REVISED Scout e-Bulletin May, 2009 (05/04/09)  Reissued 05/04/09.  Correction in RED.    Dear Scout Leader,    This is the monthly e-bulletin to all Scout leaders in the Golden Arrow District.  Please forward this newsletter to all the volunteers in your troop.  Text which is underlined contains a link to additional information.    My name is Jarrod Aden and I have volunteered to take the place of Claudia Hackbarth as editor of the monthly e-bulletins.  I am an Eagle Scout, proud Cub Scout parent, Committee Chair for Pack 197, and a huge scouting enthusiast.  Hopefully, I will do as good a job as Claudia has done. Mandatory Training for Twilight Camp walking leaders   All walking leaders for Twilight Camp must attend one of the following training events:   Saturday May 16: 8am - 12 noon Saturday May 23: 8am - 12 noon     Sherry Dieckmann needs Staff, Walking Leaders, and Den Chiefs to get registered asap.  Training will be held at the Bethany United Methodist Church, 3511 Linkwood Dr.  MAP     There are still open spots and registration has been extended.  Scouts and siblings need to get their registrations completed asap.  The staff is trying to finalize the head count and get the supplies ordered.   Troops - Please encourage your Scouts to participate as Den Chiefs for this event.  More info - Den Chief   Any questions can be directed to 713-668-9048.   Twilight Camp - Info and registration Other upcoming activites    Announcing the Project Wild / Aquatic Workshop!! Saturday, May 16, 2009 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.    Fun activities to teach about habitat, wildlife and area natural resource issues.   Project Wild - More info   EMS Open House   Celebrate Emergency Medical Service Week at the annual Bellaire EMS open house on Saturday May 16, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.. The day will be filled with demonstrations such as vehicle extractions and a Life Flight appearance, plus Moonwalk, dunking tank, free food and drink, freebies, and a raffle. Location is Bellaire City Hall, 7008 S. Rice. Questions: 713 662-8202.   Bellaire EMS Open House - Flier   Summertime Planning   Now is the time to start planning for the next year of scouting.  Make sure you have your District calendar in hand when setting your Troop calendar so you don't miss out on District events.   Silver Beaver Nominations    The deadline for nominations is 4:30 pm on May 31st.  For more information about the qualifications for this prestigious award and to find a nomination form click the link provided below. Silver Beaver - info and nomination form. Get trained!   Your District's goal is 100% trained leaders.  A lot of training is available on-line which means you can do it on your own schedule at your leisure.  To sign up on-line to take training, you will need your personal id#.  If you don't have your pocket id card from BSA, contact your Troop leadership to get this number.   Keep an eye on the District's training schedule for opportunities to attend some great training courses and meet some exceptional fellow scouters and parents.  Troop leaders should encourage training for all parents to help the District meet their goal.   Every scout deserves leadership from a properly trained leader.  The training is always excellent and takes so little of your time.   Planning a canoe trip?  Canoe Training  Past due items...    If you have not already done so, please see to it that your Troop has taken care of the following:    Scoutparents Unit Coordinator - By now, all units should have a designated Scoutparents Unit Coordinator.  Their job is to assign each parent with at least one specific task, assignment, or project annually; and to provide an orientation to new families.  Scout Parents Unit Coordinator - more info   Scout Fair Tickets - Scout Fair Tickets are past due.  If your unit has not already done so, please turn in the monies collected and the unsold tickets asap.  You can turn these in at roundtable or at SHAC.   End of year recruiting - I you have not already done so, now is the opportune time to hold a recruiting rally to get new kids involved in scouting.  While you are in recruiting mode, don't forget to plan ahead for next year's rallies.   NEW - In the Fall, the entire District (all Units) will have their first rally night on the same night.  A large centralized turn-in for new applications will be offered and the District will be able to get the printing and distribution of the FREE flyers done more quickly.  Stay tuned for the date, which will be announced after the official date is agreed to by the HISD superintendent.   In the meantime, work on your "Parent's Guide" for next year.   You will need an attractive parent's guide or welcome kit for new families.  Now is a great time to work on the items you want to include, while things are still fresh on your mind.   Pack 34 has an excellent welcome packet, which you might try to use to create a unique guide for your own Pack.  