Parent Information Sheet

2018-2019

Hello Parents!  For those of you just joining us, welcome! And to those returning, we’re so glad to see you back again for another fun and exciting year of American Heritage Girls!

For those not familiar, AHG was founded in 1995 and now boasts over 1000 troops in all 50 states.  AHG was founded as an alternative scouting and character-building organization rooted in faith and love of God.

The Mission of American Heritage Girls is

“Building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.”  

During the course of the year we strive to fulfill the Oath

“I promise to Love God, Cherish my Family, Honor my Country, and Serve in my Community”   

and Creed

“As an American Heritage Girl I promise to be: Compassionate, Helpful, Honest, Loyal, Perseverant, Pure, Resourceful, Respectful, Responsible and Reverent”

of American Heritage Girls.

We are Troop KS3130.  KS is for Kansas and 3130 is the number we chose when we formed our troop, taken from Proverbs 31:30:

“Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Charter

This marks the beginning of our 6th year at Ascension.  Church of the Ascension is our Charter Organization, meaning they partner with our troop for anything we might need – resources, recruitment, conflict resolution oversight, etc.  Our pastor, Monsignor Tom Tank, is the biggest supporter and champion of our troop and was instrumental in bringing AHG to our parish.  Our Charter Representative is Dawnlee Maurer, the Parish Life Coordinator in the parish office.  Dawnlee sits on the Troop Board and provides us with any support we may need from the parish.  

Levels/Program Emphasis

There are 5 levels of membership in AHG.  Each girl automatically progresses as she ages:

• Pathfinder (Kindergarten/Age 5)
• Tenderheart (Grades 1-3)
• Explorer (Grades 4-6)
• Pioneer (Grades 7-8)
• Patriot (Grades 9-12)

American Heritage Girls provides six program emphases to assist each troop in building our girls into women of integrity:

• Life Skill Enhancement (primarily through badge work in the areas of Heritage, Family Living, Arts, Outdoor Skills, Personal Well-Being, and Science & Technology)
• Developing Teamwork and Building Confidence
• Social Development
• Girl Leadership
• Character Development
• Spiritual Development

These are achieved at meetings, on field trips, through service projects, while camping, and during prayer.

Meetings

Our whole troop meetings are held once monthly on the 2nd Thursday.  Each meeting will begin with flag ceremony and prayer.  Plan to arrive at 6:00 p.m. so that we may begin promptly at 6:15 p.m.  This year our dismissal time is 7:30. Please arrive by 7:25 for announcements. We will dismiss by grade level.

We will continue to celebrate Loyalty, Respect and Responsibility (part of the AHG Creed) this year by rewarding prompt attendance at our activities.  At each meeting the girls who arrive prior to the meeting start time will each receive an entry into a drawing for a prize.  This prize drawing ends promptly at 6:15 p.m.  Twice each year we will have an additional drawing from those names not previously chosen for a larger prize.  This always creates a lot of fun and excitement for our girls!  Don’t let being late discourage you from attending though – we want to see your beautiful faces at every meeting!

Badges (for Tenderheart and up)

We will be earning at least three badges this year to promote Life Skill Enhancement.  All Units are earning Social Skills & Etiquette (Personal Well-Being) and Puppetry (Arts) and each unit’s leader will pick a badge of their own choosing work on.  Most of the work on these badges will be completed during our meetings, however from time-to-time, especially for the Explorers, there may be a bring-home assignment or two to complete and bring back.  While we do ask that you take the “homework” seriously, we also want you to know the work should be fun and not bog you down!  Unit Leaders will communicate with you directly on any take-home work.  

There may also be field trips required to complete the badges.  Puppetry requires seeing a puppet show and speaking with a puppeteer, so we will be visiting Stone Lion Puppet Theater at the Grandview Library in January.

