As of now, the troop is split into three patrols. New scouts will be assigned to one of the three patrols. Each patrol has a Patrol Leader, who is usually an older scout or at least one with a few years of experience in the troop. In addition, there are other leadership positions within each patrol, as well as for the entire troop as a whole.
There are number of different types of meetings that are held, again, usually posted on the calendar. The Troop Meetings are for the entire troop. They are supposed to start promptly at 6:45 and end at 8:00. Parents are not required to attend, however, attendance is always encouraged, especially for new parents so that they can get an idea of how the troop is run. Of course, it's also an excellent way to meet other parents and the scoutmasters.
The meetings sometimes have a theme or activity for the scouts. For instance, several meetings in December and January were used to teach Chess so that the scouts can earn merit badges for Chess. In addition, activities or sessions are sometimes conducted for the purpose of planning upcoming outings. TLC Meetings are for the scouts that are in a leadership position (the Senior Patrol Leader as well as Patrol Leaders along with a few others). These meetings are generally used to plan future meetings and outings.
The Troop Meetings and the TLC Meetings are almost always on Monday evenings. There are also Troop Committee Meetings that are attended by parents who serve on the Troop Committee. You would be more than welcome to attend these meetings. It's also a great way to see how the troop is run. There are also Scoutmaster meetings where the Troop Scoutmaster and assistant scoutmasters plan future meetings and outings.
A couple of the older scouts, as well as scoutmasters will also get the new scouts actively involved in working on advancements for the first year or two, to enable them to get far enough along in their rank advancements so that they can then work on advancements themselves. They will be likely be contacting and working with you shortly to determine best times for working on them.
We will need a copy of the Scout Medical Form on file for anyone going on an outing (scout and parent). We collect dues from Scouts once a year and they apply to the following calendar year. The dues are normally $75 per year, collected in September, although they could be increased slightly if we feel it's essential for the program. We tend to be very focused on the costs and are very aware of the tough economic environment out there. We will let you know if a discounted fee will be requested for new scouts that would cover the costs we incur for the registration fees to Council, the kerchief, book, slide, etc.
The troop also has an internal accounting system called Scout Bucks. The boys (and adults) can use available scout bucks for payment for outings, dues and anything else that requires payment. Scout bucks are accumulated by a number of different methods. If a scout or adult spends money for an outing (food, mileage, misc. expenses) they have the option of being reimbursed by check or by putting the deposit into their scout bucks. Also, their portion of popcorn, wreath and flower sales also gets put into their scout bucks. If you ever would like an update on your balance, just let me know. I will also try and remember to bring the balance sheet to the Court of Honor meetings as well.
You should know that trained scoutmasters are always present on the outings. Also, permission slips for outings are sometimes posted as well (although they are also usually emailed to all scouts and parents in advance of an outing). We would definitely encourage your attendance at an upcoming outing just to see how outings are run.