T.E.A.M. Connections

November 2010

Welcome to Team Connections: A newsletter for service team members. If your team members aren't receiving Team Connections, it may be because they are not registered for the 2011 membership year.

I’m excited for this month of service unit meetings for many reasons. November is a great month to celebrate and focus on our new leaders. Here are a few ways to provide additional support to new leaders:

Make some time at the November service unit meeting for either a round table discussion by topic or by including a question and answer session where new leaders can benefit from experienced leaders.

Inform leaders about the web-site and how valuable it can be as a resource.

Ask new leaders what help they need. Find out what their challenges are and what ideas they have.

Make sure that new leaders have the benefit of a leader mentor.

Have a networking time to exchange, names, numbers and email addressed.

Hold a simple investiture or rededication ceremony at the beginning of your meeting.

The most important thing is to make sure they feel welcome and know about the service unit meeting. If they haven’t been to a meeting yet, have someone call them to invite them.

Lastly, as we celebrate another Thanksgiving later this month, we can’t help but be thankful for all of our wonderful Girl Scout volunteers. We are grateful for the time and talents you bring to this organization each and every day.

If you have any questions, please contact me at BrendaL@GSEIWI.org.

Sincerely,
Brenda Lloyd, VP of Membership

Service Unit Director

A couple of new items for you this month:

Each service unit director is asked to hold a 5 – 10 minute discussion at each service unit meeting to help the council go from good to great. The purpose is to generate ideas, record them and turn them in to your regional membership manager. Simply ask your RMM to take notes during your SU meeting and turn them in. We look forward to hearing from all of you!

Plan on hosting a cookie rally in your service unit so troops and girls have all the tools necessary to have a successful sale.

Annual Meeting Reminder

The Girl Scout annual meeting is November 18, 2010, at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, 525 33rd Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Registration and silent auction starts at 5 p.m. with dinner and business meeting from 6-8 p.m. The cost for dinner is $12. Reservations are due by November 12.

Congratulations to the following service units that hit their 2010 girl membership goal:

602 Blackhawk County	604 Blackhawk County	607 Blackhawk County	608 Winneshiek County	618 Chickasaw County	619 Howard County	623 Fayette County
622 Buchanen County	625 Bremer County	626 Bremer County	627 Grundy County	740 JoDaviess County	750 Dubuque County	770 Western Dubuque
803 Iowa County	807 Linn County – NE	808 Linn County Center Point	809 Linn County - SE	810 Linn County	811 Linn County – Marion	812 Linn – Mt. Vernon
821 Washington County	831 Jones County	836 Muscatine County	841 Jackson County	846 Clinton County	847 Clinton County	855 Scott County
856 Scott - Buffalo	857 Scott - Bettendorf	858 Scott - LeClaire	868 Rock Island - Moline	871 RI County Andalusia	877 Mercer County	886 Henry - Geneseo
890 Henry - Alpha	897 Knox	910 Lee – Keokuk	912 Lee - Donnellson	922 Des Moines County	923 Henderson County	941 Jefferson County

SU Product Manager

Fall Sale Program – Design your Future

Dates to remember:

Nov. 1 – 14: Girls take product and magazine orders and collect money for magazine orders

Nov. 14: Girls turn in order cards, magazine orders, magazine payments, and Detailed Order Report from any online Magazine sales

Nov. 16: Troop orders are due online by 11 pm at www.ashdonfarmsnute.com

Nov. 17: Detailed Order Reports, troop magazine orders and payments are due to your SU product manager

Dec. 1 – 3: Products are delivered to the Service Unit. SU product managers have been informed of their exact delivery date

Dec. 3 – 12: Girls deliver products and collect money for products

Dec. 13: Girl money due to troop

Dec. 15: One troop check written to GSEIWI taken to SU product manager along with evaluations. Recognitions will be ready for pick up at this time

2011 Cookie Sale Program – "Count Me In. The Future is My Business"

Adult Recognition Merchandise

Volunteers may purchase adult merchandise to commemorate the 2011 Cookie Sale Program. Early orders are due November 1, 2010; late orders are due December 1, 2010. Please click on this link to view and print the order form.

Volunteer Guides for Cookie Activities

During October and November service unit meetings, regional membership managers will be distributing the Grade-Level Volunteer Activity Guide to the 2011 Cookie Sale Program. There is one guide available per troop/grade level. Everything that volunteers could want is packed into this one easy-to-use guide. This toolkit is also available online at http://www.abcsmartcookies.com/volunteers.asp.

Count on Cookie Sale Program Success with a 2011 Cookie Rally!

