Troop 58

Your Guide to Troop 58

Revised: March 1, 2007
Top of Page.

Welcome To Troop 58

This guidebook was put together
to let you know a little about our troop. Troop 58 is
sponsored by the Lions Club of New Milford. Membership
in the troop is open to all boys from the Greater
New Milford area. The requirements for any boy to join
Boy Scouts are that he be eleven (11) years old or
completed fifth grade and that an official BSA registration
be completed and signed by a parent or guardian. Top of Page.

Troop Meetings

The troop holds regular troop meetings in The First
Congregational Church basement hall located on the
Town Green. The meetings are Wednesday nights from
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm unless announced otherwise.
Scoutmaster conferences are held from 7:00 pm
to 7:30 pm on meeting nights.

A normal troop meeting consists of:
Opening
Announcements
Patrol Corners
Skill Instruction and / or Merit Badges
Final Announcements
Closing

The meeting is run by various boys in the troop
under the leadership of the Senior Patrol Leader. Top of Page.

Committee Meetings

Committee Meetings are generally held as needed.
They are held at 7:30 pm in the church building.
These meetings are open to all parents and
Scouter adults. If you would" like to get more
involved with the Troop, voice your concerns,
or find out about up & coming events, this is
the place to come. Top of Page.

Registration and Dues

New boys to the troop are required to complete
an Official BSA Registration Form and parents
are asked to complete a Parent Resource Survey Form.
The registration fee for all Scouts and adult Scouters
is $30.00 per year with Boy's Life magazine.
All registration fees and forms are generally due
the second week of February.

Transfers to the troop must fill out a transfer
form from the BSA and an Official BSA Registration form.
Patrols must fill out a weekly attendance sheet.
Dues ($35) will be collected from all scouts at the beginning of each year.
This amount is subject to change by the Troop Committee.
The dues cover monthly birthday cakes and other
special activities.

Extra costs for camp-outs and other activities
are paid prior to those activities and are
posted on the activity sheets.Top of Page.

Scout Handbook

It is required that each scout has a copy of the
Scout Handbook. Information in the books is very
useful to scouts and parents and should be read
very carefully. Boys not having books will find
it almost impossible to work on advancement.
Handbooks should be brought to each troop meeting
and to most activities. Top of Page.

Scout Uniform

The standard uniform of Troop 58 consists of long
scout pants and scout shirt. The shirt will require
minimum patches consisting of: American flag patch,
council shoulder patch and troop numbers.
Rank patches and leadership patches are also expected
to be put on the shirt. We are a full uniform unit
and will strongly encourage boys to buy and wear the
above uniform as a minimum. The above uniform is
considered Class A. An alternate Class A uniform
during the summer consists of the short sleeve shirt,
green khaki shorts and scout socks. An acceptable
Class B uniform is the official troop t-shirt with scout pants or scout shorts.

Uniforms are to be worn at all troop meetings, and
during other special functions. When uniforms are
worn they will be worn in the proper manner, buttons
buttoned and shirttails tucked in. Uniforms are
expected to be kept in a clean and neat condition.
Uniforms may not be required at some service projects
due to the nature of the project; (i.e. Painting,
cleaning up garbage, etc.). Top of Page.

Troop Organization

The troop is organized into the following groups of people.

1. Troop Committee: Composed of parents & other
adults who set troop policies.

2. Adult Staff: Scoutmaster, Asst. Scoutmasters,
Merit Badge Counselors, Advancement and Awards Coordinator,
Merit Badge Coordinator, and Troop Records Coordinator.

3. Troop Leadership: Senior Patrol Leader,
Asst. Senior Patrol Leaders and Leadership Patrol.

4. Patrols: Lead by Patrol Leader & Asst. Patrol Leader,
composed of groups of 5 - 8 scouts.

Adult Position terms are from September 1 to August 31. Top of Page.

The Patrol Method

Troop 58 operates under the Patrol Method of
Scouting as developed by Sir Robert Baden-Powell
in England. This method was developed on
Brown Sea Island in the early 1900's. BP found
that a group of eight people was the most efficient
method of developing leadership and accomplishing goals.

