Troop 1853,

Below is the link to Mike Rowe's letter to a potential Eagle Scout.  It is the letter that I read at the last COH.

http://blogs.discovery.com/mike_rowe_answers/2008/11/mike-offers-a-p.html

I have also attached a MS word version of the article.  If you haven't heard it, I encourage you to read it.

Mr Wink

Attachments:

Mike Rowe - Eagle Scout.doc

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10/18/2009 18:40

Troop 1853,
We had a great campout this weekend.  The scouts had the opportunity to:
·         Take the physical fitness test for the Personal Fitness Merit Badge
·         Complete the First Class requirement -Identify or show evidence of at least ten kinds of native plants found in your community and Demonstrate how to find directions during the day and at night without using a compass
·         Have a scoutmaster conference
·         Complete many other requirements for advancement
·         Earn the BSA Scuba Badge or just swim in the heated pool
As this was our first campout since our White Water campout last June, it brought up several notes that need constant reinforcing:
All scouts must be able to get into their house when they are brought home on Sunday.  They must have a key, know the key pad combination, or someone must be home to let them in.  We could bring them back as early as 9:00 am or as late as 2:00 pm. Make the proper arrangements.
All Scouts who have been in the Troop over a year are required to have a tent they can bring on a campout.  Fall clearance sales are a good opportunity to pick up a tent.
We don’t need grub masters to bring bottled water – there is plenty of water at every campout.
Cell phones, ipods and other electronic should be left home.  If you must bring them, they are to remain in the car when we get to the campsite.  I had quite a collection this weekend.  If I see it, you get it back on Sunday when we go home.
Put your name on your gear.  Scouts, you are responsible their own gear.  There were at least a dozen items in the lost and found by the end of the weekend. Only one had a name in it.  All red troop t-shirts look alike.
If you sign up for a Campout and do not cancel before the grubmaster buys the food, you are responsible for your share.  This goes for adults as well.
All refunds will be deposited directly to your scout’s escrow account (Scout Bucks) for them to use on a future Scout activity.
Boots- wear boots on campouts – there were a lot of wet feet in the heavy dew.
I’d like to thank Carroll Hill for coordinating the Scuba activities, Chris Brown for being the ASMIC, Chris Olsen for coordinating the Camp site, the adults who helped and especially the three Scouters who drove even though they did not have a scout participating in the weekend’s activities. We would not have been able to take your kids with us without them. 
See you on Tuesday.
 
Rich Wink
Scoutmaster Troop 1853

The summer uniform from Memorial day to Labor Day is Class B's.  Class B’s consists of Scout pants (or shorts) socks, belt and a scout related T-Shirt.   Scoutmaster conferences, Boards of Review and Courts of Honor as well as travel to and from Campouts are still Class A’s.

I am currently scheduling  Scoutmaster Conferences for the next two weeks.  I schedule them in the order I receive the requests.  Normally most happen the first three weeks of each month.  Very few happen in the last week of each month.   Don’t wait for the last meeting before the Boards of Review.  Odds are its too late to get one scheduled by then.  Be Prepared.  Study your requirements.  Know your First Aid, be able to tie your knots. If you show up unable to perform the requirements for your rank (and the previous ranks) you are wasting both of our time.

Attached is the May version of the Eagle.  The Eagle is one of several ways we try to communicate what is going on to the Scouts and their Parents.  The website has the calendar and updates. It also has the Troop Handbook and several other resources.   Troop wide emails are another source of info.  Patrol emails add to the info flow.  However, the announcements at the beginning and end of the meetings are the best source of what’s current  and important.  If you are depending on your Scout to fill you in, I admire your optimism. Come inside, listen and then either stay and talk to the other adults.  They will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

New Committee members- The committee meeting is the 1^st Monday of the Month.  It is a great source of info

New ASMs – The PLC/ASM Meeting is usually the 3^rd Monday of the Month. It is also a great source of info and we always need help.

I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our New Scouts and their Parents. I hope you will find your experiences in Troop 1853 to be exciting, fun and rewarding.  We are a  Troop with lots of activities for the Scouts and lots of behind the scenes support from the Adults.  Every Scout will have many opportunities to grow in the Aims of Scouting:  Character, Citizenship and Physical Fitness. 

