NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHT
Troop Committee Challenge Training
Classroom training for Troop committee challenge has been arranged for Tuesday evening, March 24th starting at 6:30pm. All Troop committee members should attend. All Assistant Scoutmasters are also asked to attend.
Calendar Reminders
Mark your calendars for the important Troop events described below. As always the official troop calendar has the latest information on these and all troop events at www.bsatroop1424.com
PLC Meeting (March)
Tuesday, Mar 24th at 7pm
Troop Committee Challenge Training
Tuesday, March 24th starting at 6:30pm
Youth Leadership Training – ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops)
Sunday, March 29th from 1:30 – 4:30pm
Thunderwolf District SMS Training
Saturday, April 11th. Location is TBD
Pack 282 AOL Ceremony
Saturday, April 11th at the Sienna Amphitheatre
SM Corps Meeting (April)
Sunday, April 12th from 1:30 – 4:30pm
FCE / MB Workshops / LTE Coaching (April)
Sunday, April 12th from 2:30 – 4:30pm
SHAC Scout Fair
Saturday, April 18 at Reliant Park
April Campout
Canoeing on Village Creek April 24-26
Thunderwolf District IOLS Training
Friday, May 1st through Sunday, May 3rd
Sprint for Life Service Project
Saturday, May 2nd at M.D. Anderson
SM Corps Meeting (May)
Sunday, May 3rd from 1:30 – 4:30pm
FCE / MB Workshops / LTE Coaching (May)
Sunday, May 3rd from 2:30 – 4:30pm
Court of Honor
Tuesday, May 5th starting at 6:30pm
Troop Web Site
ASM On-boarding Presentation
The Powerpoint presentation from the Assistant Scoutmaster On-Boarding meeting that took place on Sunday, March 1st has been loaded to the Resources\Links & Documents page under the Troop Information heading.
Patrol Book Reference Material
A sample of the information that should be contained in all the patrol books has been loaded to the Resources\Links & Documents page under the Troop information heading.
Pictures
If you have pictures from the February campout to Colorado Bend SP and / or the recent Camp-o-ree campout please provide them to Jeff Blanchard so we can upload them to our website.
Advancement and Merit Badges
Court of Honor
The next Court of Honor (COH) will be held on Tuesday, May 5th. Liam Balaski will be the Master of Ceremonies. Cynthia Balaski will support Liam as the Master of Ceremonies Coach.
Deadline for earning all rank advancement and merit badges will be Tuesday, April 21st. This is two weeks prior to the COH since the week prior is the PLC and Committee meetings.
Camping Fees and Troop Annual Dues Reminder
Annual Troop Dues
If you did not pay your Troop Dues Tuesday November 11th they are overdue. Annual dues are $85 per Scout.
If you did not pay your Troop Dues Tuesday November 11th they are overdue. Annual dues are $85 per Scout.
Spring Camping Fees
Spring Camping fees were due on January 13,2015. Based on 5 campouts planned for the Spring the fees will be $15 / campout x 5 campouts = $75.
Summer Camp Payments
First half payments of $249 for Summer Camp are past due.
Second half payments of $249 for Summer Camp are due by April 20th.
The Summit Bechtel Reserve Payments
Airfare costs are past due. Full transportation costs are due no later than March 24th.
Second half of the program fees are also due no later than March 24th.
Camping
April Campout is a canoeing trip to Village Creek SP. Robert Steffen is the leader.
May Campout is to Hamilton Pool near Austin and camping at either El Rancho Cima or another nearby location.
Summer Camp 2015 will be at Camp Hale near Talihina, Oklahoma from June 28th through July 4, 2015. Robert Steffen is the campout leader.
High Adventure 2015 – The Summit Bechtel Reserve. Mike Schultz is the leader.
High Adventure 2016 – We have received a reservation for 2 crews for 12 day treks in July / Aug of 2016. Deposit of $100 / attendee has been paid.
High Adventure Winter 2016 – We will begin gauging interest in the winter OKPIK high adventure program at Northern Tier High Adventure base in Minnesota for December 2016. The minimum age for this trek is 13. Dates will be departure on Dec 27, 2016 with return on Jan 1, 2017.
High Adventure 2017 – 2019
Long range plans include:
Florida Sea Base in the Summer of 2017
The Summit Bechtel Reserve in Summer of 2018
Philmont Scout Ranch in Summer of 2019
Fundraising
Kroger Community Rewards program is a benefit to the troop for all families that have tied their Kroger rewards card to the troop account. 1% of the amount spent by each family is donated to the troop. Please register your card with the troop and consider shopping at Kroger to support the troop.
Time is running out to sell Scout Fair coupon books and add money to your Scout fundraising account.
Service Projects
We have several upcoming service opportunities that you should know about. Please RSVP to jdean@proconsrv.com to be added to the roster for any of these events.
Sprint for Life Annual 5K Run/Walk – The Troop has participated in this event since its inception in 1998. The event has raised over $4.3M for Ovarian Cancer research over the years. The Troop participates in the opening ceremony and passes out water to the runners / walkers in the event. This event will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at the M.D. Anderson campus in the Texas Medical Center.
Missouri City Fallen Officers Ceremony – The Troop has participated in this ceremony for the past 4 years. The Troop participates in the opening ceremony and helps to distribute flyers to the attendees. We have also helped by placing blue ribbons on all the trees along Cartwright Road the week prior to the ceremony.
Training
Troop Committee Challenge Training
Classroom training for Troop committee challenge has been arranged for Tuesday evening, March 24th starting at 6:30pm. All Troop committee members should attend. All Assistant Scoutmasters are also asked to attend.
Assistant Scoutmaster Training
To be fully trained you need to have current Youth Protection Training (YPT), complete Scoutmaster Specific (SMS) class, and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) training. See below for training dates.
Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS)
Thunderwolf district will have their next semi-annual IOLS training session on May 1-3, 2015 and the location is still TBD.
Scoutmaster Specific (SMS)
Thunderwolf district will have their semi-annual SMS training class for the Spring on Saturday, April 11, 2015. Location is still TBD.
National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)
NYLT is the second step in the youth training program. It is provided by SHAC and takes place on a campout over 5 days in both the summer and winter. Our Troop had 6 Scouts complete NYLT last summer and 4 more complete the training in late December. They are all fired up to put their new leadership skills to work with our Troop. Several of the Scouts have even returned with so much enthusiasm they are planning to volunteer as “Staff” for a future NYLT course. If you aspire to run for ASPL / SPL then you should sign-up for NYLT at your earliest opportunity. It will provide you with many tools to make your leadership opportunities a success. Minimum requirements for NYLT are to be 14 years of age, First Class Scout, have completed Troop level training (ILST), and be approved by the Scoutmaster. You may attend at 13 with permission from the Scoutmaster. Registration is currently OPEN for the Summer 2015 classes. Classes fill quickly so if you want to attend please contact Mr. Schultz at your earliest convenience to confirm you meet the minimum requirements and get signed up today. The training dates for 2015 are as follows:
Summer
June 7-12, 2015 at Bovay Scout Ranch.
June 14-19, 2015 at Bovay Scout Ranch
Winter
December 26-31, 2015 at Bovay Scout Ranch
National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE)
If you have completed ILST and NYLT and are interested in experiencing the ultimate in youth leadership training that BSA has to offer consider attending NAYLE. This training is now held at all 4 of the BSA high adventure bases – Philmont, Florida Sea Base, The Summit, and Northern Tier. Contact Mr. Schultz for more information.
If you have news you would like added to the next newsletter send an email message to the troop email account atbsatroop1424@gmail.com