Phoenix District

View in browser

Phoenix Quill & Ink

October 2022

Phoenix District Roundtable

Thursday, Oct. 13 | 7 p.m. | Cypress Creek Christian Church (6823 Cypresswood Dr.)

Roundtable is a district monthly meeting to help unit leaders plan and carry out their own program. Roundtable is a form of supplemental training for volunteers.

Phoenix District Update and Using District Resources

Cub Scout Breakout: Recharter
Scouts BSA Breadkout: Recharter

November Roundtable (Nov. 10) will include a SPL breakout to give feedback on Webelos Woods and other Troop activities.

SHARE YOUR SCOUTING

We want to see the awesome things our units are doing. Share photos and stories - Eagle Scouts, service projects, campouts and special events, awards and adventures - to PhoenixDistrictStories@gmail.com to share your Scouting. We'll post pictures to our Facebook page and maybe share the stories with local community groups or news outlets that might be interested in our Scouting Stories.

If you know an outlet - neighborhood or HOA newsletter or community group linked to Scouting - please share those contacts.

PROGRAMS

Rocket Day/Cub Scout Adventure Day

Saturday, Oct. 29 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Strack Intermediate & Benfer Elementary

Registration is now open 

JOIN US for Cub Scout Adventure Day - an action-packed day for Cub Scouts. Cub Scouts will enjoy a day of fun games, crafts, archery, activities and more.

Cub Scouts who join this year will receive a rocket that they can design, build, and launch at Cub Scout Adventure Day. New Scouts can attend any Rocket Day event in the council that fits their schedule.

Returning Scouts and families are also invited to attend Adventure Day and can bring rockets from previous years to launch again.

NOTE: Rockets should be built before the event. Please check instructions. Some require glue.

Rocket Day

Phoenix District Webelos Woods

THANK YOU

to our Troops and volunteers who put together a great Webelos Woods weekend for our 4th and 5th grade Scouts.
Pheonix District Troops contact list: Webelos and AOL families can find Troop contacts here

MEMBERSHIP

Rockets for New Scouts
Rachael Hutchinson, our District Membership Chair, has rockets for all new youth registrations.  If you have not gotten your rockets from Rachael, please get in contact with her.
We cannot give out extra rockets, we can only give rockets for the exact amount of youth you have turned in and paid applications for.
If you have any applications that need to go in before Cub Scout Adventure Day, please get them in as soon as possible.

If you need help with any recruiting or membership questions, please contact Rachael.

Membership Recruiting Resources

POPCORN

Trail's End Popcorn

Phoenix District is at 64%

of its Popcorn goal of $87,080!!


Important Dates To Remember

October 16: Last date to place replenishment orders

October 26: Unit popcorn orders are due online 

November 19 - Popcorn Distribution

Contact your friendly neighborhood District Kernel - Kornel Rost with any questions.

SHAC Popcorn

ORDER OF THE ARROW

Phoenix OA Chapter

October Event
Thursday, Oct. 13 | 6 p.m. | Collins Park
Arrowmen are invited for sand volleyball on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Collins Park (in place of the normal Chapter Meeting). A Scout tshirt is the uniform of the night!


Upcoming Events
Escape Room, Date TBD
OA Fall Pow Wow - Nov. 4-6
Dutch Oven Cookoff - Nov. 11
Holiday Gift Exchange - Dec. 8 Chapter Meeting
North Area OA Campout - Dec. 9-11 at Josey Scout Lodge

Contact Chapter Leadership

Chapter Chief: Zeke R., Troop 1550

phoenix-chief@colonneh.org

Chapter Adviser: Rhonda Bill, Pack 1324 & Troop 1920

phoenix-adviser@colonneh.org

Phoenix OA Chapter
OA Fall Pow Wow - Nov. 4-6

TRAINING

Every Scout deserves a trained leader. Every leader deserves to be trained. The council offers a variety of training courses for all levels of leaders in all Scouting program. Scouters can attend training in any district. 

Phoenix District encourages all Den Leaders, Committee Members, Cubmasters and Scoutmasters/Asst. Scoutmasters to become fully trained. Find your position-specific training videos AND Hazardous Weather Training at BSA Learn Center inside my.scouting.org.

The units with the best training record

will win a prize later this year.

JOIN US FOR

FALL TRAINING

BALOO, IOLS & Scoutmaster Specific

Nov. 19-20 | Spring Creek Park

Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) is the Cub Scout leader training required for any Cub Scout Den or Pack outdoor event, including Pack Camping overnighters and Webelos Den overnighters. The course consists of an online component, and a practical, hands-on component presented during the overnight camping training weekend.

REGISTER for BALOO

Scoutmaster Specific provides troop leadership with the information and tools they need to lead successful Scouts BSA troops. This training can be taken online at my.scouting.org but Phoenix District offers the in-person training to allow for more discussion and sharing.

Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) provides adult leaders the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts in the out-of-doors and help teach basic Scout skills required to reach First Class rank. The overnight camping training weekend encompasses a weekend. It is required for a Scoutmaster or ASM to be fully trained.

REGISTER for IOLS & SMS

Join the Training Team

We are always seeking out experienced trained leaders who would like to pass on their wisdom to other Scouters, or would like to serve in some way to help us out at our Training Events. If you’d like to be a Trainer, Quartermaster or Camp Medical Officer, please contact Kevin Renfro, Phoenix District Training Chair

Council Training

A cornerstone of the Scout programs is training.Training courses are conducted by districts and some by the Sam Houston Area Council. Trainings include First Aid, Climbing, Shooting, BALOO, IOLS and Position Specific Training.

