On Wednesday, March 13 we will be heading to Hillcrest Community Centre to skate!
We will meet at the ice rink at Hillcrest Community Centre (4575 Clancy Loranger Way) at 6:00 pm. Pick up will be at 8 pm. 

We’ll be there for two skating events: The Family Fun Hockey from 6 – 6:45 and then the Family Skate from 6:45 – 7:30. We’ll visit the cafe after before your parents pick you up.

For the hockey section, they only allow plastic sticks and pucks, which are provided. Helmets and gloves are required.

Things to bring:

– Skates, helmet and gloves (if you have them)

– Money for admission, rentals and snacks after ($15-20)

– Warm clothes – best to layer in case you get too hot

– Your Pathfinder scarf

Rink fees for the Family Fun Hockey are $6.10, which will also include staying for the Family Skate. Skate rentals are $3.08 each.

Learn more at: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/hillcrest-rink.aspx 

Also, spring cookies are being delivered this Saturday March 16. Cookies sales start Monday March 18. Karla will be sending out an email with pickup options for Spring Break. Stay tuned!

Lastly, save the date – registration for girls returning to the same unit next Guiding year starts Monday April 15.

At tonight’s snow camp prep meeting we spoke a lot about what to bring and how to pack it. Bring layers, waterproof materials and extra toques and gloves. We will be outside in the snow, which will get things wet. Come prepared.

We also discussed things we do not want to see at Snow Camp. Things like:

• Ankles

• Running shoes

• Undone boots

• Cotton

• Rolling suitcases

• Snacks with nuts (some of our friends are allergic)

• Sleeping bags that are not waterproofed

If you need to borrow gear, let Karla know and we will see what we can do. And if you could use a few more appropriate layers, I have found some great gear at second hand stores like Value Village.

If you do need to strap your sleeping pad or sleeping bag to the outside of your pack, here is a video of the classic Girl Guide trick of waterproofing your sleeping bag with a tarp and rope.

And some tips on how to make a sit upon (which can be as easy as putting some newsprint in a plastic bag).

Lastly, here’s a video of Christa’s favourite thing about snow camp (okay, mine too). Looking forward to it!

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It’s that time of the year, where the air is crisp, the wind has wrestled the leaves from the trees and the rains have arrived. 
All the leaves and rain can also lead to neighbourhood flooding as catch basins get blocked, preventing water from getting into the storm water pipes. 

You can help be a neighbourhood hero by adopting a catch basin! Through the City of Vancouver’s website, you can find a catch basin by your house, give it a fun name, and walk by it weekly to see if it needs any maintenance. Over 1,800 catch basins have already been adopted with names like Drainy McDrainface and Grate Expectations. It’s a great opportunity for community service. 

For more information or to adopt a catch basin, visit their website. 

After selling cookies this Wednesday, we will make our way up to Vancouver City Hall to talk about the election. 

Vancouver’s municipal election is happening on Saturday, October 20 but advance voting is open from October 10-17. 
During this election voters will elect:

• 1 mayor and 10 councillors for Vancouver City Council
• 7 commissioners for the Vancouve Board if Parks and Recreation 
• 9 school trustees for Vancouver School Board

How does voting work? Watch out his great How to vote video for more details. 

If you are curious about who is running for office, check out the Plan Your Vote tool that lists every candidate running for office. You can select your voting location and time as well as the candidates you are interested in. This list will be emailed to you so you can bring your voting plan along to the voting station. Check out this guide and see if you can find candidates that are campaigning on an issue that connects with you. 

Although you have to be 18 to vote, this year the City of Vancouver is hosting a kids vote on October 13 and 14. During these advance voting days, youth under 18 can get a special kids votes ballot and get a feel for what it is like to actually vote. Encourage your family to head to the polls together on the weekend so you can participate.
And if you are uncertain what services the city provides, this short video is a good overview. 

For more information on the election visit Vancouver.ca/votes 

At our first meeting of the year, we discussed the actions and behaviours we wanted to foster so we could have a great year together. 

After individual visualization exercise and a small group discussion, we came together as a whole to create a list of agreements. 
Here is what we agreed to:

• Be respectful 
• Include others
• Be kind
• Socialize with new people
• HAVE FUN
• Be prepared
• Participate!
• Wear your uniform

One thing we didn’t discuss, but I would like to suggest we include, is an agreement to “leave no trace.” Not only does this apply to camping behaviour, it also applies to leaving a meeting room how we found it. 

I have no doubt that we will have a successful year together as we follow these agreements! 

The BC Guide House is moving to a new location. To mark the occasion they are looking for designs to make a commemorative crest. Do you have a good idea? Now’s your chance to submit a design. 
The winning crest will be shared with everyone who attends the BC Guide House open house in September. The member with the winning design will get her crest framed as a prize along with some great Girl Guide swag.

To enter the contest, the design must include the following:

• the new trefoil design (check Guides cananda website)
• 2018-2019
• A depiction of a house or building; and
• the words “Grand Opening” and “BC Guide House”.

Submissions in JPEG, TIFF or PDF format should be sent to GuideHouseOpenHouse@bc-girlguides.org no later than Friday June 22, 2018.

It was great to meet everyone at our first meeting, I know we’re going to have a fun year together!

As mentioned at the meeting, if you have a membership pin at home, please bring it to one of the next few meetings. 

Membership pins celebrate the number of years you have been in Guiding. The number on the pin indicates how many years you’ve been in Guiding. You get a new one every year. We’ll hand these out during the enrollment ceremony. 

It is tradition for members to bring in their membership pins from the year before so they can be redistributed to other girls. This helps to keep our costs down, so we can spend our money elsewhere.