VISTA 5:

• New Leadership!
• New Policies and Procedures!
• New Programs!
• New Opportunities!

1. Welcome!

   • Please sign in on the new sign in sheets. They are divided by community, then by school. Also, please write your name on a name tag.
   • Thank you to Sandy H. (Park Ridge) for the refreshments and thank you gifts. (And thank you to Judie E. (Niles) for playing hostess!)
   • Thank you gifts are usually distributed at the end of the year. This year we did this at the beginning of the year in hopes of attracting more volunteers to our VISTA 5 meeting. Thank you to all the volunteers who showed up at the meeting, and thank you to all in advance for the hard work we know you are going to do this coming year.
   • Please welcome our new VISTA 5 Manager, Sue S. (Park Ridge). Thank you, Sue, for taking on this responsibility.
   • Our Community Managers are Michael M. for Niles/Morton Grove; Sandy H. for Park Ridge; and Susie S. for Skokie/Lincolnwood.
   • Our Council Liaison is Sara N.
   • VISTA 5 meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of each month, except for December when there is no meeting of the full VISTA 5. Click here to see the upcoming meeting dates.

2. Registration

   • Thank you to Joyce M. (Niles/Morton Grove) for accepting the VISTA 5 Registrar position. She is also the Community Partner Registration Manager for Niles/Morton Grove. Our other two Community Partners are Jennifer M. for Park Ridge and Susie S. for Skokie/Lincolnwood.
   • The deadline for Fall Registration is September 30, 2009. Please register your girls and adults as soon as possible. If you need registration materials or have questions, please contact your Community Partner Registrar first.
   • We are now know as VISTA 5, Cluster 057, Area 603, North Region. You might also see the term SUVA which stands for Service Unit VISTA Associations. All of these changes are due to the new council merger. Some councils were still using the term Service Units; other councils were known only by their communities. Illinois Crossroads had already transitioned to VISTAs, however the use of that term in the future is unknown. Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana is now the largest council in the United States.
     
   • Also as a result of the new council merger, there are many new procedures that are being implemented this year. Bear with us as they are constantly being refined.

   • NEW TROOPS

   • If you are a new troop, before you can register, every leader and co-leader must complete a Volunteer Application with your Social Security number which allows council to do a background check.
     
   • Three references must be submitted along with this application.
     
   • This information should be submitted directly to council. (See back of form for mailing information.)
     
   • Once accepted, complete the registration process.
   • See below for training requirements for new leaders and co-leaders.

   • FALL PRODUCT AND COOKIE SALES PARENT VOLUNTEERS

   • Complete a Volunteer Application with your Social Security number which allows council to do a background check.
   • No references are required.
   • This information should be submitted directly to council. (See back of form for mailing information.)
   • Complete a Registration Form, and submit to your troop leader, with $12.

   • OTHER ADULT VOLUNTEERS

   • Adult volunteers who will be helping at meetings, chaperoning events, driving Girl Scouts other than their own children, or working with Girl Scout money, must follow the same procedures as FALL PRODUCT AND COOKIE SALES PARENT VOLUNTEERS. (Please see above.)

   • If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact your Community Partner Registrar, or the VISTA 5 Registration Manager.

3. Training

   • ALL LEADERS AND CO-LEADERS NEED TO BE TRAINED

     • Orientation to Girl Scouting
     • Volunteer Essentials
     • Grade Level Leadership Essentials

   • WAYS TO OBTAIN TRAINING

   • Due to the merger of seven legacy councils into one, forming Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, the online training options are currently being updated and are unavailable to volunteers. Having said that, on-line options keep changing. Check our council’s web site for further information.
     
   • [If you are fortunate to complete an on-line training course, do not forget to push the Congratulations button at the end of the course. This notifies council that you have completed the training. You may also want to keep a copy of the Congratulations page for your own records; and send a copy to Sue S. (Park Ridge), Michael M. (Niles/Morton Grove), and Susie S. (Skokie/Lincolnwood).]
   • New training opportunities are being offered in classroom settings. Please refer to the Fall 2009 Training Calendar booklet (for times and places) that all troops should have received. (If you did not receive this booklet, please contact your Community Partner Registrar.)

