Oct 9 - HLD Commissioners' Meeting Oct 12 - HLD District Committee Meeting Oct 16 - HLD Roundtable Oct 16 - Planning Meeting for Oct 28 Webelos Oct 20-22 - Catholic Retreat Weekend Oct 18 - Planning Meeting for Oct 28 Webelos Oct 19 - Planning Meeting for Oct 27 Outdoors Oct 21 - OA Training: Leadership Development Oct 23 - NNJC Training: COR Responsibilities Oct 27 - Popcorn: Show-n-Deliver payments due Oct 27 - Popcorn: Take-Order orders due Oct 27-29 - NNJC Training: Outdoor Skills Oct 28-29 - NNJC Training: Webelos Outdoor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nov 4 - HLD Training: New Leader Essentials Nov 9 - HLD District Committee Meeting Nov 9-11 - Popcorn: Take-Order pick-up Nov 13 - HLD Commissioners' Meeting Nov 15 - HLD First Aid Rally Nov 15 - CCOS Planning for Scout Sunday Nov 18 - NNJC Cub Pow Wow Nov 18 - NNJC Training: Den Chiefs Nov 18 - NNJC Training: Commissioner Basic Nov 20 - HLD Roundtable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dec 2 - Wood Badge Dining Out Dec 9 - HLD Training: Cub Leader Specific Dec 11 - HLD Commissioners' Meeting Dec 13 - CCOS Regular Meeting Dec 14- HLD District Committee Meeting Dec 18 - HLD Roundtable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Looking Ahead Jan 12-14 - Klondike Derby Jan 27 - HLD Training: Youth Leaders Feb 4 - Scout Sunday Feb 8 - HLD Annual Meeting Mar 3 - Merit Badge Rally Mar 3 - Pinewood Derby Mar 24 - HLD Training: SM specific Apr 27-29 - Council Weboree Apr 29 - HLD Banquet May 4-6 - HLD Camporee May 4-6 - OA ordeal weekend May 12 - Scout Show Jun 1-3 - OA ordeal weekend Jun 6 - Program launch Jun 9 - Camp workday Jun 15-17 - OA Section Conclave
The Chairman's Minute
Fellow Scouters,
Several times a year we hold a Council Key 3 meeting at the Oakland Service center. This is a meeting of all of the District Key 3 members and the Council Key 3. Since the results of this meeting may not make its way to all members, I would like to share with you the items we discussed.
Council President Charlie Shotmeyer discussed next year's Wood Badge course, the coming Cub Scout Pow Wow, the Scout Show, and the goal-setting meeting scheduled for next month.
Council Commissioner John Urinyi spoke about the Centennial Quality Award, the Red/Yellow/Green report, and Quality Districts for 2006.
Council Scout Exec Trip McMillan directed his remarks to several items of importance to all of us: on-line advancement, fundraising policies, and the need to turn in new Scout and Cub applications promptly. More will be discussed on these topics at our next District meeting. Other topics discussed were the 2006 summer season, the coming nominating process, Silver Beaver applications, and the closing of the Newark field office.
Jon Brennan spoke about fall membership plans. He touched on new units, the Plus One Campaign, and the need to be creative in recruiting since some towns have disallowed some of the traditional recruiting routes.
The fundraising report was given by Steve Leonardi. He spoke about what was needed to ensure a balanced budget for this year and also the start of the 2007 Family Scout campaign.
Ken Smith informed everyone that Popcorn is off to a great start and that he looks forward to a successful year.
Council Training Chairman Warren Dressler reported on this year's NYLT (training for junior leaders) and said that there are plans to expand the course for next year.
Should anyone have any questions on these subjects, please attend our District Committee meetings and voice your suggestions and concerns.
Yours in Scouting, Greg
Upcoming District First Aid Rally (Nov 15)
This message was broadcast on Oct 4:
Kearny Troop 2 will again host this year's First Aid Rally November 15, 2006 7:30 PM Lincoln School gym 121 Beech Street, Kearny
To Scoutmasters: This event is a great target for your weekly program. Spend some time at each meeting running your Scouts through first aid essentials, stressing that they will soon be competing against other troops in the District.
Here's how it worked in past years:
1. Each Scout troop selects its space on the gym floor, say, 10 feet by 10 feet. A big troop must break up into smaller patrols. 5 or 6 is a good number for each group. One Scout is designated to be the SPL. 2. Scoutmasters and other adult leaders volunteer to act as judges. Each is assigned randomly to monitor one patrol (but not his own unit). Each judge is given an answer sheet to help him evaluate performance. 3. One or two adults sit at the 9-1-1 table. When it's time to "go for help," that's where to go. 4. First whistle: Each SPL is given a written scenario that describes a mishap resulting in one or more injuries to the "victim." He and his patrol read it and discuss. One Scout is selected to act as the victim. 5. Second whistle: Start! The SPL takes charge and directs his patrol in what action each Scout should take to help the victim. At some point he briefs a messenger who goes to the 9-1-1 table. The messenger describes the injuries and describes what his patrol has done so far and what it intends to do. 6. Third whistle: Stop! The judge goes down his answer sheet checklist to ensure that everything that should have been done, was done, and was done properly. He computes a total and turns it in to the organizers.
