Useful Information on Troop 75.
Terminology:
Acronym / Meaning / ExplanationSPL / Senior Patrol Leader / The scout in charge of the Troop
PLC / Patrol Leaders Council / The leadership team of the Troop; meets the first Monday of the month
Troop Guide / Elected Scout position / This senior scout provides the leadership for the Loon patrol; each Loon patrol has a Troop Guide. The Troop Guide should be the first stop for any Loon on asking questions
PL / Patrol Leader / Each patrol has an elected patrol leader; this scout is in charge of the patrol and is responsible for organizing and leading patrol activities
SM / Scoutmaster / The lead scoutmaster who is primarily responsible for safety and following Scouting Spirit and Protocol; I am fully trained in a number of areas in safety, medical emergencies, and skills for scouting.
ASM / Assistant Scoutmaster / A trained uniformed adult volunteer who is provides oversight on specific scout positions, programs and patrols.
Committee / The adult oversight team / Adult volunteers who provide oversight of the Troop
Chartered Organization / The organization that sponsors our Troop / Good Shepherd Lutheran is our charter organization. They are the organization that is officially in charge of our Troop
Council / The larger area that our Troop is a part of / Three Fires is our Council. It is made up of the western Suburb communities
District / Local area organizing group / We are a part of Indian Prairie. Indian Prairie encompasses School Districts 203 and 204
YP / Youth Protection / A program to help provide protection for both adults and scouts
Communication: every family in the Troop can communicate with others using these email addresses:
Last / Goes to that familyAll@ / goes to the entire Troop
Scoutmaster@ / Goes to the scoutmaster
All_Scoutmasters@ / Goes to all scoutmasters
SPL@ / Goes to the SPL
patrol@ / Goes to the patrol (ie, )
PLC@ / Goes to the PLC members
Youth Protection: we require all adults who participate in Troop activities to take Youth Protection. All training is monitored by our Training Coordinator (Tammy McGough). This training takes 20 minutes online at scouting.org and is free.
The purpose of Youth Protection is to ensure we provide a safe scouting environment for both adults and youth. Some key tenants are:
-No 1 on 1 contact or communication
-No inappropriate contact or communication between scouts or adults and scouts
Some ways this comes to life are in communications. We request that scouts copy when writing to an adult. It helps keep all of us on the same page and ensures we are following YP guidelines.
Food and Menu Planning: Scouts plan menus at the patrol level for camp outs. They need to do this for advancements and for skill building. We require scouts to plan balanced meals (USDA guidelines) and emphasize cooking skills. The exception meal tends to be Sunday morning when we allow cold foods (Little Bites, etc).
-All menus and food purchasing lists need to be reviewed by a scoutmaster and shared with the patrol (we ask a scout to lead that activity)
-Scouts need to budget for the food purchases ($15 per scout per camp out)
-Food purchases need to be screened for allergens – nuts, shellfish, and other based on the patrol
-All purchased foods will be reviewed at the start of the campout by a scoutmaster for allergens
-We insist no food is kept or consumed in tents –it is a matter of safety. In some camp out areas, bears and other predator animals are attracted by food; in other camp outs, it is about keeping out rodents and other animals which will chew through tents and personal gear to get at the food
If your scout has food allergens or preferences, we need to know those for proper precautions and planning. We understand some families prefer to buy foods at certain retailers; sometimes those prices are 20-30% higher than those at other retailers. Our primary request is that the scout stay within budget for the food purchases.
Reimbursements: we have a reimbursement policy for those occasions where you need to buy things on behalf of the Troop (gas and food for camp outs). Please refer to the forms in the binder – you will see the reimbursement form (also available on the Troop website in the Forms area). Submit expenses to the Treasurer (Diane Glonek) showing the line items and with receipts. She will either mail or deliver a check to you or you can deposit it into your Scout Account. For those who are asked to drive on camp outs, the scoutmaster in charge will inform you if we are reimbursing for gas/tolls. If so, please fill your tank before departing the area, keep receipts, and fill up at the conclusion of the trip. For tolls, print out toll records and submit with the expense report.
Advancements: scouts advance in ranks through skill building and experiences. When the scout has accomplished the skills and experience needed for the rank, the scout contacts the Scoutmaster for a Scout Spirit and Scoutmaster conference.
-The Scout Spirit conference is a check in with the scout on how he is developing his ability to live according to the Scout Law and Scout Oath. Within this conference, we review progress against Scout Spirit goals and set a new goal for the next rank.
