Purpose of this Guide This guide was prepared to provide one stop shopping for the type of information that is likely to be helpful to parents of new Scouts, or parents of Scouts new to Troop 32. Please read it, and keep it handy as a reference. You should also want to check out the Troop policy, available at the web site. RegistrationYou’ll need to fill out a Scout application for your youth, which must be signed by the Scoutmaster and turned into the Advancement Chairperson. This is necessary whether your boy or girl is new to Scouting or is bridging over from a Cub Scout Pack. CostWhen joining Troop 32, initial costs for new scouts are only for the prorated fee charged to the Troop by Council to register your youth for the remainder of the calendar year. Scouts crossing over from a Cub Scout Pack will be charged $25. Annual dues are payable in November, and are $100 this year.MeetingsRegular meetings are shown in the table below. Other meetings are held for trip planning, training etc. as necessary. All meetings listed here are held at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights (FPCAH), 302 N. Dunton in Arlington Heights. Most meetings are listed on the web site calendar. Troop MeetingAll Scouts and adults that work with them FPCAH - Fellowship Hall (basement, enter on South side of building) 7:15 PM every Monday (with rare exceptions) Committee MeetingsCommittee Members, Scoutmaster FPCAH - in Fellowship Hall Monthly - 7:15 PM Usually the second Wednesday of the month, check calendar Patrol Leader Council (PLC)All youth leaders, Scoutmaster FPCAH - in classroom 7:15 PM on a Monday in lieu of Troop meeting, specific week varies so check calendar Program It would take a lot more room than we have here to tell you everything! The Troop 32 calendar, which is published at the beginning of each school year, includes the highlights of our planned program for the year. These, and more, are on the troop web site calendar also. Some of the primary components of the program are:
Leaders and RolesThe primary leadership roles in the troop are listed below.
Committee Chair
Responsible for chairing the committee, which, as in a Cub Scout Pack, is responsible for doing all the things necessary to make the Troop go (but note that the scouts do much more in Scouting than in Cub Scouts).
Scoutmaster Responsible for program, mentors Senior Patrol Leader, trains youth leaders, performs Scoutmaster conferences, directs Assistant Scoutmasters (ASMs), reports to the committee.
Sr. Assistant Scoutmaster
The Sr. is a Troop 32 add-on. This role is usually assumed by the on-deck Scoutmaster. The Sr. ASM also can give Scoutmaster conferences to help offload some of this from the Scoutmaster. While this position is currently unfilled, we are fortunately to have several ASMs who attend campouts and step in for the Scoutmaster when needed. ASM, New Scout Patrol
Responsible for working with the first year Scout patrol(s).
ASM, High Adventure
Responsible for organizing high adventure trips. Interested scouts are formed into crews to plan the trip specifics.
Pitching In
Everyone can help in some way, and ideally we would like to have at least one parent from each family helping out the troop. The committee chair has a list of roles that are currently unfilled, so the first thing to do would be to ask the Chair what positions need to be filled. Please note that it is not necessary for you to attend the regular Troop meetings, unless you are in a role of working directly with the boys (assistant Scoutmaster, serving on board of review etc.). There is training and/or mentoring available for any role we have.
Adult Leader TrainingWe take our commitment to our scouts seriously, and encourage all adult leaders to take part in the training that is offered for their role. To that end, it is Troop 32’s official policy to reimburse our adult leaders for the cost of certain official BSA courses upon successful completion.CommunicationsWith so many scouts, and even more parents, it’s often a challenge to get the word out. Our troop employs a variety of methods to help facilitate this, which are listed below. Google Group email distribution. Email T32chair@gmail.com for access. Web site troop32.info Troop meetings The most important of these is the Google Group email list. The Troop uses the email distribution list as a secure way to provide parents the most up to date information on campouts, meetings and upcoming troop activity. |