First meeting of 2018-19
Post date: Sep 25, 2018 5:49:13 AM
Hello All,
Thank you to those of you who came out Tuesday night for the parents meeting. We were pleased to see so many families represented at the meeting. Below you will find minutes from the meeting. Please take the time to read the minutes as important information is included.
Also included is a link to the medical forms that are required for every scout and referenced in the minutes. All scouts must complete and turn in Part A and B as soon as possible. Part C will be needed for summer camp so that is included as well.
We are currently seeking a volunteer for the Training Coordinator position. This is a largely behind the scenes easy to do by email kind of role to ensure that all T14 parents and volunteers take the Youth Protection Training and promoting training for Troop 14 Leadership. If you are interested, please let me know.
Regards,
Adrianne Cabanatuan
Minutes from the All Parent's Meeting Troop 14
September 18, 2018
For the purposes of these minutes the following abbreviations are applied:
SM – Scoutmaster
ASM – Assistant Scoutmaster
CC – Committee Chair
CC Mike Cabanatuan opened the meeting and welcomed everyone asking everyone to introduce themselves. He provided an overview of how the Parent Committee works in concert with the Troop Leadership.
Meetings for officers are monthly. Parent meetings are roughly every other month. All parents are welcome to attend any of the meetings.
Report from the Troop
SM Black welcomed the parents and gave an overview of the troop and campouts planned for the year. We have 46 Registered Scouts and expect 10 more to bridge over in late winter early spring. This is exciting that the troop has really grown and that we continue to have interest in our troop. Our biggest issue with a troop this large is reserving campsites. We have a calendar planned for events. Scouts were sent home with this calendar. The events are also on the Troop14 Google calendar. Stephen then outlined each campout. Fundraising is important to supplement the dues that scouts pay. We do two fundraisers each year, the wreath sales in the fall and the pasta feed and dessert auction.
Troop 14 Planned Outings
October 19-21 Family Camp – all parents are encouraged to attend. Bikes are welcome if you want to ride on dirt trails. Scouts cook for parents. This is an opportunity for the Scouts to work together to prepare food for the parents.
November 16-18 Shooting Sports – This campout is an opportunity to learn about firearms and learn how to handle them
December 8 – One day trip for holiday party including the Jelly Belly Factory
January 11-13 – Old Sacramento great place to learn about California history
February 1-2 – Snow Camp – Scouts build snow caves and sleep in snow caves
March 16-17 – Tough Mudder Sacramento – The scouts decided to focus on the Fitness Merit Badge this year for a couple of months. This will be a reward for getting through major sections of the Fitness Merit Badge
April 19-21 – Camporee – Fun competition with other troops doing different troop activities such as cooking, navigation etc.
May 11-12 or May 18-19 – Rafting – This will be on the American River
June is Summer camp at Wente Scout Reservation Camp. - This is in place of Wolfeboro which has been our traditional summer camp location. The boys voted and decided not to return to Wolfeboro because the program was not offering merit badge opportunities that were up to the troop’s standards. They were only offering Rock Climbing and Swimming. Wente has waterfront, biking, hiking. Trying to get this in for the first week of Summer after the kids get out of school.
SM Black talked about his expectations for Troop 14 Parents
He said that Troop14 needs your Money in the form of annual dues and help with driving to weekend campouts and activities.
CC Mike Cabanatuan talked about the expectations for the parents in support of the work that the SM and ASMs are doing.
At the end of last year the Troop Committee met to talk about things we wanted to improve for the upcoming scout year. We identified 4 goals for the year:
Continued Improvement in communication. The calendar of activities is the first step this year and we expect to do more this year to increase communication. If you have suggestions, please feel free to let anyone on the committee or one of the SMs know.
Replacing needed gear for campouts. We have a parent responsible for inventorying the equipment that belongs to Troop14 and the Troop has a Scout role called Quartermaster who ensures that the Troop 14 gear is organized and that if there is a need to replace something that the parent in charge is notified.
Maintaining a stronger reserve of our bank balance – It is very important for the health and size of our troop that we collect dues timely so that we have the funds needed for the Scouts to go on the outings planned. Every scout pays an annual amount which includes troop membership dues as well as an activity fee (activity fees go toward camping and activity fees, food on the campouts, gas for drivers etc.). This year there will be an increase in dues to a total of $353 per scout. If you have more than one scout in the troop, you will receive a sibling discount. There are additional fees if you choose to join as an adult member or wish to receive the Boy’s Life Magazine.
Providing training for Scout Leadership
Everyone will receive an invoice by email to pay your dues. Please help us help the troop by getting those fees paid as soon as possible.
No one will be turned away for an inability to pay so if you have a need for a scholarship, please contact a member of the SM or ASM team or CC Mike Cabanatuan to discuss your need. These requests will be confidential.
