Chicago SU 690, Chicago SU 691, Chicago SU 697, Evanston
- 1,919 current girl members *
- 482 current adult volunteers *
VISTA Meeting Detail
September 2006 Leaders Meeting
Meeting Agenda:
Thursday, September 21, 2006 - 7:30 p.m.
St. Athanasius Church, Hartke Room, 1615 Lincoln Street, Evanston
G.S.I.C.C. Vista 8 Leader Meeting Agenda – Sept. 21, 2006
EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT INFORMATION
VISTA MANAGER CONTACT INFO:
REGISTRATION AMBASSADOR CONTACT INFO:
LEADER MEETING DATES – The leader meeting dates for the year are October 19, November 16, January 18, February 15, March 15, April 19 and May 17.
The first 30-45 minutes of each meeting will be spent on Evanston Girl Scout business items such as registration, upcoming activities, service projects, etc. Then we will spend approximately 30 minutes on a different special topic each month or in age-level discussion groups. At the October meeting we will talk about camping and the different camping options that are available to us both at Council camps and other facilities.
REGISTRATION REMINDERS – 2006-2007 registrations should be turned in to the Registration Ambassador ASAP. Please don’t hold on to your completed registration forms if you are waiting for any stragglers. If your troop is registering now please be sure to do a Family Partnership presentation. Any donation amount is important! Please review the race/ethnicity information before you submit the forms. If parents leave this blank please fill it in to the best of your ability.
· Membership for the current GS year (2005-2006) expires on September 30, 2006
Registration for 2006-2007 must be completed by September 30 to avoid lapses in membership and GS insurance coverage. Unregistered girls cannot participate in meetings or activities. We are under increasing pressure from Council to have more troops register in the spring. This is something we will talk more about in advance of Spring Registration 2007.
· Deposit Slips
All leaders should have deposit slips for the Illinois Crossroads Council account at Chase Bank. Please remember to indicate your troop number on the deposit slip. The deposit slip has an original and three copies. The bank will keep the top copy. Please ask the teller to validate the remaining three copies. Two of these are to be turned in to Jan with your registration forms. Please keep the last copy for your records.
· Data Entry
Many leaders are now doing all their own data entry which we greatly appreciate. Please note that the completed registration forms and deposit slips need to be turned in to Jan as soon as possible after the data entry is completed. Council monitors the data entry and expects to receive the paperwork at the Hub within a very short period of time.
· Registration Materials Drop-off and Pick-up
The Registration Ambassador lives in a condo. The President of the condo association (a former Girl Scout leader) has given the okay for the Registration Ambassador to leave materials out on the table in the building lobby for leaders to pick up. Please pick up items promptly when you request them from the Registration Ambassador so that the lobby will not be cluttered with Girl Scout materials. The Registration Ambassador’s building has a circular driveway so it’s very easy to pull up to the door, get your materials and go. If you are dropping off materials for the Registration Ambassador, please send her an e-mail to let her know. The lobby is open to the public so we are concerned about having checks and cash sitting there for very long. That’s one of the reasons why leaders are asked to make their own bank deposits.
TROOP FINANCE FORMS – Troop finance forms for 2005-2006 were due in June. The VISTA Manager will be contacting you shortly if I haven’t yet received the finance form for you troop.
NEW LEADER ORIENTATION – The next New Leader Orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 3 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Adult Recruitment Ambassador’s. If you or any of your co-leaders want to attend this orientation, please RSVP. All new leaders are required to complete New Leader Orientation.
BROWNIE/JUNIOR TRAINING –Our Learning Opportunities Ambassador expects to offer training sessions for Brownie and Junior leaders in November. The tentative dates are Wednesday, November 8 for Brownie training and Tuesday, November 14 for Junior training. Please watch your e-mail for more information. Leaders are required to complete this level specific training within six months of becoming a leader or moving up to the next level.
FALL PRODUCT SALE – The Fall Product Sale will be held during the last two weeks in October. Leader training for the Fall Product Sale will be held immediately after tonight’s leader meeting. Participating in the Fall Product Sale is an easy way to earn some money for your troop before you get your cookie money in the spring. The VISTA Manager encourages you to attend the training even if you’re not sure that your troop will participate.
EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT CABINET POSITIONS – The following jobs are still available: Girl Membership Ambassador; School Partners for Kingsley, Lincoln, Walker, Washington and Willard; and Camp Duncan Coordinator. This last job could be filled by a leader or a troop parent.
EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT (VISTA 8) WEB SITE – At some point in the near future we will have a web site that can be accessed through the Illinois Crossroads Council web site. Our web site will contain leader resources, information about Evanston Girl Scout activities and much, much more. We will let you know when the web site is ready to be used.
TROOP 53 GOLD AWARD PROJECT – The Senior Girl Scouts in Troop 53 are collecting crayons, coloring books, scrapbooking materials, disposable cameras and magazines for the premature baby ward at EvanstonHospital. For their project they are making blankets for the babies and are providing the hospital with supplies that they might need for the waiting room. We will be collecting items at the October and November leader meetings.
SERVICE PROJECT FOR THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE – Brownie Troop is leading the effort to collect items for the Ronald McDonald House near Children’s MemorialHospital. Copies of their “wish list” are in the troop folders. Individual troops are encouraged to hold their own collection drives or to ask the families in the troop if they would like to donate needed items. We will be collecting items at the October leader meeting.
