April 30 is the last day new scouts can sign up for Camp Mach at the reduced price of $235.  The regular price is $260.  All registrations are due no later than May 28.  Permission slips, with checks made out to Troop 24, can be turned in at the Troop Meeting.

We would like all scouts to be aware that there will be Maundy Thursday church service at RPC at 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 9.  Scouts are  requested to be particularly quiet in entering and leaving the building, and to please refrain from any raucous activities outside the building.  There may be additional traffic and parking problems, so please allow a little extra time.  Thanks for your cooperation.

Events scheduled for Troop 24 can be viewed on our online calendar. If you can’t locate the latest e-mail from our Scoutmaster, you can always check the calendar.

Save the date:  Troop 24’s spring Court of Honor will be held on Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the RPC Social Hall.

Reminder:  Tonight is the last chance to turn in permission slips and check for Camp Mach at the reduced price of $235.  The regular price is $260.  The permission slip is available here.

Parents and scout leaders may sometimes think their scouts don’t work diligently enough on their merit badges. Read about the “radioactive boy scout” who went somewhat overboard on his atomic energy (now nuclear science) merit badge.

We need a medical form for every scout. So even if your scout is not going to Camp Mach, please follow the instructions on the website for Camp Mach medical forms, and send your scout’s medical form to Stephanie Lanken by 7/10.

Thank you to the parents who have already volunteered to go to the monthly Voyageur Trace Round Table meetings. We have 3 meetings left without a volunteer: 2/13, 4/9, and 5/14.

A boy scout roundtable is a meeting open to all leaders, committee members, and scout parents. Our district’s are held every second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Ideal School, 9901 W. 58th St. in Countryside. They are 1.5 hours long. They cover upcoming events in our district, as well as an open discussion of boy scout issues. We need to have at least 1 representative of Troop 24 at each meeting, who will then come to the troop meeting and report. If you can go, please contact Pat Rohm.

The National Youth Protection Committee recommended additions to Boy Scout rank requirements that were approved and will become effective January 1, 2008. These changes will help advance the importance of Youth Protection training beyond the initial Boy Scout joining requirements, and keep youth informed and actively engaged in understanding the key elements of personal safety and protection.

The changes will be represented in the 2008 Boy Scout Requirements book and the revised ninth printing of the 11th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook.

Tenderfoot Rank
Revised requirement 9:

Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.

Second Class Rank
New requirement 8b:

Explain the three R’s of personal safety and protection.

First Class Rank
New requirement 12:

Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one.

The Boy Scouts of America has issued a recall for the Cub Scout “Immediate Recognition Emblem” used for Wolf and Bear ranks. Boy Scouts who may have saved these can trade them in at the scout store for a new non-lead-encrusted version, or may wish to discard them. For more information, see the notice on the Des Plaines Valley Council’s website.