Faith

AHG believes that Spiritual development is important as it guides us to acknowledge the gifts the girls possess, nurture them and encourage them to exemplify them in everyday life as they grow to serve the Lord however He calls them. Our troop will accomplish this through:

• Service to the community, each other and our families
• Completing the Fatima patch as a troop
• Weave the gift of our Catholic Christian faith into our meetings and activities through prayer, devotions, acts of kindness, Christian friendship, fellowship and formation

Service

Pathfinders (kindergarten) get a bead for participating in service projects. Tenderhearts (Gr 1-3) are asked to serve 5 hours per year, Explorers (Gr 4-6) serve 10, and Pioneers (Gr 7-8) serve 15.  The opportunities our troop is coordinating will allow the Tenderhearts to achieve above and beyond their hours, and the Explorers to achieve most.  The calendar shows the events we already have planned, and we will add more as the year continues and new opportunities to serve arise.  We encourage our girls to serve outside of the troop as well, and if they do, to fill out one of our service hours forms (to be emailed out) and turn it in at our meetings to be recorded into TroopTrack. If you need help with ideas and resources for serving let us know as we have many to share. Girls earn Service Stars that are worn on the vest representing each set of hours they complete at their level.  These are presented at Awards Ceremonies.  While service to family is not discouraged, we do ask that you find a way to serve outside of the family unit.  This encourages the girls, even the youngest ones, to look towards the rest of the world to see the face of Jesus and serve them as He did.

Religious Awards & Programs

 AHG is developing a new religious award we will offer once it’s rolled out (hopefully January 2019). As a troop we will work on a prayer patch and hopefully participate in an intertroop adoration. We will talk about tying each badge into our faith.

Pathfinders (Kindergarten/5 year old)

The Pathfinder program runs a bit differently from the rest of the troop.  The girls still attend all meetings and most activities, however instead of earning badges they will learn about the AHG Oath, Creed, Program Emphases, learn some Bible verses, and earn beads for their necklace along the way by doing so.  It’s a wonderful way to introduce the girls (and their families) to AHG and get them excited to become Tenderhearts the next year.  They are not required to attend any events other than Troop Meetings, however participation in all troop activities is highly encouraged.

Family Assistance

This year we are asking at least one parent of each family to become a registered adult for the safety of the girls in our troop and to help with outdoor activites.

AHG is a family-centered and family-driven organization.  The Troop Board (Coordinator, Vice-Coordinator, Shepherd and Treasurer) along with the Unit Leaders do the majority of the planning and organization for the year, but we absolutely cannot carry it out without the help of our families.  We expect our families to be very supportive of our troop, not only financially and by providing transportation for your daughter to and from meetings and activities, but also by helping in other various areas of ministry.  The Board and Unit Leaders already put countless hours of planning and execution into the business of the troop, and so we ask our parents to fill one volunteer role during the year to take some of the burden off of them.  Please prayerfully consider which of the volunteer spots work best for your family.

There is a supplemental list of volunteer spots we currently have need for in our troop.  Some require attendance at meetings, some can be done anywhere, anytime within a certain time frame.  Certain roles, due to the nature of involvement with the girls, finances, or the organization as a whole, require full Adult Membership in our troop.  This includes registering yourself, allowing AHG to perform a background check, paying the $26 registration fee and completing KEYS to Child Safety training.  We also ask that all involved parents be Virtus trained.  (For more information visit the Archdiocese website at www.archkck.org).  

Any spots that are not filled means either the work gets added back on the Board/Unit Leaders workload or the activity/task does not get done at all and the girls miss out on that opportunity.  You may sign up for a particular spot tonight at this Parent Meeting or contact the Troop Coordinator (LeeAnn) for further information.

We also ask all families to complete a Family Talents Survey. There is a link on the FAQ page. This allows the Board & Leaders to see what resources we have within the families of our troop in the hopes that we may utilize the vast talents and charisms our families have to offer

Dues

The dues to join our troop are currently $100 for the all girls.  Uniform & handbook costs (if needed) are additional for Tenderheart and up.  This covers most of the National AHG required fees along with some supplies and unit costs.

Troop Policy & Guidelines

One of the other set of materials you are receiving today is a copy of the Troop Policy & Guidelines.  Please take the time to read through this handbook to understand policies and procedures both from National AHG offices and from the Church of the Ascension.  The last page of the document is a form to sign stating you’ve read the document and agree to support the troop its mission.  Please be sure to turn this form in along with the Health Form and your dues.