New Scouts, come to each meeting ready to participate and have fun.  Ask questions and pay attention.  You are responsible for yourself.  This is not Cub Scouts.  You will advance through the Scout ranks at your own pace.  What you get out of it will be based on what you put in to it.  There are plenty of older scouts and Assistant Scoutmasters to guide you in the right direction.  Tell your parents to come inside for the announcements at the end of each meeting.  They should be there by 8:45 so they can hear what is going on and be ready to pick you up at 9:00.  Come on the campouts, go to summer camp, go meetings, become involved.  They are many opportunity to try new activities and adventures.  

Parents, there is much for you to do as well.  The Troop can only function with the help of everyone.  There are many behind the scenes jobs that keep the organization running.  It may sometimes seem that we have plenty of people and don’t need more help but that’s not true. We always have tasks, large and small, that aren’t getting done because no one has volunteered to do them.   Just because we haven’t asked for help yet doesn’t mean we don’t need you. 

I encourage you to all read the Troop handbook and the camping rules. (They are on the website) It’s due to be updated soon but for now it’s 95% accurate.  Ask any of the  any of the Adult leaders and they’ll gladly fill in any holes.   Come camping with us.  It not a bad way to spend a weekend.  You don’t have to come on every campout, but consider that we need an average of one driver for every 3.5 scouts and we usually take over 40 scouts camping each month.  If you have a vehicle that can pull the troop trailer we especially need your help.  Come to parents night and we’ll get you and your scout on the Trail to Eagle. 

I ask that you allow your scout the opportunity to succeed or learn from their mistakes on their own.  It is really easy to spot a scout who is getting a bit too much help from his parents.  Let your scout pack his own gear for the campouts.  It is probably a good idea to make sure he has all the gear on the packing list laid out to pack, but let him pack it himself.  Help them get to the meetings, encourage them to practice their scout skills, encourage them to try things they’ve never tried before, and come help us accomplish all the Tasks that made this the Troop your son wanted to join.

I look forward to meeting and talking with everyone of you in the next few weeks.

We appreciate everyone’s help last Saturday with Troop equipment day.   When we get participation like we did, the job goes much faster.  In a related note on everyone working together, Troop 1853 has met its 2008 Quality Unit goals for 2008.  This took the help and participation of Scouts, Scouters and family.  So far this year over 55% of our scouts have participated in 5 or more outdoor experiences or group activities.    Over 50% of our scouts have advanced at least one rank this year.  Our retention numbers are close to 90% and 63% of our adult leaders have completed their basic leader training.  We could still use a few more adult leaders.  

In the last Eagle I mentioned that we were beginning to recruit some additional adult help.  Below is an initial  list of positions where we need help: 

• Patrol Advisors – advise the Patrol Leader on the operation of the patrol, ensure that training on Scout skills, leadership and outdoorsmanship is conducted to standard, and assist with training and advancement as required.  

• Position Advisors  – Troop Scribe Advisor, Troop Librarian Advisor, Troop Historian Advisor, etc.)

• Board of Review Members – Sit on the monthly Board of reviews for rank advancement.  Held during the meeting on the Third Tuesday of the month.  No scout should have to wait on a rank because we can’t find 3-5 parents (who aren’t Assistant Scoutmasters) to sit on the Board.  No previous Scouting experience required.

• Merit Badge Counselors

• Court of Honor Coordinator - 3 COH’s per year

• Roque’s Gallery – Post Pictures to the website

• Car Wash Coordinator -approximately 2/4 per year

• Secretary -take notes at Committee meetings, etc.

• Religious Awards Coordinator

• We always need drivers for campouts,  someone to haul the trailer on campouts,  people to help stuff awards bags prior to the Court of Honor,

If you can spare some time to better your Scout’s experience, please let us know.  There is a niche for everyone somewhere in the troop. 

Over the past year I've sent out a bunch of notes that generally remain applicable throughout the year.   I've included them above. 

Mr Wink

Scoutmaster Troop 1853