Dear Advisors
and Crew Committee Chairs:
This is your
monthly e-bulletin to all top Crew leaders in the Golden Arrow
District. Please delete or edit items not relevant to your Crew, then
forward to all your volunteers.
***If
your current Adviser / Committee Chair are not receiving this email and
passing it on to you. Please send me full contact information and Crew #
for the missing person(s). Thanks!
***
*** To add a
new recipient, please send me full contact information, volunteer position,
and Crew #. ***
***
Please check
that we have your Crew leadership info correctly listed on the Golden Arrow
web site at
http://www.goldenarrow.org/venture-units.html contact
James Cauble with updates***
*** Please
forward the EVENTS
AND
OPPORTUNITIES Section on to your Crew Officers ***
*** This plus
the last two months of this e-bulletin can be found on
http://www.goldenarrow.org/news.html
**********
ROUNDTABLE, DISTRICT,
AND
COUNCIL MESSAGES **********
1) VENTURING ROUNDTABLE:
NO meeting this month. The next
meeting is scheduled for Thursday February
7,
which will be run by the incoming Venturing Roundtable Commissioner see Item
2.
2)
VENTURING ROUNDTABLE COMMISSIONER OPENING: The
District position for Venturing Roundtable Commissioner will be open as of
1 January
2008.
Those interested in applying should contact Jeff Hutchinson (see
below for contact information) or Farrell Gerbode,
farrell@alumni.rice.edu.
If there is no Venturing Roundtable Commissioner, there will be no
Roundtable.
3)
RECHARTER ADVICE: The BSA deadline for recharters is the
15th of the month in which the charter expires (e.g. January 15th for
January 31 expirations). While a recharter will not be considered late
until the close of the last business day before expiration, delaying until
the last minute will not leave time to correct any errors found by Council
registration personnel.
The District staff will accept recharters at Roundtable in each month that
we have charters expiring, and will help find errors before it is turned in
to the Council. For more information or to request assistance with
recharter, contact Farrell Gerbode fgerbode@swbell.net
(713)
661-2790
or your Unit Commissioner.
If you become
the Committee Chair or Advisor, you MUST turn in a properly filled out and
signed
NEW
adult leader application to the Scout Office. Until this happens, the old
volunteer remains as the leader of record. No form = no official change.
4)
FRIENDS OF SCOUTING FAMILY CAMPAIGN 2008: Venturing crews should be
hosting a brief Friends of Scouting (FOS) presentation during a meeting when
you expect a high number of parents to be present, for example at a parent
planning meeting, or other high-attendance event. This is the kick-off of a
six-week campaign whose goal is 100% participation by every family, in a
donation amount that is personally reasonable for them. For your
information, the Council budget is $135/Scout, and that is the amount we
seek to raise on average. Campaign materials will be distributed to your
own Unit Coordinator on January 13. For more information email
claudia.hackbarth@shell.com
5) DISTRICT
AWARD OF MERIT: The Golden Arrow District can give 5-6 of these
distinguished service awards each year. Nominations are due by January 3;
read about it and download a form at
www.goldenarrow.org/news/district-merit-2008.html Candidates for this
award must be nominated by others (self-nomination disqualifies the
candidate).
6)
UNIT
SERVICE AWARDS: Every Unit should recognize its own valuable volunteers, and
this program allows you to honor up to one adult for each five registered
adult leaders. Read about it here- submission deadline is January 3
Roundtable:
http://www.goldenarrow.org/news/GAD-adult-recognition-pgm.html
7)
ANNUAL DISTRICT DINNER: The awards described above will be presented
at the annual District Dinner on Thursday February 21. Watch this
space for details and for the form to purchase tickets for yourself and your
honorees: http://www.goldenarrow.org/events/dinner.html
8)
WOOD BADGE RECOGNITION DINNER: This annual city-wide event for Wood
Badge alumni/alumnae is held in honor of Baden-Powell's birthday. This
year's event is February 25 and costs $15 for dinner. Details and
registration information:
https://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/WoodBadgeDinner/
9a) SCOUT
FAIR TICKET DISTRIBUTION: The informational kick-off and ticket distribution
to your Crew Ticket Chair is scheduled for mid-February, details
<TBA>. If you haven't already, please email the name and contact information
for your SF Ticket Chairman to jeff.hutchinson@shac.org Remember, the
quicker you distribute your tickets and collect back sales proceeds, the
more prize stamps and raffle chances your boys earn!
