Merry Christmas!

Gift Delivery

Although we did not make our goal of 40 sets, we came very close with 27 complete naptime sets of pillows and blankets. We also had enough fabric left over to make an additional 20 pillows. Great job!


We were not allowed to take any pictures of the girls with the students but it was a wonderful sight to see the girls reading to the young children. The girls each read to a single child or two children and they had time to read at least two stories. The teacher was so appreciative and told us she couldn't wait to pick out a special pillow and blanket for each child.

The motto of Camp Fire is to "Give Service." Shi Wa Yu Ma members should feel very proud of themselves.

Dues

Just a friendly reminder, our group dues are $10 per month. Please have your daughter bring her dues to the next regular meeting. We have a record if you need to check if you are caught up or not.

Kiniya delivery, Dec 17th

Our girls have worked so hard to create some wonderful gifts for the Bethune School kindergarteners!

We have arranged a delivery date of Monday, Dec. 17th. We will need to leave school by 2 pm so that the girls can hand deliver their items to the class and read them some stories.

- Please notify your daughter's teacher that they need to leave school early this day and Stephanie or Charlene will be signing them out. We plan on returning to school (meet near cafeteria) by 3:30 - 3:45 pm

- Signed permission slip must be given to Charlene before this day. Charlene will be sending home permission slip through each girl's classroom.

- Each girl should bring a new or gently used story book appropriate for 4-5 year olds that she will be reading to a small group of children. We will then be donating the books to the kindergarten class.

- Uniform is required. If your daughter needs to bring their vest instead of wearing it, make sure it is in their backpack so they can put it on when we leave.

Thank you to Mark Nogawa for the great pictures of Kiniya and the Christmas Parade!

Holiday Party, Dec. 14th

For our Group Holiday party, we will be walking around and looking at the beautiful holiday displays in Naples.

- Meet at cafeteria by 6:30 pm to carpool. There will be enough seats for the girls but additional family members may have to drive themselves.

- Members must be in uniform and please dress warmly, similar to what you wore for the Holiday Parade.

- Bring your signed permission slip or have your parent sign one before they drop you off.

- "Secret Santas" will be revealed. Reminder: Please treat your secret person four times before the party. Do not spend more than $5 per treat.

_ Girls going to the party alone (without additional family members) will be returned home when party is over. (approximately 9 pm or earlier)

Dec. 3rd, Regular meeting

We will have a meeting tomorrow night, Monday Dec 3rd in the the cafeteria.

Members: please make sure to bring your binders because we will be writing in them.

Details about our holiday party which is Friday Dec 14 will be given at this meeting.

Belmont Shore Christmas Parade, Dec 1

This Saturday is the 25th Annual Christmas Parade in Belmont Shore!

- Meet at Quincy Ave and 2nd St. by 5:30 pm
- Members must be in uniform (Blue vest)
- White sweaters or sweatshirts can be worn under vest. (Sweatshirt can be turned inside out to hide any writing)
- Costume: Santa hat and mittens
- Members are to be picked up at by Papalucci's after we walk the route.
Note: the parade will not be over, so PLEASE, when you see us march by, proceed to Papalucci's to pick up your daughter. Parade will continue for approximately another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

If your family is not attending the parade, please contact Mrs. Lichlyter or Mrs. Wynne for carpool arrangements for your Camp Fire member. Members who attend this event will earn the Holiday Parade 2007 patch.

Words to the Camp Fire cheer which is done during the parade:

We are Camp Fire
Yes we are!

We give service
Near and far!

We go camping
Yes we do!
We go camping
All year through!

Sound off...Camp Fire
Sound off...Camp fire
Sound off...Camp Fire

Camp Fire!

Kiniya, Nov. 29th

Kiniya means "To give of yourself, to share"

We are celebrating our service project by joining other groups at the Camp Fire Council on Thursday evening, Nov. 29th for a ceremonial. We will sing songs and show the other groups what we made: naptime blankets and pillows to benefit the Bethune Transitional School for Homeless Children.

- Members must wear uniform, blue vests over any outerwear.
- Costume is a beanie hat and scarf, any color.
- Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and bring a working flashlight. Also, you will probably need your sweatshirt as it will get chilly.
- Meet at the flagpole (in Shiwaka) no later than 5:30 pm
- Family members will then walk straight back to the amphitheater with blankets and folding chairs. Groups will enter during ceremonial.
- Please quiet any electronic devices or cell phones as this is disruptive during the ceremony.

After the ceremony, make sure to head to the Lodge to see the projects that other groups completed.

Members who attend this event will earn the Kiniya patch. These emblems are usually specially handmade by the older Horizon club members.

Any questions, please contact Mrs. Wynne.

