NEWSLETTER

From the SPL

Hey Troop 77,

I hope you all are having a great week. The PLC is happening on the 11th, so if you are a patrol leader, make sure you show up!

This week the krakens are facilitating a mile run, along with other physical activities, so be aware of your clothing.

I hope to see y’all there!

Yours in Scouting,

Alex King

akingt77@gmail.com

(404)-679-8724

from the scoutmaster

PLC @ 6:30P

ASM Roundtable @ 6:30P

Troop Meeting 7:30P

My first real week back as Scoutmaster was great! We are still thinner than I would like to be on attendance, but kudos to our First and Second Year Scouts for a strong showing in their ranks.  I know with everyone’s help and effort, we will get back to where we need to be on meeting and campout attendance.

At the last meeting, we were about to resolve some Patrol Leader confusion with most of the Patrols (see list below; all Patrol Leaders remember you need to be at the PLC at 6:30P this Tuesday. We also divided the First Years into two patrols (see Earth and Water Patrols list below). We got all of that done while still having a meeting about fitness. We do need to continue to work on wearing those uniforms buttoned and tucked in (preferably into Scout shorts with Scout belts and socks), and please do not wear non-Scouting jackets or shirts over your uniforms (wear them under if you need them).

Also, I know we got out a little late last week, and it is easy to blame me or the SPL for that. However, the Scouts are responsible for the meeting starting and ending on time. We have a very reasonable meeting agenda with times in it, but if Scouts come late, leave early, or are disruptive during the meeting, then that time gets added to the backend of the meeting. So, if we all want to get out as close to 9P as possible, then everyone needs to try very hard to get to the meeting at 7:20P so we can get flags (including patrol flags), setup, cones out, and get started on time. If we want to finish on time too, then making transitions without delay and idle talk will keep us on schedule, and if we can line up quickly and efficiently when called to assemble at the end of the meeting, then we will stay even more on time. However, even with all of that, we may still run a few minutes late if there is a special event or we have a lot of announcements.

Parents, I ask you to reinforce efficiency, doing things at the meeting with a purpose, and making quick and quiet transitions so we do not have to hold up the Scout sign for 10 minutes to get everyone quiet between events. I also ask you to show some patience and understanding when meetings run past 9P. These meetings are being run by Scouts 10-17 years old, so let’s not have unrealistic expectations that they are going to run like clockwork any more than most business meetings do, which are run by adults and often run over on time for the same reasons as ours do. That is not to say keeping things on time should not be a goal, and I know it is for both me and the SPL, but there has to be some flexibility and consideration of the circumstances.

OCTOBER

While we do not have another campout in October, we still have a lot of Scouting going on in the community and in anticipation of several activities and the campout in November. Scouts, you should be using October to get a little caught up on Advancement, but everyone should be using it to Be Prepared! for what is to come over the next few months. 

One big event we do have as a Troop in October is several Packs will be sending WEBELOS to our 10/18 meeting. So, we need maximum attendance, uniforms looking sharp (see notes below about sewing events), and everyone willing to pitch in and lend a hand. This is one of our biggest opportunities to recruit WEBELOS, and if we do not do a good job of it, then the Troop will unfortunately contract if those WEBELOS go out and join other Troops. So, while everyone should bring their “A” game every week, let’s really bring it on 10/18. 

Also, (and I am sorry to sound like a broken record), but attendance and participation at meetings is a key to success in Scouting (and also a rank requirement). This applies to older and younger Scouts alike and whether your Scout rank or an Eagle Scout (this group needs to remember how much Scouting gave to you, and now it is your turn to give back and show servant leadership). Show-up, get your friends to show-up, and everyone keeps showing up. Everyone has something else they could be doing instead of Scouting, including most of our Volunteer Adult Leaders, but we ask so little of your time as Scouts and yet the benefit you gain is huge. Do your part and show up, and beyond that, get the rest of your patrol and classmates to show up! 

REQUIRED PARENT REGISTRATION WITH TROOP

I know we have had some new faces on campouts lately and more parents getting involved, which is awesome and we’re super happy to continue the legacy of Adult Leadership in Troop 77. However, we also have a paramount concern for the health and safety of our Scouts. As such, we have developed rules regarding the number of campouts you can attend before you need to register with the Troop. The information can be found in the Troop’s Parent Guide (https://drive.google.com/file/d/12xkyG7UNGEo4WFUJ07ZYlnqmtbK0CVoX/view?usp=sharing) under Parent Registration with the Troop (see the top of page 11). As an aside, everyone please remember the Parent Guide is a great resource in general and worth a refresher read every year. 

PHILMONT 2023 AND JOINING VENTURE

The Venture Crew (working with Troops 77 and 177) has a few spots open in our co-ed Crew and our all boys Crews for Philmont 2023. If you are interested, please contact me by email at ctcole0308@gmail.com.

Even if you do not go to Philmont, consider joining Venture Crew 77. It is a great opportunity to do Scouting a little differently after age 14 and it goes up to age 21 (where Scouts ends at 18). You can also continue working on your Scouting Advancement while in Venture, and Venture PoRs count for Scout PoRs for Advancement. 

