Help Spread the Word about Girl Scouts
The No. 1 reason girls join Girl Scouts is because a friend invited them. Can you help spread the word? The GSCO blog has simple ways (like posting on your local Facebook groups or hosting a Zoom Robot-Building party for the kindergartners in your neighborhood) you can help new girls get connected to Girl Scouts.
Girls can also earn points toward a sloth Make New Friends patch (it fits together with the renewal patch!) by participating in fun and simple challenges that help get the word out and encourage other girls to join Girl Scouts. Check the blog for details!
Girls can also invite friends to join Girl Scouts and participate in one of our awesome virtual programs. Our clubs are a great way to participate in activities together and then meet separately, either in-person or virtually, to celebrate what you learned.
Happy Girl Scout New Year!
All girls renewed for the 2021 Membership Year before October 1, can request a free Renewed Girl Scout patch. Troop leaders may request patches for all renewed members of your troop. Deadline to request patch is November 2.
Want to make sure you have a fun and engaging year? Have your girls use our new year planners to choose what activities they want to do this year.
Leaders- want to see what is coming for 2020-2021? Check out the Program and Training Guide on the GSCO Blog. (Pro Tip: Subscribe to get a weekly summary of blog posts).
Highest Awards
Girl Scouts of Colorado is so proud to announce Julia Trujillo of Arvada is a 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scout! Every year GSUSA chooses 10 girls nationally through an extensive selection process to earn a $20,000 scholarship to the college of their choice and the distinct honor of being a National Gold Award Girl Scout. We have many ways to celebrate Julia and allow girls to connect directly with her. Check out our blog for more information!
As a reminder, GSUSA has given all troops a three-month extension to complete the Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards in 2020. Troops and girls now have until December 31 to complete their projects and submit the Bronze and Silver Notification form.
Have girls who are working on their Gold Award projects? Remember to have them email Highest Awards Manager, Kaitie LoDolce, when they submit their initial proposals through Go Gold. Girls and troop leaders are encouraged to reach out to Kaitie LoDolce at any stage of their projects for help at highestawards@gscolorado.org.
Learn More
COVID-19 Update
GSUSA has updated its guidance for in-person gatherings and now requires a health screening questionnaire to be filled out and signed by the caregiver on the day of an in-person meeting or activity. If a participant answers “yes” to any of the questions, they should not attend the in-person activity. Troop volunteers can distribute paper forms to families and collect them at the event or share the link to the PDF and ask families to email it before the event. The forms do not need to be collected by GSCO, however troop volunteers should save paper or electronic files for one year.
There are also updates to face covering and carpooling sections of the COVID Guidance for Volunteers. Be sure to check the COVID page on the website for the most recent information. (You can also get there by clicking the pink banner on the home page.)
Zoom Licenses for Troops and Service Units
Troops and service units can now purchase a discounted license for Zoom accounts through gsZoom. Zoom Licenses are $37 a year for each license ($36 for the license, $1 for CC fees). A year is defined as 12 months from the time the volunteer purchases the license.
Complete this form to purchase.
Holding meetings virtually? Check out our Resources to Meet Virtually including ice breakers and how-to videos on ways to adapt steps from specific badges and Journeys.
Subscribe to Our New Trefoil Trunks!
Subscribe to Trefoil Trunks before October 31 to have your girl get her first trunk in November!
Does your girl love to get surprises in the mail? Of course, who doesn’t?! Girl Scouts of Colorado has a new subscription pack that families can purchase, or girls can be reimbursed if they use their Cookie Credits.
Each month girls will receive a program level specific pack that contains:
- Two activities with materials that are connected to a badge or Girl Scout theme
- A fun Girl Scout item
- A fun patch
- A printed information pamphlet
- Access to additional activities to complete virtually
- And other fun surprises!
At this time, subscriptions will be either three months or six months at $29.99 per month.