Girls will have the opportunity to have fun with other Girl Scouts and to participate in interactive stations and activities where they will learn about goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. Please plan on hosting a Cookie Rally in your Service Unit. Your Regional Membership Manager has your 2011 Cookie Rally Kit that has everything in it your will need; including games, printable activities and more!

Look for more information from your service unit on when and where your 2011 Cookie Rally will take place. Count Us In for loads of fun!

Fund Development Coordinator

You are invited to A Night on Broadway!

This popular event held in the Quad Cities spotlights local media stars performing the sounds of the Holiday Season. All registered Girl Scout Volunteers are invited to attend at a special rate of $20 ($30 for non-registered members).

Enjoy an evening of music, dance and laughter with friends! Before the show begins, socialize at the reception featuring heavy hors d' oeuvres and a silent auction packed with many must-have items.

The event will take place December 9, 2010 at the Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf, Iowa beginning at 6:30 pm. Proceeds benefit Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois.

To make a reservation, please contact Nancy Renkes at 800-798-0833.

Don't Miss the Dubuque Trivia Night!

Come to the first Trivia Night hosted by GSEIWI on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at Happy's Place in Dubuque, IA.

Wear your favorite "ugly Christmas sweater" and compete to be the most trivia savvy team in the Northeast Region of GSEIWI. Cost is $10 per person and teams of 8 are encouraged.

Want more information? Contact Stacy Conforti at StacyC@GSEIWI.org. Space is limited, so don't delay!

Registrar

In the fall troop packets troop leaders received a 2010 roster, and if they spring registered a 2011 troop roster. Both of these rosters could be used as a tool for reregistering girls this fall. Unfortunately, some troop leaders are just turning in money for registration with no paperwork. As you can imagine, this makes it extremely difficult to know who to register in the troop. Will you please remind troop leaders to turn in the necessary paperwork for registering girls and adults? Your help is greatly appreciated! At the end of every month you should be receiving rosters from your council registrar. If there are errors on a roster, please provide us any corrections that you might have and return them to your Leadership Center or RMM.

Mobile Market Coordinator

Do you enjoy seeing what is 'new' in the council shop? Do you like seeing the faces of volunteers & girls when you show them that 'new' and 'exciting' item that just arrived?

Well if you answered yes, contact your local shop associate or Linda Heil, retail sales manager at LindaH@GSEIWI.org and become a 'Mobile Market Coordinator' for your area. We pack up at the shop location what is new and exciting or exactly what you request and you take the 'shop on the road' to your event. It is simple, fun, and easy!

Do I wear a uniform?
Girl Scouts at each level have one required element (Tunic, Sash or Vest) for the display of official pins and awards which will be required when girls participate in ceremonies or officially represent the Girl Scout Movement.

For girls in grades Kindergarten through 12th, the unifying look includes wearing a choice of a tunic, vest, sash for displaying official pins and awards, combined with their own solid white shirts and khaki pants or skirts. Girl Scouts in high school can also wear a scarf that unites their look with the sisterhood of Girl Scouts around the world. For adult members the unifying look of the uniform is a Girl Scout official scarf, or tie for men, worn with the official membership pins, combined with their own navy blue business attire. Girl Scouts at the Daisy and Brownie levels will continue to have a full uniform ensemble available.

Do I need a book?
Girl Scouts recommends having books because they were designed to enhance the experience; a lot of the information which is needed to participate fully is included in the books.

Cooler weather is fast approaching, stop in to purchase a Polar Fleece Vest marked down to $15.00 each. What a great buy!
Seasonal merchandise is arriving daily. Stop in at your local shop location or check out the online shop at shop.gseiwi.org. Please remember seasonal merchandise is available while supplies last.

Troop Rebate has come to a close. Remember to submit your ‘Rebate Application’ by November 15, 2010 to participate. Rebate Certificates will be mailed in late December for use in council shops during January & February.

Outdoor Program Coordinator

Horseback riding is available for girls in grades K-12. Please refer to your troop information packets for details. Questions? Please call or e-mail Joanne Dumar, equestrian program mangager at JoanneD@GSEIWI.org or call 563-349-6149. Check online for more equestrian program information and be sure to read the letter from the equestrian program manager.

Kentucky Horse Park Trip

Do you enjoy learning about horses? Join us for a fun trip to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. You and your mother or special adult female friend will travel down by van and spend a day touring the Horse Park. Trip is to be held August 12-14, 2011 and is for girls entering grades 4-6 in the fall of 2011.

The Kentucky Horse Park is the premier horse education facility in the nation. It is 1,200 acres in size and is home to over 40 breeds of horses. Daily programs showcase breeds of horses, give hands on lessons on horse care, and offer buggy and trail rides. Several museums about horses are on the grounds as well as traveling displays that change occasionally. International level horse shows are held at the park.