Today, a patrol consists of 5 - 8 boys under the
leadership of a Patrol Leader. The Patrol Leader
is selected by the senior leaders of the troop using
guidelines outlined below and with input from the
individual patrols. His primary responsibility is to
represent and make known the wishes of his patrol at
the Patrol Leadership Council, (PLC).

The Patrol Leader is also responsible for relaying
information from the PLC to the patrol; ensuring
people are assigned to required tasks and the conduct
of patrol members. Patrol members participate in all
activities as a team. Part of learning to lead is by
first learning to follow. It is important to understand
that the boys run the troop. The adult leaders provide
guidance. The Patrol is the Key and the Patrol Leader
is the Key Man. Top of Page.

Eligibility For Patrol Leader Candidates

The candidate must be of the 1st class rank or above.

The candidate must have attended at least 2 council camporees; (i.e.
Spring Camporee, Fall Camporee, and / or Klondike Derby).

The candidate must be current with his dues.

The candidate must attend a minimum of
6 campouts held throughout the year.

The candidate must have attended a minimum of 90%
of all regular meetings held during the year.

The candidate must have taken part in troop
fundraisers.

The candidate must have participated in troop service projects. Top of Page.

Eligibility For Assistant Patrol Leader Candidates

The candidate must be of the 2nd class rank or above.

The candidate must have attended at least 2 council camporees; (i.e.
Spring Camporee, Fall Camporee, and / or Klondike Derby).

The candidate must be current with his dues.

The candidate must attend a minimum of
6 campouts held throughout the year.

The candidate must have attended a minimum of
75% of all regular meetings held during the year.

The candidate must have taken part in troop fundraisers.

The candidate must have participated in troop service projects.
Top of Page.

New Patrols

The patrol of new scouts that is formed in March
of each year will work together as a team until
Summer Camp. At Summer Camp the Patrols are mixed
with scouts of varied rank and abilities. Also each
Patrol at Summer Camp should have scouts that have
been to Summer Camp in the past. In the fall the
Senior Leadership will form new patrols.
Leaders for the new patrol will rotate so everyone
gets a chance for each patrol job;
(i.e. Patrol leader, Asst. Patrol Leader, Scribe, etc.). Top of Page.

Advancement (The Trail to Eagle Scout)

Advancement from Scout to Eagle is an important
part of the scouting experience and is completely
explained in the Scout Handbook. Troop 58 has several
adult leaders to help and advise the boys on advancement.
Older Scouts, 1st Class and above will assist,
train and guide newer scouts in the skills and
requirements needed to obtain the ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot
Second Class and First Class.

The Advancement and Awards Coordinator is responsible for
maintaining advancement records, scheduling boards
of review, and ordering all rank and merit badge patches.

The Troop Records Coordinator is responsible for maintaining all personal, advancement, and training records for Scouts and Adult Scouters

Scouts are responsible for completing advancement
requirement on their-own and for maintaining a
complete record of their own advancement. Opportunities
for completing advancement requirements will be
provided to the scouts; it is the scout's responsibility
to take advantage of those opportunities. The troop
has five basic rules about advancement.

1) Parents can not sign-off advancement or merit
badge requirements for
their son without prior authorization.

2) Merit Badge Counselors must be approved by the
Merit Badge Chairman and registered with council
prior to any work being completed on the merit badge.
Both the Advancement and
Merit Badge Chairmen reserve the right to
disallow any advancement or
merit badge signed-off by an unapproved individual.

3) Scouts must obtain a merit badge card from the
Advancement and Awards Coordinator prior
to starting a merit badge. The "blue card"
must be signed by the
Scoutmaster prior to starting the Merit Badge.
The scout will be given
credit for completing a merit badge when he
returns the card, which has
been signed by his counselor, to the Advancement and Awards Coordinator.

4) Boys will be encouraged to advance but will not be pushed to advance.
Troop leaders are responsible to provide advancement opportunities, but are
not responsible for ensuring a scout advances in rank.

