New Orientation

Checklist for Success:

V Visit the Troop website often

V Read the Boy Scout Handbook and the 1) How does the Troop work? Troop Handbook for Parents and Scouts Boy Scouts is a Scout-led, adult-supervised organization. The Scoutmaster V Set your personal goals (SM) and Troop Committee maintain the Troop Handbook for Parents and V Ask questions and do your own research Scouts to supplement (BSA) policies. An electronic about Scouting copy of the Handbook is located under the Info section (lower right) of V Plan ahead: know what the next event is the Troop website (Troop-189.org . Read this document and reference it and be ready to commit often! V Be on time with the right gear and 2) How is the Troop organized? Who does what? How do I make contact? positive attitude Phone rosters and organization charts are maintained on a members-only V Maintain your own records yahoo group that can be accessed from the Troop website. Unlike Cub V Keep your paperwork & fees straight Scouts, the Scouts are in charge (with lots of oversight from the adults). The Scout Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) has the overall responsibility for planning and executing activities with guidance and mentorship from the adult SM. The Troop is organized into patrols with a Scout Patrol Leader (PL) in charge of each. We assign a pair of adult Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM) to each patrol for additional help. The SPL receives support from his youth staff (called the Green Bar Council or Patrol Leader Council) in similar fashion to the SM receiving support from the adult Troop Committee. When all else fails, contact the SM, Mark Henshaw, at [email protected] . 3) How do I find out what’s going on? a. The home page of the Troop website: i. “On the Horizon” (lower left) ii. Permission Slips, Event Guidebooks, and Flyers (lower right of home page) iii. Calendar (link at top left of home page) b. Attend Troop events. Hard copy agendas with upcoming events are sometimes distributed at Troop meetings. Announcements are always made at the end of each event. The latter is a great source for both Scouts and parents to tune in for the latest changes. c. Email messages from the SPL. Make sure the Committee and SPL have your latest email address. This is best done by contacting our Advancement Chairperson. d. Call/email/text your PL. If he does not have the answer, he will contact the SPL or the Patrol’s ASM. e. Research. Resources on the internet are plentiful ( www.scouting.org , www.usscouts.org , www.boyscouts-ncac.org , www.boyscouttrail.com , meritbadge.org/wiki ), as well as publications like Scouting and Boys’ Life . This reference material can also be found on the Troop’s website front page under links. 4) How important is it to make every Troop or Patrol event? By joining Boy Scouts, you have joined a team and made a commitment to something larger than yourself. No other single activity will provide you the same depth and breadth of experience, leadership opportunities, and character building. From time to time you will find that school work, illness, and family trips keep you from attending Troop and Patrol events which is understandable. The Boy Scout program is self-paced and Troop leadership does its best to provide multiple opportunities to earn advancement over the course of a year. 5) What goals should I set for myself? The Troop believes that you will have a rewarding experience in Scouting if you participate, bring a positive attitude, work as a team with your fellow Scouts, and follow the rules. Your goals may include showing up and having fun at events, going to summer camp, hiking the rugged terrain of Philmont, filling up your merit badge sash from the more than 135 merit badge opportunities, serving as the SPL, making Eagle Scout, and becoming a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. Before you set your goals, ask yourself a couple of questions: a. What other activities are you doing? Do you have too much on your plate to commit to Scouting? b. Are you in a big hurry to advance? Are you okay with repeating tasks in order to master skills instead of “checking the box” to move on? 6) There is paperwork, fees, and training? a. Scouts. Youth Membership (Form 524-406A); Annual BSA Health and Medical Record (Form 6800-001); National Honor Patrol Award Tracking; Application for Merit Badge (Form 34124), Boy Scout Handbook, & Troopmaster database; annual registration, campout, grub, & summer camp fees

b. Scouters. Adult Application (Form 524-501A), Merit Badge Counselor Information (Form 34405), Training (e.g., Youth Protection Training (YPT)). 7) What can my parents do? The robustness of the Scouting program relies heavily on parent involvement. The Troop has many areas where the parents can plug-in. If Scouting adventures where ASMs participate in events such as sleeping under the stars in weather ranges from -2 degrees to 90+ degrees, canoeing 20 miles, or hiking the rugged Appalachian Trail is not your thing, the Troop is always in need of Merit Badge Counselors, Committee members, and overall parent participation. 8) The transition? If you are transitioning from Cub Scouts, congratulations. As you begin your Boy Scout adventure, you will notice that you will have to rely on yourself more and less on your parents. This may be a difficult transition during the first couple of months of Scouting and is completely normal. The best way to minimize this is to work within the communication structure detailed above. As always, if you still have questions, you can approach the SM. “It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices during their lifetime in achieving their full potential. The values we strive to instill are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law.”

Troop 189 Scouting Year (CY 16 -17 ) Aug • Rock Climbing/Highland Games Campout Feb • Ski Trip @ Timberline, WV on Catoctin Mountain, MD • Scout Sunday • (OA) Elections Sep • Hiking Campout @ Shenandoah NP Mar • Geocaching Campout - Belle Isle State (10 mile hike, astronomy) Park, Lancaster, VA • Chinn Center Swim Night • Court of Honor • Mulch Distribution Oct • Mulch Delivery Apr • Scout 101 Campout • Devon 50 Campout - Valley Forge/Philly • Occoquan District (10 mile hike, navigation) • OA Spring Ordeal (TBD/tentative) • Troop Elections • Troop Leadership Training • Scouting for Food • Troop Elections Nov May • Adopt-a-Highway • NCAC Camporee, Goshen Scout • C&O Canal Campout at Marsden Tract, Reservation Carderock, MD (20 mile hike, bike trek) • National Trails Day • WEBOREE/Walter Mitty Campout (PWFP) • Court of Honor Dec Jun (Scout skills, outdoor games) • Flag Retirement @ Quantico • Holiday Party • Summer Camp • Annual Planning PLC • District Merit Badge Day • OKPIK (Cold Weather) Campout, Big Run Jan Jul • Adventure Campout @ Deep Creek, MD State Park, MD (TBD/likely) (Snowshoeing, Quintzee building, pulk sledding) Aug • Annual Troop Planning Picnic

• Campout TBD