Trip expense varies depending on housing and covers transportation, admission to the Park, and hotel. Cost is $200/person if you and your daughter want your own hotel room and $150/person if you want to share with another pair. Any extra activities such as trail riding, and most meals are additional expenses covered by you and your mom directly.

Kentucky Horse Park has an extensive website where you can get additional information about the opportunities available during your visit.

To register send in the individual girl event registration form with a $25/person non-refundable deposit to:
- GSEIWI - Attn: Joanne Dumar
  2011 Second Avenue
  Rock Island, IL 61201
For questions about the trip please contact Joanne Dumar, equestrian program manager at 563-349-6149 or JoanneD@GSEIWI.org.

North Woods Trip

Come join us for a fun filled weekend of riding horses in the North Woods. Travel by van to Wilderness Pursuits in Neillsville Wisconsin for two days of riding. Girls must be in 6th grade or older and all riders must have at least 5 hours of riding experience. Cost is $220/person and covers all transportation, housing, riding, and meals on site. Additional expenses will be meals on the road. Trip is scheduled for April 29- May 1, 2011. For more information or to register contact Joanne Dumar at 563-349-6149 or JoanneD@GSEIWI.org

If you spring registered your troop, you should have received an overnight camp certificate. Follow this link for information regarding all four of our great Girl Scout camps. You can attend any of them and each camp ranger is ready, willing, and able to help. Be sure to read the camp ranger letter. Call them today!

Juliette Coordinator

Do you know a Juliette in your area that would like to stay more involved in Girl Scouts? If so, please help spread the word that it may be November, but it is not too late for any Girl Scout Juliette to sign up for the Juliette Program Packet. Sign up for it today and send a payment of $5 to Waterloo Girl Scout Leadership Center, 2530 University Ave, Waterloo, IA 50701 to receive four program packets a year that includes council information, council events, games and crafts (with supplies!).

Don't forget all Juliettes can participate in the Fall Sale Program, what a great way to start raising money for camp next summer! If you have any questions regarding how to participate as a Juliette contact Shawna Purdum, program coordinator at ShawnaP@GSEIWI.org contact our councils Juliette Coordinator, Jamie Swart at JamieS@GSEIWI.org or call 319-232-6601.

Safety Zone

Volunteer Essentials

For a quick reference in Volunteer Essentials look at the Appendix for the following:

For troop volunteers, page 59 - has wonderful information that can help any troop volunteer- new or experienced

Page 60 - has descriptions of every troop committee position that you could possibly have

Page 62 - shows great suggestions for parts of the troop meeting by grade level

Page 63 - a great example on how to have a well rounded troop year

Also review the information in Appendix: For Travel Volunteers pg. 66. It will help you as you plan any travel with your girls from a day time trip with Daisies to International trips with older girls. What you need to know about chaperones, letting girls making the plans, and safety during the trip.

Winning Ways with Journeys

Looking for ways to enhance your Journey experience? Here are a few of the imaginative ways that our leaders have been working with the Journey books:

Daisy: Did you know that you can go to our website and download the Daisy song that goes with the “in the Daisy Garden” book. It is called “Sandy’s Song”. And the movements that go along with it are easy too. Every time you hear “I’m a Girl Scout Daisy” you point both thumbs toward you. When they are “Having fun and sharing” they put each arm around the person standing next to them. At the last “Hip Hip Hur-ray – they put their right fist in air and pump it.

Brownie: If reading the Brownie stories get too long for girls to sit still, instead of you reading them, have the girls act them out. It gets them moving and reading as well.

Junior : Have a ‘Survivor-like adventure relating to Get Moving, to see how little energy they can use during the course of a weekend or an overnight. Add some of the “energizing” snacks and crafts featured in the girl’s journey books. Top it all off with a chance to talk to an expert guest about ways to save energy. There you have it – The Junior Energize Award.

Cadette aMaze: At this age, the girls should be planning their own activities….so get them to go through their aMaze book and pick out the activities and topic that interest them the most, then have a mega session (even an overnight or weekend). And don’t forget to give them the Adult How to Guide so they can see how easy it can be cover all those activities and topics!

Senior: There are many ways girls can work on their “Vision of a perfect world for girls”. Encourage younger girls to create an art project or together make a mural about how they vision the world and have a special showing, or create a Girl topia video to share on our website.