9b) SCOUT
FAIR BOOTH SIGN UP: It is not too early to decide what game, skill, or craft
your Crew will sponsor at the Scout Fair. Hosting a booth is a good
experience for your youth, plus it significantly increases your commission
on Scout Fair ticket sales proceeds. Another option is
for your Crew to serve on staff at Scout Fair. Click here to register
online: https://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Forms/ScoutFair2008OnlineUni/
10)
CONGRATULATIONS: Hooray for us, we earned the "Quality District" award!
Attend the "Key Leaders Conference" (see below) to help us accept the award.
********** ADULT TRAINING ********
11)
KEY
LEADERS CONFERENCE: If you hold a volunteer position at the District
level, or would like to, you are invited to this lunch-included event at the
Scout Office, TC Jester at the 610
Loop.
The Key Leaders Conference on Saturday January 26 starts at 8 a.m.
and provides training for: Your District Chairman, District Commissioner,
Vice-Chairman of Program, Vice-Chairman of Administration, Membership Chair,
Training Chair, Camping Chair, Advancement Chair, Activities Chair, Public
Relations Chair, Cub Day Camp Chair, Health & Safety Chair, Exploring Chair,
Venturing Chair, Roundtable Commissioners, OA Chapter Advisors, & Cub Scout
Outdoor Program Chairs. RSVP online and pay $10 (covers lunch): website <TBA>
12)
UNIVERSITY
OF
SCOUTING:
This year's
University
of
Scouting
will be held on Saturday
February 2
at
MacArthur
High School.
Choose 5 courses from 100+ offered, to fill your schedule; pre-register
before
January 25
to receive a discount and have the highest chance of getting all your
first-choice selections. Historically, the classes are really top-quality
and people are very happy they took time to attend-
http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/UniversityofScouting6/
13) ONLINE
WATER SAFETY TRAINING: Click here to take Safe Swim Defense and Safety
Afloat: http://www.scouting.org/pubs/aquatics/index2.html
14)
NEW
LEADER ESSENTIALS: This first module, which is for all
volunteers in any role, will next be offered on Saturday May 3,
during the first two hours of Cub leader training starting at
8 a.m.
The location is on the campus of
Houston
Baptist
University,
7502 Fondren immediately south of US 59, in Atwood II room 214. Contact
Mary Farley
281-649-3349
or mfarley@hbu.edu Click here: http://www.goldenarrow.org/training/adult-pack.html.
It will also
be offered on Saturday January 12 with
VLST
(see below)
15)
IOLS (Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills): IOLS is the
hands-on module leading to full training in the Boy Scout Leader sequence.
Learn what you need to successfully teach your boys their various rank
advancements, and practice the Patrol Method yourself. This class consists
of a weeknight orientation followed by a weekend campout. No advance
registration is required and cost is usually about $35 including food costs.
www.goldenarrow.org/training/outdoorskills.html For questions, email or call
Fritz Maxwell: fritzmaxwell@msn.com and
281-238-4438
(H). The next scheduled class in our District kicks off
on
2 April
2008
at TBD, with the outdoor campout session on April
12-13.
16) VENTURING
LEADER SPECIFIC TRAINING: Adults who wish to be Associate Advisers or
Advisors should sign up for Venturing Leader Specific Training.
