NEW SCOUTS -- A PARENT'S GUIDE

Hi, I'm Cheryl Kremer, the Scoutmaster of Troop 1401. If your scout has just joined the troop, or your daughter age 10 in 5th grade through age 18 is looking to join the troop, this is a great place to start getting acquainted with us!

Troop 1401 is supported by a wonderful team of scout parents, who meet each month as a Committee (we'd love for you to join us!):

Assistant Scoutmasters - Rob Clarksen, Matt Rotter, Jennifer Johnson

Activities Coordinator - Kari Magnuson

Advancement Coordinator - Shannon Brott

Treasurer - Michelle Pritchard

Committee Chair - Erin Headley

Eagle Coach - Joyce Goldhahn

Baird Scouting Organization Representative - Matt Johnson

Unit Commissioner - Rich Balch

Meetings are every Tuesday 6:30-8pm at Baird School, except for the last Tuesday of each month. That is reserved for PLC (Patrol Leaders' Council) meetings, in which 4 key scouts plan the next month's activities. All meetings are conveniently held at the same time and place as Troop 1201 and Cub Scout Pack 4201, if you have other kids in scouting -- Fun for the whole family!

The troop plans a campout for the 2nd weekend of each month. The summer months are tenting/outdoor activities, while winter activities are in cabins, all of them chosen and planned by the scouts with help from the Committee. We go hiking, biking, backpacking, climbing, swimming, canoeing/kayaking, do shooting and archery, sometimes we sleep in submarines or caves, and anything else they dream up. We also go to Bear Paw Camp in Mountain, WI every July for a whole week of fun!

The scouts plan their meals and schedule activities on the outings, and take turns shopping for the meals with parent help (to be reimbursed by the troop, see the Treasurer). We meet at Baird School to carpool when leaving for outings, and we meet parents there for pickup at the end of the outing, unless otherwise arranged. We send a text to let parents know what time pickup will be.

We occasionally need parent help for carpooling, and BSA registered adult females to join us on outings. BSA policy is that female units need one adult female leader on every outing. See the Adult Application on the Files page.

Any tents or other equipment are to be taken home by the scouts to be dried and cleaned, and returned to the Troop Quartermaster by the FOLLOWING TUESDAY.

Annual Dues are $180 per year, and are prorated depending what month you have joined. Most campouts are $30, with a few of them being more, varying with the activity. Summer camp for a week is $375. Each scout will have their own "account" that you can add money to through our Square payment site, see Escrow Payment on our Links page.  Your scout can also participate in many fundraising opportunities throughout the year to fund their activities. No scout is ever left behind: we have scholarships and funding available for families if requested.

Shirt:

Each scout should have what we refer to as a "Class A" tan shirt. You can either buy one at the Scout Shop at 2555 Northern Road, Appleton, or order online at Scoutshop.org. We recommend the Scouts BSA Polyester Microfiber Uniform Short Sleeve. There are also some used uniforms available, please ask if interested. These are preferred to be worn at meetings, when traveling to and from weekend events and campouts, and especially ceremonial events, like Courts of Honor when scouts are recognized for achievements.

Pants: 

Olive green scout pants are preferred at ceremonial events, but are optional at meetings and traveling. We recommend the Canvas Uniform Switchback Pant, with the zip-off legs (which become uniform shorts in the summer!).

Insignia - Patches and Badges

>>You will need to buy the following from the Scout Shop: Olive green shoulder loops, the Bay-Lakes Council patch, the World Crest Emblem, a neckerchief slide, and a Scouts BSA Handbook. 

>>You will need to buy the following from the Troop: troop numbers patch, and troop neckerchief.

Webelos that cross over from Cub Scouts to Troop 1401:

The troop will provide a Troop Neckerchief, "1401" Numbers to put on the left sleeve, and olive green shoulder loops.

Patch placement: See this link for patch placement. You can sew the patches on or you can buy Badge Magic from the Scout Shop, or a similar 2-sided fabric "tape" from a fabric store. If you use the latter however, know that there will be a dark area left behind if you ever want to remove a patch and not replace it with another one. Very handy if you don't sew though!

Optional for purchase:

The troop sells Troop hats, t-shirts, and the patrol patch. Please see the Scoutmaster before purchase to ensure we have the inventory. Links to purchase are on the Links page.

Our central source of information for calendar events is Scoutbook. A leader will help you get access to it, and get your scout's profile started. We will need your contact information and basic information about your scout (address, phone, birthday, BSA member number, grade, school, etc.). 

Scoutbook is also the place where all of our scouting progress is recorded: rank/advancement, awards, leadership positions, training, camping logs, service logs, and a detailed Payments Log/ Escrow Balance.

See also the Calendar page for a quick view of the next 5 upcoming events. Plus, the Scoutmaster emails a handy list of events and reminders for the upcoming month.

Your scout will begin working on the Scout rank after joining. They will learn the Scout Oath and Law, motto and slogan, sign, salute and handshake, and the basic information needed in Scouting. After earning Scout, they can go on to earn the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and finally Eagle. Ranks are earned through gaining scouting knowledge in many areas such as First Aid, knots, cooking, and more. 

In addition, merit badges are required for the Star rank and later -- 21 total are required for the Eagle rank. There are hundreds of merit badges to choose from, everything from American Business to Woodworking, and 15 particular ones are Eagle-required. Here's the list of Merit Badges.

The troop is run by the scouts, with adult leader guidance. Parents no longer plan every detail of the meetings or outings. This is referred to as "Scout-Led." The Patrol Method is used to allow scouts to learn to lead, fail in a safe environment, and gain confidence. The troop is composed of patrols of 4-8 girls each, led by a Patrol Leader (PL), and Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). The Patrol Leaders are led by the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL). Other scout positions in the troop are: Quartermaster (responsible for gear on outings), Scribe (takes notes at meetings), Troop Guide (mentors a younger patrol), Den Chief (mentors a Cub Den), Webmaster (posts photos of outings on our website and on social media), Librarian (keeps the troop merit badge books), and a few other posts. The last Tuesday of the month is reserved for the Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC) to meet and plan the next month's activities. The PLC is the SPL, ASPL, Patrol Leaders, Scribe, and Quartermaster. See scouting.org for a chart showing how the troop is organized.

Scouts BSA has several safety policies in place to ensure your scout has a good experience. All registered adult leaders have had a background check, must take Youth Protection Training every 2 years, and are encouraged to take several leader courses specific to their adult leader position in the troop from Scouting.org's huge library of training resources. All activities which require special training, i.e. climbing, shooting, etc. are led by adults trained specifically for those activities with safety first in mind.

For important links that our troop uses, and various Payment Links, see the Links page.

For Health Forms, Permission Forms, camping equipment lists, camp resources and more, see the Files page.

Please read our Troop 1401 Policy Book here.

Scouts BSA is one of the programs within the Boy Scouts of America organization. Geographically, Troop 1401 is part of the Bay-Lakes Council, which provides Scouting in eight district territories over 36 counties in Eastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Within the Council, we are part of the Voyageur District, covering Brown, Door and Kewaunee Counties. In addition to 5 Council camp properties, both the Council and the District host programs and activities for troops to participate in year-round.

Within the Green Bay community, our Chartered Organization is Baird Elementary School. Troop 1201 (our brother troop) and Pack 4201 (our Cub Scout Pack) are also under this charter and we work together in several activities to create a Family Scouting Experience.