Typically there are 3 scenarios. The intent is to hand out awards around 9:30 PM, followed by a closing and dismissal.
Upcoming Klondike Derby (Jan 12-14)
This year's Klondike will take place at No-Be-Bo-Sco. The organizers are Steve Gallo and George Abrams. No plans have been announced yet, but programs of past years have typically called for Scout troops to compete against each other for prizes and bragging rights.
Typical competitions in the past had Scouts going from station to station, earning points at each. Examples are fire building, first aid, knot tying, map-and-compass, chopping or sawing, etc.
However, the best competitions of past years had all the troops meet at once in a single central location where they compete head-to-head. Examples are a sled race, a snowball fight using lashed-together catapults, and a cook-off.
Please note that this year each troop must make its own arrangements for a site. Call the Council office to reserve and pay for a cabin or other site. Tell them you are part of the Klondike in order to get priority for the 10 sites closest to the dining hall. This procedure is necessary because we have not reserved the entire camp. Senior DE Dave Banks explained, "If we reserved the entire camp, we would have to pay up front for all the cabins, and that would add on to the fee that we would charge the Scouts." District Chair Greg Czerwienski said, "Based on past history, 10 sites is about right. If all 10 are taken, this will be a very successful event."
Nature Tours in the Meadowlands
Birding & Wildlife Trails: Meadowlands and More Free copies of this wonderful new book were handed out to attendees at the HLD September Roundtable by Linda Gangi of the New Jersey Audubon Society.
The book is organized around three sets of linked nature trails, one of which is the nearby Meadowlands Trail on or near the Hackensack River. It originates at the Meadowlands Commission's Environment Center in Lyndhurst (which by itself is a good place to bring your Scouts and Cubs). The Center is in the path of the "Atlantic Flyway," so you should see many of the 200 bird species spotted throughout the four seasons. From there, you drive south to the Kearny Marsh to walk another trail, then east to Secaucus, which has several parks and trails managed by the Commission, and then to Little Ferry, and then to Ridgefield.
The second trail also starts at the Environment Center in Lyndhurst, but this one has you driving north along the Hackensack River, stopping at nature trails in Fort Lee, Teaneck, Paramus, Englewood, and ending at the Palisades near the two Scout camps in Alpine, NJ. The third trail also heads north along the Hackensack River, but has different stops at a different set of nature trails.
The book is filled with beautiful photos of birds and other wildlife that live and thrive along the river and its estuaries.
Youth Membership in Hudson-Liberty Units
Increasing the number of registered youth is easily the single most important and difficult task confronting Dave Banks and Chelo Mercado, our two District Execs. At a recent District Committee meeting, Dave presented a flip chart showing the numbers for each month from January through the present. The chart showed a steep drop from January's 932 down to a low in April of 535. But that was followed by some gradual gains resulting in 648 at the time of the meeting. Put more broadly, about 400 boys dropped off the books in the first four months, followed by a gain of about 100 new boys in the next four months.
Nevertheless, Dave and Chelo were certain that the December total will meet and even exceed January's 932, and they are both working hard to make it so. They are helping existing units increase numbers with aggressive round-ups and recruiting efforts, and they are working with organizations around Hudson County to start up new units. Dave was able to list several Scout, Cub, and Venture units about to come into being.
In his presentation, Dave noted that the drops shown on his chart don't actually mean that a bunch of Scouts quit in January and that another bunch quit in April. He made the point that boys might drop out at any time throughout the year, or that an entire unit might fold at any time throughout the year. But it is only in January and April that the Council database can catch up with real life. January is when "on-time" active units recharter, thus letting the database have actual numbers for those units' rosters. April is when units that failed to recharter are actually dropped from the database. Dave referred to the 3-month delay as a grace period that some unit leaders need to get their paperwork in order and submitted.
At a talk they gave in August, Council Scout Exec Trip McMillan and Vice President for Membership Larry Alvarez made it clear that all of NNJC's districts are suffering similar membership problems, and that the Council is doing everything it can to assist the units. Among other programs, Trip described the "President's Plus One Club," which is a recognition given to any unit whose roster in December shows an increase of one or more boys compared to December, 2005. While "plus one" may seem to be a modest and easily attained goal, in fact it can be a real challenge. Consider a Cub pack that bridges five Webelos into the Scouts in February. That pack must then recruit six new Tigers if it wants to be a "plus one" unit.
