Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge, Skokie
- 1,409 current girl members *
- 480 current adult volunteers *
VISTA Meeting Detail
VISTA 5 Meeting
Meeting Agenda:
Wednesday, April 8, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
St. John Brebeuf Ministry Center, 8301 Harlem Avenue, Niles, Illinois
VISTA 5 Meeting
- After school programs are available for Daisies through Juniors.
- Programs run about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
- Dates for after school programs are from March 16 - May 15, and from September 15 - November 18
- Please contact Matt Freer at 847-835-8239 for further information.
- Chicago Botanic Garden is having Earth Day events on April 18 and April 25, however the April 18th events are full.
- Registration is still available for the April 25th event.
- www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/earthday.php
- There are safe, fenced-in campout opportunities at the Chicago Botanic Garden
- Great for a first time campout.
- All age groups are invited
- There is a minimum requirement for 40 children, so several troops must be combined to make this event possible. Chicago Botanic Garden can put multiple troops together to meet the minimum requirement.
- For more information on Chicago Botanic Garden’s Scouting program, check out their link www.chicagobotanic.org/scout/index.php
- The Chicago Botanic Garden and the governor of Illinois challenge creative, eco-conscious youth (grades 4 - 12) to submit designs for Art on a Rain Barrel (AoRB), an Illinois-wide environmental art contest.
- Students are encouraged to create teams of 3 - 5 members. The top 50 teams from throughout the state will be invited to bring their designs to life at the AoRB festival on Saturday, September 19, 2009 as part of the Illinois governor’s It’s Our River Day 2009.
- Interested teams must submit an entry form no later than June 3, 2009.
- For more information, please check out their website at www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/rainbarrel.php
a. Daisy/Brownie Night
- Due to the low registration numbers, this event has been cancelled.
- Coordinator of the event, Chris W. (Park Ridge), will be notifying those scouts and adults who already registered. If you have not heard from Chris, please contact her.
- Registration is still available, however cabins are full.
- Please click here for event information.
- Nominations for Outstanding Volunteer, Outstanding Leader and Honor Roll awards were due at the April 8th VISTA 5 meeting.
- Contact Margaret T. (Park Ridge) to see if she can make special arrangements for late nominations.
- If anyone arrives early at the April 25 council awards event, please reserve a seat for our VISTA so we can cheer our own recipients on!
a. Council Governance
- There is still time to apply if you would like to become a delegate. Information is available on the council website, or by clicking here. Application deadline has been extended until April 24th.
- Currently, shop hours are still Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. However, shop hours will soon be changing. Please check the council web site for specific changes.
- There is one more Double Punch day on April 20th. They will have bridging kits and other end-of-the-year supplies.
- Fit To Be ME! -- There is still availability for the May 9th workshop "Physical Fitness and Sports."
- STEM Saturdays -- There is still availability for the April 18the workshop "Earth Explorations." Sorry, but the May 16th workshop "Forensic Investigations" is filled.
- Brownie STEM Sampler -- May 30th workshop is filled, but the same program is being offered on June 13. Outside activities are offered, which include making ice cream, tie dye and more.
- Online registration has begun. www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/camps/summer-resident-camp/
- Summer Camp is a great opportunity for girls. Don’t let them miss it!
- All leaders should be getting this e-mail. If you are not receiving this, please sign up on the council website at www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/for-volunteers/connect-our-power-of-one/
- Product Activity
- VISTA 5 is still in need of one or two Ambassadors -- GS Cookie Program Ambassador. If you would like to volunteer for next year, please contact Kathy Stigler at council.
- Spring Registration
- VISTA 5 is also in need of a Registration Ambassador.
- Our council will be using the GSUSA pre-printed registration forms. However, GSGCNWI has designed their own Dues Summary Form.
- There has been an increase in membership dues for the 2009 - 2010 registration year. Dues will now be $12 per person (instead of $10).
- Please be sure to check the age level for those girls registering, and make corrections if necessary.
- Council has switched to Chase Bank. (Previously bank was Harris)
- Whenever you deposit money into council’s account, or your troop checking account, be sure to get validated deposit slips from the bank. In the case of registration, you only need one validated deposit slip from the bank.
- Also, you should start getting into the habit of using your full 5-digit troop number on any banking paperwork. (If your existing troop number is 3 digits or less, add 4 plus as many 0s as needed at the beginning of the number to make a 5-digit number. If your existing troop number is 4 digits, just add 4 at the beginning. Example: Troop 123 will not be 40123.)
- Each troop will receive 2 deposit slips for Chase Bank in their troop’s registration packet. If banking at Chase creates a hardship (i.e. there is no Chase Bank nearby), two other banks are available. There are instructions in the registration materials regarding how to make your deposits at First Midwest or 5/3 Bank.
- There are three copies of both Adult and Girl Registration forms. The white (original) copy must get forwarded to council. Pink copies go the Registrar. Leaders keep the yellow copies (which must accompany them, along with Adult and Girl Health Cards, to all meetings and field trips).
- NEVER give your e-council password to anybody for any reason! If someone misuses your password, the person who was issued the password is responsible!
- VISTA 5’s deadline for Spring Registration is May 25, 2009.
- Financial Assistance for registration is still available, and will be granted based on the same process as in previous years. Applications for assistance with registration fees are on the Registration form.
- Financial assistance for trips may still be applied for, however council may not be as generous with amounts as it has been in the past. Each troop leader should review their troop budget to see if troop accounts can help cover some of the needs of their girls.
- All registration forms are going to be black and white. Please do not confuse Adult and Girl forms. Forms are clearly marked on the top as to which form is which.
- All Girl Scouts from VISTA 5 are invited to participate in the Niles Fourth of July parade.
- Please contact Judie E. (Niles) for further information. Her older girl troop will be planning and building the float.
- Participants must be in the Notre Dame parking lot (starting point) by 8:30 am. The parade will end at Grennan Heights.