   • NEW LEADERS AND CO-LEADERS

   • Before a new troop can be issued a troop number and password for the E COUNCIL Membership Database (needed to register the girls), new leaders and co-leaders must complete their Orientation to Girl Scouting and Volunteer Essentials training (a 2-part training).
   • Grade Level Leadership Essentials training must be completed within 12 weeks of beginning your troop.
   • Start-up materials also include a Safetywise booklet, and two training guides (Fall 2009 Training Calendar and Volunteers Essentials booklet). The Volunteers Essentials booklet replaces the need for attending the Orientation to GS class (a 45-minute course). The Volunteers Essentials class (a 2 1/2 hour class) must be attended.

   • VETERAN LEADERS AND CO-LEADERS:

   • Orientation
   • If you have already completed some type of orientation training in the past, whether done on-line, home study or classroom, you do not need to repeat this training.
   • However, if you have never completed this type of training, you must do so according to the new procedures. (See NEW LEADERS AND CO-LEADERS.)
   •  
   • Grade Level
   • If you have already completed the appropriate grade level training in the past, whether done on-line, home study or classroom, you do not need to repeat this training.
   • However, if you have flown-up to a new level of Girl Scouts with your girls, you must be sure to take the appropriate grade level training. Daisy training does not qualify you to lead Brownies; Brownie training does not qualify you to lead Juniors; etc.

   • If you have any questions regarding training, please contact your Community Partner Manager.

4. Fall Product
   

   • This year’s Fall Product sale will be October 1 - 18, 2009.
   • Thank you to Chris W. (Park Ridge) and Sue S. (Park Ridge) for being the VISTA 5 Fall Product Managers. Also, Joyce M. (Niles/Morton Grove) and Susie S. (Skokie/Lincolnwood) are the Community Partner Fall Product Managers.
   • A Fall Product training will be held at St. Paul of the Cross on September 17, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Junior High Bldg., 320 S. Washington, Park Ridge.
   • An on-line training is also available.
   • Materials to sell Fall Product may be picked up at this meeting. You may also contact your Community Partner to pick up your materials.
   • There are some exciting new items that the girls will be selling, some new/old programs (i.e. postcards), and new incentive program for the girls. There are 4 different patches per each segment of the sale. And new this year is the fact that there is only one money collection (vs. two in previous years).
     
   • This is a great way for your troop to earn money.
   • Council is also offering a Product Program Open House. This is separate from our VISTA 5 Fall Product training. The Product Program Open House is at the Vernon Hills Regional Service Center on September 26, 2009, and encompasses both the Fall Product and Cookie Sales. Click here to see council’s official flier.

5. Girl Scout Cookie Progam

   • Thank you to Cathy K. (Park Ridge) and Jessica R. (Skokie) for being our VISTA 5 Cookie Sales Co-Managers.
     

6. Communication

   • Roster

   • Thank you to Michele H. (Skokie) for putting together our roster. The roster is a list of all the VISTA 5 Managers and Event Coordinators; Community Parters and School Organizers; and Leaders, Co-leaders, Fall Product and Cookie Sale Parents by Community, School, and Troop.
   • Please submit the following information to your School Organizer (in Park Ridge and Niles/Morton Grove) or to Susie S. (for Skokie/Lincolnwood) -- Community, School, Troop #, Level of Girl Scouting (D, B, J, C, S, A, S2B), Grade of girls, Number of girls registered to your troop, Leader & Co-leader name, address, phone & e-mail, Fall Product & Cookie Sales parents name, address, phone & e-mail.
   • The roster should be available by the November 11 VISTA 5 meeting.

   • VISTA 5 web site

   • Michele H. (Skokie) is the VISTA 5 Internal Communications Manager in charge of our VISTA 5 web site.
     
   • You can access this web site by going to www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org and clicking on the Vernon Hills tab. Then click on the VISTAs tab and select VISTA 5.
     
   • Or go to www.ilcrossroads.org and click on the VISTAs tab. Select VISTA 5.
     

   • Community e-mails

   • Thank you to Mary Beth C. (Park Ridge) for sending out our community e-mails. If you do not receive these e-mails, and you want to, please contact Mary Beth with your e-mail address. She will gladly add you to the list.

7. Finance

   • Thank you to Carolynn C. (Park Ridge) for being our VISTA 5 Finance Manager.
   • All troop bank accounts should have two signatures from their troop, and a designated person from their community.
   • Remember to use the GS FEDERAL TAX ID NUMBER and NOT your Social Security number. (Please contact Carolynn or your Community Partner Manager to receive this number.)
   • You can access all the financial forms by going to the Vernon Hills RSC web site (www.ilcrossroads.org) and clicking on the word Forms (purple section on the left), and scroll down to Group and Individual Finance Forms, or click here. This is where you will find checking account procedures, disbanded troop form and annual finance report.
     