Scout Show Announced for May 12, 2007
"EVERY pack, troop, and crew should plan to attend and set up a booth," said Scout Exec Trip McMillan in a recent letter to unit leaders. HLD members will be happy to see that Liberty State Park was selected as the venue. An accompanying flyer listed features such as displays from outdoor suppliers, military displays, nature centers, and a "2K Fun Run." But clearly the most important feature will be the individual booths that each unit is encouraged to plan, set up, and present to visitors.
The last NNJC Scout Show took place in December 2001 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus. Its stated purpose was "to bring Scouts to the attention of the area's parents, and to show the positive aspects of Scouting."
At that show, many of the units based their displays on a single merit badge or Webelos badge, such as First Aid, Orienteering, Camping, Cooking, or Pioneering. Others had do-it-yourself craft projects. One troop displayed a fiberglass kayak they had built from old plans found in someone's garage. Probably the most popular display, and certainly the one with the longest waiting line, was run by Father Dave Stump and his Camp Lewis COPE team. They constructed a very high blank-faced climbing wall, and had kids walk their way up the "cliff face" with the aid of rigging ropes.
Book the OA Dance Team for Your Unit
This message was broadcast on Sep 15:
Attention Unit Leaders:
The Medicine Wheel Dancers of Lenapehoking Lodge IX is now taking requests to perform at Blue and Gold dinners and at Courts of Honor. Please contact us during the period of September 15 through November 15th, 2006. (No requests will be accepted before or after these dates).
The Medicine Wheel Dancers routinely perform at: Blue and Gold Dinners Troop Courts of Honor Crossovers (Cub bridge ceremonies) Girl Scout Court of Awards Service Clubs Church, Community, and Civic Organizations
The performances run approximately 25 minutes and consist of various dances from North American Indian Tribes. Some of the dances are: The Belt Dance of the Pueblos The Spear and Shield Dance The Eagle Dance The Hoop Dance of the Northern Plains Indians
Contacts: Justin Pieroni, Dance Team Youth Advisor 201-385-0735, jman11689@aol.com Jose Jerez, Dance Team Advisor 201-798-7294 hokuma99@msn.com
A Request from the Order of the Arrow
In a message to Scout unit leaders several months ago, Lodge Advisor Rob Coonce asked them to try to avoid scheduling conflicts. He said, "Keep in mind OA dates so that OA members of your unit can actively participate at Lodge functions."
Of particular concern, Coonce wanted to make sure that a newly-elected Scout would be able to attend an Ordeal weekend without having to worry about missing one of his Scout troop events. The fall Ordeal took place last month. Upcoming weekends in 2007 are scheduled for May 4-6 and June 1-3.
OA Chapter Meetings Announced
This message was broadcast on Sep 12:
Here are dates and locations for Olelelu (South East) Chapter meeting:
Location 1: Our Lady of Fatima, Kennedy Blvd & 80th St., North Bergen Sep 13, 2006 Dec 13, 2006 Feb 7, 2007 Apr 11, 2007 Jun 6, 2007
Location 2: Secaucus Library, 1379 Paterson Plank Rd, Secaucus Nov 13, 2006 Jan 18, 2007 Mar 17, 2007 May 17, 2007
Lodge members are encouraged to attend. At a minimum, OA Troop Reps from each unit should be present.
Communities covered by the Southeast Chapter include Bayonne, East Newark, Guttenberg, Harrison, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, and portions of Newark.
This information was taken from the Council website:
ATTENTION ALL CUB SCOUT LEADERS! Cub Scout Rank Requirement Change!
Effective June 1, 2006, Boys must earn the Bobcat Badge before they begin working on the Tiger Cub rank.
New handbooks say, "The first rank that EVERY boy MUST earn when entering the Cub Scouting Program is the Bobcat rank."
A Revised Application Form
National recently revised its youth application form, so that a single form can be used by any new boy, whether Cub, Scout, Venturer, Varsity Team Member, Sea Scout, or Lone Scout. Although the new form is effective now, supplies are limited and only a few unit leaders have seen copies.
At 8 1/2x11, the form is bigger than the one it replaces (6x10 1/2) and much bigger than the decades-old form used until 2002 (5 1/2x8). A welcome change is that they no longer ask for a Social Security Number on either the upper youth portion or the lower parent/guardian portion. Another welcome change is the omission of the "Class-1 Personal Health History" on the back page of the form.