The next opportunity for this in Golden Arrow is on Saturday
12 January
2008
location to be determined. . Please
contact Kelia Ballou at kelia@Ballou.cx or
713-661-1309
(H) before 4 January if you plan to attend.
A minimum of 5 people are needed for the course to happen.
Requested
donation for the training is $7 (due at the training), which covers training
materials and lunch. For those trainees who have not taken the New Leader
Essentials training, an NLE will be offered immediately before the VLST
(i.e., at
7:30 am).
NLE is required along with VLST for one to be considered a trained Venturing
adult.
To complete
your registration please arrive at least 15 minutes before the training (7:15
am
or
8:45 am)
that you will be taking. To pre-register or for more information please
contact Kelia Ballou (713-661-1309 or keliascout@ballou.cx).
17) WOOD
BADGE: Wood Badge is a mentally-intense 6-day leadership course designed for
all adult Scouters. It is hoped that every Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity
Scout, and Venturing leader, as well as Council and District leaders and
professionals, will take it to help you focus on your responsibilities,
identify a goal, help you work toward that goal -- and give you the personal
tools to reach it. Upcoming classes in 2008 include:
· SR-919
February 21-23 &
March 27-29,
2009
(begins Thursday at
7:30 AM,
ends Saturday at
5:00 PM)
·
SR-920
April 2-6 &
April 25-27,
2007
(begins Friday at
7:30 AM,
ends Sunday at
5:00 PM)
·
SR-921
September 26-28 &
October
10-12, 2008
(begins Friday at
7:30 AM,
ends Sunday at
5:00 PM)
·
SR-922
October 9-11 &
November
13-15, 2008
(begins Thursday at
7:30 AM,
ends Saturday at
5:00 PM)
For more
information and applications go to: http://www.shac.org/Home/Training/WoodBadge/
18) POWDER
HORN: The next SHAC Powder Horn is being considered for
the Fall of 2008. More information will follow when it
is known.
19) CANOE
TRAINING: Prepare for adventure safely by training all your adult volunteers
with these classes: http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Camping/Activities/CanoeProgram/
20) VENTURING
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS: You can view two good Venturing Presentations on the
national site (www.scouting.org/). The first is
Venturing Fast Start (http://www.scouting.org/venturing/faststart/index.html)
for adults and the second is the Venturing Crew Officers Orientation
(http://www.scouting.org/venturing/training/coo/index.html).
You might consider showing the second item during a recruiting / open
house session to let new prospects see what Venturing is all about.
21)
NEW
PHILMONT TRAINING REQUIREMENT: Starting in 2008, Philmont will require that
at least one person, preferably two, (either an advisor or a youth
participant) in each crew be currently certified in American Red cross
Wilderness First Aid or the equivalent* and CPR from the American Heart
Association, The American Red Cross or the equivalent. The American Red
Cross Wilderness First Aid is a sixteen hour course designed to help in
situations when help is not readily available. Several hours may be required
for Philmont staff to reach a remote backcountry location after a message is
delivered to the nearest staffed camp. First aid and CPR training will
result in proper and prompt attention being given to injuries and/or
illnesses. You must present current certification cards upon check-in to
verify this requirement.
22)
BASIC ARCHERY INSTRUCTOR: Get certified as a Basic Archery Instructor
- National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) (similar to Level I training -
National Archery Assoc.) on
Thursday,
January 17,
2007
8 AM
to
5 PM
at
2701 Kingwood
Dr,
Kingwood,
TX
77339.
Wear comfortable clothing, tennis shoes (no hard-sole shoes allowed in
gym). All equipment is supplied. Do RSVP as space is limited: Joe Lemmons,
Agriculture Science and Technology, Kingwood High School,
281-641-7059
map <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=2701+Kingwood+Dr,+Kingwood,+TX+77339&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=62.186014,105.820313&ie=UTF8&ll=30.04729,-95.208592&spn=0.008451,0.012918&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1&pw=2>
************
EVENTS
AND
OPPORTUNITIES **********
23) O-MEET:
The Ninth Annual Scout Orienteering Challenge is going to take place at
Bastrop
Saturday,
January 19,
2008.
