We had a very sparse turn-out for the Tesomas meeting last night. For those of you who could not attend, this is what was covered:

Merit Badge Classes
Scouts need to select which merit badge classes they will be taking. Scuba participants will not enroll in merit badge classes. Microtrek participants have some time for merit badge classes, depending on which Microtrek session they attend. All other scouts should plan to sign up for at least three merit badge classes. First-year scouts should definitely sign up for Swimming.

First-year scouts, and anyone else who has not earned the Cooking Merit Badge, should sign up for Cooking. Cooking is now an Eagle-required Merit Badge, and is difficult to earn outside of camp.

The merit badge class schedule can be found at: http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013-Tesomas-Advancement-Schedule.pdf
Classes are ranked by difficulty, with A being the hardest, and C the easiest. Please contact Liz Gomorczak at jecggomo@gmail.com as soon as your scout has selected his classes.

Bus to Camp Tesomas
The cost for the bus to camp is $100. For families who have two scouts, the second scout pays $75. Bus fees can be paid online by WePay at https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013, or by check dropped off to Liz Gomorczak. Bus payment is due by July 1. The bus ride takes about 6 hours. The bus will leave on Sunday morning, July 21. The location will be announced later, but plan to arrive at the drop-off at 6:30 a.m. Scouts will need to bring money for a lunch stop on the way up and the way back. (Alternatively you can send a sack lunch for the trip to camp.) There is a restroom on the bus, and scouts will watch movies on the bus (PG-13).

Bicycles
All scouts are encouraged to bring bicycles to Camp Tesomas. Tesomas is a large camp and having a bike available is very helpful. For scouts who sign up for shooting sports (including archery), it’s almost mandatory given the distance to the range from our campsite. We will transport the bikes on a specially modified boat trailer. The cost per person for the bike transportation is $15. This can be paid by check or at WePay: https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013. Every scout also has to sign a Bicycle Usage Agreement required by Camp Tesomas. Please print a copy of the form (available at http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bike-agreement.pdf) and deliver it to our Camp Coordinator, Liz Gomorczak.

We have had several outings at which scouts arrived with bikes that were not operable. Our leaders will have limited tools at camp, and limited time to attempt to fix bikes. Therefore, we again have an agreement with The Wheel Thing, a bike shop in LaGrange, 15 S. LaGrange Road, to have a FREE bike inspection. They will also offer a 10% discount on labor (not parts) for any repairs that are needed. When you drop off your bike to load on the trailer (a few days before camp) you will also need to have a form that will be given to you at the bike shop stating that the bike has been inspected. You don’t have to use The Wheel Thing for the inspection. If you use another bike shop ask them to give you a note saying that the bike has been inspected.

Medical Forms
All boy scout summer camps require that campers (including adult leaders) have a physical signed by a doctor. If you have not done so, please make an appointment. CVS & Walgreens also offer camp physicals at a reasonable price.

The medical form can be found at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx. BSA has made this very easy by providing a fillable pdf. We suggest you fill it out and store it on your computer, which will save you time next year. Parts A & B are filled out by the parent (immunization dates must be included), and Part C is completed by the physician. On the second page of Part B is a section entitled: ADULTS AUTHORIZED TO TAKE YOUTH TO AND FROM EVENTS. In this section please answer – Any Troop 24 leader or parent, or a bus company hired by Troop 24. This will cover summer camp as well as car-pooling to events during the coming year.

New scout parents – the Medical Form you gave us when your scout joined the Troop did NOT have the physician portion (Part C). Please give us a new form with Parts A, B, C completed.

The form also requires a copy of the front AND back of your insurance card. Please be sure to turn that in to Liz with your completed form.

For scuba participants only, you will also need to complete the PADI form that was included in the scuba packet you received earlier.

Personal Equipment List
A list of items needed for camp is available here:
http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tesomas-packing-list.pdf

Summary

1. Send Liz Gomorczak your merit badge choices
   http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013-Tesomas-Advancement-Schedule.pdf

2. Pay $100 for bus to camp ($75 for 2nd scout in a family)
   https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

3. Drop off Bicycle Usage Agreement to Liz Gomorczak
   http://www.troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bike-agreement.pdf
4. Pay $15 for bike transportation
   https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013
5. Have scout’s bicycle inspected
6. Drop off completed medical forms to Liz Gomorczak NO LATER THAN JULY 15
   http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx

Liz Gomorczak’s e-mail: jecggomo@gmail.com

Scouts & Parents: Sorry for the late notice, but we hope you will be available for our annual scout/parent meeting to go over details about summer camp. It’s especially important that scouts who have never attended Camp Tesomas have at least one parent attend. We’ll review logistics, equipment needed, merit badge class choices, etc. Please join us at the North Riverside Library at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21.

In the meantime, we now have payment options online for:

Bus to Camp Tesomas: $100 per scout, but families with two scouts pay $75 for the second scout.
https://www.wepay.com/events/bus-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

Bike transportation to Camp Tesomas: $15
https://www.wepay.com/events/bike-transportation-to-camp-tesomas-july-21-27-2013

For any scout or leader going to Camp Tesomas, please respond to this post with your t-shirt size. All sizes are adult. T-shirts are provided by the Troop. There is no cost to the scout family.

