NEWSLETTER

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25th

7:00 ASM HELPDESK

7:30P TROOP MEETING

From the SPL


Hey Troop 77,


I hope you all are having a great week!


This week we are having our Halloween meeting, so wear your class b's, please do not wear costumes, there will not be any competition for them.


Those of you who want a competition though, can bring a carved pumpkin from home to be judged and recognized.


Those of you who have not yet filled out the PoR commitment form, please do so, it is due by this week's meeting and if you do not fill it out, I will have to talk to your parents to see if you're really fit to hold your position.  https://forms.gle/qmnoePA2utCndhxU7 


I hope to see y'all at the meeting!


Yours in Scouting,

Alex King

akingt77@gmail.com

(404)-679-8724

from the scoutmaster


I appreciate everyone’s efforts at last week’s meeting that was attended by WEBELOS from Cub Packs in our area (and to those WEBELOS, their Leaders, and their Parents if any of you are reading this)!  While I unfortunately had to miss the meeting, I understand the Electric Dragons (and all of our Scouts in general) did a great job of showing how awesome Troop 77 is and modeled great Scouting attitude and behavior.  I would like to give a special shout out to Mrs. Henderson for helping oversee the WEBELOS meeting program, Mr. Linneman for stepping in and taking on my Scoutmaster duties on short notice, and all of our Adults that pitched-in, gave presentations to Parents, and helped out.  I also appreciate our solid attendance numbers (we’re still working on those Older Scouts!), and the rest of the Troop for carrying out normal meeting duties and responsibilities with a herd of WEBELOS added to the mix!  


I am looking forward to this week’s more relaxed Halloween Meeting and seeing what the Senior Patrol has put together for us as we catch our breath and remind ourselves that part of Scouting is sometimes just about having fun and not always about Advancement or climbing the Scouting ladder.  That being said, my expectation is that all of the typical rules about how we act and behave at meetings will be followed this week, and that attendance and positive participation will make meetings like this something worth doing from time to time.


Again, I am really happy to see the progress we have made on attendance over the past month.  Remember, we are a Troop first, and if the majority of the Troop is not attending meetings, then we cannot fulfill that obligation.  Also, and this is true for everyone but especially true for those of you who are First Class, Star, or Life, participation in Troop activities is incredibly important.  So much so that it is the first requirement listed for each of those ranks, which requires you to “be active” in your Troop.  While there are very few things that are subjective in SBSA rank requirements, this is one of them that is more open to interpretation than most.  And, at the end of the day, it usually comes down to whether I, as Scoutmaster, think you have met this requirement.  I do not simply look at the day you got your prior rank and then see if the required amount of time has passed–it is about BEING ACTIVE in the Troop, which includes attending and participating in meetings, campouts, leadership, and other Troop activities.


Please make sure you checkout the Camping section and all the other sections of the Newsletter and get signed-up for outings, volunteer opportunities, merit badge classes, and the like.  We will also hopefully be releasing 2023 Summer Camp information soon as well, so be on the lookout for that.  Also, please remember, we have deadlines (especially for campout sign-up  for a reason, and most of the time it is because we have to make commitments (financially and otherwise) based on attendance.  I know sometimes it’s hard to get signed-up early for things because of uncertainty in other areas of life, but please do what you can going forward and not to wait until the last minute to sign-up for Scout activities.



DISTRICT ROUNDTABLE AT OGUMC ON OCTOBER 27TH AT 7P


Adult Leaders–as some of you know, I moonlight as the Hightower Trail District Roundtable Commissioner.  District Roundtables are a great opportunity to find out what is going on in the District (and Council), meet other Adult Leaders, and find out more about Scout topics that interest you.  While we do not need to send 20 leaders to the DRT every month, as one of the bigger Troops in the area, it would be good to send a few leaders as time permits.  This month the meeting is October 27th starting at 7P in the Grand Hall at OGUMC, and the meetings usually wrap-up around 8:30P.  On the agenda this month is some social time for Scout Leaders to say “hello” to folks they know or meet new folks, Doug Malone (Ranger at Bert Adams) will be talking to us about a few needs specific to Bert Adams, our very own Ben Bryant will be talking about Conservation in Scouting, and several District officials will be talking about Recharter.  The idea of the Roundtable is not to hear a lecture about a topic, but rather to have a topic introduced by someone with specialized knowledge and then be able to ask questions, see how other Troops manage certain issues, occasionally try to figure out what SBSA means when it makes certain advancement or policy changes, etc.  I hope to see a few Troop 77 folks (other than just Ben and me) at the upcoming meeting.  After the RT this week, the next one is scheduled for December 1st and will be both our November and December meetings combined. Typically, the DRTs are on the 4th Thursday of the month, and we should be generally back on that schedule starting in January 2023.



