Parent Info

Information on Events

• Outings are listed on the troop calendar on the troop web site (we plan for an outing every 4-6 weeks on average)

• Each week announcements are made during the opening of the Scout meeting.

• Each Scout should bring a notebook to make notes about upcoming events, these events and minutes are written on a whiteboard, some Scouts make a photo of the white board to give to parents.

• Before an outing the Scout will receive an LOI (Letter of Instruction) this will have all information regarding the upcoming outing.

What Happens in a Scout Meeting?

The troop is led by the boys; however it is the responsibility of the troop leaders to make sure things run smoothly.

• 6:30  - Mr. Clark meets with the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL) and they go over the plans for the meeting and future outings.

• 6:45  - The SPL and ASPL meet with the Scout leaders for patrols and discuss the meetings and plans for patrol time and make plans.

• 7:00  - Opening and Announcements

  • Our Troop Chaplin Aide leads the Troop in a devotion and prayer

  • This is an important time for the troop. Information is shared with the Scouts. Notes should be taken at this time to be shared with parents. If a Scout comes home without notes this should signal a problem

  • If you as a parent would like to be the most informed stay for the first 15 minutes of the troop meeting and you can get a great idea of what is going on.

• 7:15 Patrol Time

  • During patrol time the Scouts work on advancement, plan menus for upcoming campouts, work on merit badges, or participate in Board of Review.

  • This is the time when the troop guides (Scouts) and the Assistant Scoutmasters work with the younger Scouts on advancement

• 8:00 Game Time

• 8:25 Closing and Cleanup

  • We clean the building and make sure it is at least in the same condition we found it.

How Advancement Works

Merit Badges - 21 required for Eagle Scout of which 12 must be from the Eagle required MBs

BSA Merit Badges

Melissa Owens is the Merit Badge Guru. If a Scout is interested in a Merit Badge he should contact Mrs. Owens and let her know so that the Scout can get some direction on how to proceed.

When finished with the Merit Badge the Scout should reach out to the Merit Badge counselor assigned after speaking with Mrs. Owens. The MBC will review with the scout for completeness and accuracy. Scouts should be able and prepared to demonstrate where instructed and bring required work for review. The MBC will then either sign off on the Merit Badge in scoutbook or on the scout's workbook to be turned into Mrs. Owens.

The absolute best time to work on Merit Badges are Summer Camp and Merit Badge Days. I cannot stress the importance of these two opportunities enough.

Most Merit Badges are earned during Summer Camp and on Merit Badge Day events. There are two council sponsored Merit Badge days per year, one in Winter and one in Summer, try to make these a priority.

Rank Advancement

Each patrol has an Assistant Scoutmaster assigned to the patrol, in addition each patrol has a troop guide(older Scout) that will assist the (younger) Scouts in reaching the next rank

Can I work on advancement with my son?

• • Yes, but a Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster will need to sign off on the work.

If the Scout has any questions he or the parents can reach out to Mr. Clark for assistance or direction at any time

However, all the rank advancement requirements are listed in the back of the Scout Handbook

When completing a rank advancement the Scout should get the advancement signed off in his Scout Book by a Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster. Then he is to go to Mrs. Owens or Mrs. Hotchkiss to have the items added into the computer. (this must happen so that we know what to purchase for courts of honor)

When all items are completed for rank advancement the Scout should fill out a form for a Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review.

The Scout should let Mr. Clark know that he has filled out a form and is ready for a conference.

After the Scoutmaster Conference is completed, Mr. Clark will sign off the form and the the scout is ready for a Board of Review.

Boards of Review are usually done when sufficient adults are available to conduct a Board of Review.

Life to Eagle

Wayne Jones is the Life to Eagle Guru. When a scout reaches the Life rank he will be directed to Mr. Jones.