October Newsletter
Welcome to the new Troop Leaders and new Troop Members in the Bluebonnet Circle Service Unit! We conducted new leader training and held our 2026-2027 New Troop Leader Investiture during our Service Unit Meeting on October 8. It was great to see so many new faces. We encourage everybody to come to a Service Unit meeting soon to learn more about Girl Scouting, leading a troop, and all the Girl Scout activities and events available in our area.
Please be sure to check out the activities and events we've highlighted below in this newsletter, as well as the events that are regularly updated on the BBSCU website.
In this Issue:
--Upcoming October Events!
--Fall Product Sales (November 2 Deadline)
--Events Recap: 2026 Trefoil Derby Winners and more!
--More Fall Events
--Campouts
--Youth Protection Training
--Cookie Sales
--Other Reminders and Resources
--Call for Volunteers
--BBCSU Officer and Future Meeting Information
Upcoming October Events!
Check out the events for this coming weekend! We have a lot going on!
Celebrate Juliet Gordon Low's Birthday
Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1921), affectionately known as “Daisy,” founded Girl Scouts in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. She believed girls should have opportunities to explore the outdoors, learn new skills, and make a difference in their communities. Her vision continues to inspire Girl Scouts to lead with courage, confidence, and character. Come celebrate Girl Scouts and the founder of Girl Scouts at our event this weekend.
Giving to Our Community
This Halloween, our Girl Scouts are turning trick-or-treating upside down! Instead of collecting treats, we'll be spreading kindness by visiting members of our community and delivering treats and Halloween Cheer! It's a fun way for our girls to practice generosity, build connections and make someone's day a little brighter! Here are a few opportunities for you and your troops!
Fall Product Sales
Fall Product Sales will run until November 2 this year, and allow troops a great opportunity to fundraise for activities and experiences! The Fall Product Sales allow troops to earn money at a higher rate than the Cookie Program. Also, if troops or girls working together on higher awards want to do other fundraising, they must participate in both Fall Product and Cookie sales. Michelle Najar is coordinating Fall Product sales for BBCSU this year. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle at: bluebonnetcirclefallproduct@gmail.com
Events Recap
Trefoil Derby
What a turnout! More than 75 participants filled the house for The Trefoil Derby. Thank you to everyone who came to build, race, and cheer!
Congratulations to our 2026 Trefoil Derby Winners!
Daisy: Veronica Gibbins, Troop 41305 (St. Theresa Catholic School)
Brownie: Roxie Wood, Troop 389 (Laurel Mountain Elementary)
Junior: Avery Lao, Troop 41127 (Laurel Mountain Elementary)
Cadette: Charlotte Brown, Troop 41225 (Brentwood Christian)
A big thank you to the Lady Cans Girl Scouts, who ran the whole show! They not only facilitated build day, but on race day they also managed check-in, announced the heats, recorded the times, tabulated the winner brackets, and kept the race running smoothly.
Thank you as well to Diana George and David Rich, Troop Leaders of the Lady Cans, and to parent volunteers Gracie and Brian Stobaugh. This event would not have happened without your time and energy.
Camping at NASA. On October 3, Brownie Troop 334 participated in the Girl Scout Overnight at Space Center Houston. The troop earned their Space Science badge, and learned about the constellations and phases of the moon with NASA science educators. They also learned how to put together a telescope and how to operate robots. The girls slept in the Artemis exhibit and it was a great Girl Scout experience!
Summer Trip! This summer, Cadette Troop 41309, took a road trip from Texas to New Mexico and Colorado, where the girls volunteered at the local food bank, went river rafting, ziplining and to Meow Wolf just to name some of the highlights. This trip has made them hungry for more adventures!
More Fall Events
As we get back into the swing of things with a new year of Girl Scouts, we have a lot of activities coming up quickly! Please make sure to read below for reminders and information!
Campouts
Check out the campouts planned for our Service Unit below! Note that if you're interested in helping provide input about campout plans, please join our Campout Committee! Also, A LEAD VOLUNTEER IS NEEDED FOR THE SPRING VOLUNTEER-DAUGHTER CAMPOUT! For more information, contact the SU Directors at bluebonnetcirclegs@gmail.com.
*Hold the Date for a Spring Tent Campout. Additionally, we're planning a Spring Service Unit Tent Campout for our Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors at Blanco State Park, April 16-18, 2027.
This is a chance for girls to get outdoors, make new friends, and enjoy a weekend of Girl Scouting. We're planning fun activities, possible shared meals, and a night hike, with opportunities to connect with Scouts from other troops and make memories together.
We need your help now! We're reserving campsites on November 16, so we need a rough estimate of troop interest before then to help us reserve enough space. Each campsite has water and electricity, and accommodates a maximum of 8 people and 2 vehicles.