Astronomy Fun on a Friday Night

planetarium07, originally uploaded by slichly.

We had quite a turnout for the field trip! Thanks to the adults for carpooling and helping to chaperone.

If you would like more information from the show, click here.

Be on the look-out for the constellation, Orion. If you are awake at 3 in the morning, look to the Eastern sky this weekend and you might see some meteors from the Leonid meteor shower!

Shi Wa Yu Ma members who attended both the Fall Camp-out and The Planetarium field trip have earned their Trail to the Future patch! If you missed one of the events, please see Mrs. Lichlyter for a make-up lesson.

Update for Planetarium field trip

- Girls must wear their uniform.
- Meet at Lichlyter's house no later than 6:30 pm
- $1 per person if not paid already

Christmas STARS for sick children

Make a sick child’s holidays brighter! STARS are now available at Camp Fire Headquarters. Go to the Council Office, pick a star and put your name next to the child’s name. Then buy or make a gift that is age-appropriate and return the gift to the Council Office by Dec 3rd. Our gifts will be sent to Miller’s Children’s Hospital in Long Beach. These gifts will really help make a sick child feel special during the holidays. Any member of Shi Wa Yu Ma who completes this task will earn a yellow bead. Make sure to record it in your Bead Book. If you don’t know how to record individual beads, please ask Mrs. Lichlyter.

Planetarium etiquette

I copied the following information from Professor Seligman's website. Please read this rules before the field trip this Friday night.

Important Information / Planetarium Etiquette

Individuals with back or neck problems should wait until theater style seating is installed (in late 2007) to attend planetarium presentations, as the chairs currently in use may exacerbate those problems.

On-campus parking requires an LBCC parking permit (regular or 1-day; see http://cseligman.com/planetarium/visit.htm#parking).

Donation envelopes are available at the door for those who wish to make a donation to the LBCC Foundation, which provided most of the funds for the planetarium. There is no requirement that you make a donation; but if you choose to do so, please indicate account #1156 on your check or donation envelope to show that it was in connection with a planetarium show.

Reserved seating begins twenty minutes before the program. Individuals without reservations may be seated at the same time, if there are unreserved seats.

Standby seating (reservation no-shows) begins five to ten minutes before the program.

During full-dome presentations, the planetarium is completely darkened. As a result, there is no entry during planetarium presentations. If necessary, you may leave the planetarium, but you will not be able to return until the show is over. Also, all laptops, cell phones, and other devices which emit light must be turned off.

No food or drink is allowed in the planetarium, save for bottled water.

For planetarium presentations, the best seating is toward the back of the room, but inside the circular footprint of the dome, near the central aisle. If you can comfortably view the top of the dome and the area above the operator's console, you should have a good view.

No photography is allowed during presentations. The deliberate or inadvertant use of flash photography not only spoils the show for everyone else, but is completely pointless. All that a flash photograph shows is the blank white dome that is visible when the lights are on.

Bead Fair update

In addition to the Bead Fair (9:30 am - 12:30pm), we will have a picnic lunch afterwards. Please send each girl to the Bead Fair with a sack lunch and drink. Please contact Charlene or Stephanie to confirm pick-up at the park (around 2 pm) or if your child needs a ride home.

Mary McLeod Bethune Transitional Center

I found an interesting article about the Mary McLeod Bethune Transitional Center for Homeless Students, which is the center we are making naptime pillows and cuddle blankets for. It is a newer school in the Long Beach Unified School District system. Click here for the article.

We figured out at the last meeting that a yard of fleece makes one blanket and pillow. Any donations of fleece for this project would be greatly appreciated. Please bring it to our next meeting, Nov. 19th in the cafeteria.

Planetarium, Nov 16th

The Planetarium field trip is Friday night, Nov. 16th. Meet at the Lichlyter's house no later than 6:30 pm to carpool. We are going to LBCC and seating begins at 7 pm. Please let Stephanie know how many from your family are attending. The cost will be $1 per person that is donated to the City College Foundation that runs the department.

Here's a link by the Professor in charge: LBCC Planetarium

Bead Fair, Nov 12th

The Adventure Level Bead Fair will be at the Council On Monday, Nov 12th from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm. During this fun event, the girls will attend different stations set up to teach or show them a new skill, habit or information. On average, they earn 6 to 7 beads. This is a public school holiday. You may drop off your daughter at the Council, but we can always use a few more helping hands for any parents that would like to assist. If dropping off, please make sure either Charlene or Stephanie are aware. The event price is covered by the group account.

Welcome!

Welcome to our little spot on the web. This site is made for the use of families that belong to Camp Fire USA #100, Shi Wa Yu Ma. Posts will include schedule information, activity, history information and occasional photos. Please check periodically for updates and links to helpful sites.