Chicago SU 690, Chicago SU 691, Chicago SU 697, Evanston
- 1,919 current girl members *
- 482 current adult volunteers *
VISTA Meeting Detail
February 2007 Leaders Meeting
Meeting Agenda:
Thursday, February 15, 2007 - 7:30 p.m.
St. Athanasius Church, Hartke Room, 1615 Lincoln Street, Evanston
G.S.I.C.C. VISTA 8 Leader Meeting Agenda – February 15, 2007
EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT INFORMATION
VISTA MANAGER CONTACT INFO:
REGISTRATION AMBASSADOR CONTACT INFO:
LEADER MEETING DATES – March 15 and April 19. The leader recognition meeting originally scheduled for May 17 will have to be changed to a different date. More details will be provided when they are available.
REGISTRATION – Data entry is turned off for existing troops. The Registration Ambassador will do the data entry for any new girls who join existing troops, but leaders are expected to make the deposit to the GS - Illinois Crossroads account at Chase Bank. If you need deposit slips, dues summaries or registration forms, please contact the Registration Ambassador. These forms are also available at the leader meetings. Registration materials for Spring Registration will be distributed in April. All continuing troops are expected to participate in Spring Registration. Start planning now for your Spring Registration meeting with you troop parents.
NEW VISTA MANAGER(S) NEEDED – As the VISTA Manager mentioned at the January leader meeting, she will be officially stepping down from the VISTA Manager position as of July 15th. In the recent past, no one has stayed in this position for more than three years. It is time for new volunteers to come forward to lead our VISTA. In order to make the VISTA Manager job more manageable, we are proposing a structure where two leaders would share the VISTA Manager position. We have divided the VISTA Manager responsibilities in a way that would allow each leader (co-VISTA Manager) to be responsible for certain aspects of VISTA Management. In order to ensure a smooth transition, we need to identify our new VISTA Manager(s) by the end of March.
NEW LEADER ORIENTATION – The Adult Recruitment Ambassador will handle New Leader Orientation on a case by case basis for the next few months. If you are adding any new co-leaders to your troop or if you are a new leader who needs to attend the orientation session, please contact the Adult Recruitment Ambassador All new leaders are required to complete New Leader Orientation.
BROWNIE/JUNIOR TRAINING – We are hoping to offer Brownie leader training on March 20 or 21 and Junior leader training on March 27 or 28. The VISTA Manager will send out an e-mail when the dates have been confirmed. Leader training is also available through the Council website (www.ilcrossroads.org) and by self-study workbook.
COOKIE SALE – We have received confirmation that the cookies will be delivered to Dempster Auto Rebuilders early on Saturday morning. Your troop cookie parent should have received an e-mail from the Cookie Ambassador with the designated pick-up time for each troop.
Please note that each troop is expected to provide two adult volunteers to help at the delivery site with sorting and loading cookies. This is in addition to the volunteers who pick up your troop’s cookie order. We anticipate that these additional volunteers will be needed from roughly 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Site sales begin on Saturday, February 24. All site sales must be approved. If you find that you need additional site sales, please complete a site sale application form and drop it off at the Cookie Ambassador’s house as soon as possible. If you have any questions, contact the Cookie Ambassador. Please remember that your troop’s T-4 form is due to Kaquana no later than March 25th. This deadline cannot be extended.
FIFTH GRADE OVERNIGHT –If you have any questions about the overnight, please contact the parent coordinating the event.
GSICC ANNUAL MEETING – The 6 representatives from Evanston are Kathy B, Cindy G, Kaquana K, Lyn P, Jan S and Brenda W. Our alternate is Heather D. The annual meeting will be held on Saturday, February 24 in Wheeling. All representatives should have received informational packets from Council last month.
HAVE A HEART SERVICE PROJECT – Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, it’s not too late to participate in the “Have a Heart” service project. This is an opportunity to do a service project with
senior citizens in the community, and get recognized for it. Cathy G is coordinating this activity this year. Patches are available for $1 each.
CPR AND FIRST AID TRAINING – We are looking into scheduling more CPR and First Aid training sessions for Evanston Girl Scout leaders. Watch your e-mail for more information.
CAMP DUNCAN OVERNIGHT – It’s time to register for the March 24-25 overnight at Camp Duncan. The cost per person is $50 which includes three meals and lots of activities including a climbing tower, archery, group games, tie-dye, leather craft, a campfire and much more! This is a great first time overnight for any age troop.