Please talk with your girls and co-leaders and leave a comment on the BAND event page by November 15 if your troop might be interested, including your estimated number of girls and adults. This is just an initial headcount to help us reserve enough campsites, not a commitment to attend. Formal registration and final numbers will come later.
We hope your troop can join us for a fun weekend of camping, connection, and Girl Scout adventures!
Youth Protection Training
Adult members of Girl Scouts must complete the 578 GSCTX Youth Protection Training: Protecting Our Girl Scouts training annually through gsLearn and must review the GSCTX Child Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Prevention Policy, which can be found under Additional Resources in the training material. Additionally, make sure to refamiliarize yourself with your troop agreement.
Caregivers can check their training status by logging into gsLearn through MyGS and searching for 578 GSCTX Youth Protection Training: Protecting Our Girl Scouts.
Girl Scouts is seem as the leader among youth-serving organizations when it comes to keeping our youth members safe. We appreciate your commitment to protecting our Girl Scouts.
Cookie Sales
To serve as a troop cookie coordinator you must be a registered volunteer! Training is required to participate in the cookie sale. Find and register for training here.
When you take the training, they will ask for the SU cookie coordinator and email. Our wonderful cookie coordinator is Miranda Lehnerz and her email is bluebonnetcirclecookies@gmail.com.
Here's more information on our BAND site for cookies.
Additionally, you can sign up for the email list through the Troop Sign Up Form:
What's Next: Set up your cookie meeting and prep for your initial cookie order. If you haven’t yet, set up a meeting to talk to your Girl Scouts and parents to talk about cookies. Find out how much your troop is interested in selling, start talking about troop goals, and determine how many cookies you’ll need for the first two weekends of sales. You will need to provide your troop’s initial order (usually due at the beginning of December) to have cookies for the first two weeks of the sale.
Please reach out to bluebonnetcirclecookies@gmail.com you have questions or concerns. We’re just an email away!
Other Reminders and Resources
Program Credits expire December 19, 2026.
Girl Scouts work hard to earn Program Credits. Remind them now is the time to transfer or spend their hard-earned credits! Girl Scout specific information was emailed directly to caregivers.
Article on how to redeem program credits at the Girl Scout shop here.
Marketing & Branding Resources:
Check out the GSCTX Brand and Communications page for ready-to-use, Girl Scout-approved flyers, social media graphics, yard signs, and more.
You can also reference the brand guidelines for colors, fonts, T-shirt designs, and other branding standards.
Don't forget to check out the pre-populated T-shirt design templates for easy-to-use options!
Call for Volunteers
BBCSU needs volunteers to help with our Cookie Sales. If your interested in being part of the cookie team, please contact the BBCSU Board at bluebonnetcirclecookies.com.
Campout Committee. Please join this group to provide input about our spring campout plans! If interested please contact the SU Directors at bluebonnetcirclegs@gmail.com.
Newsletter. If you would like to draft and publish this newsletter, please contact the SU Directors at bluebonnetcirclegs@gmail.com.
BBCSU Officers and Meetings
Please see below for your BBCSU officers and upcoming meetings:
Directors: Julie Zimmerman, Sandy Guzman, Keturah Christmas -- bluebonnetcirclegs@gmail.com
Registrars: Erin Knight, Claire Jones -
Treasurers: Ashley Beebee, Johanna Hedges, SGini Maddox bbcircletreasurer@gmail.com
Products: Michelle Najar - fall products bluebonnetcirclefallproduct@gmail.com; Maranda Lehnerz -Cookie manager bluebonnetcirclecookies@gmail.com
Fall Service Unit Meetings. Please join us at Covenant United Methodist Church (room varies by meeting) for all the latest information! Upcoming meetings and topics:
Nov 12 | Friendsgiving, Winter events info |
Dec 10 | Getting ready for Cookies & Spring activities |
As event dates, details and registration are finalized, we'll update the BAND calendar, post details in the BAND feed and host registration on our website.
Newsletters. Check your email for Council newsletters: Tuesday Trefoil for weekly council updates/membership news, Legendary Leader for troop leader information, and Choose Your Adventure - council programs and events that you can bring your Girl Scouts to! Not seeing newsletters? Contact the GSCTX Council.
SERVICE UNIT REQUESTS:
We would LOVE to highlight all our SU Troops! Please email photos and a brief summary of any service projects, outings or special meetings held by your troop to our Communications Team at bluebonnetcirclecomms@gmail.com.
In addition to highlight troop events, please email the Communications Team at bluebonnetcirclecomms@gmail.com and let us know about any upcoming events so that we can include the details in future newsletters.
Comments