January 9 – Cookie Ordering Website Opens for Spring 2009 Classic Campaign

Jan. 14th – Feb. 2nd Web Forms for the Spring 2009 Classic Cookies To be Completed

January 15, 2009 – Summer Camp Camp Director applications are due

January 21 – Cookie Ordering Website Closes for Spring 2009 Classic Campaign

January 31 – Summer Camp Employment Applications due

February 5, 2009 – Communities 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 to send Dominica Twinning Project items to their Community Office for shipment to Dominica. For more information click here http://www.guidesontario.org/formembers/twinning.htm.

February 28 – Summer Camp Volunteer Applications Encouraged to be in

March 13th - Deliveries for the Spring 2009 Classic Cookies Begin

April 20, 2009, 4pm – due date for applications for 2010 Australian Centenary Event to provincial office. (GGC, Ontario Council, Attn. Program Admin Asst, 14 Birch Ave. Toronto ON M4V 1C8) For more information click here.http://www.guidesontario.org/formembers/international.htm#B1 Provincial level screening for this event for both girl and Guider applicants will occur and Guider interviews will be conducted in late April.

April 6th - Deliveries for the Spring 2009 Classic Cookie Ends (Ordering website opens January 9th)

May 2, 2009 – Girl Guide “Cookie Day” at Sears

May 19th - Payment is due to Province for the Spring 2009 Classic Cookies

2009 Provincial Recognition Ceremonies
Saturday, June 13th - Chatham
Sunday, June 14th - Burlington
Saturday October 17 th - Barrie
Sunday October 18 th - Markham
Saturday November 14 th - Peterborough
Sunday November 15 th - Kingston

Guiding Mosaic 2010
February 28th 2010 is the deadline to register - Register today!
(http://www.multisoftevents.com/girlguides/)

Thinking Day Patches will be available by late January at the E-store, the Mississauga and Ottawa stores.

IT’S HERE!
The Sing-a-long for Sparks and Brownies CD (Code: 159129, Price: $7.95, plus GST & PST) is now for sale at the Guide Stores or through the e-store at www.thegirlguidestore.ca. Just look under Books and Resources, Song/Activity/Resources. Want to hear what the CD sounds like? It is just a click away – http://www.guidesontario.org/about/guiding_songs.htm
Spark and Brownie Guiders – It’s Here!

The Summer Camps are gearing up for business!
• We’re excited and prepared for the thousands of girls who will join us at our Ontario Summer Camps: Adelaide, Bryerswood, Doe Lake, Keewaydin, Kiawa, Kienuka, Polly Lake, Waupoos, Woolsey, Wyoka.
• At the end of January a print brochure will be mailed to each girl member’s household. Multiple girl families will receive one brochure.
• Girls who are current Guiding members will receive a discount on their camp fees and are eligible for financial assistance.
• Adult members will get an email about our Summer Camps with a link to the revised web pages.
• Families will be able to register by mail, fax or on-line (on-line registration available Feb 2nd).
• Information Nights are being booked throughout Ontario to share information about the Summer Camps. The first hour is dedicated to families and campers. The second hour is scheduled to discuss volunteering opportunities. A full list of these nights will be available on the Summer Camps web pages.
• This winter, each unit will receive a package containing a CD about Girl Guide Summer Camps and a branch specific plan for a winter meeting night. We hope that units will support our summer camps by holding this indoor 'camp' meeting, showing the CD and encourage the girls to consider a GGC camp this summer. If you do not hold the 'camp' meeting or don't have the equipment to show the CD, please let the parents know that the CD can be provided on loan to view at home.
• There are many paid and volunteer opportunities available at our summer camps. Please help us to spread the word. Applications are available at http://www.guidesontario.org/camping/summercamp_2009.htm

Guiding Mosaic 2010 – Only 1.5 years away!
The national cornerstone event of the100th anniversary of Guiding will be the international camp Guiding Mosaic 2010.Click here to check for updates. This will be an amazing event that will be open to Guides and Pathfinders who have birth years between 1995 - 1998, and Rangers who have birth years between 1992 – 1995.
GM2010 is open to all girls, rangers, Trex and adult members from Canada and around the world. GM2010 is a fantastic ‘Bring-A-Friend’ opportunity do you have a friend that you would like to showcase girl guides to? This is your chance to show her how amazing Girl Guides can be. There will be spots for 3000 participants including girls from Canada and around the world.

