The first regular Troop meeting of the year is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, in the RPC gym. It is VERY important that scouts of ranks below 1st Class (Scout, Tenderfoot, and 2nd Class) bring their books to every Troop meeting.

Our first Troop meeting of the year will be an overnight at the Scout Cabin on Friday, September 9. There is NO cost for this outing, but you need to register your scout, since it is an overnight outing, and because we need to know how much food to purchase. Please sign up by Friday morning. As of Wednesday we have 30 scouts registered.

The meeting portion of the evening will start at 7:00 p.m., with a report from Philmont Crew Leader, Karl Jantze, about the Troop’s experience at Philmont this summer. Scouts should arrive at 6:30 to set up tents, and to work with a leader on their books. Scouts of every rank lower than 1st Class MUST bring their books. Our leaders will be available to sign off on requirements completed at camp this summer, so books are essential. When every scout’s book is up-to-date and recorded in our tracking program, we will be better able to plan activities for the troop meetings this fall.

We will have a weiner roast late in the evening, so if your scout can’t wait to eat, he may want to have a snack before the meeting. Breakfast of donuts will be provided. Please pick up your scout by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Questions? Contact Nancy Hopkins.

The Troop meeting on Thursday, May 25, will be the last meeting of the school year. We have several things on the agenda:

Mr. Culloden will be at the meeting to work with the older scouts who have started the Personal Management merit badge.

Mr. Robling will be at the meeting to work with scouts who want to begin the Communications merit badge. Scouts need to get approval and a blue card from a Scoutmaster prior to beginning to work on a merit badge.

Any scouts who have not completed the Tenderfoot rank should definitely attend to try to finish up missing requirements.

We will have Boards of Review for scouts who have completed their requirements for a rank advancement. Five scouts are scheduled already; if additional scouts complete their requirements during the meeting on Thursday, we will make every effort to complete their Boards as well. Remember: scouts must be in full uniform and have their books for a Board of Review.

All scouts should bring their books! Please review the books at home and if a scout believes he has completed a requirement that is not signed off, please talk to a Scoutmaster at the meeting.

Our leaders are making every effort to help scouts complete missing requirements so that they can have Boards of Review (and advance in rank) by our last meeting of the year, May 26. It’s very important that your scout bring his book to the meeting. As always, they are required to be in uniform for a Board of Review.

Please review your scout’s book and be sure he is aware of what he needs to complete. Our meetings on May 19 and May 26 will be devoted to working on missing requirements. (Some missing requirements may not be able to be done at a meeting and have to be done on an outing or other activity. There will be ample opportunities at Camp Mach to work on requirements.)

This week, on May 12, our Hauser scouts have an Open House. Activities at the meeting will focus on Tenderfoot requirements and helping any scout fill in missing requirements for any rank. 5th grade scouts who have attended all meetings have had the opportunity to complete every Tenderfoot requirement; however, most scouts have a few requirements that they may have missed. It is our goal to have all scouts finished with the Tenderfoot rank by our last meeting on May 26. We still have a few 6th graders working on Tenderfoot as well.

Please, be sure your scout brings his book to the meetings so the leaders can sign off on requirements.

On May 19, we will hold Boards of Review for scouts who have completed requirements for a rank advancement. We will likely hold Boards on May 26 as well. Also on May 19, Dr. Lanken will work with scouts on missing first aid requirements for the 2nd Class rank. Scouts: please check your books to see if you need 2nd Class requirements 7a, 7b, & 7c:

a. Show what to do for ‘hurry’ cases of stopped breathing, serious bleeding, and ingested poisoning.
b. Prepare a personal first-aid kit to take with you on a hike.
c. Demonstrate first aid for the following:
– Object in the eye
– Bite of a suspected rabid animal
– Puncture wounds from a splinter, nail, and fishhook
– Serious burns (partial thickness, or second degree)
– Heat exhaustion
– Shock
– Heatstroke, dehydration, hypothermia, and hyperventilation

May 26 will be another catch-up day for any missing requirements. Also on May 26, Mr. Robling will begin working with scouts who are interested in starting the Communications Merit Badge, which is an Eagle-required badge. That will give you the opportunity to work on the requirements over the summer. To start a merit badge you must have a blue card signed by a Scoutmaster. If you are interested, discuss it with a scoutmaster on May 12 or May 19. More information about merit badges is available on our website.

Although we had planned a Troop meeting at the Scout Cabin this week, due to high water and lots of mud, we’ve decided to meet, instead, at our regular time and place, at 7:00 p.m. at RPC.

On the agenda will be Citizenship, including Tenderfoot requirement #6 (flag etiquette), and Knots, including Tenderfoot requirement #4b.

Please be sure to bring your scout book to the meeting.

Meeting Reminders:

Scouts who have already started the Personal Management Merit Badge will continue working on the badge with Mr. Culloden. Please be sure you have completed those items that you were assigned.

Scouts who are working on the Snow Sports Merit Badge with Mr. Robertson will meet at 6:00 in the Westminster Room at RPC.

Scouts working toward Tenderfoot requirement 10a & b (showing improvement over 30 days in push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, standing long jump, and 1/4 mile run) will be working on that requirement.  This includes scouts older than 5th grade, so please ask your scout if he needs this requirement.

Scouts: Don’t forget your scout books! If you brought a tent home from the Camporee to dry, please bring it to the meeting.

At the Troop meeting on April 28, Mr. Culloden will continue the Personal Management Merit Badge. Scouts should have been working on requirements since their first meeting. If you have any questions about what should be done, please contact Mr. Culloden.

The 5th grade scouts will meet on Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Room 4 at the Township Hall. Please note: different time AND different place. They are meeting at 5:00 to accommodate the Central scouts & families who have Open House that night, and are meeting at Township Hall because there are services at RPC that night.

ONLY the 5th grade scouts will have a regular meeting. Any scouts 6th grade & older can still sign up for archery. The 7:00-8:00 time is full, but we have spots left in the 8:00-9:00 period. We will have an instructor present to give a refresher, or to work with more experienced archers on perfecting their technique. The cost is $15, and payment can be made at WePay. Please sign up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2011/04/archery-form/

If your scout has his own equipment, please e-mail Nancy Hopkins, as the cost will be lower. If your scout has signed up for 7:00, but would prefer to come at 8:00, please contact Nancy.

Because there will be church services at RPC on Thursday, April 21, the ALPHADOGS and PURPLEJOES patrols will meet in Room 4 at the Township Hall at 5:00 p.m. For scouts 6th grade and older, we will be going to the Archery Custom Shop, 7240 W. Madison in Forest Park. We will have an archery instructor from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The cost will be $15, and you must sign up and pay in advance. Space is limited, so this outing is on a first-come, first-served, basis. If we have more scouts interested than we can accommodate, we have the option to add a second session from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Sign up for Archery here: http://troop24riverside.com/2011/04/archery-form/