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FAQ
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How do I sign up my daughter?How she gets signed up depends on her past experience with USA Girl Scouts and when you are signing her up. USAGSO-Singapore conducts sign up entirely online from our website during three annual periods: Early Bird Registration (April through May) is for only girls who participated in USA Girl Scouts in Singapore during the prior school year. Early Bird registrants receive a limited edition patch for their uniform vest. In late September, parents are notified of their daughter’s Troop assignment. Semester 1 Registration (July through August) is for all new girls starting the school year in Singapore or returning Girl Scouts who missed Early Bird Registration. In late September, parents are notified of their daughter’s Troop assignment. Semester 2 Registration (December through mid-January) is for girls who want to join for the just second half of the school year. Troops that have space available can welcome new girls. In late January, parents are notified of their daughter’s Troop assignment if space is available. A program participation fee is collected as part of the sign up process.
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What if my daughter is not in one of the eligible categories?Please contact the Registrar so we can gather some information and submit the request on your behalf. As each girl’s situation is unique, we cannot guarantee the outcome.
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What if we are leaving Singapore and want to joint Girl Scouts in our new home country?If your daughter is an actively registered member of USA Girl Scouts Overseas in Singapore and you are moving to another country, her membership and records can be transferred in full to another council in your new home country. However, USAGSO Singapore cannot perform the transfer; a parent/guardian on record with USA Girl Scouts must initiate it. The transfer process varies depending on what country you are moving to/from. So please visit the USAGSO FAQ on Transferring Overseas and follow the instructions for your specific situation. If you are moving to another USAGSO community or country, you may fill out this transfer form. We will certainly be sad to see her go, but we're happy she will continue on in Girl Scouts!
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What schools have Troops?At this time, there are Troops that based at the Singapore American School (SAS), Stamford American International School (SAIS), Canadian International School (CIS), International Community School (ICS), Overseas Family School (OFS) and Dulwich School. And, we are working to bring the USA Girls Scouts program to other international schools as well. Girls from other schools can join these troops, but this can be difficult if the troop meets on campus immediately after classes end. Please contact our registrar for more information.
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What if my daughter doesn't get matched with a Troop?The Registration Committee works hard to find space for every girl. However, we cannot guarantee the space offered will exactly match her requested schedule and location. Please consider volunteering to be Troop Leader and forming a new Troop. Not only will your daughter have a guaranteed place, but you will be helping other girls looking for Troops as well! In the case where you turn down the space offered within seven days of the close of registration, the portion of the collected program fees that constitutes the USAGSO-Singapore local program fund ($110) will be refunded. Please don’t worry; the vast majority of girls interested in Girl Scouts in Singapore ultimately find a Troop.
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How much does it cost?Like many kids activities, partipating in Girl Scouts has a number of different costs associated with it. Participation Fee This is charged as part of the online sign up process and covers two important things: Approximately $65 SGD goes to the USA Girl Scouts membership office for insurance coverage to participate in Girl Scout activities and covers program development costs. The remainder goes to the USAGSO-Singapore local program fund which covers the supplied materials for each Girl Scout (badges, local insignia, awards, member T-shirts, etc.) and all operating costs for the local non-profit organization (training, first aid equipment, meeting space, website, etc.). Uniforms & Insignia If your daughter is joining Girl Scouts for the first time or is moving up to a new age level, she will be given a set of insignia items for her uniform as part of her registration fee by the council. The only thing she will need to purchase is a uniform vest and troop numerals, which can be ordered directly from the USA Girl Scouts online store and typically cost between $40-$50 SGD (not including shipping). We provide complete Uniform Ordering Information for each Girl Scout age level and many Troops work together at the beginning of the scouting year to place large orders to save on shipping costs. Be sure to check with your troop leader before placing an order yourself; it can save you a lot on shipping costs! Troop Dues Troops typically also collect dues that are used for their own programs, such as badges, field trips, fun events, etc. Each Troop determines the amount of their own dues, so amounts vary from Troop to Troop. Events Some of our major events (i.e. Father-Daughter Dance, Camps, etc.) charge a fee to cover the cost of venue rental, food and materials. Costs for these vary each year and are charged separately since not every girl or family can participate in every event. Financial aid is available, if needed; contact the Overseas Committee Chair and confidential arrangements can be made.
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Who is eligible to enroll in USA Girl Scouts in Singapore?All girls who attend international schools (regardless of nationality) and all girls holding US passports are eligible to enroll in USA Girl Scouts Overseas. Moreover, all girls holding foreign passport who attend local schools are also eligible to enroll in USA Girl Scouts in Singapore. Currently, we have girls from more than 30 countries involved.