Volunteer:
Continue to watch http://www.guidingmosaic.com/ under ‘Volunteerism' and the new ‘Ranger and Trex in Action’ page which highlights Ranger/Trex volunteer opportunities, fill out an application and send to guidingmosaic2010@girlguides.ca.You can also link to GM2010 from the National website http://www.girlguides.ca/ under ‘Volunteer Opportunities' for new volunteer postings.

Register:
Register today (www.guidingmosaic.com) to be an individual participant/patrol, once you have paid your 1st installment and sent in your paperwork to the National Events Dept. you will be given access to the social networking site and be able to pick an avatar and full access to a special section of the GM2010 website! This special “registrants only” site allows you:
• to search for and talk to friends
• post on the forums
• ask questions
• tell the GM2010 Team Leaders what you want to see at Guiding Mosaic 2010

Provincial Support for Travel:
Ontario Council will provide financial support for girls and Guiders across the province to travel to GM2010 according to Ontario Procedure. The procedures including criteria and guidelines around travel will be provided at a later date.

Environment
Starting your spring planning? Consider an environmentally friendly activity! Girls love going outside, getting their hands dirty, and making a difference!

Participate in Earth hour – Earth hour takes place Saturday March 28th 2009, but you can participate whenever your unit meets by unplugging and having a fun, energy conserving meeting in the dark! For more information or to register as participants, check out:
http://www.earthhour.org/

Spread awareness about protecting your water from pollutants by participating in Yellow Fish Road. Mark the drains in your neighbourhood with painted fish and hand out informative flyers to the neighbourhood.
http://www.yellowfishroad.org/

Pick your own environmentally friendly project to participate in! You can plant a garden, clean up a greenspace, start a recycling project, or help tidy up some nature trails. Your girls can decide what project is needed in your community. Complete the Environment Service Project Financial Assistance Application and you could receive up to $250 to fund your unit’s service project and make a difference in your own community! For details and the application form, click here: http://www.guidesontario.org/forms/Environmental%20Service%20
Proj%20Appl%20form%20OCT%2008.pdf

Endangered Species
Do you know where the largest amounts of endangered species live in Ontario?
80% of the endangered species live in the GTA. To learn more about this topic check out this link - http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/index.html

Use Your Resources Wisely! Use Resource Guiders
Wondering what to do with your girls in those dreary winter months? Have a resource guider come in and teach your unit something new! Here is just a sample of available activities.

If your region doesn’t have Resource Guiders yet, spread the word and ask your local Guiders with special skills to sign up. Help us build an excellent network of local resources. Talents are for sharing, sign up to share yours today!

To see our complete listing of Resource Guiders, or to become a Resource Guider and share your skills with others click here: http://www.guidesontario.org/formembers/resource_guiders.htm

Bright Idea for this Month - Brownies
Thanks go to Val Foster of Grand Valley for this Bright Idea! Click here to view.

World Thinking Day – February 22, 2009 - The World Thinking Day 2009 website: http://www.worldthinkingday.com/en/home has now been launched. For 2009, the World Thinking Day theme is girls worldwide say “stop the spread of AIDS, malaria and other diseases”. The downloadable activities on the website are divided into three sections:
• HIV and AIDS
• Malaria
• Other diseases (pneumonia, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and measles)

The website also contains fact sheets with information on these diseases and new fundraising ideas to help you raise money on World Thinking Day and information on postcard exchange.