-The Scoutmaster conference is a review of the skills learned in the advancement rank. It is also a discussion of the scout’s goals in the Troop and in scouting.
The final stop is to attend a Board of Review (BOR) which is held the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The BOR is made of at least two committee members and is a review of the skills and experiences the scout has completed in the rank, a check in on the scouting program, and a discussion of the scout’s goals. Upon successful completion of the BOR, the scout attains the rank.
Court of Honor (COH): a quarterly ceremony in which rank advancements, merit badges and other recognition are given. A scout volunteers to be the COH master of ceremony and creates and executes the COH. All family and extended family members are invited to the COH and to participate in the recognition of your scout’s accomplishments.
Equipment Needed: Scouts only need basic equipment for camp outs. The Troop provides tents and cooking equipment. Here are some items – a full list is on our Troop website.
-20 deg sleeping bag with sleeping pad
-Mess kit (plate, cup, bowl, fork/knife/spoon) – please put your name on the items
-Rain gear (poncho)
-Boots (water resistant or water proof)
-2-3 changes of clothing - polypro shirts and pants are best – cotton is a problem material for camping
-Hygiene kit (tooth brush and tooth paste, soap, etc)
-More layers are needed for cold weather camping
Scouts grow quickly…when they are 14-16, they have grown enough where you can buy better equipment. Until then, most of their camping does not require top of the line gear. However, good boots and rain gear are needed right from the start.
Boy led: One of the key differences between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is in the role of the parent. In Cub Scouts, the parent does a lot to create and execute the program. In Boy Scouts, the parent needs to step back and allow the scout to lead. The younger scouts are trained and led by the older scouts. All scouts learn from this experience. It is not pretty…it can be difficult and rough sometimes. The scoutmasters are there to ensure that the program continues, lessons are learned, that safety is paramount and that everyone learns what they need to learn. We invite all parents to attend scout activities….we ask that you work with the scoutmasters to find the appropriate way of interacting with your scout.
Volunteer positions: Troop 75 runs on volunteers. There are many positions open that need volunteers.
-If you want to more directly participate in the scouting program, you can be a scoutmaster. In this role, you work closely with the scouts on leadership and outdoor skills.
-If you are willing to coach or teach scouts life skills, you can be a merit badge counselor.
-If you would like to help operate the Troop, then you can volunteer for a committee position. We require a parent serve as a driver for pancake breakfast ticket sales and work the pancake breakfast. We ask that you find a way to do more to help provide a great program for your scout.
Committee positions:
Chair / Runs the Committee and serves as the Adult leader of the TroopTreasurer / Oversight on the budget and scout accounts
Advancement / Oversight on Troopmaster and providing badges and awards
Pancake Breakfast / Oversight on ticket sales and the execution of the Pancake Breakfast team
Troop Shirts / Sells Troop t shirts, and oversees hats, kerchiefs
Recruiting / Recruits adult volunteers for the Committee and helps scoutmasters
Camping / Oversees summer camp preparation
Training / Oversees tracking of adult training
At Large / Serves of BORs and provides directions at Committee meetings
Service Hours: Your scout will be required to do service hours throughout their scouting career. The service hours benefit nonprofit organizations in the area. I do not count hours for service performed for scouting organizations as I expect scouts to serve their brother scouts freely and willingly – the exception is working on Troop 75 Eagle projects. The reason T75 Eagle projects are always approved as service hours is because the beneficiary has to be outside of scouting.
The scouts need to do a certain amount of hours at Second Class, Star, Life and Eagle Scout ranks. In the form section, you will find a Service Hour form. It has all the instructions on the sheet. We ask that your scout follow these instructions as it will train him for the Eagle Scout process. We ask the scout to explain what they want to do for service, get a signature from a scoutmaster, and then do the service project. After completion and getting a signature from the benefitting organization, the scout should submit the form to the Advancements Chair ().
Troop Activities: The scout needs to participate in Troop activities for Second Class and First Class ranks. They need 5 activities for Second Class and an additional 5 for First Class rank – at least 3 at each level must be from camping. Troop activities occur outside of Troop meetings. Examples are:
-Troop service projects (Rebuilding Together Aurora, Church Christmas Decorating and Clean up)
-Working on T75 Eagle projects
-Pancake Breakfast (the Saturday we actually serve food)
-Scout Sunday in February
-Merit Badge University
-Camp outs
-Organized Troop day trips
-August Troop picnic