VISTA 8:

G.S.I.C.C. VISTA 8 Leader Meeting Agenda - August 24, 2006

EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT INFORMATION

VISTA MANAGER CONTACT INFO:

V8_MgrUwAmb@gsvista.org 

REGISTRATION AMBASSADOR CONTACT INFO: 

LEADER MEETING DATES – The leader meeting dates for the year are September 21, 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 GS 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 September meeting we will have our new leader investiture and leader re-dedication ceremony.  Fall Product training will be held immediately after the meeting.

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 – 2006-2007 registrations should be turned in to Jan 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 your registration forms to Sue.  If parents leave it blank, please fill it in to the best of your ability. 

FALL INFORMATION PACKETS – Please be sure to take the packet for your troop.  The fall information packets contain the Panorama Calendar, Panorama Updates, GS catalog, Fall Product Sale information and assorted other fliers.  Each leader also needs to complete a Volunteer Agreement for 2006-2007.

TROOP FINANCE FORMS – Troop finance forms for 2005-2006 were due in June.  I will be contacting you shortly if I haven’t yet received the finance report for your troop.

NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION – The next New Volunteer Orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 3 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m..  All new leaders are required to complete New Volunteer Orientation.

EVANSTON GS CABINET POSITIONS – The following jobs are still available: Girl Membership Ambassador, School Partners (Kingsley, Lincoln, Walker, Washington and Willard), and Coordinator for the 5^th Grade Overnight.  The Coordinator for the 5^th Grade Overnight could be a leader or a parent.  Please contact me for more information.

BROWNIE/JUNIOR TRAINING – Our trainer expects to offer training sessions for Brownie and Junior leaders in October.  Please watch your e-mail for more information.  Leaders are required to attend 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 the September 21 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 magazine subscriptions are very well-priced and the candy and nuts make great holiday gifts.

EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT (VISTA 8) WEB SITE – At some point in the near future we expect to have a Web site that can be accessed through the GSICC website.  The website will contain leader resources, information about Evanston GS activities and much, much more.  We will let you know when the Web site is available to be used.

SERVICE PROJECT FOR THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE – The Ronald McDonald House near Children’s Memorial Hospital could use regular and/or travel sized toiletry items for the families who stay there.  We could collect items at the next leader meeting and individual troops could also have their own collections.  Is there a troop that would like to coordinate this?  This could be a good service project for Brownies or Juniors.

FIRST AID TRAINING – We are working on scheduling first aid and CPR classes in October and November.  If you took the CPR training that we offered last fall you will need to update your certification.  The first aid training we offered last year is good for two or three years.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Each year we offer a number of activities and special events for Evanston Girl Scouts troops.  Listed below are the activities that are currently scheduled.  More will be added soon. 

September 29 to October 1 – Devil’s Lake Encampment.  Boy Scout/Girl Scout encampment for about 1000 scouts (6^th grade and up).  Get there Friday night and camp together unless it is awfully cold or rainy (Best Western Baraboo was great!).  There is a really beautiful hike on Saturday.  Or you can go horseback riding, do BOO Canoe or inflatable kayaks, Circus Museum, Crane Museum, Wizard Quest, Duck boats, the Dells.  We’ll cook a spaghetti dinner together on Sat. night and then there is a DJ for middle schoolers and a dance for high school students or we can build a nice campfire and sing songs.  Home on Sunday and we recommend the WI river ferry!  Make your reservations through Badger Trails, Inc. at www.badgertrails.org.  Cost is $7 per person which includes the campsite, a great patch and hike supervision.  Mail in your money and tell them you are part of Evanston Troop 610 (or Service Unit 610) - Linda Federer - we want to be in campsites next to each other!!  Deadline for making reservations is September 20.

September 30 to October 1 – Apple Cider Century Cycling Adventure in Three Oaks, MI. 

October/November – Music Day at Northwestern run by the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity.  Details will be available shortly.

December 17 (Sunday) - Ski Trip to Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI

February 18-19 – 5^th grade overnight at Wild Rose in St. Charles, IL

 February/March – Daisy/Brownie ice skating

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 not be able to finish earning an entire badge, but they can help you complete some of the requirements. 

The Fall Scout Day sporting events are…

Field Hockey - Sunday, Sept. 3 vs. Maine.  1:00 p.m. at the Thomas Athletic Complex.  Free admission.

Womens 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 be held before the game.

Womens 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.

Special activities for scouts will be held at all the Scout Day games.  For more information regarding Scout Day activities, please call 847-491-7504 or send e-mail to wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu.

INFORMATION FROM COUNCIL

GIRL SCOUT HOLIDAY POLICY – When scheduling troop activities, please keep in mind the Council 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, 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.”

MEET THE NEW CEO – All leaders are invited to meet Wende Wilson, the new CEO of Illinois Crossroads Council, on Thursday, September 7 at The Hub between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

LEADER ENRICHMENT ALL DAY (LEAD) – Saturday, October 14 at The Hub from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  The 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.

VISTA Cabinet Ambassadors present: ___

Absent: ___

Girl Scout Leaders present: ___

Others present: ___

VISTA Reports

1. Item
   • Decisions
   • Action Items
   • Open Issues
2. Item
   • Decisions
   • Action Items
   • Open Issues
3. Item
   • Decisions
   • Action Items
   • Open Issues

Meeting adjourned at ___

Minutes submitted by ___

NOTE: the above is a ’template’ to be used as a guide in documenting meeting minutes.