What are the regular Troop activities?
- Troop meetings every Tuesday evening from 7:30 to 9:00 PM at the Belmont United Methodist Church on Common Street (Scouts are expected to arrive about 10 minutes early to get settled and organized into their patrols.)
- Monthly Troop Committee meetings following one of the regular troop meetings, typically from 9:00 – 10:00 PM (open to all parents)
- Monthly Patrol Leader Council meetings, attended by the youth leadership in the troop and scheduled by the Senior Patrol Leader and Scoutmaster
- Monthly campouts in September, October, November, January, February, March, April, May, and June, typically on the third weekend of the month
What is on the web site?
- Meeting schedule for Scouts and parents
- Calendar of all scheduled events including campouts, Court of Honor (meeting to which parents are invited and the Scouts are given badges), and more
- Links to other resources
- Photos….and much more
How do parents know what is going on?
- Check the Troop web site
- Get an update from your son following each meeting
- Attend monthly parents meetings
- Touch bases with other adults and the patrol leaders in person, by phone (get the troop roster from the scoutmaster) and by email. Note: Provide your family’s email address to the scoutmaster.
- Sending email messages:
The troop listserv is being managed by Kathy Martin. If you send a message to her, she will send it onto the parent list or scout list, as requested. Note that all messages to scouts are also copied to parents.
How do parents know what is going on?
- Help at meetings (see below)
- Get an update from your child following each meeting
- Attend monthly Troop Committee meetings
- Talk with Scout leaders and other parents
- Ask Scoutmaster Kevin Wenzel or one of the Assistant Scoutmasters: Tom Lockett, or Chris Martino
- Sending email messages:
*The troop listserv is managed by Kathy Martin. Be sure she has all email addresses for your family. Once you are added, you can use the parent or Scout list. (Ask Kathy for the addresses.) All messages to Scouts are also automatically copied to parents.
What do parents need to do?
TROOP 304 RELIES ON A PARENTS’ COOPERATIVE TYPE MODEL!
- Enjoy and participate in your son’s scouting journey
- Complete a medical/permission form for your child (Parts A & C) and give it to a leader, and complete a medical form for yourself if you are planning to join troop outings
- Attend and help at Scout meetings, volunteer for specific activities and roles, and offer to teach or assist with a Merit Badge Course
- Register as a volunteer (“committee member”) and take online training (see below)
- Help give a “Board of Review” to Scouts who are ready for advancement
- Go on the campouts (the troop website provides guidance on what to pack)
- Help with the wreath fundraiser (end November & December - details to follow)
Troop 304’s objective is to have Scouts take responsibility for the leadership of the troop. Scouts are divided into patrols and serve as patrol leaders. Adults participate to ensure safety and a quality program, giving support and assistance. As the troop has grown, so too has the need for more parental participation. Troop 304 needs enough adults present on Tuesday evenings to enable the group to split into small, focused activity groups based on rank advancement, merit badge work, and other. Specific roles need filling, and leaders and chaperones are needed for campouts. Parents will be asked to complete a Troop 304 Resource Survey.
What are the dues?
New Scouts pay dues of $50 upon joining. Checks should be made out to Troop 304 and given or sent to the troop treasurer (Laura Wenzel, 11 Glenn Rd, Belmont MA 02478; tel. 617-489-3205). Continuing Scouts pay $50 in the fall and $75 in the spring. Spring dues will be waived based on the level of participation in the wreath fundraiser. Confidential requests for financial assistance can be made to the troop treasurer.
What is registration and training all about?
Follow links on the troop web site or use the links listed below. Online classes take about ½ hour. Notify the Scoutmaster so the troop can earn the Quality Unit award (patch).
- Watch the “Fast Start” orientation video (online) for a quick, helpful overview of what goes on at Scout meetings and how troops work. Go to the BSA Online Learning Center at http://www.olc.scouting.org/ and select Boy Scout Leader Fast Start. Log in, if you are a returning user, or follow the prompts to create an account. We are in Boston Minuteman Council 227. If you have already registered as a scouting volunteer, enter the “person ID” found on your membership card (bottom, center). If not, leave that item blank. Select E-LEARNING, and then, under the General tab, select Orientation training, Scout Parents/Unit Coordinator Fast Start. Go through the online self-study guide, which includes a brief video clip for each topic.
- Take Youth Protection Training. All parents should take this brief online course. For Scout campouts and other troop outings at least one adult present must be trained. Go to http://www.olc.scouting.org/ and proceed as above, except under the General tab select Basic Training, Youth Protection Training. Notify Dana at ddkeeth@comcast.net
- Take Hazardous Weather training, required if you will be a trip leader. Safe Swim Defense or Safety Afloat courses are also available. The link is here.
- Other training – Many other courses may be taken on line or in person; see the troop calendar or Boston Minuteman Council web site at http://www.bsaboston.org/ for more information. For example, each year the Council offers the University of Scouting, both for training and as a way to meet council professionals and other parents. The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters can facilitate other training.
What are the summer camp opportunities?
Many Troop 304 Scouts go to T.L. Storer Summer Camp in Barnstead, New Hampshire for one week each summer, July 5 – 11 in 2009. Scouts can also sign up for other sessions. Details are available at www.bsaboston.org (Camping tab) and from the troop. Families are alerted about registration procedures in March or early April. Registration forms and checks for the troop week ($300) are submitted through the troop treasurer. (Confidential requests for financial assistance can be made to the troop treasurer.) Scouts will also sign up for merit badge classes in advance through the troop. Parents are encouraged to attend for part or all of the week (at no cost). Campers--Scouts and parents-- must have updated health forms, Parts A, B and C, available at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34414.pdf Schedule your physical early to avoid disappointment! Campers are urged to bring bicycles to camp to get from one activity to the next at the huge site. Helmets are required. |