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 on the website 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) still 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.


Even if you do not go to Philmont, please 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 regular 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.



WEBELOS GAMES AND THANKSGIVING CAMPOUT


Our WEBELOS Games 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.  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 because we could use a couple additional volunteers.



POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY (SPECIAL NOTE FOR DEN CHIEFS)


At last check, we were getting close to filling all of the Positions of Responsibility for the Troop.  If you still need a PoR, then please talk to ASPL Smith Jensen or contact him at smithhjensen@gmail.com. 


If you would like to be a Den Chief and have not already spoken with me about it in the last month or so, then please see me at the next meeting or contact me by email to discuss. As of now, all Den Chief PoRs (except for those Scouts I have already talked to about it) 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.


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


OCTOBER 2022 DETAILEd cALENDAR

Note: The majority of the dates in this section are on the Troop Calendar.  If you have not done so already, please subscribe to the Troop's calendar by following the instructions on the Calendar page of the Troop’s website.

In addition, on the Calendar page of the Troop’s website (underneath the calendar itself), you will find the latest released update to the Annual Planning Meeting Summary, which will give you an idea of what we will be doing for the next 10 months (the AMPS is subject to change, but it should not change too much).

OCTOBER




 

NOVEMBER 














DECEMBER (early notice)






CAMPING

November Campout: 

November 12-13:  Olympic Games at Lumpkin with WEBELOS

The November campout will be a joint outing with the second year Webelos. Scouts will lead the Webelos in Olympic style games and work on basic camp skills. We will also enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner together Saturday night!


Upcoming 2022/2023 Campouts

November 12-13: Olympic Games at Lumpkin with WEBELOS

December 10-11: Shooting Sports at Lawhorn (trip details coming soon)

January 14-15:  Caving at Tumbling Rock  (click to access campout information and register)

February 17-20: Cumberland Island Service

March 24-26: Camporee at Bert Adams

April 21-23: Survivalist Extreme

May 12-14: Backpacking

advancement


Congratulations to the following scouts who ranked up this past week:


- Jackson Wade earned his Tenderfoot rank on October 19, 2022


- Zander Parris earned his Star rank on October 19, 2022


- Nathan Pohl earned his Life rank on October 19, 2022


Board of Review (BOR) - Scouts - If you are ready for your Board of Review, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44AEAD29A7FF2-troop 


advancement OPPORTUNITIES

merit badge minute

Atlanta Area Council 

The AAC will host its Merit Badge Summit at the Scout Volunteer Service Center on Saturday, October 29th.  Scouts can choose from over 20 merit badge offerings, including Eagle required badges such as Citizenship in the Nation, Communications and Family Life.   Classes last approximately four hours and cost $20 per course.  For more information, click here:   https://www.atlantabsa.org/MeritBadgeSummit 

Bert Adams Winter Camp

Registration is open for Bert Adams Winter Camp.  Between December 27 and 31, Scouts have the opportunity to earn up to 5 merit badges.   Cost for the 4-night event is $220.  For more information, click here:  https://www.campbertadams.org/wintercamp


PERSONAL FITNESS MERIT BADGE

The Fall 2022 iteration of the Personal Fitness Merit Badge Class is kicking off next Tuesday, 10/25 at 6:30 PM (the hour before next week's Scout meeting).

In this session we will cover the Personal Fitness MB content and kick off the 12 week fitness process with the initial fitness test.

Please Note: The Personal Fitness MB is a 12-week commitment requiring a regular exercise routine with tracking, food logging, and four separate fitness tests. If you are up to the challenge of completing this Eagle required merit badge then sign up here  and come join us next Tuesday.

What to bring:  running/walking shoes, water bottle, pen/pencil and something to write on.