Contact Dale Fitz to request a copy of his Pack 34 Parent's Guide in electronic format.    Troop leadership changes - If you have recently made changes to your Troop's leadership, don't forget to turn in properly filled out and signed adult leadership forms so that the Council's records will be properly updated.  Remember to notify the webmaster if you have a new Scoutmaster or Committee Chair. Odds and ends    Eagle Alumni Reunion - The second annual "Gathering of the Eagles" will be held at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, May 12 at 6:30 pm.   Eagle reunion - more info   Jewish Scout Awards - All Jewish Scouts, their family and friends, are invited to honor Scouts and leaders who have earned Jewish awards this year.  A program and reception will follow.  The event will be Tuesday, June 2, 2009 from 7 - 9pm in Congregation Beth Israel's Shlenker School Multi-Purpose Room.  For more information contact the Houston Jewish Scout Committee Chair.     Friends of Scouting Campaign - This is an annual year long campagin to raise money for scouting.  It is never too late to participate and your Unit should continue to collect money throughout the year.  Turn your collections in at roundtable to help the District meet their goal for 100% participation.   Your Troops FOS stats   Donate to FOS   Wood Badge - Wood Badge is a mentally intense 6-day leadership course designed for all adult Scouters.  It is hoped that every adult Scouter will take the course to help them focus on their responsibilities, identify goals, and to give them the tools to reach them.    Wood Badge - more info   Wood Badge - schedule / registration   Free publicity - There are opportunities for your Troop to get free publicity by sending press releases for your event to The Chronicle or Southwest News.  Sending a press release helps you to promote your Troop and enhance your community recognition and you can even win the Scouting in the News by getting your articles published. This publication is a volunteer effort on my part and is not an official communication of the Boy Scouts of America.   Thank you for taking time to read this and for passing it along to your Scout Leaders and parents.  If someone in your Troop is not receiving this bulletin, have them click the "join our mailing list" button" in the yellow column to the right.  If you would like to mention an upcoming event, please email me.   Sincerely,   Jarrod Aden GAD e-Bulletin Scout Roundtable Program Preview  This is it, Progam Preview!  If you only go to one Roundtable a year, let this be the one.  The 2009-2010 calendar is ready for your pick-up, along with handouts and flyers for a number of upcoming activities, along with informational displays on various Scouting topics.  The point is that with these materials, you can subsequently plan your own Troop calendar to take advantage of the opportunities provided for you, without accidentally double-booking one of your events on top of a "freebie".  Twice the fun, half the work!  Every Scoutmaster, Committee Chair, and any adults involved in planning should be there to pick up flyers, hear the presentations, ask questions, and get a calendar.   Roundtable is Thursday May 7 at 7:30 p.m. sharp.       roundtable website   Activity Ideas  Golden Arrow District partners   Hike and Camping Spots   More Camping     Port of Houston Boat Tours   tell us what to add  Quick Links Golden Arrow District website   SHAC website   email Jeff Hutchinson   email Eric Bolton   SHAC - facebook   OA Colonneh Lodge - facebook   BSA - facebook   10-8-10 I'm N    Council made a huge announcement this week.  There will be a Council Camporee set for 10/08/10 with an estimated 35,000 people in attendance.  It's more than a year away, but it isn't too soon to start spreading the word and generating some excitement. Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts will have a 2 night event filled weekend.  Webelos will be invited to participate in a visitor overnight program on October 9th.  Remember this is next year, so you have some webelos who will be scouts by then and a new round of webelos eligible to join in the fun.  Keep your calendars open for this exciting event celebrating the 100th year of scouting! THANK YOU!   Two simple words that can mean so much.  A simple handshake or a hug with these words are a great yet easy way to recognize the efforts of our Scouting volunteers   Seek out that special someone in your Troop or District and let them know how much you appreciate them.   This month I would like to recognize the efforts of Claudia Hackbarth who started this bulletin and kept it going for the last 6 years.  THANK YOU Claudia for helping us to stay in the know!   Comic Corner   Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson replies, "I see millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson ponders for a minute. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"   Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. "Watson, someone has stolen our tent."