For information on how to subscribe visit: www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/trefoil-trunks
Questions? Contact GirlExperience@gscolorado.org
Trailblazers and Mariners
Calling all outdoor enthusiasts! Do you have an older girl troop craving to do more in the outdoors? Or are you an adult volunteer who wants to get girls engaged in high adventure activities outdoors? Well, we now have the perfect troop programs for you: Trailblazers and Mariners. Both troop experiences encourage girls to participate in all the things we love about the Girl Scout program, but through an outdoor lens.
Questions? Contact GirlExperience@gscolorado.org.
Learn More
Fall Product Program Update
Shipped nuts and candies, as well as magazine orders, are available until Monday, October 26 at 8 p.m., when the Fall Product Program ends.
Reaching Goals Before the Program Wraps Up:
There’s still time to participate through the M2 girl storefront! Girl Scouts sending emails to customers can share the following information:
- Magazines have no shipping cost and make great holiday gifts. There are hundreds of options at reasonable prices.
- Care-to-Share has no shipping cost and goes directly to the military to show our appreciation. Troops earn $1 in proceeds for every Care-to-Share donation.
- Direct ship nut and candy treats also make great gifts and help troops fund adventures and activities throughout the year.
- The troop earns 13% of magazine subscriptions and $1 in proceeds for every item sold.
Girl Rewards
Wednesday, October 28 at 8 p.m. is the reward selection deadline. Girls and caregivers or TFPMs can select girl reward options in the M2 operating system (M2OS).
Pro Tip: If girls/caregivers have not selected between an item or Cookie Credits by the deadline, TFPMs should choose the item. GSCO can always change it to Cookie Credits if that’s what the girl prefers. Girl reward orders are placed based on number of items selected; it is usually not possible to provide an item if it was not selected.
Close-Out Support
Families, troop and service unit fall product managers can review step-by-step close-out information in the Fall Product Program guides. All the guides are available on the Fall Product Program page.
Before the close-out and reward deadlines, look for short demo videos on the GSCO Facebook page and YouTube channel, on how to select girl rewards and pull and save reports in the M2 operating system as well.
2021 Cookie Program Update
We want to reassure you the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie Program is happening! We’ve got this! We are Girl Scouts. When presented with a challenge, we rise to the occasion and we – girls, families, volunteers, and GSCO staff – are doing that right now.
GSCO is working with Little Brownie Bakers, GSUSA, and our key volunteers, as we consider girl and adult safety and the uncertainties before us. Know that for the 2021 cookie season, the core aspects of the Girl Scout Cookie Program will be the same, but how some things are done will be a bit different.
eBudde will open in early November to approved service unit cookie managers and troop cookie managers (SUCMs and TCMs). Complete a TCM agreement and make sure your troop has submitted a 2020-2021 ACH form.
Service unit training will start mid-November. TCM training will begin in December. More detailed “just-in-time” training and information will be shared leading up to the start of the program in January and continue through February and March.
Look for more updates soon on the GSCO blog, website, and Facebook page.
Adult Programming/gsLearn
In November the Explore More Club is exploring the topic of hobbies, based off the girl Cooking, Science and Technology badges! The Explore More Club is an adult program for our volunteers.
Volunteer Experience
We ‘re getting an upgrade! In late November, the myGS tab on our website will be inaccessible for eight business days for a system update. You will be unable to access your Member Profile, the Volunteer Toolkit, and gsLearn. Please look for more communication in the coming weeks.
Volunteer Essentials/Safety Activity Checkpoints Update
Every year we update our critical volunteer resources: Volunteer Essentials and Safety Activity Checkpoints. As some policies may have changed, you are encouraged to review these resources periodically to make sure you are up to date.
We also have a new process for council approval for activities, events, and trips held by troops and service units. Activities that require prior approval include:
- Any troop or service unit hosting a money earning event or activity.
- Any overnight or travel experience.
- Any high-risk activity that requires approval per the Safety Activity Checkpoints.
Please complete the Activity and Event Approval Form at least 30 days prior to your event, activity or trip. Be aware that additional insurance may be required for your activity, event, or trip. Review the Insurance section of Volunteer Essentials for more information. Email insurance@gscolorado.org to purchase additional insurance.