Ambassador: One of the activities in the Ambassador Your World Your Advocacy is preparing for public speaking and giving a pitch or elevator speech. Practice first with family members or friends on how to do their “pitch” by talking about why it is important to stay in Girl Scouting. Then go out to some younger girl troops (Juniors/Cadettes) to practice in front of a live audience. Not only are you getting experience, but are sending a good message to our younger troops.

School Organizers

Thank you for all you did to give girls the opportunity to join Girl Scouts in the months of August, September and October. First round recruitments have been completed and now we are focusing our efforts on specific areas where troops are not established. If you have a school that you think needs a targeted recruitment or a little extra TLC, please contact your regional membership manager and together you can formulate a plan.

Troop Leader Tips

If you're not getting enough parental support, invite your parents to the next meeting or plan a special parent meeting and introduce them to the Families Make it Happen/Troop Team Committee piece. Have a conversation with them about how the skills they have can be shared by implementing the Girl Scout program. Once parents volunteer they see how rewarding it can be and often times will keep coming back.

Community Information Coordinator

Has your Service Unit appointed a Community Information Coordinator for your Service Team yet? This is an essential position that every Service Unit should have filled by now. The Community Information Coordinator, or CIC, helps make Girl Scouts visible in the communities in your SU.

CICs do any and all of the following: send out news releases about upcoming SU events; appear on local radio stations to talk about Girl Scouts; post SU events on online calendars; ensure that the word about Girl Scouts is getting out to the local communities, and more.

You may consider appointing a CIC and have several assistant CICs to help with the duties. Whatever works for your SU works for us.

If you want to know more about this essential ST position, click here or contact Chuck Gysi, vice president of marketing and communications at 309-283-2359, 800-798-0833, Ext. 716, or ChuckG@GSEIWI.org.

Leader Mentor

Can you believe that it is November already? The focus of this month's meeting is the new leader. As a Leader Mentor, you have already been working with the new leaders, so this month will be a perfect time for you to continue that relationship. Your service unit may have plans for how this month's meeting will work. Be sure to talk to your SUD and Adult Learning Coordinator to find out what plans are being made. You may be asked to be part of some round table discussions or something similar. You can spend some time looking over the resources on the website under the New Leader button or the Leader Resources pages. Think about the questions that you had as a new leader and have some resources ready to share.

Apart from helping out at the Service Unit meeting, you will want to check in with your new leaders this month and talk to them about the Fall Sale Program. Do they have questions or concerns? The Fall Sale Program is a great starter activity to get both girls and leaders ready for the upcoming Cookie Sale Program, as they can "get their feet wet" with this smaller sale. It is also a great way to earn troop funds ~ remember troops make 25% profit on the Fall Sale Program.

Take some time also to talk to new leaders about how things are going. Have they completed their training? Do they have follow-up questions from that training? Are they looking for ways to add more girls to their troop? Here are a couple of links to help with that:

Troop Meeting Invitation for younger girls

Troop Meeting Invitation for teens

If you have any questions, or need some additional help, please don't hesitate to contact me at: KimH@GSEIWI.org.

Adult Learning Coordinator

Since our focus this month is on new leaders, what better way to make them feel comfortable and to learn more about Girl Scouts than to break into grade levels (Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, Ambassador). Hopefully you can get a mix of 1st and 2nd year leaders from each group together. Have the attached questions on the tables so each table can self guide themselves. Have yourself and/or Service Unit Director walk around to see how things are going and answer questions that might come up. Roundtable Discussions

Ask all of your troop leaders if they are still holding on to the Journey book that they received at training. (How To Guide and Girl Book) If they have completed the journey, please have them bring to the next service unit meeting to be brought back to the office for redistribution. The loan program is running low on books, which will mean that new leaders may not be able to get them at future learning sessions.

Reminder to all leaders: It's Your Story, Tell it, the next Journey, will be coming out in December. As soon as we know when they will hit the shop, we will send out an e-blast.

Getting Started Facilitators

Woo Hoo, to all of you that have done Getting Started for your Service Unit's new leaders this month. You are making such a difference in how much sooner our new leaders can get started. Continue to spread the word to your school organizers, SUD, and Leader Mentors of your available dates so we can continue to serve our new volunteers in a timely manner.

Program Event Coordinator

We have lots of great events happening already this year! Keep informed about what's coming up by checking out the "Events at a Glance!" Remember, you can register for a lot of our council events online. However, you will need a debit card. Troops can have a debit card for their troop account if it's more convenient for the troop leader.

Love to travel? Have a knack for organization and planning? Love working with adults & girls?! Than you're just the person we need. We're looking for Trip Directors for next summer (2011)! Contact Hailey at 319-752-3639 or HaileyW@GSEIWI.org for more information.