Registration

To make it easy on you, below are the steps that must be completed to fully register your daughter in AHG:

1. Register online.  You can do this by going to www.ks3130.com.  Next choose “Request to Join this Troop”.  Or you may send an email to info@ks3130.com with your name and email and I will send you an invitation to join.  An email will automatically be sent to returning members.  NEW MEMBERS: Once you online register the remaining forms will be emailed to you.
2. Pay the dues of $100 to the troop.  When you register online you will not make any form of payment online at that time.  All payments must be filtered through the troop.  The amount for the 2018-2019 year is $100 per girl (if you have 3 or more sisters to join, please see Troop Coordinator as less is owed due to a “sister cap”).  Cash and checks made payable to AHG KS3130 are accepted. Pay $26 for each registered adult. One check is ok.
3. Complete the Girl Health & Medical History Form (High Adventure portion not required) and turn it into the troop.
4. Sign the signature page of the Troop Handbook and turn it in.
5. Complete your Family Talent survey online.

All forms and payment must be turned by our first meeting on September 13th to Kristi Slay, our Treasurer.  Please be sure you have registered online before turning any other paperwork in.  If you’re still unsure if AHG is right for your daughter and your family you may certainly attend without registering.  However you must stay at the meeting with your daughter and we do have a cap of one “visit” per family.  

{Helpful Tip:  To attend camp and participate in activities such as horseback riding and canoeing GIRLS AND ADULTS must have an AHG High Adventure Form completed and signed by a physician.  We don’t need this for regular troop activities but this will be needed in these cases.  So before your daughter’s or your/your spouse’s next well-visit have this form ready and have your doctor sign off at the appointment.  That way you have the form ready whenever you need it!  Forms are only good within AHG for 1 year from the signed date.}

Uniforms

If you are new to AHG or your daughter has moved up to the next level you will also need to purchase a uniform for your daughter.  You can purchase one yourself at www.americanheritagegirls.org/store or you may participate in our bulk order to be placed on August 27.  If you are transferring from another AHG troop and your daughter is remaining in same level you will only need to purchase new numbers (3130) to replace your old troop numbers.  The costs are broken down below (all amounts are before taxes and shipping costs):

• Brand new to AHG Tenderheart (grades 1-3) or Explorer (grades 4-6)
  • Option 1 Full package
    • Vest, neckerchief, AHG logo polo, Girl Handbook and starting insignia (flag, troop #s, etc.), badge magic starter set  -- $58
      
      
  • Option 2 
    • Vest & neckerchief, starting insignia (flag, troop #s, etc.) -- $26 (girls can wear plain white polos rather than purchasing the AHG polo)
    • Girl Handbook -- $18
    • Total $44
• New Numbers (for troop transfers with no change in level) -- $2
• Optional Class “B” t-shirts:  $9 each (blue or red, all kid and adult sizes)

The regular uniforms are called “Class A” uniforms and are required to be worn at all meetings and events, unless otherwise noted.  In addition to the vest, neckerchief and polo, Pathfinders and Tenderhearts wear a navy skirt or pants, Explorers a khaki skirt or pants.  Leaders or any parent wanting one may also purchase a red or navy blue short-sleeve AHG Logo polo at this time.  Adult short-sleeve polos are $26.  We encourage girls who attend Ascension Catholic School to wear their vests over their regular school uniform on school days where we have meetings that night! Class B t-shirts can be worn for service projects and outdoor activities.

Communication

Our primary form of communication is through email.  We typically send out weekly email blasts with everything you need to know about what is going on with the troop right now – upcoming events, forms that need to be turned in, volunteer opportunities, etc.  We also hope to start a newsletter this year to communicate additional information and opportunities.  Please regularly check your email and read these as they contain all the information you will need to know.  If this will be an issue for you please talk to the Troop Coordinator.  

If you ever have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us.  We are here to help, listen, guide, and lead.  We appreciate all feedback and constructive criticism for the good of the troop.  We want to assist you in any way we can to ensure your daughter and your family have a rewarding experience with Troop KS3130.

We are so excited to get out current year underway, and we hope you and your daughter will be a part of it!  

Record Keeping

Please notify Niki Harris, our troop advancement chair of any outside badge work. You may also have your daughter fill out the service reflection form, scan or take a picture and e-mail it to advancement@ks3130.com.

In Christ,

Troop KS3130 Board