New Scout Info


This page is provided to give scouts new to the Troop information they'll need to get started.

  • Dues for new scouts crossing over from Cubs is $10 for the first year.
  • Dues for scouts new to scouting will be prorated, based on the month they join.  Scouts joining in January or February will owe joining dues of $70, decreasing $2/month for scouts joining later in the year.

The troop has a New Scout package available for $30 - this include a Scout Handbook, "137" shoulder patch, green shoulder loops for the uniform, and a Troop 137 Class B T-Shirt.  For Scouts crossing over from Cubs, this would provide everything you need to update your Webelo uniform for Boy Scouts.

Scouts should write their name on the book so it can be returned to them if left at a meeting. Writing your name with a Sharpie across the side of the book is more effective than writing it inside on a page that could get ripped out. Take a look at one of the books the older scouts have at a meeting for an example.


Camping

Parents will receive a permission slip via email a couple of days before any trip.  Parents should return the completed permission slip with updated emergency contact phone numbers to the Troop along with payment for the trip on the Thursday meeting prior to the trip.  All scouts attending a trip must have a BSA Medical Form (Part A & B) on file with the troop.  If you have not turned one in, you will need to hand it in with the first trip's permission slip. A link to the form can be found on the troop Forms/Downloads page.

Any medications that a scout needs for a trip should be provided to the scoutmaster, in original prescription bottles, in a clear plastic bag with the scout's name on the outside of the bag, Any additional instructions should be included in the bag and discussed with the scoutmaster when dropping off the scout on Friday night.  Provide only enough medication for the weekend trip, do not provide a full bottle.

Any scout that has not turned in a permission slip on Thursday night, must have a parent come downstairs to rectory basement at drop off on Friday and provide permission slips and payment.  Please do not send drop off your scout and send him into the meeting with the permission slip and a check.  

Your scout will call home on Sunday morning during our ride home to give you about 30 minutes notice to when we will arrive back at St. Joseph's parking lot. Adult leaders/drivers will provide a phone if needed.  

Friday night we will assemble and leave from the school parking lot behind the troop trailer.

Sunday, we will arrive back in the same area from where we departed. Please pickup your scout in that area.  See the map here (scroll to the right) for the location.

Scouts attending camping trips should have the following personal equipment:
(if you cannot get everything before the scout's first trip, talk to the scoutmaster to see if we can make other arrangements)

When your scout shows up on Friday night for a camping trip he should be wearing:
  • full class A uniform - shirt & pants
  • boots (not sneakers) - campsites are often muddy and waterproof boots are a must on all trips.
  • hats/gloves
  • flashlight/headlamp
  • warm clothing
    • Thermal top & bottom (1st layer) 
    • Long Sleeve Shirt (2nd layer)     
    • Fleece Jacket/Hooded Sweatshirt/Coat (3rd layer)   
  • money - if we have a long drive on Friday night, we may make a Wawa stop (or something similar).  Scouts may want a few dollars to purchase a snack if we stop.  Feel free to ask the scoutmaster about cash needs during the trip.  It varies greatly.
  • phones/electronics - scouts have no need to have a cell phone on trip.  The troop does not restrict them.  Cell phones for younger scouts can (and have) lead to homesickness issues.  We are often rained on, and may have to deal with bad weather.  If your scout brings a phone, it's their responsibility. Adult leaders always have phones for emergency use.
  • Please Note - If your scout calls home during a trip and asks you to come get him - please contact the adult leaders on the trip FIRST.  Scouts often have a mild case of homesickness which we deal with all the time.  If you come and get your scout without contacting the leaders first, we lose that opportunity to cure the homesickness.
See the "Personal Equipment" section of the Troop Bylaws for guidance on personal equipment.

Scouts should have a small backpack (schoolbag style) that will stay with him in the car he is traveling in with:
  • flashlight or headlamp - it's usually dark when we arrive at our campsite. 
  • rain gear - it ALWAYS rains on our trips
  • snacks if desired
  • scout book
  • water bottle 
  • personal first aid kit
  • pen/pencil/notebook
  • pocketknife if he has received his Totin Chit.  New scouts will have the opportunity to earn this within their first few trips.

Scouts should have a duffle bag that will be packed in the troop trailer with the remainder of his gear for the weekend:
  • mess kit - some sort of plastic or tin dish, with a knife and fork for meals - this does not have to be fancy.
  • clothing - expect minimal changes of clothes
    • socks
    • clean shirt
    • something to sleep in
  • overnight kit - toothbrush/paste/hairbrush/soap/small towel/contact lens case and cleaner
  • class B shirt (may be worn under the uniform on Friday night)
  • sneakers (optional)
  • warm clothing - it's often cold when we sleep
  • sleeping bag - suitable for outdoor camping in cold weather.  Not a "Spider-Man" sleeping bag!
  • sleeping pad
  • pillow (optional)

If you have any questions about what a scout should pack on his first couple of trips
  1. Your scout should ask an older scout, a Troop Guide, or the Senior Patrol Leader
  2. If you (the parent) still have questions, you may discuss with the Scoutmaster or any of the Assistant Scoutmasters

After a couple of trips, your scout will know what he needs to pack.  Please don't over-pack for him.  We often have to carry our equipment some distance from cars to the campsite and your scout will not want to carry more than he has to.  Let him pack his gear, and you can make some suggestions to ensure he didn't forget anything.

Food for camping
Each patrol decides their own menu for camping trips.  We have a hot breakfast on Saturday, a cold lunch, then a hot dinner.  On Sunday we typically have a cold breakfast as we are breaking camp and packing up.  The scouts in each patrol will decide their menu, create a shopping list, and assign that shopping list to one or two scouts to purchase food for the trip.  The cost of that food is divided among those scouts in the patrol and each scout should plan to pay the scout that shopped for food with cash on Friday night before leaving on the trip.  This cost is typically in the $10-$15 range - but all depends on what the scouts decide to cook.

Because the scouts need to shop for food, it is important that we get an accurate head count and know who is going before they do the shopping for the trip. If a scout withdrawals from a trip after the patrol food has been purchased. He will still need to pay the shopper for the food purchased for him.

Because cooking and food is done by each patrol, it will not be included in the cost for the trip that you get from the troop.  Cost for the trip for your scout will be Troop Cost + Patrol Cost for food + any additional spending money the scout brings.

New scout patrols will be assisted with menu planning and cooking by our Troop Guides. Typical menus are things like pancakes, eggs, oatmeal for breakfast Saturday, cold sandwiches for lunch, donuts, pop-tarts, cold cereal, bagels for Sunday breakfast.  Saturday night dinners vary greatly, based on what each patrol wants to do.  Dinners have included pasta, beef stew, steak sandwiches, tacos, chicken and anything else you can cook on a stove.

Adults on a trip camp and eat as a patrol.  Adults do their own shopping and cooking, apart from the scouts. 

Any adults attending a trip must have completed the required training and background checks and should read through the section "what adults do on campouts" in our Troop Welcome pack regarding adults on camping trips to understand the behavior and expectations for adults.


Subpages (1): Parent Info