5) Even though the Troop Records Coordinator maintains records of each scout's
advancement, it is each scout's responsibility to maintain written proof
of his advancement. Scout Handbooks provide places to have requirements
signed-off and scouts will be given a signed card for each merit badge
or rank advancement. Each scout is responsible to keep his Merit Badge
cards. Possession of a patch is not considered proof. Eagle rank will
not be granted without documented proof that all requirements have been completed Top of Page.

Service Projects

When each Scout completes a service project it is his
responsibility to document the hours worked and report the total hours at his next Scout Master Conference.
Service hour reports should include the
following: Name, date of the event, type of event,
and length of time you worked in 1/2 hour increments
rounded off to the nearest 1/2 hour.
Service projects are a major part of the advancement
process, without proper documentation you will not be able to advance. Top of Page.

Court of Honor

The troop schedules Courts of Honor bi-monthly.
A Court of Honor is a special troop meeting where
all family members are invited. The meeting is held
for the purpose of providing recognition to those
scouts that have earned rank advancement, merit badges
or other accomplishments.

The whole family is encouraged to attend even if a
scout has not earned any special recognition.

Courts of Honor are generally scheduled on the last
Wednesday night of every other month (see troop calendar
for exact dates). Top of Page.

Active participation

All members of Troop 58 are expected to participate
in all phases of the troop program. We have one of
the best programs and unless each person is willing
to do his share, the troop as a whole will be affected.
Regular attendance at meetings, monthly activities,
service projects and fund raisers are of vital
importance to the scout's advancement and the overall
health of the troop. Important planning takes place at
the weekly troop meetings and it is vital that scouts
attend to help with that planning. We realize that
there will be times when scouts can not attend due to
illness, family problems, school, or church functions.
We would appreciate it if the scouts would contact
their Patrol Leader when they can not attend an activity.

An active scout should make plans to attend at least
65% of all regular meetings, any District Camporee,
attend a minimum of 6 campouts through-out the year,
and participate in as many service projects and fundraisers as possible.

The PLC and / or the Scoutmaster may remove any
Patrol or Asst. Patrol Leader who misses 3 consecutive meetings from that office. Top of Page.

Troop Activities

Most major troop activities are planned months in
advance and the times and dates are published in
the Troop Calendar (located on the troop web site). Please keep track of these
dates and help us avoid conflicts. The troop depends
on parent support to see to it that their
son attends as many troop activities as possible.

Schedule changes and additions will be communicated
by special notices. Detailed information about
monthly activities is usually handed out at troop meetings.
We encourage all parties to watch the calendar and we
especially encourage all parents to ask their sons
about any hand out they may have received at the
troop meetings (most parents don't see any papers
until they pick the soggy mess out of the washing machine).

All scouts on Troop outings must have a completed
permission slip signed by your parent / guardian,
regardless of whether they're attending or not.

All parents must plan to drive to or from an event
that your Scout is attending. You may also attend
any event that interests you. Parents providing
transportation of scouts to any scout event must
have proof of liability insurance on record with
the troop together with the registration number of
the vehicle to be used. It is also strongly
recommended that parents provide the troop with
a copy of their medical insurance card.

Parents, please be certain to check-in with the event
Scoutmaster before you take your Scout home.
NO Scout should leave a camping event without
the Scoutmaster's permission. This is for the Scout's protection.

Scouts, please be aware that all electronic games
and tape/CD players are restricted from Troop
events and functions without prior permission. Top of Page.

Parent Support

The key element in maintaining and improving the
quality of Troop 58 is active parent support.
To be successful, scouting must be a family activity.
Parent support does not consist of driving your
son to a troop meeting and picking him up. The troop requires parents to attend the first 15 minutes of each Troop Meeting.

Good parent support consists of the following:

1) Make sure your son attends all troop activities and is ready for them.

2) Encourage your son in his scout advancement.

3) Take an active interest is his scouting activities.

4) Attend parent meetings, courts of honor and other family activities.

5) Join the Troop Committee. The committee is made up of parents and meets
once a month to set troop policy.

6) Become a Merit Badge Counselor for the troop. You don't have to be an expert
in the area. There are 120 merit badges so there should be something you
know about.

Support fund raiser projects. This is how we earn money for troop
equipment and the scouts can earn money for activities. Top of Page.

