11 Year Old Scouts Parent Orientation Letter

11 Year Old Scouts – Parent Orientation Letter

Welcome to the 11 Year Old Scout Program! This is an exciting time for your Scout as he takes his first steps into the world of Boy Scouts. The goal of this program is to give your Scout a productive, fun and safe experience. Many things are handled differently in Boy Scouts than they are in Cub Scouts and the purpose of this letter is to orient you to some of the logistical details and policies of the 11 Year Old Scout Program. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to talk to the Scout Leader.

REGISTRATION FORM You need to fill out a Boy Scout registration form for your Scout and file it with the Scout office. Sometimes this is handled by the Webelos Leader. Please verify whether or not this has been done for your Scout and handle accordingly. Forms can be found at the Scout office.

Nothing your Scout does in this program can be counted toward advancement until the registration form is filed.

COMMUNICATION Communication to parents will take many forms. The first, basic, communication is the calendar of activities that is published periodically by the Scout Leader.

Flyers or handouts may be distributed for activities that arise with less notice. In most cases these handouts will be given directly to parents and not to Scouts.

Communication will frequently be done through e-mail. There is a contact form attached to this packet. Please list all e-mail addresses that pertain to your family including husband, wife, home and work. E-mail communication will be sent to all addresses you list. Please make a point of monitoring your e-mail on a regular basis so that you do not miss an important announcement.

Please do your part in being aware of the Scouting activities that are planned for your Scout so that you can accommodate these activities when doing your family planning.

MEETINGS Meetings are every Thursday night from 7:00 to 8:30. Meetings are held in the Primary room of the Church building.

Please have your Scout to meetings on time so that we can start on time and end on time. Also, please be present to pick up your Scout promptly at 8:30 when the meeting ends.

If your Scout is going to be absent for a meeting, please notify the Scout Leader ahead of time so that plans can be adjusted if necessary.

There are occasionally weeks where the regular meeting will change time or location. Every effort will be made to make you aware of the change before it happens.

If you wish to attend meetings with your Scout you are welcome to do so provided it does not negatively impact your Scout’s experience. COURTS OF HONOR Approximately three times a year there is a special activity called a Court of Honor. The purpose of this activity is to publicly recognize and award the work that has been done by Scouts. If your Scout has been actively participating in the program he will most likely be receiving an award when a Court of Honor is held. Please plan to be present at all of the Courts of Honor to support your Scout and his fellow Scouts.

Courts of Honor are typically held on a Wednesday night at 7:00. They typically do not last more than an hour, but the exact length of the Court of Honor will vary each time. The location of the Courts of Honor varies and you will be informed of the location before the Court of Honor happens.

On weeks when a Court of Honor is held the regular Thursday night meeting is typically cancelled. You will be reminded of this before each Court of Honor or told if that plan changes.

SATURDAY ACTIVITIES Periodically throughout the year the Scouts will go on a Saturday activity. These activities vary in length but will not be overnight. The purpose, location and planning of these activities will also vary. Every effort will be made to keep you informed of the schedule and plan for these activities.

Parent/Guardian attendance is not required for these activities but is certainly welcome and encouraged. Depending on the activity assistance with driving may be needed and your participation is appreciated.

CAMPOUTS Three times a year the 11 Year Old Scouts will go on a campout. The three campouts are always the same: a Klondike (winter) campout in January, the 11 Year Old Scout Camp in June and the District Fall Camporee in September.

It is important that your Scout not miss any of these campouts if he is to earn First Class during his time as an 11 year old Scout. Three campouts are required for First Class and the 11 Year Old Scout program is only allowed to conduct three campouts per year.

Parent/Guardian attendance on campouts is not required, but it is strongly encouraged. Please note that Church rules do not allow women to come on the overnight portion of Scout campouts. Women are allowed to come up during the day. Depending on logistics, transportation to or from the campout may be needed.

It is encouraged that Scouts share a tent with other Scouts so that they learn how to work together. Please note that BSA rules do not allow an adult to share a tent with someone not directly related to them. For example, if two non-related Scouts are bunking together a father can’t share that tent as well. This is for the protection of both the youth and adult and is strictly enforced.

A basic list of camping equipment is provided in the Boy Scout Handbook. This list may need to be augmented based on the type of activity. For example, winter gear will be required on a winter campout. Unless otherwise directed, it is not necessary to bring cooking or eating equipment. The cooking/cleaning/eating equipment is provided by the patrol. Electronic entertainment devices are not allowed at camp and will be confiscated. Tents are not provided by the patrol. If your Scout needs a tent for a campout, please work with the leaders and other parents. Something can always be worked out.

All cooking and eating at campouts is to be done as a patrol. Scouts are not allowed to bring their own food for meals. Food in tents is strictly prohibited. The Scouts will plan, purchase and cook the food for meals as a group. Food for accompanying adults is included as part of the meal plan as long as presence of the adult on the outing is made known.

Your Scout will be expected to work during a campout and any accompanying adults will be expected to assist in supervision of work. This program has an “everyone works” attitude and, while focused toward the youth, it is extended toward adults as well.

