The Troop 1954
Wednesday Newsletter

 

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Hello Folks,

First, thanks once again to Mr. David Childress for his help with rocketry last night.  I think everyone had a good time and we certainly had some spectacular launches.  Those things really move!

Last night our six new members joined us as Scouts for the first time.  Once again we welcome Mason, Jaimie, Daniel, John, Thomas, and David.  We look forward to many years of scouting adventures with them and their families.  Let's please go out of our way to welcome these new Scouts.  New members crossing from Cubs are the life-blood of our troop!

We had a good if somewhat damp camp-out last weekend.  The OA shot its flaming arrows, the kids crossed-over, people swam and hiked, and generally had a great time.  However, we did have some disciplinary issues come up...some stuff that we've been ignoring for far too long (particularly the downing of tents) got out of hand.  As a result of this, we're going to put a written code of conduct in place.  You'll find my proposed code of conduct below.  Please read it carefully and e-mail me with any comments and suggestions.  I hope to have this in a form that kids will receive and sign next week.

I need scout (not parent) email addresses for the following members: Alexey, Philip, Mason, Justin, Gus, and all the members of the Vicious Badgers.  Please send them to me.

I also want to remind you that the Troop 1954 events calendar, this and all back newsletters,  and all sorts of other useful information is available on our website at www.sanmarcos1954.org

Attendance
SPL Zach Painton presiding assisted by ASPL Corey Collier
   
Vicious Badgers   Led by Troop Guide, Johnny Lozano.  Coach not yet assigned.
Mason
Jaimie
Daniel
John
Thomas
David		  
 
Biohazards   Patrol Leader, Mason R-K.  Coached by Ms. Cece and Mr. Painton
Bryan
Flip
Ben
Mason
Justin (excused, at a game)		  
   
Crimson Fromage     Patrol Leader, Joshua Rose.  Coached by Dr. J.
Sean
Tony
Chris
Silas
Josh
Ben
 
Highly Flammable Piffs     Patrol Leader, Dane Rasmussen.  Coached by Ms. Patty
Lee
Corey
Daniel
Zach
Dane
 

Point System Scoring

Patrol

Attend.

Uniform

Behavior

Spirit

Meeting

6 Mo
V. Badgers           127
Biohazards           130
Fromage 118
Piffs           133
Note 1: No point count taken at last night's meeting.
Note 2: The Vicious Badgers have been awarded points equal to the average of the other patrols.
 

Behavior, subtract for each incident.

Fails to come to order when scout sign given -1
Fighting with each other -1 per incident
Bad language -1 per incident
Failure to treat others with respect -1
Asked repeatedly to do any task -1
Fails to clean up -1
Shows poor sportsmanship -1

Participation: Add for each, highest score is a five.

All members cooperate with game +1
Members make progress on meeting’s task +1
Members show enthusiasm for tasks +1
Members show good organization (listen to PL and Coach) +1
Members exemplify Scout Law +1

 


 

Announcements
 

1) During our next scout meeting, there will be a mandatory meeting for parents of scouts going to summer  camp.  The meeting will be at 8:00.  Ms. Cece will be providing information on the camp, merit badges, etc.  She'll be trying to get a final count on who is going and who is driving.  Just to give you a heads up, we may have a problem finding enough vehicle spaces for all the kids who want to go.  If you've been thinking about driving, now would be a good time to tell Cece.

2) Patrol Leaders Council Retreat will be held in the afternoon and evening of Saturday, May 8.  SPL, ASPL, and all PLs are expected to attend.  Each patrol must assure that they have one voting member present.  Patrol adult coaches are also invited to attend.  Exact time and location will be announced at Tuesday's meeting.

3) Outdoor training for both youth and adults is scheduled for May 15-16.  Important note.  If you're going to this training, you must also go to the Roundtable on May 13th since planning for the training will be held then.  As I understand it, adults in this training are grouped as patrols and must plan and operate as patrols do.  That starts at the Roundtable.  For more information, contact Molly Alexander at molly.alexander@aol.com

 
 
A Proposed Troop 1954 Behavior Policy

Folks, we've got a great group of kids but we do continue to have some persistent behavior issues.  We want the kids to learn leadership and they have got to have fun doing it or they will vote with their feet.  I've tried to devise a few simple rules that will help preserve a degree of order and help prevent some of the most flagrant problems we have but should not much interfere with the guys ability to have a good time.