Fundraisers

The troop depends on various fundraisers to gain
operating funds for the year. In the past,
Troop 58 has participated in such activities as
Popcorn Sales, Bake Sales, and a Spring Ziti Dinner.
Most of the funds generated from the fundraisers
go to the troop fund for operating expenses and equipment purchases.

Some fundraisers are split between the scout and the troop. The money that
is split is put into a Scout fund for each scout.
The amount depends on whether the split is based
on a percentage of the profit or by hours worked
on the fundraiser. The decision on the type of
split or if there is to be a split is made by the troop committee.

If the split is made by the number of hours worked:
A record will be kept of all boys that participate
in a fund raiser and how many hours they worked.

Regardless of how the funds are split,
the money in the scout fund accounts can be
used to pay for any scout expense such as summer camp
or even the purchase of personal scout equipment,
with prior approval of the Scoutmaster.

No money can be given to a scout because this
could be considered income wages and be subject
to taxation. If a scout no longer participates
in any BSA program, all funds in his account
revert to the general troop fund. If a scout
joins another BSA program his Scout fund may be sent to that group.
Top of Page.

Troop Equipment

Troop 58 has been fortunate enough to have a number
of individuals that have been willing to work hard
at fund raisers during the last couple of years
in order to purchase quite a bit of troop equipment.
The troop currently has tents, stoves, lanterns,
cooking equipment, tarps, rain flys and other gear
worth several hundred dollars. Scouts are expected
to treat this equipment with respect and will pay for
anything damaged or lost through carelessness.

Personal equipment is something every scout will
eventually need. Listed below are the personal
items that every scout should have for campouts.
Also listed below are suggested items for
cold weather camping. There are a number of
experienced campers among the adult staff that
can help with selecting the best items and tell
you where to buy the items. Top of Page.

Personal Equipment

By the end of the second year every scout should have the following:
backpack
mess kit, compass, sun protection
eating utensils
Pad & Pencil
sleeping bag (please with consult Scout Master)
first aid kit, pocket knife, garbage bags, plastic travel mug, Scout book
sleeping pad, canteen or Nalgene bottle
bug repellant, rain gear
flash light or headlamp

Personal Gear -
comb
soap w/plastic holder shampoo
toothbrush washcloth large towel
toothpaste small towel toilet paper
Warm weather clothing -
short sleeve shirt (t-shirts) long pants (nylon)
extra underwear
comfortable rugged footwear
shorts (loose & comfortable) light jacket (nylon with liner)
extra socks (padded poly blend is best) hat with brim

Cold weather clothing -
poly long underwear (top & bottom) wool or wool blended socks (3 pair) fleece or wool shirt or pullover
2 wool or fleece hats
insulated boots
poly sock liners
nylon pants with liners insulated coat with hood gloves (weather-proof) extra footwear

Prices vary and most items can be bought at outlets
such as Eastern Mountain Sports, Sports Authority or Campmor.com. For cold weather
camping wool and/or fleece (polypro) material is best.
DO NOT bring any cotton. Footwear should be seasonal
and comfortable. Please remember that camping should be fun,
if your son is wet & cold he isn't going to have fun. Top of Page.

Communications

In any organization, communication is essential.
We currently have a Troop Calendar that is posted on the
Troop Web Site. Most information is discussed at the opening of
weekly troop meetings; that is why regular attendance is important.

For short notice communications, adult leaders will
contact other adult leaders. The Senior Patrol Leader
will contact the individual Patrol Leaders who will,
in turn, contact members of their patrol.
In addition the troop maintains a email list of scouts and parents. Top of Page.

Summary

If you have any questions, call your Patrol Leader
or any other member of the junior leader staff.

If you don't know, ask!

This guide book was meant to be a brief summary of
"need to know" items. If we have
forgotten something, feel free to contact any of the adult staff.

The Lions Club has made a commitment to sponsor our Troop.
You, as parents have made a commitment to Troop 58
when you registered your son with us, to cooperate,
assist, and support the Troop, its activities, and
its leaders. We expect you to fulfill this commitment. Top of Page.

New Milford, CT

Chartered by:
The New Milford Lions Club
http://www.nmctlions.org

Updated: July 16, 2010
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