8. Storage Facility
   

   • VISTA 5 no longer maintains a storage unit. All materials, except flags, previously stored have been returned to the Vernon Hills Regional Service Center. Please contact them to check out any program boxes for your meetings.
   • Flags are being housed by Noreen H. (Park Ridge), our VISTA 5 Flag Manager. Thank you, Noreen! 

9. Camporee Report
   

   • Thank you to Nancy F. (Morton Grove) for coordinating another successful camping trip to Camp Anokijig.
   • 350 people attended this year’s event.
   • Refunds will be available for anyone who paid but were not able to attend the event. (FYI: The availability for refunds is determined on a year-by-year decision by the camp. In future years you may not always depend upon a refund if you are not able to attend the event.)
   • Patches were ordered and should be available at the October 14 VISTA 5 meeting.

   • NEW GS CAMPING SITES AVAILABLE

   • Click here to download a 49-page PDF document and see pictures of all the wonderful camps that are now available to us due to the new council merger.
   • Adahi is no longer Girl Scout owned. You may contact the Glenview Park District to use the facility.

10. Service Projects
    

    • Although VISTA 5 is no longer collecting food products at our meetings to be donated to a local food pantry, we would like to continue offering our services to our communities by having some type of Service Project.
    • If your troop is doing a Service Project, and would like to enlist the effort of the entire VISTA 5, please let Sue S. know at least a month in advance so that she can announce your project to the volunteers.
    • Currently, the Cadette troop led by Judie E. (Niles) is scheduled to have a garage sale on September 26. All proceeds will be donated to Camp Anokijig to help with improvements to camp facilities. Please contact Judie if you have something you would like to donate.

11. Caroling and Hot Chocolate Party
    

    • All VISTA 5 troops are invited to join the Caroling and Hot Chocolate Party on Friday, November 27, 2009.
    • Thank you to Karen H. (Park Ridge) for coordinating this event.
    • Traditionally, on the day after Thanksgiving, Park Ridge sponsors its Uptown Park Ridge Holiday Open House when the stores are open for a winter festival. Troops are invited to sing carols almost anywhere they would like, including outside the library, in front of stores, or even on the double decker buses.
    • VISTA 5 opens up St. Paul of the Cross Lunchroom to our girls for cookies and hot chocolate. It’s also a great place to drop off and pick up the girls, as well as a great place to warm up (depending on the weather!).
    • If you e-mail Karen, please add GS somewhere in the subject line so that your e-mail does not get deleted by her husband!
    • This is a free event.

    • Ornaments

    • If your troop would like to make 1 or 2 ornaments for the huge tree in Park Ridge, please contact Sandy H. (Park Ridge) for more information.
    • These ornaments should be large (roughly the size of a 10" dinner plate), and made for outdoor weather (rain, snow, wind, etc.)
    • Ornaments are usually needed by the 2nd week in November.

12. Sharing Time

    • If you would like to share a great craft project that you’ve done with your girls, recommend a terrific trip you have taken, promote a service project, or teach your favorite song to our volunteers, please let Sue S. know so it can be added to the agenda. Please keep your presentation to 3 - 5 minutes.
      

13. Investiture/Rededication

    • Judie E. (Niles) and her older girl troop will lead a New Leader Investiture and Re-dedication Ceremony at the October 14 VISTA 5 meeting.
    • Organizers -- please send Judie names of new leaders and co-leaders.
    • This is a symbolic ceremony, and does not presume that new leaders & co-leaders are fully checked and registered.

14. VISTA 5 Events

    • Volunteers are desperately needed to coordinate our annual VISTA 5 events.
      
    • Events include Thinking Day, Brownie Day, Older Girl Event, Leader/Daughter Event and Thank You/Recognition Evening. Ideas for new events are most welcomed.
    • These events are a great way for girls to meet other girls from their community and neighboring communities; younger girls get to see older girls in action; and it’s just plain fun!
    • Event folders are available to help get you started. They contain years of information to draw upon for each of these events. You may choose to organize the type of event that has always been done, or create something new. It’s totally up to you. Please contact Carolyn C. (Park Ridge) for these folders.

15. Tax Letter
    

    • A tax letter was e-mailed to all troops. If you did not receive one, please contact Mary Beth C. (Park Ridge).

    Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the girls in all our Girl Scout troops!

Next Meeting of the full VISTA

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 7:00 pm

St. John Brebeuf Ministry Center