It's getting colder outside and you might be looking for some indoor ideas to pass the winter. Our Religious Awards are a perfect way to keep them active during the cold winter months. For available awards, check the website, or contact HaileyW@GSEIWI.org.

World Thinking Day 2011 - "Empowering girls will change our world"

World Thinking Day is a celebration of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. This year World Thinking Day will be celebrated on February 5, 2011 at the River Center in Davenport from 1:00-4:30 pm. This fantastic day will include not only troops hosting booths but there will also be community groups that will be hosting activities and performances.

Booth Hosts Needed - Troops and groups have the opportunity to host a booth to celebrate a country where Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are members. Booth hosts may include activities about the food, culture, native dress, and songs or games. Troops who host a booth receive six free passes to the event. New this year is great booth packet that will help your group with hosting booth. If you are interested in hosting a booth please contact Kathleen Bates at KathleenB@GSEIWI.org or call at 309-788-0833.

To find out more about Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding across the globe log on to http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/global/wagggs/explanation.asp.

SAVE THE DATE :: Girl Scout Day with the Hawkeyes: Women's Basketball

Saturday, January 8, 2011 – tip-off at 3:00 pm, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA

Get ready for an exciting afternoon of fast-paced basketball, flashy cheerleaders and screaming fans. Make plans to attend one of the biggest Girl Scout events this year! Join your fellow Girl Scouts on January 8th to cheer for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes as the Women's Basketball team takes on Big 10 rival Ohio State in a game televised on CBS. You will receive a flyer soon with more details about the event and exciting pre-game activities!

For Your Information

2011 National Convention

The 2011 National Convention is still a year away, but you can begin making your plans to attend. There is information on our website to get you interested! Just click the link above. We are looking at taking a volunteer contingent to the National Convention if there is enough interest. If this sounds like something you would like, please let us know. Send an email to KimH@GSEIWI.org and keep watching the website ~ we will add information regarding a volunteer contingent as plans progress!

100th Anniversary

GSEIWI is beginning to make our plans for the Girl Scout 100th Anniversary. We will have activities on 3 different levels: council, service unit and troop/girl. Right now we have committees who are designing activities on all of these levels. We are still looking for volunteers for various committees. If you would be interested in helping with a committee, please contact Deb Boyd, at DebB@GSEIWI.org. The volunteer opportunities for 100th Anniversary are varied, and include service unit events and activities, museum exhibitions, story bank activities, 100 Women/100 Girl Campaign, alumnae engagement and website support.

Online Forms

We are continually expanding the number of forms that are available to you on our website. Our goal is to make this a one stop shop for all of your forms needs. There are some excellent tools out there currently like the Troop Handbook and the year long permission form. All of the forms can be found under the forms link at the bottom of any page. We have had some feedback recently that some forms are hard to locate. In an effort to help make them easier to find and utilize, we are looking for your suggestions. If you are looking for a form and cannot find it, or have a suggestion on how to make the forms more accessible, please email Holly Bark at HollyB@GSEIWI.org.

Help Needed

Calling all Service Units to have some fun at the Annual Meeting on November 18, 2010! Put together a silent auction package to help raise funds for financial assistance.

This year's theme is "What Did You Do Today". Create a themed package revolving around something educational, memorable, fun or personal you might do in a day. Some ideas might include: A Spa Basket; An Exercise Basket; Water Fun; A Troop Meeting in a Basket; Dessert; Art Creation; Read a Book(s); Tour a Museum or a Nature Center; Dinner Out; Plant a Garden; or let your imagination run wild!

Need help or have questions? Ask your RMM or contact Ruth Adams at RuthA@GSEIWI.org.

Recognition Coordinator

All of you should have received a letter from Deb Boyd outlining the changes made in recognizing the efforts of our great volunteers. These changes are based on input from volunteers from around the council and from you. Please announce to your service unit that all volunteer recognitions, both Service Unit and Council level awards, will be recognized through the service unit , where girls and peers can participate in honoring the accomplishments of our volunteers. Those receiving the Thanks Badge, Thanks Badge II, President's Award and girl scholarships will also be honored at the Annual Meeting in 2011.

Be sure to promote the March 1 deadline for all awards, remembering that the President's Award is for criteria based on the 2009-10 year. Isn't it great to have just one date now for all award applications?

In an effort to continue giving you ideas and information on serving your service unit as the Recognition Coordinator, you can get issues of the Recognition Tips Newsletter online. They are full of useful ideas on how to keep recognition going all year long.

All recognition forms are updated with the date changes, and very soon will all be fillable forms. Please don't hesitate to contact Deb Boyd at DebB@GSEIWI.org for more information.