Troop 56 – Information for New Scouts & Parents

We have prepared this information handout in an effort to provide some basic information that will be helpful to new scouts and their parents. It will not answer all of your questions, so please don't hesitate to look at the Troop Handbook available online at http://www.troop56.com. You call the New Scout Coordinator, Brian MacDonald, at 978 988-0698 (Home) or 978 397-0225 (Cell); the Scoutmaster, Greg Monteforte, at 978 658-1866 (Home) or 978 815-7169 (Cell); or the Troop Committee Chairman, George Breslin, at 978 658-2692.

Meetings
The Scouts meet regularly every week on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm at the Congregational Church on Middlesex Street. If there is no school on a Tuesday (school vacation, snow day, etc.), then there is no Scout meeting that night. Troop meetings and outings are not held during the summer.

The period from 6:30-7:00pm is reserved for advancement. ANY Scout who is ready to be checked out on a requirement should seek out an adult leader at this time. The Scout Meeting will officially open at 7:00pm. Scouts should ALWAYS bring a notebook, pen, and Boy Scout Handbook to the meetings. All Scouts are required to be in uniform (Class A or Class B, more information about that below) at meetings.

Fees
Each Scout pays $5.00 per month in dues for the months of September through May, 10 months total. This fee covers all the troop expenses except the cost of outings. The cost for outings is paid by those attending the outing on a cost basis. The troop also has fundraisers throughout the year to help purchase new camping equipment, etc.

We expect that the Scout earns his $5.00 each month by doing chores around the house. Our philosophy is that the boys need to take responsibility to earn the $5.00 and for remembering to bring it to the meeting to pay their dues. Parents, please do not write out a check for the year.

Uniforms
Each Scout should have a Class A and a Class B uniform. The Class A uniform consists of an official scout shirt and neckerchief or bolo tie. Official scout pants and/or shorts are not necessary. We recommend that the short sleeve shirt be purchased as it can be worn over a long sleeve, solid color jersey in the winter. Required insignia on the uniform comprises of:

• Council Patch (We are part of the Yankee Clipper Council)
• Unit Number (We are Unit 56)
• International scouting emblem
• Red shoulder loops
• Badge of Rank (Scout, Tenderfoot, ...), if he has received one
• Patrol patch, if he has received one

You should consult the Boy Scout Handbook for placement of the insignia. All of this may be purchased at one of the local Boy Scout Shops (Woburn, Middleton, etc.). Additional information about location and directions to these shops is available online at the troop website, http://www.troop56.com.

A Class B uniform will be given to your son when he reaches the rank of Scout. The class B uniform is a black or gray T-shirt with the troop logo in red.

Each Scout should wear his Class A uniform to the third meeting of the month, to all Court of Honors, and when we travel. He may also wear it to other meetings and activities as he sees fit.

Each Scout may wear his Class B uniform during all other troop meetings and functions.

Advancement
When a Scout first joins the troop, he works on his Scout rank. This is the first rank as is easily attained. Typically, this can be done in his first few meetings. There will be Troop Guides, experienced Scouts that are already members of the troop, that will work with the new Scout to help him attain the rank of Scout. After reaching the rank of Scout, the Scout will work on attaining new ranks, first Tenderfoot, then Second Class, and finally First Class. Although these ranks must be received in order, the requirements for ANY of the ranks can be worked on at any time (i.e. A Scout working on Tenderfoot could also pass requirements for Second and/or First Class). As the Scout works on the requirements for each rank, he should record them in his Boy Scout Handbook.

Once a Scout has completed all of the requirements for a rank, the last three things he needs to do is have a Peer Review, a Scoutmaster Conference, and a Board of Review. The last two are listed in the Boy Scout Handbook but the first is not. The Peer Review is an opportunity for the Scout to have one of his peers, a Scout at or above the rank of First Class, review all of the requirements with the Scout. Once the Peer Review is complete, the Scout should schedule a meeting with the Scoutmaster, the Scoutmaster Conference. Scoutmaster Conferences are conducted during the period between 6:30-7:00pm each Tuesday that there is a Scout meeting. The Scout must wear his Class A uniform to the Scoutmaster Conference. After the Scoutmaster Conference, the Scout should look to schedule a Board of Review. The dates available for a Board of Review are posted weekly during the meeting. If you have any questions about scheduling a Board of Review, just see one of the adult leaders at a meeting.

The troop encourages each Scout to advance to the rank of First Class in their first year of scouting (i.e. By the end of 6th grade). However, to accomplish that, it is necessary for the Scout to be active in the troop as one requirement of reaching First Class is that the Scout must attend 10 troop outings, three of which must be overnight camping trips that involve sleeping outdoors. Each Scout should keep their own advancement record by keeping their Boy Scout Handbook, signed Merit Badge blue cards, and rank cards received upon completion of a rank in a safe place. This may be needed as a backup to the troop records in case of any questions.

Merit Badges and Blue Cards
Once a Scout has reached the rank of First Class, much of his advancement effort will involve obtaining Merit Badges. Work on a Merit Badge begins with the Scout informing his Scoutmaster that he intends to work on a badge. The Scoutmaster gives the Scout a Blue Card for recording progress on the badge and gives the Scout the name of the Merit Badge counselor. When all the requirements for the Merit Badge have been completed, the Scout will return the Blue Card signed by his counselor. Attaining the rank of Star (the next rank after First Class) requires completion of 6 Merit Badges of which 4 must be from the Eagle required group. Next comes the rank of Life which requires an additional 5 (for a total of 11) Merit Badges including 3 more from the Eagle required group. In order to obtain the final rank, Eagle, requires an additional 10 (for a total of 21) Merit Badges including 5 more from the Eagle required group (for a final total of 12).

