Programming
Camporee: Scoutmaster Specific Training (for ASM’s, too!)
North Star District Training Subcommittee and the Commissioner’s Service is happy to announce that we have confirmed that we will be offering Scoutmaster Specific Training on Saturday, October 10, 2015 by Troop 73 (St Paul’s Episcopal) Scoutmaster Vince Hernly.
Vince is an experienced scoutmaster, teacher, and outdoorsman. He received his Wood Badge in 2011. He has been on Council’s beloved Voyageur (canoeing training) staff at Camp Belzer for a number of years and is a regular visitor to the Boundary Waters and other interesting outdoor locales. He teaches karate as part of his professional life.
Due to conflicting Camporee events and trainings, Vince will be teaching this 4-hour class in two 2-hour segments. He will offer the first segment from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The second segment will be from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (which will conflict with the dinner time, so plan accordingly by eating early or bringing a brown bag). I will join him to team teach the evening segment.
Please bring notebook paper and writing utensil.
Old Scoutmasters Handbook or new Troop Leader Guidebook or both. SMs & ASMs should seriously consider owning their own copy of at least one of these. The new book is in two volumes and only volume 1 is available at this time.
If you have one, a copy of each of the following:
- Boy Scout Manual (Appendix available in PDF)
- Program features (old or new) (Available in PDF)
- Guide to advancement (Available in PDF)
- Troop Committee Guidebook (Available in PDF)
Please let your assistant scoutmasters know that this training is being offered so that they can get it on their schedule.
For assistant scoutmasters who need the Introduction to Outdoor Leadership skills, this will not be offered by North Star that day; however, Del-Mi will be offering OLS the same day at Camp Krichtenstein. OLS will then be offered at University of Scouting in January 2016 and by Del-Mi at each of its next Camporees. (North Star is considering offering it at Winter Camporee, too, if sufficient interest exists.)
Reservations for Camporee
Stu Bowes sent this message on September 21, 2015:
The 2015 Fall Camporee is rapidly approaching in three weekends (Oct 9-11) at the Indiana School for the Blind. Our theme is “Zombie Apocalypse” based around the emergency preparedness merit badge. We are working on some special attractions to spice things up a bit.
Listed below is what I need form you:
YiS,
Stu
2015 FALL CAMPOREE
Sign Up Sheet
Troop # Scouts Adults Total
Troop 56 20 5 25
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
Troop
____________________________________
Total:
Campsites are available first-come, first served.
Willie Cap eligible Scouters:
Patrol Competitions:
1- T343
2- T586
3- T69
4- T269
5- T35
6- T804
7- T73
8- T56
9- T358 Tomahawk Toss
1-Youth Protection
2-Scoutmaster Specific
3-OtherOther Needs:
Flag Raising –
Flag Lowering –
Scouts Own –
Camp Fire –
Bathroom Cleanup –
Fireman/Police Officer needed for Skit at Flag Raising
Campfire Skits:
All Troops are asked to organize at least one skit based around the Zombie theme for the Saturday Campfire.
Interest In Adult Training:
1-Youth Protection
2-Scoutmaster Specific
3-Other
New Award at Camporee
Traditionally, the major competition at camporees has been the coveted Willy Award. This award focuses on the best troop campsite. We will continue this beloved tradition.
In addition, this camporee, the North Star District Commissioner Service will be sponsoring a new series of awards. The purpose of this series of awards is to focus our troops’ efforts at Camporee on the patrol method both in the particular camporee at hand and to encourage participation in successive camporees.
For more information, see the flyer.
Training Offered at Camporee
North Star District will be offering several training sessions at the Fall Camporee.
- District Committee Training will be offered Saturday morning. Tentative start time 9:00 am. This class is required to be certified as “Trained” as a District Committee Member. Very few of our District Committee have this training. There will be break out sessions for the various subcommittees. This training is open to all current District Committee members and any persons interested in serving on District Committee in the future.
- Train the Chartered Organization Representative will be offered in Saturday afternoon. Tentative start time is 1:00 pm (subject to change due to conflicts with camporee schedule). This is different than the online Fast Start Chartered Organization Representative Training. This training is available online but only from the Crossroads of America Council’s website. Please encourage your Chartered Organization Representative to take this particular training session since it will be a reason for the Chartered Organization Representative to see your troop in action and participate in the camaraderie at a camporee, just down the street from home — for many of us.
- Live Youth Protection Training will be offered on Friday evening (approximately 8:30 pm) before Scoutmaster and SPL General Meeting and again after dinner on Saturday, if demand warrants.
- Under consideration: Troop Committee Challenge may be offered during Saturday morning if I can recruit an instructor. Volunteers may contact Jeff Heck. This is a required training for troop committee members and will be required to recharter. This training is offered online, too, and would take less time. However, like the Chartered Organization Representative, this is an opportunity for witnessing your troop in action and participating in the camaraderie at a camporee.
