Commissioner Corps Newsletter
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Happy New Year with a warm message from our Council Commissioner: Dec 30, 2020 Dear GGAC Commissioners: As we wrap-up a tumultuous 2020, I look forward to 2021 with optimism and hope. Now, more than ever, scouting needs its Commissioners. We are all navigating through unchartered waters, and the units/Districts/Council should be comforted knowing that we are here to help and support them. It has been my pleasure working with many of you, and look forward to meeting in-person and getting to know each other better once in-person meetings and activities resume. I am pleased to share with you the team of Assistant Council Commissioners - experienced commissioners who are eager to share their experience and enthusiasm with you. In this inaugural issue of the GGAC Commissioner newsletter, you will find the information on various topics that we hope you will find timely, informative, and helpful. Also, if you have a question about a particular topic area, then please reach out directly to the appropriate Assistant Council Commissioner for that topic. For example, if you have a question about Commissioner Tools, reach out to Steve Conn. The Council Commissioner Service Team is here to serve as a resource as you perform your Commissioner Service. Together we will deliver the promise of scouting to youth throughout the Golden Gate Area Council. Thank you for your service. Yours in Commissioner Service, Paul Shimotake Council Commissioner 1 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Introducing the Commissioner Cabinet Corps Council Commissioner, Deputy Council Commissioner, Council Director of Field Services and District Commissioners Paul Shimotake Council Commissioner [email protected] Calvin Masuda Deputy Council Commissioner [email protected] Lew Sisson Director of Field Services [email protected] Suzanne Martin Alameda District Commissioner [email protected] Mark Weyland Briones District Commissioner [email protected] James Jensen Chief Solano District Commissioner [email protected] Terry Odneal Chief Solano District Commissioner [email protected] Roy Thomas Diablo Sunrise District Commissioner [email protected] Nicholas Powell Golden Gate District Commissioner [email protected] Janet McDonald Herms District Commissioner [email protected] Ron Fedele Lake District Commissioner [email protected] Susan Oki Meridian District Commissioner [email protected] Steve Conn Mission Peak District Commissioner [email protected] Steve Loyd Muir District Commissioner [email protected] Harold Lowe Peralta District Commissioner [email protected] Wendy Laberge Silverado District Commissioner [email protected] Robert Fonnesbeck Tres Ranchos District Commissioner [email protected] Michael Allison Twin Valley District Commissioner [email protected] Service Team of Assistant Council Commissioners Anthony Mei ACC Special Needs [email protected] Michael Allison ACC Commissioner Resources [email protected] Steve Conn ACC Commissioner Tools [email protected] Flory Dekovic ACC Girls in BSA [email protected] Stuart Mahler ACC Program - Exploring [email protected] Steven Welch ACC Program - Sea Scouting [email protected] Patrick Jaime ACC Program - Venturing [email protected] Michael Wrenn ACC Roundtable [email protected] Ron Fedele ACC Scoutbook [email protected] William Smith ACC Commissioner's College [email protected] 2 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 The 2021 Northern California College of Commissioner Science is around the corner and scheduled for Saturday, February 27th as a 100% virtual college filled with 5 tracks of courses from which to choose. On tap are special keynote speakers from BSA National and the our BSA Western Region. THE SCHEDULE 8:00 Opening 8:00 – 9:00 Gather time 9:00 – 9:50 Speaker Scott Sorrels – BSA National Commissioner 9:50 -- 9:55 Dean’s Orientation 10:00 – 10:50 Session 1 11:00 – 11:50 Session 2 12:00 – 1:30 Speaker Jim Libbin – BSA Western Regional Commissioner 1:30 – 2:20 Session 3 2:30 – 3:20 Session 4 3:30 – 4:20 Session 5 4:30 – 5:00 Wrap-up and Depart WHERE? Virtual – Zoom Meetings WHAT? Courses for every level of Commissioner and every level of Commissioner experience, including Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate of Commissioner Science Degrees with Continuing Education Degree sessions. All participants should be up to date on BSA Youth Protection COST? Price for the 2021 College – Virtual format incudes a Patch and Pin • $20 – Monday, December 7, 2020 to Sunday, Feb, 14, 2021 • $25 – Late Registration – Feb 15, 2021 to 10 pm PT Feb 24, 2021. • $10 – College staff/instructors – Not attending sessions • $10 – BSA professionals – May attend sessions Sponsored by: Golden Empire, Golden Gate