MEETING: At 7:30-9:00 at Pinewood Presbyterian Church at 198 Knight Boxx Road in Middleburg. We will not meet on holidays.
TROOP 650 INFO
1) Uniform: Scouts must wear the complete Class A uniform to all troop meetings. This includes the neckerchief and socks (no socks neccessary if wearing sandals). For each campout, each scout must arrive in full Class A uniform. We have donated uniforms in the troop cabinet for scouts to use if they cannot afford one.
2) Camping: Please keep track/document the times of your scout who went camping with the troop. The Camping Merit Badge (an Eagle required) requires 20 days and 20 nights of camping with scouts. Of course, if your scout attends all campouts, then this requirement can easily be accomplished.
3) Circle Up Time: This is the last 15 minutes of the troop meeting where all announcements are made for the scouts. Adult members are encouraged to be in the circle to listen to the announcements because most scouts seem to forget the information they have been given.
4) Committee: This is for all registered adults within the troop. This is where decisions are made on running the troop. Here, you get a lot of information about the troop including: campouts, dues/budgets, dates, fundraisers, just to name a few. The committee meets the Monday after Roundtable (which meets the first Thursday of each month) at 6:30. Any adult of the scout can attend these meetings, however, they cannot vote on important decisions if are not a registered member of the troop.
5) Dues: Dues are paid quarterly. The first payment is March 1st, then every three months. You are allowed to pay in smaller amounts, if needed, or in one lump sum. This troop is very flexible on payments. If a scout needs assitance with his dues, he can apply for scholarship funds that are available or have his payment adjusted. Please talk to the Treasurer, Francis Dollinger, for assistance.
6) Medical Forms: Each scout is required to fill out parts A and B on the medical form for each troop campout. Part C must be filled out by a doctor for each summer camp the scout goes on. You can find these forms online and fill them out electronically and print them out. You will find the link to these forms in the "BSA Health Form" announcement on the main page.
7) Summer Camp: Payments for summer camp start early. The first down payment is due January of $75. A trunk with a lock is recommended for each scout.
MERIT BADGES/RANK ADVANCEMENT
1) Scout Book: Before each campout make sure the scout has an updated copy of the requirements signed off in the book. This is your proof that you have completed the requirements. We had scouts recreate or redo some reqirements due to a loss on their part or at the counsel level. This is the SCOUT'S RESPONSIBILITY to keep track of what they had done. PLEASE NOTE: Higher ranked scouts can sign off on their rank requirements.
2) Merit badges: The best opportunity to work on a merit badge or rank requirment is at troop meetings, campouts, merit badge fairs, and, of course, summer camps. To work on a merit badge, the scout first gets approval from the scout master and then gets a "Blue Card" from the advancement chair. This "Blue Card" is a three-parter. When the merit badge is completed, make sure the advancement chair sees both the scouts's portion and keeps their portion. For more info on these merit badges please visit the merit badge website. On this site, there are worksheets available to help scouts organize their work. They can be truly helpful, but we are not requiring the scouts to use them. The exceptions are merit badge fairs, summer camps, or individual merit badge counselors that require them.
3) Scout Master Conference: When the scout has completed all requirements for the specific rank, it is now time for the scoutmaster conference. The scout should discuss with the scoutmaster what he had worked on, what improvements need to be made, goals, etc. For this, the scout should be dressed in full Class A uniform.
4) Board Of Review: After the scoutmaster conference has taken place, the scout is ready to move forward with a board of review. This is where a scout stands in front of a panel of three adult committee members to be reviewed for next rank advancement. For this, a full Class A uniform is required to participate in a board of review. At the start of the board of review, a full Class A uniform inspection will commence. If the scout failed the board of review, he will be told what needs to be corrected before the next board of review.
5) Court Of Honor: This is a special ceremonial occasion that takes place one time every few months that announces the ranks as well as merit badges the scouts have earned. With the Class A uniform that the scout must wear for the ceremony, the scout also wears the sash that hold all of his merit badges. Parents usually bring a light snack and/or a dessert to the ceremony, as well as pizza bought by the troop to the ceremony, but we usually will not eat until after the ceremony.