MEDICAL FORMS All people (youth and adult) must have a medical form filled out to attend a campout. Attached to this packet are two copies of a medical form. Please fill out one copy of the form for your Scout and the second copy for the primary adult that will be accompanying him on campouts. Please make a copy of the forms for your own file and give the original to the Scout Leader.

ADVANCEMENT If your Scout actively participates in the 11 Year Old Scout program he can expect to earn First Class by the end of his time as an 11 Year Old Scout. If your Scout regularly misses meetings/activities/campouts he will not advance. The material covered in meetings is required for your Scout to advance and may not be covered again for another six months or more. It is the responsibility of the Scout to know when he has missed something and make arrangements to make it up.

Unless otherwise indicated, all advancement requirements must be completed as part of a Scout activity and signed off by the Scout Leader. Parents are not valid signatories for advancement requirements.

Progress and completion of advancement requirements is tracked by the Scout Leader. Your Scout’s Boy Scout Handbook contains pages to sign off completion of requirements and this is typically done by the Scout Leader during a Scoutmaster conference.

When your Scout has completed all of the requirements for a rank advancement he and you will be informed by the Scout Leader. It is then the Scout’s responsibility to arrange a Scoutmaster conference with the Scout Leader. The Scoutmaster conference is one of the last requirements for each rank and is a test of the Scout’s knowledge. The Scout will be tested on the skills needed for this rank as well as any previous rank earned. For example, a Scout attending a Scoutmaster conference for First Class will be tested on the skills required for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. You are welcome to be present during the Scoutmaster conference provided that you let your Scout speak for himself.

Once a Scoutmaster conference for a rank has been completed, your Scout will need to attend a Board of Review for that rank. Boards of Review are conducted by adults other than your Scout’s direct leaders and are held on an as-needed basis. The Board of Review will cover general Scouting experiences and a basic discussion of the skills needed for the rank. It is not as intensive as the Scoutmaster conference. REQUIREMENTS DONE AT HOME While most requirements for advancement have to be completed at a Scout activity, there are a few that have to be done at home. Here is the current list, please work on the items in a timely manner so as to not hold your Scout back.

Scout Badge - #3 – Complete the pamphlet on child abuse at the front of the Scout Handbook. Second Class - #9a – Participate in a drug and alcohol awareness program. Second Class - #10 - Earn an agreed upon amount of money, then save at least half of it. First Class - #10 – Invite a friend to a Scout meeting or activity.

MERIT BADGES Merit badges are not part of the requirements for the ranks up through First Class and, as such, are not a regular part of meetings in the 11 Year Old Scout program. They are, however, necessary for higher ranks and your Scout is strongly encouraged to get a jump start on those higher ranks by working on merit badges while an 11 Year Old Scout.

There is a large list of the currently available merit badges in the Boy Scout Handbook. Some merit badges are required for Eagle Scout and some are not. Each rank about First Class will require the Scout to earn a specific number of Eagle-required and non-Eagle-required merit badges. The exact merit badges earned are up to the Scout.

Earning a merit badge requires work outside of a regular Scout activity and working with a registered counselor for that merit badge.

There are activities such as Merit Badge College or Scout Summer Camp where your Scout can get most, if not all requirements, for a merit badge completed. It is common to leave such activities with only part of the requirements for a merit badge finished and it is the responsibility of the Scout to work to finish those requirements and contact a counselor to get them signed off. Such activities also frequently require completing requirements prior to attending the activity and it is the responsibility of the Scout to make certain those requirements are completed.

Completion of requirements for a merit badge are typically tracked on a “blue card.” The blue card has three parts to it. One part is the Scout’s record of completing the individual requirements and stays with the Scout after the merit badge is completed. One part is the counselor’s record and stays with the counselor after the merit badge is completed. The last part is the council record and goes to the Scout office so that the merit badge can be entered into the official record.

It is critical that the Scout’s portion of the blue card is kept safe and secure filed away somewhere. If there is ever a disputation on whether or not the Scout earned that merit badge, his portion of the blue card is the ultimate proof. Do not lose that portion of the blue card or your Scout may have to repeat the merit badge at some point.

KNIVES Once your Scout has attended a Totin’ Chip class covering knife, saw and axe safety and received a completed Totin’ Chip card he is allowed and encouraged to carry a knife during Scout meetings/activities and use a knife, saw and axe during Scout activities. The use of a knife, saw or axe is considered a privilege and can/will be taken away if it is deemed that a Scout is not following the proscribed safety procedures. Safe handling of these tools is taken extremely seriously and will not be short-cut or diminished.

Fixed-blade (sheath) knives are prohibited at all Scout activities.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS As a Scout parent you are automatically part of the Scout Committee. Committee meetings are held roughly every two months. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the Scouting program and coordinate upcoming activities and events. Please plan on attending these meetings. Please note that these meetings are for adults, not youth. Eleven Year Old Scout Contact Form

Scout’s Name:

Scout’s Birthday

Parent’s Names:

Address:

Phone Numbers:

E-mail Addresses: