Greetings Carpenter BROWNIE Girl (Scouts)!

I hope you’re planning to be a part of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 41407 this year. You’re
receiving this email because you’ve expressed interest in Brownie Girl Scouts. Brownies are
nd
open for all 2
and 3
join our troop! What fun!
rd
grade girls. We’re expecting about 20-24 Carpenter girls to
This letter provides a LOT of information. Please read it all carefully. Feel free to call me with any questions. (Judi
Lintott - 734-572-7570).
Please let me know if your daughter decides NOT to join the troop, so I can take you off of the contact list.
We have an exciting year planned, and your leaders and program aides are eager to hear your ideas of what will
keep scouting fun and interesting for you.
The troop’s adult leaders are: Judi Lintott, Karen Winston-Brown, Christine Kwierant and Richard Lintott
Our Brownie meetings will be on the 2nd and 4th FRIDAYS at Carpenter, beginning on
October 14. Meetings will begin right after school in the art room, and most meetings will adjourn at 5:15 pm. A
healthy snack will always be provided for the girls.
Meeting on Fridays will allow several 8th grade Cadette scouts to work as program assistants in the troop, and
means that our Brownies will not have homework to do after meetings. In addition, most of our field trips will be
scheduled on Friday afternoons, and our camping trips will depart right after school on Fridays.
Throughout the school year, we will explore a theme of “Girls around the World.” The girls will earn a number of
badges and participate in several field trips as we stretch our wings and spin the globe. We will also go on at least
two camping trips, and will encourage the whole troop to go to summer camp together.
For our first meeting – October 14 – PARENTS should join us for the last 15 minutes of the meeting.
Parents should be in the art room, seated, by 5:00 pm. We will encourage you to share your expectations for
your daughter’s participation in the troop. We will also share the leaders’ expectations for girl and parent respect,
involvement and responsiveness.
Please complete all the forms and bring them to the first meeting with your dues payments and/or financial
assistance request form. Please make checks payable to GSHOM Brownie Troop 41407. Per council policy, all
forms and payments MUST be turned in by the end of the second meeting (Oct 28). Girls are allowed to be a
“guest” for only two meetings without turning in the required forms/dues payments.
Snack sign-up - Each family will be asked to provide a HEALTHY snack (fruit, veggies, cheese/crackers – NO junk
food, please.) for the troop meeting one time during the year. We will have a sign-up sheet at the first meeting. We
need a reliable parent to coordinate this and make reminder calls/emails to the snack parent before each meeting.
For our second meeting – October 28 – PARENTS, siblings and other guests are invited to join us at 4:45
pm for our beginning of the year INVESTITURE CEREMONY. Girls should wear their Brownie Vest or Sash.
Girls will dedicate themselves to the Girl Scout Promise and Law; we will present any badges earned over the
summer; and we will welcome our new Brownies to the troop. We will share refreshments after the ceremony.
Release from meetings: For most meetings, parents will be asked to wait in the hallway until a leader opens the
door to signal that the meeting is over. For her safety, you or your designated adult MUST come into the room
and sign out your daughter. We will not release any scout to a minor sibling or to someone waiting in the parking
lot. If we don’t know you or your designated adult, we will ask for a photo ID to match with the names on the Girl
Release Form. Please be patient while we get to know your daughter and you!
Uniforms – While uniforms are not required, the girls are proud to be girl scouts. Wearing their uniforms to school
on meeting days and for field trips shows others in the school and the community that these girls are learning to be
leaders! We encourage each scout to at least have a vest or sash to put their badges on. For new Brownies, the
troop will provide your insignia tab and membership pins. Parents are responsible for providing the vest/sash (your
choice) and all insignia patches. Financial aid is available for uniforms and insignia if you need help. A list of
patches you’ll need will be available at the first meeting, along with a diagram of where to put them on the
vest/sash. EARNED badges and many fun patches will be provided throughout the year by the troop.
Brownie Handbook and Badge Books – Girl Scouts USA is in the process of changing over to new programming
materials, which were not yet available when we started planning our troop’s year. We have decided to stick with
the old materials for this year. Do NOT purchase a handbook or try-it book for your scout, unless you’re able to
get one of the old books on a clearance sale. I’ll show you these at our first meeting. The troop will provide copies
of the materials we’ll be using this year.
PLEASE Help us! Parents are expected to sign up for various volunteer positions to help with the troop. We need
to know we can count on you. Your leaders are volunteers too, all with full-time jobs, and we can’t do this alone! If
we all work together, it will be fun and easy. Dads should get involved too!
Below are links to the forms you need to turn in for your daughter, and for yourself or any adult who may
chaperone a troop outing away from the regular meetings. Paper copies of these forms will also be available at the
first and second meetings if you need them. Becoming a registered adult girl scout (dads too!) provides you and the
troop with insurance coverage through the scouts while you’re participating in our troop events. Parents are
strongly encouraged to be active in the troop. Your leaders are all volunteers and we need lots of help!
Please give me a call if you have any questions or ideas to make this a great year.
Looking forward to seeing you at the first meeting on October 14!
Judi Lintott
Co-leader, Brownie Troop 41407
Co-leader, Cadette Troop 40593
Home Ph – 734-572-7570
Cell – 734-548-5588
Fax – 734-572-8776
Forms & Dues – Please turn everything in October 14!
For girls registering as members of the troop:
Girl Registration Form+ $20 Registration: for GSUSA and GSHOM (national and local council). This one form
covers our troop, local and national girl scouts. (Most of the 2nd grade girls have already turned this in.)
http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/registration_girl_2011_2012.pdf
Troop Dues are $45, cash or check payable to GSHOM Brownie Troop 41407. This covers some snacks at the
meetings (only when the designated parent forgets), your daughter’s earned badges, supplies for meeting activities,
some field trips. You are responsible for purchasing her uniform vest or sash and the various insignia for the uniform.
These are available at the GS Council office or at Dunham’s. You are also responsible for the cost of many of the field
trips and campouts we will have this year. The troop will participate in cookie sales and some other fundraisers to help
defray these expenses.
Financial Assistance: Financial assistance is available from the council if needed for national or troop dues,
uniforms, insignia or books; and for any field trips. Please complete the aid request forms below and turn them in with
your daughter’s registration if you need financial help.
Girl Scout Dues Assistance
Financial Aid for Program Events (also use for troop dues)
Financial Assistance for Uniforms, Insignia, Books
Health History Form:
http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/2010-11_girl_adult_health_history_fillable.pdf
Girl Release Form: http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/girl_release_form.pdf – In addition to your usual pick-up
people, be sure to include Judi/Richard Lintott, and Karen Winston Brown, Christine Kwierant and Richard Lintott
(your scout leaders) as emergency pick-up people. That will allow us to drive your child to your home or take her
home with us if an emergency prevents you from picking her up.
For adults participating in ANY troop activities:
Adult Member Registration Form + $20: Registration for GSUSA and GSHOM (national and local council).
http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/registration_adult_2011_2012.pdf
Background Check Authorization:
http://www.gshom.org/docs/flyers/volunteerbackground_check_authorization.doc - This is REQUIRED by GSUSA
for any adult participating in ANY role, even as a chaperone, with the troop.
Health History http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/2010-11_driver_s_guidelines.doc
Driver Forms – if you EVER plan to drive for a field trip:
Privately owned vehicle statement:
http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/2010-11_driver_privately_owned_vehicle_statement_fillable.pdf
Driver’s Guidelines:
http://www.gshom.org/docs/forms/2010-11_driver_s_guidelines.doc