The Troop will work on some Merit Badges as a troop and others will be offered on an optional basis during advancement sessions at troop meetings. However, it is expected that each Scout will work independently of the troop on MOST of the Merit Badges. One excellent opportunity to work on Merit Badges, as well partake in an overnight camp outing, is Summer Camp.

Summer Camp
The troop goes together as a troop to Camp Wha-Tut-Ca. The camp is located in Northwood, NH and is owned by the Boy Scouts. The troop typically goes during the third full week in July.

Outings
The troop goes on about one outing per month during the school year. Few Scouts can attend all the outings but we recommend that a Scout attempt to attend as many as possible. It is on outings that Scouts have the most fun and learn the most about outdoor skills. Advancement to Second Class requires attending five outings while advancement to First Class requires an additional five (for a total of 10).

Permission slips are required for all troop outings. These permission slips will be made available several weeks before any outing on the troop website, http://www.troop56.com.

Camping Gear
The troop does a lot of camping and other outdoor activities so there is some essential equipment that each boy needs such a a daypack, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag. A good start on a list of basic outdoor equipment needed is:

1. Good pair of hiking shoes or boots and several pairs of socks
Be sure to “break them in” before your first hike!
2. Canteen or water bottle (1 quart minimum)
Nalgene bottles work great. The new “Hydration packs” are popular but not necessary yet
3. Mess kit and “silverware” (stainless or plastic preferred)
Think about labeling it so you can distinguish it other ones that may look the same
4. Sleeping bag (rated 25 degrees F) and a closed cell pad
A 0 degree rated bag is required for snow camping
5. Flashlight (small)
2 -AA batteries is a good size. A folding stand is handy.
6. Backpack
A good backpack can be expensive. Check out the different styles/sizes and think about borrowing one for a while.
7. Rain suit or poncho
A low cost “emergency” style poncho is light and small but very useful
8. Toilet Kit
You can make this kit yourself using the lists in your Boy Scout Handbook
9. First Aid Kit – personal
You can also make this kit yourself using the lists in your Boy Scout Handbook
10. Compass
You will be doing lots of map reading so get a compass that lies flat with clear see thru scales.
11. Pocketknife (after Totin' Chip is earned)
Folding type, 3” maximum blade length, lock blade preferred
12. Waterproof matches (after Firem'n Chit is earned)
“Strike anywhere” matches in a waterproof holder are also OK

It would be best if the gear was appropriate for backpacking (i.e. Lightweight). You may want to consider more than one sleeping bag, the first being at least rated to 0 degrees for the camping in the late fall/winter/early spring and the other rated to at a higher temperature for the summer/early fall. Take a look at the Boy Scout Handbook for another example packing list. If you are not experienced in buying backpacks, sleeping bags, etc., go to a store like REI, EMS, Sports Authority, or Hilton Tent City to get advice. The older Scouts as well as the adult leaders are also an excellent source of information if you have any questions regarding the type or style of the above equipment.

Service Projects
Advancement to Second Class, Star, and Life requires completion of a certain number of hours of work on an approved service project. Typically, the troop holds organized service projects each year at which some of the required hours of service can be obtained. With each rank, the service project should involve a greater amount of leadership and planning. Beginning with Star projects, the Scout should prepare a short, written proposal for his project for approval. Upon completion, the Scout should prepare a short report on the project to be presented to the Scoutmaster.

Venture Crew
The Venture Crew is a group of Scouts who have a rank of First Class or higher that commit to participate in planning and organizing “high adventure” trips for the crew such as a North Woods Canoe Trip. The Venture Crew will go on weekend backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, etc. trips 4 to 5 times a year. These trips are separate from the trips that involve all the members of the troop.

Scout Leadership
One of the principal goals of Boy Scouting is providing an opportunity for boys to attain leadership skills. The troop is always working towards the goal of having the troop run by the Scouts. We continue to make progress toward that goal but there is always more work to be done. We have regular meetings of a Patrol Leaders Council (PLC or Greenbar Meeting) with the hopes that the Scout leaders can continue to work to take over the planning and much of the implementation of the troop activities.

We as that most questions about normal troop outing and functions follow the chain of command of the troop. If a new Scout has a question, he should ask one of the Troop Guides or the Scout's Patrol leader, then the Senior Patrol Leader, and lastly the Scoutmaster. If a situation arises where you feel the issue is not appropriate to discuss with the youth leaders, please don't hesitate to contact the Scoutmaster directly. We ask that all parents work with us to encourage the boys to be leaders.

Troop Committee
This committee is made up of adult leaders and parents. It handles finances, provides support for th advancement, training, and outdoor programs of the troop, and is in charge of recruiting adult leaders and volunteers. George Breslin is the Chairman of the Committee. The committee is involved in supporting the planning of troop activities but the actual planning is the function of the Patrol Leaders Council and the Scoutmaster. The committee provides adult support for the activities as needed and performs Boards of Review for rank advancement. Committee meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00pm and the Congregational Church.

Parent Involvement
We have no strict rules about parent support of the troop's program but the involvement of parents is vitally important to the troop. We need your involvement in supporting your Scout, supporting his rank advancement, supporting his attendance to the troop meetings, and supporting his participation in the troop activities. Parent volunteers are needed as Assistant Scoutmasters, Troop Committee Member, Merit Badge counselors, to attend outings, etc. Any and all help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.