Any questions, email Dusty Schaffner: dlschaffner@gmail.com 

TEACH CAMPING TO CUB SCOUTS

Help Teach Cub Camping Skills at the Oct 27th Pack 577 Meeting

Pack 577 has asked Troop 77 to provide scout volunteers to teach camping skills at their October pack meeting on Thursday 10/27 at 6:00 pm (you'll need to arrive a little early to set up). Scouts can earn 1.5 to 1.75 service hours. You might teach how to pitch a tent, how to arrange gear inside your tent, fire safety, the Cub Scout 6 essentials, etc. To volunteer, sign up here. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c4ca9af29a02-teach 

IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP UPDATE


It is time to decide if your scout journey will continue into 2023. We ask that all current Troop 77 scouts provide a response at the link below letting us know if you plan to continue with our Troop.


Click here to complete the form and let us know if you plan to continue with Troop 77.


The deadline to submit your online renewal and pay 2023 dues is Tuesday, November 15, 2022.

*Scouts who do not renew by the November 15 deadline will be removed from the Troop 77 roster and will have to complete a new BSA application in 2023 to rejoin the troop.


Scouts dues are $175 for 2023 (including Troop and BSA). Troop dues fund the ongoing operations of Troop 77 including ongoing maintenance and equipment for our large and active Troop.

Please contact membership@troop77bsa.org if you have any questions about membership or dues.

DUTY TO GOD: RELIGIOUS EMBLEM AWARD

Hey guys, this is Zander Parris the Chaplain’s Aide for the troop. One of the main things that I do as Chaplain’s Aide is help you earn the Religious emblem for your faith. Religious Emblems are awards you can get for learning more about your religion and growing stronger in your faith. Please fill out the survey below so that we can recognize your religious beliefs and help you earn the religious emblem for your faith.

https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBjpz5FeOrsG0jc 

winter Camp

The Atlanta Area Council is excited to offer Winter Camp at Bert Adams Scout Camp for Scouts BSA Troops and Venturing Crews. For 5 days and 4 nights in December, Scouts BSA and Venturers will have the opportunity to camp and play at one of America's premier camps.  Our winter camp will introduce unique programs and merit badges that are not available at either of our summer camps. We've pulled together the best of our summer camp staffs for an all-star leadership team. Scouts BSA and Venturers can attend as a Troop or Crew, patrol, or as an individual provisional Scouts BSA/Venturer.  Activities include over 60 Merit Badges, Games, Cracker Barrels, an epic Klondike Derby, Cold Weather Camping Activities, Campfires, and other unique programs.

https://www.campbertadams.org/files/42668/2022-winter-camp-flyer

Important Note: If you are interested in attending Winter Camp as a Troop, then please contact Mr. Cole by email at ctcole0308@gmail.com by October 21st so we can gauge if there is enough interest to make this a Troop event or assist you with individual registration.


SCOUT DAY with the ATLANTA FALCONS

Join the excitement of Scout Day with the Atlanta Falcons!

October 30, 2022 | 1:00 PM | Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Join hundreds of your fellow Scouts and leaders at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a fun Scout Day with the Atlanta Falcons!

Cheer on the Falcons as they take on the Carolina Panthers in what should be an exciting divisional matchup! All participating Scouts will receive a Falcon's Scout Day Pennant. All $40 tickets have sold out, so act quickly! Tickets now start at $70 and can be purchased by clicking the link below.

https://offer.fevo.com/falcons-scout-day-metro-atlanta-council-5c38dfe?fevoUri=falcons-scout-day-metro-atlanta-council-5c38dfe%2F 

CIRCE du SOLEIL KURIOS SCOUT DAY


Sunday, November 13 @ Atlantic Station


Step into the curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space, and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him.  Groups of 20+ enjoy reduced handling fees, contact Michael.Ciaccia@cirquedusoleil.com for details.


Click on the link to purchase tickets: https://tickets.cirquedusoleil.com/shop/#/fc8f3df5-12c1-4481-a31f-8f17bba95640/shop/select?locale=en&skin=kurios_v2 

SCOUT DAY with the ATLANTA HAWKS

Sunday, November 27 @ State Farm Arena

Catch the Atlanta Hawks take on the division rival Miami Heat at Scout Day with the Atlanta Hawks! Tickets for the event start at $33 with a portion of each ticket sold going back to Atlanta area Scouting. Every attendee will receive a Scout Day patch!