Parents will find a new signature requirement: "A parent or guardian must certify that he or she has read this information sheet for all applicants under 18 years of age." The actual information is not new and appears on older forms, but the requirement to read and certify is new. The information that must be read is quite lengthy and fills an entire page. Almost all of it is intended to reassure parents that their sons are in good hands, talking about how leaders are trained to provide a safe environment, and listing a bunch of prohibited activities, such as hazing, military drills, corporal punishment, and secret meetings.
Parents are told that they should attend Troop or Pack Committee meetings: "You need to know your child's unit leader and be involved in the unit committee's activities so you can evaluate and help direct that influence." They are also given a number of ways they can assist.
Parents are clearly warned that atheists will not be welcome. In the section called "Excerpt from the Declaration of Religious Principle," it states that membership in the Scouts is restricted to "only persons willing to subscribe to these [religious] precepts." On the other hand, the Scout policy towards gays is not at all explicit, and only careful readers will spot the implications couched in these two statements: "The unit leader must be a good role model" and "Leadership is restricted to qualified adults who subscribe to the precepts of... the Scout Law..."
As before, unit leaders are obliged to tell parents that the registration fee in our Council is actually $15 as opposed to the $10 printed on the form.
A Service Project near Bear Mountain (Oct 28)
This project was supposed to take place as part of last June's National Trails Day. It was rained out and postponed until October:
A trail maintenance hike is planned on the Ramapo-Dunderberg and Timp-Torne trails. There's a lot of brush removal at the end near the road and extra hands would be great.
Bob Fuller, National Trails Day Organizer For additional details, contact Norman Kasser 201-792-4055
[Editor's note: These are two very popular hiking trails within Bear Mountain State Park in New York, just 40 miles north of Hudson County. The two trailheads are close to each other and are both accessed from Route 9W along the Hudson River at Jones Point.]
Getting Adults Back into the Program
Welcome back to the Boy Scouts of America! We're happy to find you!
National recently launched a new "Scouting Friends" website, directed specifically to adults with fond memories of boyhood Scouting, and who are thinking of becoming active again, or who just want to find out where the program has gone since they left: http://www.scoutingfriends.org
Adults are invited to swap old-time stories, and are also encouraged to get information about what Scouts are currently doing in their community. Some parts of the site are devoted to fund-raising, including a fund specifically for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
One interesting page is called "Send a Boy Scout e-Card." There's a small gallery of nostalgia-laden photos that you can select from and forward to a friend with your own greeting attached.
A New On-Line Resource for Leaders
Several unit leaders received this notice in June:
I run a website that has resources for Tiger to Eagle programs in Scouting.
I think your members would really benefit from the team activities, skits, games, campfire stories, songs, graces, recipes, contests, and other program aids on my Scouting site. The content is clean, very easy to use, and kept up to date.
The popular "switchback" cargo-style pants, with zippers that let you convert from long pants to shorts, are now an official part of the Scout uniform. They are currently the featured sale item at the Scouts' on-line catalog sales store. Here's the description:
• 100% Dupont Supplex nylon • Zip-off pant legs • Moisture-wicking nylon • UPF sun protection • Bellows cargo pockets for carrying items on the trail • Drain holes in pockets for quick release of water if submerged • Pocket bags are micro mesh for drainage and quick drying
Several unit leaders recently received this notice:
Scout Night - Nets vs. Trailblazers Saturday November 18 at 7:30 PM Come see Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and the rest of your Nets battle Brandon Roy and the Portland Trailblazers. Receive a red Vince Carter replica kid's jersey with each ticket purchased. Receive a Nets Scout patch with each ticket. Contact: Rich Larcara at 201-635-3125 or rlarcara@njnets.com
A Fund-Raiser for At-Risk Children
Dave Banks broadcast this message on Sep 25:
Camp Bravehearts The Men's Division International ("The Howlers") is sponsoring an Arts and Music festival, with proceeds to benefit a summer camp for at-risk children: October 22 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM The Sandbar Cafe 11 Marin Blvd in Jersey City
Join us for an afternoon of live music, art, food, and fun benefiting the children of Youth Consultation Services, a NJ non-profit dedicated to at-risk children in the state of New Jersey.
We are raising money to build a camp for the children so they will have a place to be children all summer long.
Highlights Great music Starbucks coffee Home-baked goods Fun for the kids Flea market Farmer's market
Kathleen Olivo I would like all of us to remember the passing Kathleen Olivo on September 29.
Kathy was a wonderful and memorable person who always had a great smile. Her thoughtfulness and kindness will surely be missed. She was a dedicated and active member of Scouts in Hudson County.
For many years Kathy was Cubmaster of Jersey City Pack 402. She was a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, and recipient of the BSA Silver Beaver award.
May we always keep her in our thoughts and prayers.