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How do I find a Troop for my daughter?The first step is to get her signed up on our roster for the upcoming school year (see “How do I sign up my daughter?” below). After the sign up period closes, the Registration Committee meets to match girls on the sign up roster with existing Troops as well as form new Troops with new Leader Volunteers. By the end of September (Semester 1) or January (Semester 2) parents are notified of their daughter’s Troop assignment. While the Registration Committee works hard to honor requests for matching girls by school, schedule and/or location, it is not always possible. In past years, we have been able to offer a Troop space to nearly every girl who signed up, although for some it was not their first choice of school, schedule or location. If finding a Troop is important to your family, please consider volunteering to be a Troop Leader and forming a new Troop. Not only will your daughter have a guaranteed place, you determine the meeting schedule and location(s) AND you will be helping other girls looking for troops as well! We can help you find a co-leader if need be. For more information about becoming a Troop Leader, please contact us.
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What day and time will my daughter’s Troop meet?Troop Leaders set the schedule for their own individual Troops. Some meet on a weekday after school, others meet on weekends. Depending on the age-level and what projects or badges they are working on, Troops may meet weekly, twice monthly, or monthly. And, these schedules often change from year-to-year as new Troop Leader volunteers join, and new Troops are formed. When filling out the sign up form, you can let us know what time works best for her in the "Special Requests" section. Troop assignments are completed in September & January and we make every effort to match girls to Troops by requested schedule and location. However, we cannot guarantee a match for every girl’s requests.
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What if there isn’t a Troop at my daughter’s school?We have girls participating from more than 20 different schools throughout Singapore, and we are growing each and every year. We have many "Community Troops" that are not affiliated with a school and have girls from several different schools. Girls can actually join ANY Troop in Singapore that fits their age level. In fact, many girls from schools that have affiliated Troops choose to join Troops at other schools or Community Troops due to schedule, location or other reasons. You can indicate your preferences for days, times and locations on your sign up form. The Registration Committee takes these into account and works hard to find a good match for every girl. While there are no guarantees of a perfect match to everyone's criteria there are very few situations where we can't find any reasonable options.
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How do I pay the program participation fee?Payment is expected at time of sign up. Our preferred methods of payment are PayNow, bank transfer and PayLah, although we also accept other forms of payment. Please refer to our Payments Policy for detailed information. Payment is due by the last day of the sign up period. All unpaid sign ups are automatically cancelled at the deadline to ensure fairness when placing girls in Troops.
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Is there a priority system for placing girls in Troops?Yes, there is. The priorities are as follows: 1. Girls whose parents volunteer for an official role in USAGSO-Singapore as a Troop Leader or Executive Committee member 2. Eligible Girls who complete Early Bird Registration and were enrolled in USAGSO-Singapore in the previous year 3. Eligible Girls who complete Early Bird Registration and are new to USAGSO-Singapore. 4. All other girls on the sign up roster. Girls are also placed in "first-come, first-served" order each category. We cannot guarantee a space in a Troop as it depends entirely on the number of parents who volunteer as Troop Leaders each year. So signing up as early as possible is a good way to improve the chance your daughter will be placed in a Troop. And if you want to guarantee a spot for her, why not consider volunteering to be a Troop Leader yourself!
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How old does my daughter have to be?Participation in USA Girl Scouts is divided into several ‘Levels’ by the girl’s grade-level in school. Girls can join at the Daisy level in Kindergarten (typically age 5-7), right up to the Ambassador level in High School (typically age 16-18). Any girl can join at any age and will be placed in a Troop that is appropriate for her grade-level and age. While the USA Girl Scout levels correspond to the typical USA public school system, please don’t worry if you don’t know the corresponding “USA grade level” for your daughter’s school program. Girls are always placed in Troops that are appropriate for their age.
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I have received an email from Operoo. Do I need to sign up?Operoo (formerly called CareMonkey) is a paper-free platform that is used to manage troop paperwork such as health information forms and permission slips for the upcoming year. If you are a troop leader, create a permission form for your troop for regular meetings. Permission forms for council events are created by the Chair. Once all troop members are added to Operoo, parents receive an email from Operoo asking them to create a profile for their daughter. Parents need to create the profiles and other forms such as the Internet Safety Pledge and Permission to Attend Regular Meetings before they can respond to any other permission forms sent by troop leaders.