The 2009 theme is linked to the new Global Action Theme of “girls worldwide say…together we can change our world.” The theme encourages girls and young women to make a personal commitment to change the world around them and affirms WAGGGS’ commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Have Fun with Guiding Heritage!
The Archives volunteers have prepared some resources for Brownie and Guide leaders to use with their units. As a lead-up to our 100th Anniversary in 2010, you might want to get your girls “in the mood” with these heritage activities!
If you are interested in booking any of these items, or if you require further information, please contact archives.adviser@guidesontario.org and we will make arrangements with you directly.

1. HERITAGE UNIFORMS FOR RENT
• 32 Guide uniforms, dating from 1910 – 1987
• 32 Brownie uniforms dating from 1914-1993
• 45 adult uniforms dating from 1910 to 1994.

The rental fee for uniforms is $10 each or 10 for $70. The fee covers return postage, handling, and any necessary repairs and cleaning upon return. Order what you need and enjoy a heritage “dress up” with the girls. Then pack up the uniforms, seal the box, apply the label and postage, and send it back. Simple!

2. HERITAGE PROGRAM BOXES – Guides and Brownies

It’s a meeting in a box with a range of activities from the past! The girls will learn what Brownies and Guides did in their grandmothers’ day. The Guider’s Packet in each box explains the activities, and shows how they relate to today’s program. All games and activities are intended to support the Guide or Brownie program now, as in the past.

Included in the box are stalking games, bean bag games, observation and memory games, badge bingo (highlighting badges of 50 years ago), a semaphore craft, a heritage uniform for the girls to model, instructions on how to tie the uniform tie, and extra ties for the girls to practice the skill they needed to know in grandma’s time. Some of the activities can be done as a group, and some lend themselves to a round-robin format. There is more material than could be used in a single meeting, so Guiders can choose the activities that they think their group would enjoy the most.

The charge to rent a box is $20. This charge will cover return shipping to and from Toronto, and replacement of craft supplies that are used by the unit. An additional charge will be levied for damaged or missing items as necessary after the box is returned.

Congratulations to Lisa Howard, a Leader with the 1st Caledon East Guides and winner of the ONLine Found It! contest for December!

Community Chatter and Trefoil Tidbits will now be featured on the Provincial website rather than ONLine. Each month this will be updated to showcase that month’s “community news.” You can find this on the “News and Publications” section of the Provincial website - http://www.guidesontario.org/formembers/newspublications.htm

Note: A hard copy of the ONLine is mailed to UNITS without e-mail, not individuals. Please be sure to share info with other Guiders within your Unit.

Perhaps she has her filter set too high on her computer and the ONLine delivery is blocked. The ONLine is a bulk e-mail and therefore may be landing in the “Junk E-mail” box, so please suggest she check there!

Perhaps we have an out of date e-mail address for her in iMIS and she can update it as follows:
Unit Guider – contact the Unit Administrator in your Community. Link or
Member at Large – contact imis.coord@guidesontario.org (416-920-6666 Ext. 2431). Trefoil Members contact adult.admin@guidesontario.org

You may access the PDF form at http://www.guidesontario.org/forMembers/newspublications.htm

Having trouble opening PDF links?
Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universally accepted format that allows us to capture and view robust information—from any application, on any computer system—and share it with anyone around the world. If you are having trouble opening the PDF files included with ONLine, please consider upgrading your version of Adobe Reader for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

ONLine Feedback
We hope you enjoyed this edition of ONLine! As it is our intent to produce this publication monthly, we're seeking feedback. Pease tell us what you liked, disliked or would like to see in future issues. Drop our Communications Coordinator an e-mail and share your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.

Would you like to feature something in next month's issue of ONLine? If yes, please send your article to the Communications Coordinator no later than Monday, January 19 for consideration.
Articles received after the deadline date will be saved for publication in the following month’s issue. Thank you for understanding.

 

ONLine January issue 2009            www.guidesontario.org            Toll free: 1-877-323-4545