Presented by Geneva Roe, Troop Secretary

TROOP 489

PARENT MEETING - FEBRUARY 6TH 2017

MINUTES

Presented by Geneva Roe, Troop Secretary

New BSA ruling on transgender individuals wanting to join scouting. Troops position was explained by Mrs. Sparks. If a transgender visits troop 489 and is 14 or over they should be directed to Scoutmaster Mr. Martz or Troop Committee Chair Marilyn Sparks and they will direct them to a Venture Crew. If under 14 the same leaders will direct them to Council who will find a troop that fits their need.

Leadership Change - Mr. Martz will take over as Troop 489s Scoutmaster.

Upcoming Outings/Activities:

- SCOUT SUNDAY Thank you to Mrs. Sette for organizing Scout Sunday.

- SNOW OUTING - February 18th. Mr. Duerksen is adult incharge, He has enough drivers. Scouts were asked to see him for waiver forms and to bring them back the morning of the outing. Mrs. Sparks reminded everyone that scouts and adults driving and/or participating MUST have a BSA Medical Form on file with the troop in order to participate. NO FORM, NO OUTING, NO REFUND! If there is doubt as to wether your form is on file - contact Mrs. Zanelli.

- CALICO - March 17th -19th. Adult leaders and parents head this up. There will be several safety briefings with scouts, parents and adult leaders prior to the outing.

-CAMPO REE - April 28-30. BonelliPark. Patrol skills competition

-SANTA CRUZ BACKPACKING - May 13-14. Mr. Heider adult in charge. This is trip rescheduled due to January rainout. Sign-ups are OPEN again due to new date.

-FAIRMOUNT/PIONEER CEMETERY - Service Project and Memorial Day flag presentation. Monday -May 29th. Mr. Fredendall adult in charge. More dates for clean-up to be announced. There will be plenty to clean up due to the recent rains.

- TROOP PLANNING MEETING - May dates TBA PLC and adult leaders will meet to plan summer and annual troop calendar.

- SUMMER PROGRAM BEGINS - June

SUMMER CAMP - July 16-22Forest Lawn Boy Scout Camp. Mr. Martz adult leader. 1st Deposit of $100 was due Jan. 30th, 2nd Deposit $100 Feb. 24th, 3rd Deposit $100 March 31st, Total Balance Due April 28th. (Note if you missed a deposit and would still like your scout to attend please contact Mr. Martz. ALL DEPOSITS are non-refundable BUT may be transferable to another scout or adult)

- FUNDRAISERS - Troop 489 does two fundraisers. Wreath sales headed by Mrs. Wren (Bailey's mom) and See's Candy by Mrs. Sparks (Sean' s mom's). New chairpersons are needed for both these fundraisers as their scouts will be Eagling out before the end of the summer. If you are willing to take one of these positions please contact Mr. Martz or Mrs. Sparks.

- FINANACES - Square Magstrip Reader for collection of payment on troop activities. The pros and cons of using the "square" to collect money for troop activities/outings etc. was introduced and discussed. Pros included: convenience for both payer and troop treasurer and the app and square are free. Cons included: 2-3/4% fee. It was determined that the pros outweighed the cons and we would implement the use of the "square". It's use by troop members would be optional. You will still be allowed to elect another form of payment. A minimum dollar amount for when the square would be used will be set by troop leadership.

-PATROL FOOD- Mrs. Sparks addressed a concern that the scout in charge of purchasing food for their patrols on outings was not being reimbursed in full by their patrol members. PLEASE be courteous to your patrol members buying your food! Additionally, if you sign up to participate in an outing and then back out within the week of the outing you still owe money for the food purchased on your behalf!

-PATROL CHANGES - Knuckleheads. Mr. Heider spoke on behalf of the KHs. Their current patrol leader Nathan Ormond has fulfilled his duties and will be stepping down. The KH's will choose a new PL and APL from the existing first class scouts within their patrol. Mr. Heider explained the responsibilities of the APL and that the scout will understand that this position does not count towards leadership but will prepare them to take over as PL when the time comes. He also explained that the KH's will be working on effective communication which will include how to draft, send and reply to an email.

-STATE OF THE PATROLS - VIKINGS -Mr. Fredendall, adult leader. The Vikings are alive! He is encouraging their members to show up for meetings. He indicated that having a patrol, troop and PLC meeting all in one night can make things difficult for him. He reminded the group that Omar Amaral and Bailey Wren will be aging out in August.

GRIFFINS-Mrs. Sparks - Griffins are awesome. Sean Sparks will be aging out.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE - Responses to emails sent to the troop body should be sent "reply" not "reply all" unless requested to do so. Please customize emails to your patrols to only include the respective patrol members, their parents and adult leaders. Mr. Joseph who is a network administrator introduced the concept of using a network exchange with customized emails for each patrol and adult leader. He volunteered to spearhead the creation. More info to follow.

RANK ADVANCEMENT AND BOARD OF REVIEWS - Mrs. Sparks reviewed the following: Parent of the scout under review in the BOR, Scout Masters and Asst. Scout Masters CANNOT be on the BOR panel. ONLY registered parents/adults can sit on the BOR. It is IMPORTANT to the troop and YOUR scout that parents register and serve on BORs. WE NEED YOU! If there aren't registered parents willing, YOUR scout might be the one who loses out on a timely BOR. REGISTER AND VOLUNTEER!

ADULT LEADERS NEEDED: Mr. Martz reminded the group that Mrs. Sparks will be transitioning out of the Troop Committee Chair position by then end of the scouting year. Please see Mr. Martz or Mrs. Sparks for details on this position.

He also discussed some of his goals for the troop which include more effective communication, strengthening of the "boy led concept" the need for adult volunteers and the importance of PLC member attendance.