CPR AND FIRST AID TRAINING – CPR training has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 24 and First Aid training has been scheduled for Thursday, October 26. The details for these trainings are listed below.
We would also like to offer First Aid and CPR training on a Saturday in November, but we are still looking for a place to hold the Saturday classes. The Hartke Room is apparently not available on the dates that the instructor is available. If you know of any place that might have a room we could use for little or no charge please let me know.
CPR Class
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
First United MethodistChurch – 1630 Hinman in Evanston (Hinman and Church)
- Cost is $20 per person, payable to class instructor to confirm class placement.
- A $5 fee to purchase a CPR face shield to take home is optional and can be paid to the instructor that evening. There will be face shields to use during class without charge.
- Wear clothes suitable for kneeling on floor and bring a pen or pencil.
- This certification will be valid for 1 year.
First Aid Class
Thursday, October 26, 2006
6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
First United MethodistChurch – 1630 Hinman in Evanston (Hinman and Church)
- Cost is $20 per person, payable to the class instructor to confirm class placement.
- Wear clothes suitable for kneeling on floor and bring a pen or pencil.
- This certification will be valid for 3 years.
Please send an e-mail to the class instructor to let her know if you plan to attend either or both of these classes. The instructor asks that you use “CPR” or “First Aid’ as the subject for the e-mail message. Please mail your payment of $20 per class directly to the class instructor.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Each year we offer a number of activities and special events for Evanston Girl Scout troops. Listed below are the activities that are currently scheduled.
September 29 to October 1 – Devil’s Lake Encampment (6th grade and older)
September 30 to October 1 – Apple Cider Century Cycling Adventure in Three Oaks, MI
October 28 (Saturday) – Music Day at Northwestern run by the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity. More information will be available shortly.
November 4 (Saturday) – Broomball at CentennialPark ice Rink in Wilmette (middle school troops)
December 17 (Sunday) – Ski Trip to Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. (Back-up date is January 28.)
February/March – 5th Grade Overnight at the WildRoseProgramCenter in St. Charles, IL. Please note that the 5th grade overnight will not be held on February 19-20 as indicated in the last leader meeting agenda. It will probably be scheduled for the following weekend, February 24-25.
February/March – Daisy/Brownie ice skating
March – Girl Scout Sing-a-long
March 24 to 25 – CampDuncan Overnight in Ingleside, IL
NORTHWESTERN SPORTS SCOUT DAYS – Northwestern is again offering a program where scout troops can complete badge activities with NU coaches, student-athletes and staff members during Scout Day sporting events. You will probably not be able to finish earning an entire badge, but hey can help you complete some of the requirements. For more information, call 847/491-7504 or send e-mail to wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu. Fall Scout Day sporting events are…
Women’s Volleyball – Friday, Sept. 29 vs. Iowa. 7:00 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are $2 on the day of the game. Special activities for scouts will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer – Sunday, October 8 vs. Michigan. 1:00 p.m. at the Thomas Athletic Complex. Free admission.
Football – Saturday, November 18 vs. Illinois. Time TBA.
INFORMATION FROM COUNCIL
GIRL SCOUT HOLIDAY POLICY – When scheduling troop activities, please keep in mind the GSUSA holiday policy. Religious holidays are listed in the calendar section of the Panorama update.
The holiday policy states that: “No Council, region or VISTA should schedule a one-time event or training program on a religious holiday for which any public school district within the Council has a school holiday. A Council, region or VISTA event or training program may be held on a religious holiday if it is duplicated at another time. Offering the event or training multiple times will respect inclusion and ensure that no one is excluded from participation.”
LEADER ENRICHMENT ALL DAY (LEAD) – Saturday, October 14 at The Hub from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Girl Scout leaders are invited to lunch for the Forum and to meet the new CEO. The training sessions are for Ambassadors/Partners.
LEADER TRAINING – Information about training sessions offered by Council can be found in the calendar section of the Panorama update.
GIRL SCOUT SHOP – Effective Tuesday, September 5 through Friday, November 10 shop hours are…
Monday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Double punch days will be held on Monday, September 18 and Monday, October 16. No pre-orders will be taken. There are four ways to shop in the Girl Scout shop: 1) in person; 2) by e-mail at shop@ilcrossroads.org; 3) by phone at 847/573-0500; and 4) by fax at 847/573-0400.
MISCELLANEOUS
FITNESS CLASSES - Michelle G is the owner of a company called "Stretch-n-Grow." Michelle offers child-oriented fitness programs at Chandler-Newberger, the JCC, etc. and she would like to make her program available to Girl Scout troops. The "Stretch-n-Grow" program is geared for kids up to age 12 so this would be appropriate for Daisies, Brownies and younger Juniors. (Michelle, herself, was a Girl Scout in Evanston as a child). Michelle and her staff will come to you and conduct the class in your regular meeting space. They also bring all the necessary equipment. The cost for a one-time session will be approximately $8-10 per girl. If you schedule more than one session, the cost per girl per session might be a little lower. For Brownies, this program will meet the requirements for the "GirlSports" try-it and possibly also some of the requirements for the "Healthy Habits" try-it. For Juniors, it will fulfill some of the requirements for the "Fun and Fit" badge and possibly some requirements for the "Food Power" badge. Leaders may need to work with the girls at a separate meeting to complete the badges.
YOGA CLASSES – Lela S is a yoga instructor who lives in Evanston. She is interested in offering yoga classes to Girl Scouts. Several troops did classes with her last year and had a great time. The cost for a class would be approximately $5-7 per girl.