Announcements
Opportunities for Virtual Summer Camps
Troop 433 - In-person Scout Summer Camp isn't going to happen this summer for our troop (or for most troops) because of the virus, but there are lots of virtual options. Because they are virtual, you can choose from offerings from all around the country. Some will be fancier than others (the Western Los Angeles Council, for example, home of Hollywood, will have some "high production values" in their content), but fancier doesn't necessarily mean better. Some will cost more, some less, but they will all be less expensive than in-person camp would have been. You know your kids best and what they need or want. This might be a fun way for them to "visit" Montana or New York, or wherever you find a program that seems like a good fit. We're not going to try to steer all the scouts to do the same virtual program, but I would like to see as many of our scouts earn some Merit Badges and have some sort of scouting "camp" experience this summer as possible. Please keep three folks informed of your choice (even if that is not to participate): Summer Camp Coordinator Kim Freed, Advancement Chair and Webmaster Scott Lovell, and me, Scoutmaster Hilary Thornton. Here is the link to the national list from which you may choose and register your scout. Note that you want to choose from the second of the two lists (NOT the Cub Scout list, but rather the list labeled for "Scouts BSA & Venturing (Incoming 6th Grade and Up)" https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/virtual-camps/?utm_source=scoutingwire&utm_campaign=swvolunteer632020&utm_medium=email&utm_content= The Atlanta Area Council has gathered all of its summer offerings on one web page, which it calls 2020 Summer Adventure. There are links to day programs aimed at scouts still working toward first class, to in-person merit badge classes, to online merit badge classes, and more: Yours in Scouting, Hilary Thornton |
High Adventure Trip Cancelled
Last week the Troop Committee made the difficult decision to cancel our troop's participation in our planned High Adventure trip in July at the BSA's Summit in West Virginia. The Summit was unable to provide us with details about how the experience would be modified in response to the virus, and was also not able to promise us that we could get a refund later if we didn't like what remained of the experience. If we canceled last week we could get all our money back, so we did that. Troop Treasurer Bruce Avery will return those funds to the scout accounts of the scouts who had paid it in as soon as he receives the funds back from the Summit. We have already planned a High Adventure trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico next July, Priority will be given to those who had been planning to attend the 2020 High Adventure trip to the Summit. The Troop Committee will be keeping an eye on the situation and will look for opportunities to squeeze in a lower-cost local high adventure trip later in the year if it can be done safely. Yours in Scouting, Hilary Thornton |
BSA Summer Camp Cancelled
Sadly, I am writing to inform you that the Troop 433 Leaders and Committee have together decided that our Troop will not participate in in-person Summer Camp this year. We will explore options for online summer scout summer camps instead. We have made this decision based on a number factors with the safety of our scouts and their families the paramount consideration. The Atlanta Area Council cancelled the week of Summer Camp that our troop had been scheduled to attend (Week #3, June 14-20, 2020 at Camp Woodruff). Council has offered the troop the opportunity to shift our reservation to Week #8, at the end of the summer camp season, which a few of our boys were already scheduled to attend, but the Troop Committee has met and decided to decline that offer. Rather than continue to “kick the can down the road” with scheduling (and then cancelling) weeks of summer camp, we are simply going to make the decision now that our troop will not go to camp this summer. We don’t make that decision lightly, but the description the Council has provided to us of what summer camp would “look like” if it is even offered doesn’t sound as much fun as in years past (and hopefully future). The changes Council has had to make to their offerings to meet the Governor’s guidelines for operating an overnight camp during the pandemic are sweeping. Nobody eats in the camp dining hall except staff, mask wearing, temperature checks twice daily for everyone on camp, no family day, no visitors, limited shooting sports, no lifesaving MB, no welding MB, no climbing MB, no whitewater rafting or horseback riding trips, no camp assemblies (morning flags, campfires, camp-wide games), and socially-distanced everything else. Several of our adult leaders (and surely many of our scouts) live with grandparents and/or those with medical conditions that put those others at greater risk should anyone come back from camp carrying the virus. It’s simply not worth the risk for a lesser camp experience. Fees refunded by Council to the troop will be credited to your scout’s troop account. Many thanks to all those of you who worked to prepare our troop for camp, especially Troop Treasurer Bruce Avery and Summer Camp Coordinator Kim Freed. The Troop Committee will look for opportunities to safely offer some of the popular activities from summer camp that scouts will not be able to do this summer. We’ll let you know about those plans as we make them. Yours in Scouting, Hilary Thornton Scoutmaster |
Virtual Scout Meeting Instructions
A quick lesson on how to attend our Troop 433 Virtual Scout Meetings. Look at the troop calendar on the right-hand side of the home page. On this calendar will be all of our virtual meetings. To access a meeting, at the appropriate meeting time, click the event on the calendar and look for the meeting link in the description. When you click the meeting link, you should be taken to the page where you can join the meeting. As always, parents are encouraged to join the meetings also. Please note, that if more than one person in a household joins the meeting from separate devices, there can be unwanted echos and feedback. It is recommended that if two people are in the same room, they should share one device to connect to the meeting. If you must use two devices, please turn off the mic and speaker on all but one device. This should prevent echos and feedback and make the meeting enjoyable for everyone. |
Knots!
Scouts! Here are some great sites for learning to tie knots. Watch the tutorials and practice! Virtual assistant |
Flag Ceremony
Cyber Chip
Scouts need to renew their Cyber Chip each year. Here are the steps to making it happen. Fill out the Cyber Chip Workbook section for your grade in school. Parts of it require your parents, so plan a time to do this together. You will also watch at least three Cyber Chip training videos for your grade level. Links are in the workbook or you can find them directly from the NetSmartz website (click Watch Now from the main page). Finally, you will teach what you have learned about internet safety using the EDGE method to another scout. This can be done in our breakout sessions during our weekly meetings. Email the completed form to your advancement chair. |
Welcome new scouts
Welcome to our new scouts who have just crossed over from Cub Scouts. Here is some information you may find helpful. We use the Troopmaster software for all our emails and scout information. Once you have filled out your BSA Application and paid the dues, you will be keyed into Troopmaster. From there you will have access to all your records and when the troop sends emails, it is through the Troopmaster members list. It's all automatic and you can modify your own email addresses whenever you like once you are in the system. Because you are switching from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, you will have to fill out new applications. We have paper copies in our Scout Room, or you can print them online and fill them out at home before you arrive. You will need a youth application for the scout: And an adult application for at least one parent: Also, please visit the Documents page on this website. There you will find a document for new scout parents called "New-Parents-Document.pdf". This will have answers to many of your questions. Also on the main page of our website, please check the calendar to learn the time of our next meeting. We do not have scout meetings when Cobb County Schools are not in session during the school year. In other words, we follow their schedule for breaks. |
STEM NOVA Program
Here is a link with information about the STEM NOVA program. There are also links to the requirements for the awards. I thought you might want to forward this if there were some boys interested.
http://usscouts.org/advance/nova/index.asp
Thanks, Parker Mills |
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