Area, Greater Yosemite, Marin, Nevada, Pacific Skyline, Piedmont, Redwood Empire, and Silicon Valley Monterey Bay, Sequoia All information at https://www.norcalcommissioner.org/ 3 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Timely Information from Steve Conn, Mission Peak DC and ACC for Commissioner Tools How to Generate a District Wide Email List That Includes Scouting Positions Sometimes you need to quickly generate a list of email address for a specific subset of the registered adults in your District; say all Charter Org Reps, or Troop Key 2, or District Operating Committee, etc. This can easily be done using the my.scouting.com Training Manager YPT Report. To generate an up to date email list of every registered adult in your District, follow these steps: 1. Logon to my.scouting.com 2. Click on “Menu” 3. Click on “(your district ## – Golden Gate Area 03” 4. Once this folder opens up, Click on “Training Manager” 5. In the lower right corner, in the YPT box, click on “Report” 6. On the next screen, click on “Export to CSV” 7. Then in the pop-up box, click on “Confirm” 8. Open the CSV file that has been created 9. Delete the first 7 rows of header information, leaving the one header row that is the name of date in each column. 10. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Sort/Filter, Filter (this adds the ability to filter data based on the contents of any one or more columns, we will use this in the last step). 11. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Format, Auto Fit Column Width. 12. Delete the Columns you don’t want. I get rid of these columns: a. A = District Name b. D = Gender c. E = Charter Org Name d. G = Middle Name e. K-O = all the YPT info f. Q = Registration Date 13. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Data, Sort, My data has headers (check the box), then sort by Program, Unit Number, and Positions 14. Now using filters, you can find all the email address for a group of people that share the same positions or are in the same Unit or whatever criteria you are looking for. 4 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Helpful screenshots to reach and access Training Manager: 5 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 6 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 7 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 8 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Be informed about a new on-line gizmo that our scouting youth refer to as “Discord.” This is what Mike Allison, Twin Valley DC and ACC for Commissioner Resources has to say about it: Discord: A communication tool for your unit Keeping our scouts in touch during the pandemic is tough. Our council and districts are all scrambling to find ways of doing this. GGAC is recommending Den and Patrol focused activities for practical and health reasons. Youth and adults are all worn out with constant on line activities for school and work, so how do we safely get a Den or Patrol together? Enter Discord. Some Dens and Patrols are successfully meeting using Discord, a text/voice/video messaging service. This service originally started with the gaming community, and gamers use the real time voice communications to speak to one another while they are playing on-line games. Likewise, a Den or Troop can use Discord to meet in real time and share images, text, sounds, and fellowship. Using Discord is easy, and there are plenty of communities available, but you could create one for your unit. Sub groups can be created for Dens and Patrols. The only people able to join are those you invite, so it’s free from strangers. Since a scout is thrifty, it’s also good to know that Discord is free! You can use Discord on your computer, phone, or tablet. Head on over to http://discord.com to check it out, create an account, and try it in your unit. Versions are available for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Web. If you have a youth who has used it before, you may consider a youth/adult partnership in setting up Discord in your unit. Now you have another tool in your Scouting Toolbox. 9 Commissioner Corps Newsletter GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1 Special Needs in Scouting. A message from Tony Mei, ACC for Special Needs and Disabilities Special Needs & Disabilities (SND) As I indicated during Paul’s first Commissioner Cabinet meeting on August 26th, my goal is to have at least one SND “champion” in each of our 14 districts. That individual will be the knowledgeable resource that commissioners can send units to for information related to working with Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities. As of October 11th, I have identified individuals in the following seven districts: Briones, Chief Solano, Golden Gate, Mission Peak, Muir, Peralta, and Twin Valley.