Council Training Calendar

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an exciting, action-packed six-day council-level program designed to provide Scouts in troops, crews, and ships with leadership skills and experience they can use in their home units and other situations demanding leadership of self and others. The next course is scheduled for Dec. 26-31. Courses are held in December and June. Learn more at www.shac.org/nylt.

SHAC Shooting Sports Training Schedule

Shooting Sports Training The Sam Houston Area Council Shooting Sports Committee will be holding training classes for new Instructors (Shotgun & Pistol) during the month of October. Classes will be held at Camp Strake, with classroom sessions at the Training Room in the main headquarters building and range qualifications at the camp shooting ranges. For more information, email the SHAC Shooting Sports Committee at shooting.chairman@gmail.com

Archery Instructor: Certification as a USA Archery Level 1 Instructor is needed for Archery Merit Badge Counselors. First complete online course through USA Archery, then completing a Practical course. When you complete the online portion (see link below), email a copy of your certificate to shooting.chairman@gmail.com

USA Archery Level 1 Instructor Certification practical course and USA Archery Level 2 Instructor Certification will be offered at Tellepsen on Saturday, Dec. 10

Shooting Sports Trianing Information

College of Commissioner Science & Outdoor Trainings

Nov. 12-13 | Camp Strake

College of Commissioner Science is annual training event that provides a continuing education experience for commissioners to stay current on unit service tools and techniques and best practices in serving assigned units and districts, to expand their skills, as well as refresh their commitment and energy for commissioner service.

This weekend at Strake will also include speciliazed outdoor training courses Trainer's Edge, Short-Term Camp Admin, IOLS and BALOO.
University of Scouting will be offered in the Spring of 2023

More Info

LEADER RESOURCES

Leader Guides

Scouting relies on dedicated volunteers to promote its mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. National planning resources are available to help leaders develop a program filled with safe and fun activities and adventures.

Leader Resources

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT

Medical Forms
New Pre-Event Medical Screening
SAFE Checklist
ERM Resources

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER

Scout spirit is mentioned in several of the requirements for Scouts BSA ranks. But what is Scout spirit and how does a Scout go about demonstrating it?
For the Scouts BSA ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle Scout and for Eagle Palms, a Scout must "Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law."

For each rank there is some variation of "Tell how you have done your duty to God and how you have lived the (Scout Oath and) Scout Law in your everyday life."

The Boy Scouts of America Mechanics of Advancement says:

The ideals of the Boy Scouts of America are spelled out in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. Members incorporating these ideals into their daily lives at home, at school, in their religious life, and in their neighborhoods, for example, are said to have Scout spirit.

Not the Same as School Spirit
This document also makes it clear that this is not the same as school spirit. And Scoutmasters and Boards of Review must be careful in how they measure it: Evaluating Scout spirit will always be a judgment call, but through getting to know a Scout and by asking probing questions, we can get a feel for it. We can say, however, that we do not measure Scout spirit by counting meetings and outings attended. It is indicated, instead, by the way the Scout lives daily life. So a Scout may give specific examples of how he has lived the Scout Oath and Law, including outside of Scouting. For example, “I was kind when I invited my classmate to sit at our lunch table.” “I was trustworthy when I was babysitting my siblings.” “I was loyal when I defended my friend when others were talking about her behind her back.” He or she may also tell about when he has found this challenging and discuss how he can do better in the future. There is an opportunity for growth in admitting that he could have done things differently.

Contact our District Religious Emblems chair Ed McLendon

for questions on Religious Emblems and duties of Chaplains and Chaplains Aides


CAMPING & OUTDOORS

Phoenix District Cookbook

To all the awesome Quartermasters, Chefs, cooks, scouts, moms and dads, it is time to begin to collect camping recipes for our Phoenix District Cookbook. Camping Chair Clara Martin will provide a submission form that can be shared with your den, troop, unit, pack, etc. This will list the categories for the cookbook. Please share this form with your scouters and provide your recipes to be shared across our District.

Camping locations & feedback

Please send Camping Chair Clara Martin any feedback regarding your camping locations. This will begin to build a resource for all units in our area.

You can email the recipes and camping information to arabellastar58@gmail.com or bring them to any of our District meetings.

Scout Camping

Outdoor adventure is the promise made to Scouts when they join Scouting. Youth yearn for outdoor programs that stir their imagination and interest.

Scouts BSA Weekend Camping
National Scout Jamboree (July 2023)
Cub Scout Family Camping
Webelos Coyote Trail Extreme - Nov. 11-13
Adventure Camp
Summer Camp 2023

Calendar Highlights

Full Calendar

Phoenix District Calendar 2022-23

Oct. 29: Rocket Day/Cub Scout Adventure Day

Nov. 18-19-20: Fall Training (BALOO/IOLS)

Jan. 28: District Dinner

Feb. 25: District Crossover

March 4: District Pushmobile

March 24-26: District Camporee @ Brosig

April 14-15: Spring Training (BALOO/IOLS) (tentative)

June 19-23: District Day Camp


Phoenix District Commissioners meet first Thursday each month

Phoenix District Committee meets first Thursday each month

Phoenix District Roundtable is held second Thursday each month

Phoenix OA Chapter meeting is held second Thursday each month