ADULT TRAINING

Adult Leaders, please get Trained. You need YPT (and many people’s YPT will be expiring as we come up on the two-year anniversary of YPT 2.0). You also need Hazardous Weather Training, which can be done online, if you plan on camping with the Troop, even if it is only once a year. There is also position-specific training you need depending on your role with the Troop. There are also various levels of training you can take to provide more safety and guidance for our Scouts. If you have questions or need any guidance on training, please contact Sean Borja at michael.sean.borja@gmail.com

SERVICE

We have volunteer opportunities for Scouts and Leaders at the OGUMC BBQ (10/14-15), Emory Center For Critical Care 5K (10/15 AM), Cubapalooza (2P - 5P, Sunday 11/6, and WEBELOS Games Campout (Friday 11/11 cooking; 11/12-13 WEBELOS Games). More on these and other volunteer opportunities can be found throughout the Newsletter.

WEBELOS GAMES CAMPOUT

Our WEBELOS Campout this year will be at Camp Pine Mountain Camp (near West Point Lake), so hopefully it will be a little warmer than our usual November campouts. We are making pulled pork with all the fixin’s for dinner for everyone (like the turkeys we do at Cloudland Canyon every other November). We will be sending a limited number of people on the cooking crew down on Friday and everyone else will arrive on Saturday. If you are interested in being on the Friday Cooking Crew, then please email me and let me know.

DISTRICT ROUNDTABLE

Once a month, the District holds an Adult Leaders Roundtable to discuss events and introduce new topics and skills. It is a great opportunity to meet other Leaders from other Troops and support the Cub Packs and their role in the District (and the future of the Troop from a recruiting standpoint). We do not need to send 20 leaders but sending a few each time would be great. Or, if you have a topic you would like to discuss or learn about, then let me know and I am sure we can get that on the agenda (since I usually make the agenda as Roundtable Commissioner!). 

OLDER SCOUTS

We will be reworking some of the Older Scout Patrols this week to try and achieve some consolidation, functionality, and long-term stability. If you want your voice to be heard, then you should plan on being at this meeting.

POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY (SPECIAL NOTE FOR DEN CHIEFS)

If you need a Position of Responsibility for rank advancement or just to help the Troop, then please talk to Smith Jensen or contact him at smithhjensen@gmail.com. Several PoRs are still open and need to be filled. 

If you are a Den Chief (or you  want to be a Den Chief) and your name is NOT Landon Keith, then please see me at the next meeting or contact me by email to discuss. As of now, all Den Chief PoRs (except for Landon) have NOT been approved going forward. We both want and need Den Chiefs, but we need to get some better tracking and assigning of those roles for them to count for PoR credit.

NEW FIRST YEAR PATROLS

Earth

Oliver Bluett

Liam Fayard

Wesley Greene

Cameron Hopkins

Beckett Martin

Camryn Massey

Jack  Minderhout

Penson Sherrill

Lex Van De Water

Water

Elan Betan Snook

Sebastian Borja

Chas Cook

Clint DeWolff

Ryland Hamner

Will Henderson

Christopher Henry

Thomas Iredale

Landon Keith

Leon Leuckfeld

Henry Marschalk

NEW PATROL LEADERS

Axolotl Patrol - Franklin Shofner

Raven Patrol - Rohan Kandiah

Hedgehog Patrol – Vishnu Ghanta

Titan Patrol – Alex Lin

Not assigned yet: Kraken and Older Scout Patrols

Finally, please make sure you read the whole Newsletter as there is always useful and valuable information therein. Parents, if the Newsletter only comes to you (i.e., your Scout is not signed-up for Remind or cannot access the Newsletter through the web), then please make sure your Scout either reads it with you, you print them a copy, etc. While we need everyone to read everything we put out in any form (Newsletter, Remind, Scoutbook, Email, etc.), it is super-critical that everyone reads the Newsletter and stays current on what is going on in the Troop and upcoming opportunities, etc.

Yours in Scouting,

Clinton Cole

Scoutmaster Troop 77

ctcole0308@gmail.com

(678) 595-3332

CAMPING

NYLT

Only two National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) sessions remain this year.  We strongly recommend all eligible Scouts that have not previously attended NYLT to register and take part in BSA’s preeminent Youth training opportunity.  This six-day course is designed to equip Scouts with the skills to improve their leadership in all aspects of their daily lives.  Led by an exemplary, highly trained youth staff, NYLT participants work hard and play hard together through group activities, games, and adventures as they experience Scouting at its best.

To be eligible for NYLT, before the week you plan to attend, you must:

• Be 13 or older

• Have achieved First Class or higher

• Have completed ILST

• Have the recommendation of your Scoutmaster

The remaining 2022 NYLT Session Dates are as follows:

Fall Session (Part 1) - Saturday, Nov 19 2022  -  Tuesday, Nov 22 2022

Adventure Camp (Bert Adams Scout Camp)

              -AND-

Fall Session (Part 2) - Saturday, Dec 3 2022  -  Sunday, Dec 4 2022

Adventure Camp (Bert Adams Scout Camp)

Winter Session - Monday, Dec 26 2022  -  Saturday, Dec 31 2022

Camps Emerson & Gorman (Bert Adams Scout Camp)

You  can find additional information and register for NYLT at: https://aacnylt.org/