Arrival will be after 12 noon on Saturday with programmed activities starting at 1:00 p.m. We will depart Sunday after lunch. Troop leaders will be responsible for their scouts getting them to the activity or to the cafeteria for a meal but the YMCA staff will lead all programmed activities. Troops will have a cabin with bunk beds; bathrooms may be in a separate building.
3/14 note: all spots for the trip are filled.
Last year nearly 200 girls and leaders participated in the Camp Duncan overnight.
BROWNIE/DAISY ICE SKATING – Saturday, March 3 at the Skatium in Skokie. Please plan to arrive at 4:00 p.m. to get skates and put them on. Skating will be from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. There is no charge for this activity. Skating patches will be available for $1 each.
COCO KEY WATER RESORT – Monday, March 5 from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights. Registration forms are in your troop folders.
GS VOLUNTEER LOOKING FOR A BROWNIE TROOP – Potential new Brownie leader, Karen K, would like to observe/help at a few Brownie meetings this year to get a feel for being a
Brownie leader for next year.
Brownie leader for next year.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
February – Have a Heart service project
February 24 to 25 – 5th Grade Overnight at the Wild Rose Program Center in St. Charles, IL.
March 3 (Saturday) – Daisy/Brownie ice skating at the Skatium – 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
March 5 (Monday) – Coco Key Water Resort – 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
March 24 to 25 – Camp Duncan Overnight in Ingleside, IL
April 21 (Saturday) – Earth Day/Clean up the Park service project
May – Canoe trip on the Fox River (6th grade and older)
INFORMATION FROM COUNCIL
NEW COUNCIL NAME – It has been announced that the new unified Chicago Area Girl Scout Council will be named: Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. The new Council will be launched in the fall of 2007. The new Council will be comprised of the following Councils: Girl Scouts of the Calumet Council, Girl Scouts of Chicago, Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council, Girl Scouts – Illinois Crossroads Council, Girl Scouts – Prairie Winds, Girl Scouts of South Cook County, and Girl Scouts of Trailways Council. These Councils include the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Lake and Will; and the Indiana counties of Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter. The new unified Council will serve approximately 100,000 girls. Our Council, Girl Scouts – Illinois Crossroads Council, currently serves approximately 30,000 girls. For information regarding the realignment process, a temporary web site has been set up at: www.gsmetrochicago.org.
LEADER TRAINING – Information about training sessions offered by Council can be found in the calendar section of the Panorama update.
FEATURED EVANSTON GIRL SCOUT TROOPS
In each leader meeting agenda, we will be featuring the Girl Scout troops from one or two different schools. We hope that leaders of other troops will find it interesting to hear what these troops are doing and might pick up ideas for activities and trips.
Brownie Troop 194: Our 2nd grade troop has had a great year so far. In September the girls
began by earning the Safety First badge and learning about the importance of being safe. The girls have been very active and energetic earning their Girl Sport and Dancercize badge when we had resident dance teacher, Katie K come to teach them a few social dances. Also, a Stretch-n-Grow instructor taught an exercise class that the girls really enjoyed and learned about the importance of keeping fit. In the fall we participated in the Northwestern Music Day and learned a lot about musical instruments and music from other countries. The girls also had a ball when they partnered up with the Cadette troops to make puppets, paint, and learn some fun songs and games. More recently, our troop took a tour of the Evanston fire station #2 and got to see up close how a fire station runs and all the equipment inside an ambulance and fire truck. The girls volunteered their time making lunches for a
homeless shelter in Evanston. All the girls decorated bags and donated food. We spent one Sunday evening packing over 100 lunches to be distributed to the shelter. They really enjoyed this activity. Since the new year the girls have begun writing in journals and recording all the ways in which they live out the Girls Scout Law and Promise. This has been a positive experience and we’d like to continue it throughout this year and the years to come. Now we are preparing Valentine cards and treats to be distributed next weekend to the St.Francis nursing home. We are planning more fun events for the remainder of the year.