Latinx Engagement
Check out these upcoming events including new patch programs, Engage Hispanic Families Series for Troop Leaders, and Latinas Taking the Lead workshops! To register for upcoming events please check out the events on the GSCO events page. All programs are run bilingual in Spanish and English. Do you have any questions? Please reach out to Korina Padilla at espanol@gscolorado.org.
GSCO Get Outdoors Challenge Patch
We are excited to release the new GSCO Get Outdoors Challenge Patch! This is a checklist challenge full of fun outdoor activities for each season. Challenge yourself to Get Outdoors and complete the required number of activities at each Girl Scout level to earn the patch; one for the fall/winter season and one for the spring/summer season.
Learn More
International Day of the Girl Videos
October 11 was International Day of the Girl! This year’s theme was “My Voice, our equal future.” Girl Scouts of Colorado asked women leaders, “How do you raise the voices of women and girls?”. Check out our two compilation videos to see how women leaders in Colorado answered this important question.
October is Civics Month at GSCO
While we hope Girl Scouts are civically engaged throughout the year, we are excited to focus our virtual program offerings this October on civics, citizenship, and democracy!
We also organized several opportunities for girls to learn about women in government in Colorado, women who advocate for a living for Girl Scouts nationally, and women who work tirelessly to keep everyone civically engaged and vote at every opportunity.
2021 Activity Guides for World Thinking Day and Global Action Awards now available
Start planning now for your Girl Scout’s 2021 World Thinking Day and Global Action Awards! Activity guides are now available for 2021 for all Girl Scout levels. 2021 activity guides for the World Thinking Day Award and Global Action Award are now available online and in the Volunteer Toolkit. The 2021 World Thinking Day theme is “peacebuilding.” In 2021, the Global Action Award focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.
Volunteer Opportunity – Global Action Team
Are you passionate about Girl Scouts? Are you passionate about learning about other cultures and the world beyond the United States? The Global Action Team invites you to join them!
The concept of “global” is present in everything Girl Scouts do. From earning your Violet Petal as a Daisy and learning how to be a sister to every Girl Scout to celebrating World Thinking Day to completing the Justice Journey as an Ambassador and exploring global environmental issues. The mission of the Global Action Team is to bring awareness of and create action steps on global issues that impact the lives of girls and women to make the world a better place through the worldwide sisterhood.
Upcoming Events
Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthday Celebration
October 31 –12 p.m.
We will play some party games, learn about Juliette, giggle with fellow Girl Scout sisters, and participate in a rededication ceremony.
Girl Scout Juniors are invited to Girl Scout Engineering Day with CO School of Mines
Saturday, November 14 — 9 – 11 a.m.
Hybrid Take Home/Virtual
The Society of Women Engineers at Colorado School of Mines is thrilled to invite Girl Scout Juniors to participate in their annual Girl Scout Engineering Day on Saturday, November 14! This year, the program is virtual, and girls have the option to order a supply kit in advance or gather their own supplies. This virtual exploration of science and engineering will consist of a variety of STEM activities and a short panel discussion.
NEW GSUSA National Service Project – Promote the Vote
Since Girl Scouts’ founding in 1912, our members have created lasting, positive change through advocacy and civic action. And though some girls may be too young to cast a ballot, they can still mobilize their communities to take action like a Girl Scout.
As we mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which removed the gender restriction to voting, Girl Scouts is launching a national “Promote the Vote” initiative to engage Girl Scout troops in the democratic process.
Voting is arguably our most important civic duty—but barriers still exist. In many parts of the country, voting laws and protocols make it difficult for many people, especially people of color, to cast their votes in local and federal elections. In other words, there’s work to be done—and girls can play a part!
GSUSA Virtual Calendar
Check out awesome virtual experiences for Girl Scouts of all ages from Girl Scouts of the USA. You can also access past recordings through this calendar.