Buy your tickets here: https://atlantahawks.spinzo.com/?group=scout-night-pba6 

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:


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/

ORder of the Arrow


Hello everyone, this is Ryan Shimabukuro, your Order of the Arrow (OA) Troop Representative. This newsletter contains important information about current and upcoming OA events, and more.

Events and Registration

The link to our Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge website is https://aacegwa.org. It has a calendar of upcoming events and information on how to register for the events. Here are the dates for the upcoming Induction Weekends and the registration deadlines:

Dues

Yes, there are dues in the OA. This year, and every year, dues are $25. They are due NOW! In some situations, if you did not pay dues last year, then you will need to pay those in order to pay your dues for this year and stay current. HOWEVER, this is important, if you attend OA events in which you pay a fee, the fee should cover your dues.

The Troop does NOT reimburse for payment of Adult or Youth OA dues, unless the Adult or Scout is actively involved in OA (e.g., attends monthly meetings, Chapter and Lodge events, Conclaves, Fellowship Events, Service Events, etc.), in which case you need to talk to me or Dr. Gilbert.

The link for paying dues is: https://www.atlantabsa.org/OAMemberRenewal

What is the Order of the Arrow?

According to the Order of the Arrow’s website (https://oa-bsa.org/), the Order of the Arrow is an honor organization that recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.

Etowah Chapter:

The following are the elected officials (and advisor) in our Chapter:

Chapter Chief: RJ Holloway rj@rj-holloway.com

Vice Chapter Chief: Violet Todd violet.todd.7@gmail.com

Etowah Chapter Advisor: Ramus Caribbean EtowahAdviser@aacegwa.org

If you have any questions about the events, you can contact me or RJ, the current Etowah Chapter Chief at rj@rj-holloway.com.

Thanks!

Ryan

Financial Management Support LInks


Attention Parents!

There's a new Financial Management Tab on the Scout/Parent Portal to assist with tracking and management of expense reimbursement and escrow accounts.  

Please use the links on this webpage to submit expense reimbursement requests or for campout/other payments that you'd like to pay using your Scout's escrow balance.

Escrow Accounts


Expense Reimbursement Requests

SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCES


Scoutmaster Conferences for Scout, Star, Life and Eagle are conducted by Mr. Cole.  You can sign-up for Scoutmaster Conference for Scout, Star and Life by using the SignUp Genius on the Troop's Website under Scoutmaster Conferences (https://sites.google.com/troop77bsa.com/scout-parent/scoutmaster-conferences?authuser=0) and following the instructions on that webpage.   Scoutmaster Conferences for Eagle can be arranged by emailing Mr. Cole at ctcole0308@gmail.com.  IF YOUR SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCE IS BEFORE 7P, ONE OF YOUR PARENTS MUST BE PREPARED TO STAY FOR THE CONFERENCE (SO THAT WE HAVE TWO ADULTS PRESENT AND NO ONE-ON-ONE CONTACT) SO THAT WE CAN REMAIN YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING COMPLIANT.

Scoutmaster Conferences for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class are completed by an Assistant Scoutmaster and should be arranged through the ASM Helpdesk or by contacting Mr. Jensen at garyljensen@gmail.com.

EAGLE COURTS OF HONOR HELP 


For anyone (Scouts or Parents) who can volunteer some time to help organize a few things, get things setup, or help take things down at the end of Eagle Courts of Honor, Mrs. Cole could certainly use the help.  It’s not an overwhelming amount of stuff to get done by a team, but it starts to get overwhelming if you are having to do it all by yourself. If you’re interested in helping with the Eagle Courts of Honor please contact Holly Cole (hpcole77@gmail.com or (770) 401-4992) and let her know.  With a big backlog from COVID and being fortunate to have 1-2 Scouts earning Eagle a month, this is a great way to give some time to the Troop on a night other than Tuesdays and a great place to start volunteering.

UPCOMING COUNCIL/DISTRICT EVENTS


community service opportunities

Click the link below to see all of the community service opportunities available now.

https://sites.google.com/troop77bsa.com/scout-parent/service

Communication     


Remind Application

Troop 77 Parents –

Troop 77 Scouts

Troop 177 Parents –

Troop 177 Scouts

Scoutbook

Other Announcements

Troop 77 Calendar: Use the following address to access the Troop 77 calendar from other applications. You can copy and paste this into any calendar product that supports the iCal format.

https://www.scoutbook.com/ics/17077.45861.ics