Ultimately, rules are only as strong as the penalties and our will to enforce them.  In Scouts, we don't have too many choices.  Basically, all we can do is suspend scouts, cancel activities, and expel scouts.  I truly hope that I never have to do any of these, but we've got to demand better behavior from our members and, while this is a blunt instrument, it's the best one I've got.

Think of it this way: the point system we currently use is designed to encourage good behavior, the penalty system I describe below is to prevent bad.

Da Rules!

As adults and youth involved in Scouting, we pledge to treat each other in accordance with the Scout Law.  We pledge, specifically, to show friendship, courtesy, and kindness to each other.

1) The Scoutmaster must be present at all Troop 1954 activities.  If he or she is unable to be present, he or she must appoint an Acting Scoutmaster.  If no Acting Scoutmaster can be found, the meeting or activity must be cancelled.

2) All scouts will comply cheerfully with all reasonable requests from all youth leaders (SPL, ASPL, and PL) and all adult leaders.

3) Teasing or bullying of other scouts is not acceptable. 

4) Most everyone uses bad language occasionally, but excessive use of foul language (particularly when not associated with physical injury) is not acceptable. 

A failure to comply with these rules that is reported to the Scoutmaster or Acting Scoutmaster by a youth or adult leader will result in the scout being given a penalty point.  A scout who accumulates three penalty points will be banned from all troop meetings and activities for four weeks.  A scout who accumulates nine such penalty points will be dismissed from the troop.

A scout who feels that a youth leader or adult has made an unreasonable request should respond politely to that adult or youth leader but then ask the SPL (if the request came from a youth) or the Scoutmaster (if the request came from an adult or SPL) for help in dealing with the request.

A scout who feels that he has been unjustly penalized may appeal his penalty to the Scoutmaster, and, if the situation can not be resolved there, to the Troop Committee.

Special rules for camp-outs.  In addition to the above rules, the following rule applies to camp-outs.

The downing of tents and unwarranted interference with any equipment belonging to another scout is strictly forbidden. 

If the Scoutmaster determines that such an incident has taken place, he or she will try to determine the guilty person or persons and such individuals will be given three penalty points and suspended from all Scouting activities for four weeks.  As per above, accumulation of nine penalty points will result in dismissal from Troop 1954.  If the Scoutmaster determines that an incident has happened but can not determine the guilty party, then the next month's Scout outing will be cancelled. 

 

 
Upcoming Events

PLC Retreat, May 8

SPL, ASPL, PLs gather to set the program and schedule for May, June, and July. 

Twin Valley District Roundtable, May 13

Roundtable is at 7:00 the second Thursday of each month.  This one is particularly important since you must attend if your are planning on going to the Adult Outdoor Training on April 15-16.

May Scout Hut Work Day, Date TBA

We're hoping to paint the main meeting room of the Scout Hut.

Saturday and Sunday May 15 and 16, Outdoor Training

This is the second half of the complete scout leader training course.  It will be held at Kiwanis Camp outside San Marcos.

Camping at Wolf Mountain/Enchanted Rock May 21-23

Details forthcoming.

Silver Pines Junior Leadership Training Program, May 30 - June 5. 

Troop 1954 Summer Camp, July 3 - July 11

We will be doing summer camp at Camp Dale Resler in the mountains of New Mexico.  This trip will also include visits to White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  It should be a great chance to get away from the summer heat of San Marcos and into the cool mountains of New Mexico.  It is also a fantastic chance for the scouts to make progress on advancement, have a great time, and bond more tightly as a group.  If you can possibly send your scout to summer camp, please do so.  The estimated cost for this program (including travel, all visits, and spending money), about $330 for youth and $220 for adults.