Over 1,000 competitors aged 9 through adults are expected to attend from
Austin,
San Antonio,
Houston,
McAllen
and throughout central
Texas.
For information about the Scout Orienteering Challenge, contact Steve or
Carolyn Nelson at snelson33@austin.rr.com or
512-303-1812.
The registration form can be downloaded from Troop 1998s website
www.troop1998.com or Pioneer Districts website at www.agmsystem.com/pd.html
. There have been a few changes to the meet so check out the registration
form for more information.
24) KODIAK
COURSE: A Kodiak Course is being offered at
CIMA
/ Horseshoe Bend during Spring Break from 16 to 22 March.
This is an outdoor youth leadership course, taught in the outdoors.
Activities include pistol shooting, climbing / rappelling, horseback
riding, archery, and small boat sailing. It is open for
Venturing youth ages from 14 to 20. The cost is $130 per
person with a deposit of $25 per person due by
31 December
2007.
A follow up email will provide more information including a flyer,
registration forms, etc. For more information contact
Traci Talley at ih4bt@aol.com
25) DISTRICT
CAMPOREE: The annual District Camporee will be March 7-9, watch this
space for news: http://www.goldenarrow.org/events/camporee2008.html
In the past Crews have helped staff and run this
event.
**********
HIGH ADVENTURE OPPORTUNITIES **********
26) PHILMONT
FOR ADULTS: Philmont is open to adults only during the
September through November for hikes (Autumn Adventure).
Need 7 to 12 adults. For more information talk to John
Curry and/or go to website: www.scouting.org/philmont/camping/season/autumn.html
27)
INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING OPPORTUNITIES:
A. Kandersteg, Switzerland - Winter Games BSA National Contingent
of 6 Youth (16+) and 2 adults one nominee from SHAC - Feb 26 thru March 4
- $700.00 (includes Airfare, Food, Lodging, Lift Tickets and all Program).
Competition sports include Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Shoeing, Ice
Skating, Curling and more (see
www.kisc.ch/?tkw=wintergames
<http://www.kisc.ch?tkw+wintergames>
) if you know a youth that would like to be nominated from SHAC please call
Bud Allison (SHAC International Representative) at
(281)
334-5924
.. Nomination from SHAC has to be in before Oct 10th
B. Germany
Bavarian Jamboree 2008 August 1-10, 2008 Take a troop, patrol or
crew (coed allowed) for a Jamboree near Schwangau, Germany (It will be in a
valley below the famous castle of Neuschwanstein - Sleeping Beauty Castle at
Disneyland) Age limit 11+, 800 German Scouts and Guides from Bavaria and
the rest of the world. Participation Fee $200.00 (includes meals, program)
flight to
Munich,
Germany
>$1,000.00
. Total Cost $1500.00. www.spuren2008.de
<http://www.spuren2008.de/>
If you would like more information contact Dan Ownby at
713-256-3019
********** IN
CLOSING **********
28) You can
contact your Golden Arrow District staff by email:
Jeff Hutchinson, District Director (jeff.hutchinson@shac.org) or
713-756-3337
Shannon Harlan, District Executive (shannon.harlan@shac.org) or
713-756-3338
The new
mailing address for the Scout Office is
P.O. Box 924528, Houston TX
77292
29)
Thanks to our dedicated webmaster James Cauble, our Golden Arrow
District website has a wealth of information: www.goldenarrow.org
Mike
Fitzgibbons - Golden Arrow District Crew e-bulletin Editor with material
supplied from the GAD Troop e-bulletin, Claudia Hackbarth Editor
"The information presented here is not an official document of the Boy
Scouts of America, but is solely my volunteer work and responsibility."