Since the Camporee will be at the Blind School, scouters who will not be able to camp out with us should feel free to stop in and participate in the training sessions.
Please make sure to sign up for the sessions so that we can plan for the appropriate number of handouts. Walk-ins will be gladly accepted but may not have handouts.
Several of these trainings are required for rechartering, so encourage your scouters to attend.
District Training: Train the Trainer (THIS SATURDAY!)
This Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 8:00 am, North Star will be offering the Trainer’s Edge (formerly the Trainer Development Conference) at St Luke’s United Methodist Church. Reservations’ opportunities and information about location can be found here. A flyer is available here for distribution to your units.
This course is required for participation on Wood Badge Staff or National Youth Leadership Training (White Stag) Staff, for both adults and youth. This course is often only offered at University of Scouting.
Participation is advantageous for District and Unit Training Chairs, training committee members, SPLs, or scout leaders of all types.
Come participate in this event to help boost your unit and your district!
New Cub Training: Hints and Tricks
BSA has finally made the new Cub Training system available online. I have completed the first third of the Den Leader Training. From this limited experience, I have learned a lot about the new system.
Different System
The new training system is wholly different than our old system. It relies on a third-party vendor that provides online training systems which is branded as ScoutingU. This means that you have to login to the new system, even if you are already logged into to my.scouting.org. The ScoutingU website has its own quirks and navigational issues. Its flow is terrible. You have to read the instructions extremely carefully, because it is not at all like either the old system or most any other operating system that you have used.
Please note that the vendor does not appear to have access to your “Trained” record in ScoutNet (as viewed in my.scouting.org or myscouting.scouting.org). It can only report whether you have “Completed” or are “Incomplete” on the vendor’s training modules. Please check with my.scouting.org for your training records’ status.
If you are having technical difficulties accessing the new training site, read the comments section below for updates and tips for troubleshooting.
New Eagles from September 9th District Boards of Review
Jerry Simon, chair of the Eagle Boards of Review, has reported to the District that the following scouts have passed their Eagle Boards of Review on September 9, 2015:
-
Calvin Bruce T-343
-
Daniel Salima T- 269
-
Eric Hofer T- 514
-
Nicholas Leverenz T- 514
Congratulations to North Star District’s newest Eagles!
Roundtable Plans Fall Camporee
Stu Bowes, Camporee Chair and Assistant District Commissioner, led a conversation at the September Roundtable to plan the Fall Camporee. He reports that the Fall Camporee will take place Friday, October 9, 2015 through Sunday morning, September 11, 2015 at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired at 7725 N. College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46240.
The theme will be “Zombie Apocalypse.” The topic will be Emergency Preparedness. This will give us a wonderful chance to be able to mix the Halloween season’s goofiness with serious skills training and practice.
The cost will be $5 per person.
Security gates will be open most of the weekend. Using the 75th Street entrance is usually the easiest and least confusing approach.
Camp sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Needs
After the Roundtable meeting the following items still need to be completed. Troops are asked to contribute information about the following items to Stu:
- competition station plans (please ask your PLC to contribute ideas; senior scouts running stations is a wonderful way to intrigue senior scouts about camporees);
- Number of scouts and adults attending;
- Every troop to plan a campfire skit;
- You will be required to use a fire pan because only above-ground fires are allowed.
We also need volunteers to do the following:
- Troops or honorary society (i.e., Firecrafter Ember or OA Chapter) for flag raising and lowering;
- Troop or honorary society to lead campfire;
- Troop or honorary society to lead “Scouts Own”;
- Troop to perform bathroom cleanup on Sunday.
Also needed police officer or fireman with vehicle for Zombie Apocalypse skit at flag raising ceremony. Please contact Stu Bowes if you can help. Some of our IMPD officer-scouters will be otherwise occupied with professional or troop duties.
Cub Leader Training
Don’t forget to get your new leaders trained online at My.Scouting.org or with in-person classes from Council and its Districts as listed at the new Council Training Hub website.
This training is required for Rechartering.
If you run a training session, please add it to the new Council Training website.
White Stag 2016
Have you ever wished that you could send your patrol leaders to a leadership training course?
Well, you can!
White Stag is the National Youth Leadership Training Course. Crossroads of America will be offering the training in 2016 twice.
The first session will be June 15-29, 2016. The second session will be July 10-16, 2016.
If you are serious about getting your troop’s leadership improved, you need to be talking to your scouts about it now. Schools are beginning to recruit for their summer activities already. If NYLT is part of your vision, you need to be having your scouts thinking about it now.
If you are a NYLT graduate, you can also look at serving on staff. June staff sign up is here.
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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