began by earning the Safety First badge and learning about the importance of being safe. The girls have been very active and energetic earning their Girl Sport and Dancercize badge when we had resident dance teacher, Katie K come to teach them a few social dances. Also, a Stretch-n-Grow instructor taught an exercise class that the girls really enjoyed and learned about the importance of keeping fit. In the fall we participated in the Northwestern Music Day and learned a lot about musical instruments and music from other countries. The girls also had a ball when they partnered up with the Cadette troops to make puppets, paint, and learn some fun songs and games. More recently, our troop took a tour of the Evanston fire station #2 and got to see up close how a fire station runs and all the equipment inside an ambulance and fire truck. The girls volunteered their time making lunches for a
homeless shelter in Evanston. All the girls decorated bags and donated food. We spent one Sunday evening packing over 100 lunches to be distributed to the shelter. They really enjoyed this activity. Since the new year the girls have begun writing in journals and recording all the ways in which they live out the Girls Scout Law and Promise. This has been a positive experience and we’d like to continue it throughout this year and the years to come. Now we are preparing Valentine cards and treats to be distributed next weekend to the St.Francis nursing home. We are planning more fun events for the remainder of the year.
Brownie Troop 55: We have an enthusiastic group of 16 third graders. This fall when the weather was nice, we had an outing to the Ecology Center to learn about wildlife. Then we had a great overnight at Happy Hollow in Wisconsin, complete with experiencing a hailstorm from under the protected cooking area. We had some nice service projects. We invited all of the 3rd graders at our School to help in making bag lunches for distribution at a soup kitchen. In December we shared gifts with a needy family of 10. We also invited the 1st grade Brownie troop to a meeting to teach them about some Brownie rituals. This winter we are focusing on healthy bodies by eating nutritious snacks, working on First Aid, viewing some sports events, playing ourselves and becoming pen pals to a Northwestern basketball player. We are looking forward to having fun with drama in the spring when we put on a variety show and go downtown to see a professional play. Plans for more activities with other troops are also in the works.
Junior Troop 189: We have been quite busy with adventures in camping, horseback riding, science, math, and service. We took our first trip to Happy Hollow in late Fall, and the chilly—no, correction, COLD--weather was a challenge for all of us. We overcame the fear of bugs and outhouses to have a wonderful trip. We also learned the importance of HOT soapy dishwater for dunk bags, particularly with tacos. Our troop didn’t get enough cold weather then, so we decided to forge into White Pines Dude Ranch this February, yes, during one of the coldest weekends of the year. With help from some foot and hand warmers, we all had a great time. White Pines is an excellent place to expose girls to horses! One of our bigger accomplishments is completing the Sign of the Star, which has had us working on the program goal of encouraging girls to be the best they can be. We’ve enjoyed the positive theme throughout this Sign, and have had much fun beautifying, exercising, and eating healthy. We did the Music badges at Northwestern and have attended their numerous Scouts Days. We did some swimming with our fellow GS at the YMCA. We had our 3rd-annual visit to a nursing home to make Valentines with them, and both residents and girls are saying, “I remember you!” Everyone glows at that event. The girls have planned a service project to earn their Junior Aide award: we will be working with three Brownie troops at St. Mary’s to make baskets of donated items for new parents at Family Focus, to help these parents of new little ones get started. The 5th graders in the troop are going to Wild Rose for a sure-to-be-fun overnight. And we are looking forward to going back to CampDuncan. We have been magicians, photographers, performing artists, and will be sharing our many talents with a talent show. We are Looking Our Best and Being Our Best through all these adventures. We have a terrific group of parents who respond when asked for help, and we couldn’t do what we do without them. As leaders, we are often worn out from the planning and managing, but getting those smiles and declarations of each activity being “the best ever” recharges us for the next one. As one of our girls said during our Valentine project with the Senior citizens, we make big things from little pieces!
Cadette/Senior Troop 79: Troop 79 this year is taking a different path. The girls, who are mostly in high school, decided they did not want to have regular troop meetings. Instead we are keeping in touch with our once-a-month service project at the Good News Soup Kitchen. We experienced another "Random Day" this past fall. On a Random Day we hop on the CTA and travel through the city. This
year we ended up at Watertower Place, Chinatown and Andersonville. We also plan to go camping this spring and travel to Toronto in June. We will be participating in Girl Scout Sunday at a church on
March 11 and will be selling cookies after the services.
year we ended up at Watertower Place, Chinatown and Andersonville. We also plan to go camping this spring and travel to Toronto in June. We will be participating in Girl Scout Sunday at a church on
March 11 and will be selling cookies after the services.