
- Drawing for Juniors Badge Workshop - Newbury Park - SAVE THE DATE - March
Difficulty registering? Contact Kim: kimccalister@girlscoutsccc.org
SEASONAL SNOWFLAKE CRAFT D/B/J/C Looking for a fun craft to for January? These snowflakes could be made and then used to decorate a Senior home, community center or childcare facility. Click here for link to the craft. Note: Please check with the facility you would like to donate any gifts or crafts to prior to making the items to make sure that they can accept them, or to find out what they might really need.
FOREVER GREEN 2013 ACTIVITY GUIDE AND FREE PATCH PROGRAM! Join Girl Scouts across the council to make the world a better place! Activities focus on savi  ng energy, conserving water and reducing plastics in the environment. It's easy to participate: individually, as a troop, or with a group. Download the Forever Green Activity Guide for 2013, complete three or more activities, register the activity with GSUSA and complete the patch order form online and pick up your free patch in one of the council shops. Questions? Contact: programs@girlscoutsccc.org
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ARNAZ PROGRAM CENTER
TRAININGS & PROGRAMS
- First Aid/CPR Certification: Adults/Seniors/Ambassadors @ Arnaz: 1/11/14
- First Aid/CPR Certification: Adults/Seniors/Ambassadors @ Arnaz 2/22/14
- Archery - February
- First Aid Badge Workshop - March
TIP OF THE MONTH: HOW TO WASH DISHES AT CAMP
Most people are not aware of how to wash dishes while camping. Girl Scouts don't use a dishwasher! So girls should be aware of how to wash dishes by hand in camp. It is important to practice proper dishwashing techniques in order to maintain healthy members.
Materials needed for washing your dishes:
- 3 sets of plastic wash basins, pans, etc
- Dish soap preferably biodegradable
- Dish towel, Sponge & Scrubber
- Work surface
Steps in Proper Dish Washing:
- Pre-Cleaning. Girl Scouts take responsibility for eating all food possible off plate. Scrape bits of food off.
- Hot Water Wash. The first dishpan is filled with hot water and a small amount of biodegradable soap.
- Hot Water Rinse. The second dishpan is filled with plain hot water. To remove all the soapy water.
- Sanitizing Soak. The third dishpan is filled with water and a cap of bleach. Soak it for a full minute.
- Air dry and put away.
MAKE A DUNK BAG
Dunk bags are used for dishwashing at camp. Girls can make these simple bags to help clean their dishes and utensils. It's a good project for a meeting prior to a campout.
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SHOP TIL YOU DROP
There will not be a Saturday shop for January 2014. Instead, mobile shops will be at each of the Cookie Universities. New cookie related products, including the Cookie Booth in a Bag will be available at the mobile shops, along with deeply discounted items. If you are planning on attending the event, please stop by!
The Ventura Girl Scout Shop will reopen at the new 1500 Palma Drive location on Tuesday, January 7. We apologize for any inconvenience. Meanwhile, please contact the Castroville shop location at 800-822-2427, or visit the online shop.
No time to visit our shops? Everything can be found on the council online shop Look for GSCCC council's own items to be available through the website soon.
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