Fill out a form here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/05/t-shirt-order-form-2013/

Reminder: For all scouts attending summer camp (and we hope that’s everyone!), we will need a BSA medical form signed by a physician. The form is valid for 12 months from the date of the signature, so everyone who went to camp last year will need a new form, as well as all of our new scouts. (Note to new scout parents: You turned in the Medical Form Parts A and B. A doctor needs to complete Part C.) Please submit all three parts.

BSA has made the process slightly easier by providing a pdf form, which you can download, fill out, and save on your computer. If you did that last year, all you have to do is find the form on your computer (that might be the hard part), update it if necessary, and print it to take to your doctor. If you did not save the form, you can find it here: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx. The BSA will NOT accept the school/Department of Public Health form. You must use the BSA form.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to do this, as it makes it very difficult for those who have to make multiple copies of the forms.

On Part B where it asks who is allowed to take your scout to/from events, please fill in:
Any Troop 24 leader OR parent, or a bus company hired by Troop 24.

We did not fill all our Scuba slots at Camp Tesomas We have 2 spots remaining, which could be used by scouts OR ADULT LEADERS. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to Scuba dive, you’ll never be able to do so as cheaply as this. If you are interested, let Liz Gomorczak know by Monday (jecggomo@gmail.com).

Today is the last day to register for summer camp and pay a deposit of $75 (with $215 due on May 15). Anyone who registers after April 15 will need to pay the entire amount ($290) at once. Twenty-six scouts are already registered. Why wait until the last minute?

Spots are still available for:

Scuba (3 spots)
Morning Microtrek (1 spot)
Afternoon Microtrek (9 spots)
We really need to fill these quickly, or we will need to turn them back to Tesomas for other Troops to use. See who is registered here: http://troop24riverside.com/upcoming-events/

Scuba costs $170. At the end of the week a participant will be a PADI-certified diver. Scouts must be 1st class, strong swimmers (Swimming Merit badge recommended), and age 13 or older.

Microtreks cost $35. Participants enrolled in the morning Microtrek will still have time to take ONE merit badge class in the afternoon. Participants enrolled in the afternoon Microtrek can take up to THREE merit badge classes in the morning. Scouts must be 1st class, swimmers (for the rafting & canoeing), and age 13 or older. Only scouts age 14 and older can use the ATVs. 13-year-old scouts will be given an alternate (now undetermined) activity.

Register for summer camp here:
http://troop24riverside.com/2013/04/camp-tesomas-registration-form-2013/

Contact Liz Gomorczak with questions: jecggomo@gmail.com

This year Troop 24’s annual summer camp will be at Camp Tesomas, north of Rhinelander, Wisconsin (about 6 hours from Riverside). This is the same camp we attended last year, and we’ll be in the same campsite.   Traditionally, almost all of our scouts attend summer camp, and we highly recommend that new scouts attend camp.  The dates for this year’s camp are July 21-27.  More information about the camp is available here: http://www.tesomas.com/.

Younger scouts (current 5th, 6th, 7th graders) will take merit badge classes.    For our 5th grade scouts particularly, our leaders will discuss their options with them and make recommendations.

For scouts who are 1st Class and above, and who are at least 13 or have graduated from 8th grade, and who have earned the Swimming Merit Badge, there are two other options:  Scuba and Microtreks.  Scouts who take the scuba class can earn the Scuba Merit Badge, and will be PADI-certified by the end of the week.  Scuba is an all-day program, and participants will not have time to take other merit badge classes.  We have reserved all 10 scuba spots, and registration will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.  The additional cost for Scuba is $170, which includes all equipment.  Scouts in Microtrek will participate in a different high adventure activity each day.  Microtrek is available in the morning or the afternoon.  Scouts who sign up for the afternoon Microtreks can also take up to 3 merit badge classes in the morning.  Scouts who sign up for morning Microtrek can take one afternoon merit badge class.  Microtrek spots are also limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.  There is an additional $35 fee for Microtrek.

As in the past, we will charter a bus to take our scouts to camp.  We anticipate the cost to be $100 (which is in addition to the cost of the camp).  More information about the bus will be available later.  The bus will leave from Hauser’s parking lot about 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, July 21, and will return mid-day on Saturday, July 27.

The cost for camp is $290. If your scout sold popcorn, you should pay by check. You will receive an e-mail telling you how much is due. If your scout did not sell popcorn (and this includes all new scouts, whose popcorn money went to the Pack), you can pay the entire fee online. If it will be a hardship to pay everything at once, we’ll have an option on WePay to pay a deposit, with the remainder due by May 15.  Scouts who are interested in either Scuba or Microtrek must pay the additional fee online.

Please make it easy for us–don’t wait until the last minute to register!   First, register for camp here:   http://troop24riverside.com/2013/04/camp-tesomas-registration-form-2013/    After you have completed the registration form you will be directed to WePay.

General questions about camp can be directed to our Summer Camp Coordinator, Liz Gomorczak at jecggomo@gmail.com

For those who have not heard, Camp Tesomas was SO AWESOME that we have reserved the same campsite for the week of July 21-27 of 2013. For scouts who are also planning to go to Philmont, it will be possible to do both, as the dates do not overlap.

Photos of camp will soon be available on the website. Scouts or leaders who have pictures to share are invited to send them to Nancy Hopkins at nmhopkins1@comcast.net. (Please put them on a CD if you have many).