Volunteering
The Parent Committee does the kind of things that run the troop having to do with money, safety, planning events, arranging for drivers and driving to and from the events. CC Mike Cabanatuan noted who our current volunteers are and where there are openings. Several members at the meeting stepped forward and volunteered for the open Committee positions. We thank them for stepping forward. A list of those is included in these minutes. In addition to these chair positions there are opportunities throughout the year where we do need parent participation. Such as driving for campouts, Potluck Courts of Honor, Wreath Sale Fundraiser, Pasta Feed and Dessert Auction Fundraiser. When you see emails asking for volunteers please do step forward as your Parent Committee and Scouts of Troop 14 are counting on you.
Recent Activities of the Troop:
Solano Stroll – The Stroll went well this year with the rented wall and with a number of troops participating in the recruitment effort. There was a lot of interest. Jennifer Radics-Johnson handled the fundraising for this effort and exceeded the goal! We covered the cost of the wall and a little more with sponsors from local businesses.
Community Service Activities- Several scouts participated in local projects for community service including Coastal Cleanup and the Prisoner’s Literature Project. Kirsten Negus has the information on service activities and will be planning at least 2 troop wide service activities in our community.
Seabase
A number of the older scouts will be participating in a high adventure camp called Seabase in 2019. ASM Burns Talked about Seabase July 28 – August 3, Scouts must be 13 to participate. We have reservations and partial payments for 24 Scouts and 8 Adults. All 4 crews will be together the entire week. SM and ASMs will be asking for commitment very soon. The cost of the trek is $900 + flight = Estimated cost for the trip is $1500 - $2,000. Seabase is one of the 4 high adventure camps that BSA runs. We are signed up for an adventure where crews land and paddle out 6 miles to a remote island where tents and hammocks are provided as well as food (that is prepared by the scouts). Each day there is a different activity. The island is owned by the Boy Scouts of America. All they have to bring is a dry bag with personal goods. We haven’t yet looked at the roster but we believe there is room for any scout that wants to go to Seabase. Scouts have to be able to pass the BSA swim test. Recommend strong swimmer. We will plan swimming events in preparation. There will be opportunities for adults to go. Adults will have to go through wilderness first aid. We are planning that the adults will go to wilderness first aid as a group in January locally. Keep an eye out for an email coming from Assistant Scout Master Michael Burns.
Anyone interested in being an ASM please talk to one of our current SM or ASMs they would like to talk to you about getting involved.
Report from the Roundtable – ASM Steven Ledvina Sr. talked about the Roundtable. The Roundtable is a meeting once a month where all SMs and ASMs in the district get together and talk about what is going on in their troops and packs. They share best practices and ideas for outings, activities and fundraising. At the most recent roundtable, they talked about the Youth Protection Training that is required for anyone who will be interacting with the youth, this includes driving on campouts. Troop14 encourages all parents to take this training. At this point we are leading the Council in adults trained and want to continue that trend. The Youth Protection Training is new as of last spring. So if you took this training before Spring 2018 you will need to take this training again. If you are wondering if you need to take the training you can log on to www.my.scouting.org and it will say if you are up to date with your training. The training is online. There will be a live training at Camp Hermes soon which is a good way to take care of this requirement, we will let you know when that training is scheduled.
The district calendar was delivered and we will get that from SM Black and post it on the website.
CC Mike Cabanatuan introduced Susie Barnes our new member coordinator. Susie will be sending home new member packets to all new members which is brand new for Troop 14. Please note, that everyone needs to complete the Part A and B of the medical forms for this troop year. Part C which requires a doctor’s certification is good for 12 months. Scouts will need part C to attend summer camp. Never hurts to get this done early if you are going to the doctor have them complete the form. Those forms are attached to these minutes.
CC Mike Cabanatuan adjourned the meeting.
Troop 14 Committee Chairs and Scout Leadership Committee
Outdoor Activities Coordinator - Katharine Mason
Advancement Coordinators - Sarah Serafimidis and Kirsten Negus
Training Coordinator - __Open_______________________________
Equipment Coordinator - Steve Devine
Membership Coordinator/ New Scout Parent Coordinator -Susie Barnes
Order of the Arrow Coordinator - Steven Ledvina Jr.
Wreath Coordinator - Dandy Conway
Service Project Coordinator - Kirstin Negus
Friends of Scouting Coordinator - Jill Nielsen
Webmaster - Neo Serafimidis
Committee Chair - Michael Cabanatuan
Secretary - Adrianne Cabanatuan
Treasurer - Siyan Ma
Scout Master - Stephen Black
Assistant Scout Masters: Michael Burns, Spencer Ferguson, Trevor Getz, Stephen Ledvina Sr., Stephen Ledvina Jr., Aidan McMahan, Seth Galvarro