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What level of family commitment is required?Girl Scouts is not just another after-school activity. In addition to Troop meetings, there are a number of weekend programs that require Girl Scout participation and some parental commitment. Events such as the Father-Daughter Dance, Overnight & Day Camps and special weekend activities all require parental participation at some level. In addition, USAGSO-Singapore is an all-volunteer organization that depends on a dedicated network of parents and other volunteers to run the program each year. Many parents volunteer in some way, as best they can. We need parents who are committed to helping out whatever way they can; whether it is for just a few hours (like setting up tables for an event) or getting more fully involved as a Troop Leader or Executive Committee member.
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I am a returning leader, but am still confused about some things. May I attend the new leader training?"Absolutely! Most of our training is now online and the videos are made available to all leaders. If you want to refresh your knowledge about certain areas, please feel free to watch these videos. You can always ping our trainer for answers to your burning questions: training@singaporeusagirlscouts.org
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Why can’t we sell Girl Scout Cookies in Singapore?Every effort is made to adapt the USA Girl Scout program for use overseas while minimizing concerns for the USA-based national organization and volunteers. Unfortunately, this means that not all program activities can be exactly the same overseas as in the United States. Unfortunately, the annual cookie sale program is not an-approved money-earning activity for Overseas Committees (such as Singapore) served through USA Girl Scouts Overseas head office. There are several reasons for this: PRODUCT LIABILITY: In some countries, it is not possible for the baker or the Overseas Committee to carry product liability insurance (which is necessary for defending against claims of tampering or contamination). HIGH RISK IN SHIPMENT: In most overseas locations, climate and extended shipping time affect the quality of the cookies. Experience has shown that isolated locations, even in U.S. territories, have experienced major losses due to shipment or storage. IMPORT/EXPORT LAWS: The laws for importing and selling food products can be complex and compliance can be expensive. The USAGSO New York office can neither provide consultation on these matters, nor provide the regular ongoing risk monitoring that is provided for other activities of the Overseas Committees. However that doesn't stop Girl Scouts in Singapore from selling delicious baked goods! Many Troops organize bake sales as money raising activities for funding community service projects.
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What is the Internet Safety Pledge that parents and girls are being asked to sign?Since many of our meetings take place online, we want the girls to follow guidelines to safely participate in troop meetings, know how and when to share information, and follow good “netiquette” manners. Both girls and parents need to sign the pledge on Operoo.
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Can I become a Troop Leader?Yes, ABSOLUTELY! Girl Scouts relies heavily on volunteer Troop Leaders for its success, and they often find the experience to be rewarding and fun. The more Troop Leaders we have, the more spaces we have to match up girls. With the transient nature of the community in Singapore, we lose approximately 25% of our Troop Leaders every year. So there are always openings to fill, and we need to form new Troops every year to accommodate new incoming girls. Each Troop must have two unrelated leaders, one of whom must be female (so dads can be co-leaders too). We provide all new Troop Leaders with Girl Scout Leader training, age-level specific badge and award materials, first aid training & supplies and a community of Troop Leaders and commitee members to draw on for ideas and inspiration. If you are even slightly interested, please consider volunteering to be a Troop Leader!
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Nothing here answers my question. What do I do now?Please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
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I don’t feel I can be a Troop Leader, but what else can I do?"Being a Troop Leader isn't for everyone. If you’d like to be involved, please consider helping in another way. You can volunteer to help your daughter’s troop as a treasurer, snack parent or help run a few meetings. You can also help out at one of our big annual events or serve on the Executive Committee. To find out more, check out our Volunteers page.
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What do Daisies and Brownies do?Click here to know what Daisies do. Click here to know what Brownies do. In Singapore, the girls do everything except sell cookies. Girl Scouts learn skills and leadership while earning badges and awards. Here is a detailed list of badges and journeys for each level.
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What will my daughter do in Girl Scouts?What she does in her Troop really depends on her Troop Leader and the other girls. Some choose to focus more on earning badges and awards, while others plan more field trips and family events. And as a USA Girl Scout Overseas, she can earn awards that are not available elsewhere. Regardless of what Troop she is in, her experiences here in Singapore will be unlike anywhere else. In addition to Troop meetings and events, USAGSO-Singapore holds several council-wide events every year. From the Father-Daughter Dance in the fall, to Camps in the springtime, she will have plenty of opportunities to have fun with the many Girl Scouts throughout Singapore.
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Do you sell Girl Scout Cookies in Singapore?No we do not sell Girl Scout Cookies in Singapore. The laws in Singapore make it difficult for most girls to be allowed to sell cookies, but we can order them from the USA website during Cookie Season.
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