The Raven's Beak (Raven District Newsletter)

News for all
                                                                                                 

New Website
Hello all, this is to remind all that the district now has another website. Please visit www.ravendistrict.org to find out more information.

Address & Position Changes
If you, your leaders, or your families have moved remember to phone in your changes to the Scout Office. If you phone in these changes as you learn about them, you save yourself a huge chore at rechartering time, and the families continue to get Boy’s Life without interruption. The phone # to call is 713-659-8111 and ask for registration.

If you change a position, you must turn in a properly filled out and signed NEW adult leader application to the Scout Office. Until this happens, the old volunteer remains as the leader of record! Cubmasters, Committee Chairs, & Scoutmasters: please reply to Marcus Jackson if there is a change in top leadership in your unit. We keep a list of unit leadership to send special information out just for you!

New District Rules
After this great turn-out for this past weekends Cub-o-ree, I have spoken to a few of the members of the District Committee about changing a few of the rules. We had over 400 people at this weekend's event and I feel that we need to change a few things.

1-Any parent or leader who attends a District event, must bring a current copy of the YPT(Youth Protection Training) card.
2-Any parent or leader who attends a District Event, must bring a current copy of the State of Texas sex offender database that say they are not a sex offender. For Twilight Camp and for Boy Scout Summer Camp, these rules have been in effect for about 2 years. The State of Texas makes us do this for these type of event. I feel this will be benificial to all leades and boys at our district events. 

FOS
We are still about $10, 000 short of our goal. We really need all families to be involved in our Friends of Scouting Campaign. If you have not been asked to pledge to the Friends of Scouting campaign, please contact Marcus Jackson at 713-756-3386 or marcus.jackson@shac.org. We need your help to continue to provide quality Scouting programs for the youth of our community.

Centennial Quality Unit Committment/Achievement Forms
Starting October 31, 2009 your unit is allowed to go in and fill out your achievement form for the Centenennial Quality Unit. We encourage each unit to fill this paperwork out so you can have a Quality Unit. If you need help with this, please let me know.  

Training
We have a new Training Chair for the District. Mrs. Donna Bernelle has accepted the position and is already hard at work getting records settled and is getting ready to schedule a training for the summer for all those leaders who have not been trained yet. If you have any questions or would like to help Donna with the Training team, please email her or call her at 281-458-6921

Roundtable
Roundtable is on the 1st Thursday of each month at Old River Terrace United Methodist Church 16102 East Fwy.( I-10 East) Channelview, TX 77530. We start Roundtable for both Boy Scouts and Cub Scout Leaders at 7pm and are usually finished by no later than 8:30pm. If you have never been to Roundtable before, you should come and meet new friends, find out about what's going on in our area, and learn new Scouting skills.

Advancement Team
I would like to announce that we have a new advancement team consisting of Janet Valdes, Jana Mayfield, Veronica Reyes, and Jamie Berger. If you have any questions concerning advancement and your unit, please contact one of them for help. If you need their phone #, it will be located in the District Leaders portion of the site.

Flag Retirement
I have recieved numerous phone calls and email's asking if we Retire Flags. I always don't know what to tell them, b/c I don't know. If your unit Retire's Flags, please let me know so I can pass your information along.

Why not be a Unit Commissioner?
What is a Unit Commissioner? A Unit Commisoiner is a person who goes or calls to check on a unit monthly to see how they are doing. A UC as we call it, is the person a unit can count on to help them out of a jam, or to help them with a problem they may have. How can I become a Unit Commissioner? You can contact Jana Mayfield, our new District Commissioner and she will be able to explain what the job entails.

Lets give it up to Jana for all the work she has and will be doing for our District to continue to grow and get better.

News for Cub Scouts
                                                                                                                                               

Cub-o-ree
Cub-o-ree has been moved to July 11-12 at Gene's Polaris. we have opened up the registrations for another 30 boys. Get your forms in asap.

News for Boy Scouts
                                                                                                                                                
NYLT
If you are interested in sending your boys to NYLT, please follow this link

OA Meeting
Adults: it is your duty to gather up the youth OA members in your unit and get them to the meeting. Most of them don't drive and need your help and encouragement to get to OA events. We have Order of the Arrow meetings every 4th Thursday of the month at Old River Terrace United Methodist Church, 16102 East Fwy. Channelview, TX 77530

For more information concerning the Order of the Arrow, please contact Eloy Valdes at (281) 424-7686

NEW HOUSTON MUSEUM
The "John C. Freeman Weather Museum" has just opened in the Museum District - and they are offering the "Weather" merit badge. This museum emphasizes the importance of science and math in the real world.

Troop Merit Badge Counselors
We are trying to get a list of all Merit Badge Counselors for the District to use. There are many boys out in our District that can't get all the merit badges they need, because we don't have enough people to be merit badge counselors. If your unit has a list of merit badge counselors, please email that to Marcus Jackson. I am trying to keep a good list of all counselors so we will know when we need them. If you would like to become a Merit Badge Counselor, please contact Janet Valdes at 281-424-7686.

Veterinary Science Merit Badge
Do you have a boy that wants to earn this badge? Visit this link for more information on how your Scouts can earn this badge.

More News

                                                                                                                                             
Guide to Safe Scouting
National recently made some changes to the Guide to Safe Scouting. Check out the changes on the National website

Good Turn for America

Scouts across the nation are answering the call to service. BSA is collecting data and stories on how dens, packs, patrols, troops, and crews are contributing to this effort. Log onto the website and select the data collection button on the left of the screen. You will need to get your unit’s ID# from Marcus Jackson 713-756-3386. This ID# also works for Online Advancement and Online Recharter

The collection process is user-friendly and only takes minutes to enter. The information asked includes the date, # of scouts & non-Scouts participating, # of leaders & adults, total hours worked, and organizations that helps and benefited from the project. After you enter the data, your unit will be eligible to receive the Good Turn for America patch and year segment. You can enter service projects throughout the year no matter how big or small. Good Turn for America is important for our community and the data capture is important to the council. Our units do so many wonderful things for out community and we need to be proud to share our efforts.

Uniform Bank
We are asking that units help out those who can't afford a uniform by trying to find those boys who were once in scouting but no longer are. I would like for us to start a uniform bank for boys and adults that can't afford a uniform. If you have uniforms that you would like to donate to the bank, please bring them to Roundtable every month and we will get it started. Thank you for your help and consideration.

Scouting in the News
POSITIVE PRESS - More often than not, when the BSA is in the press, it's negative. The only way to combat that is with positive stories that showcase what Scouting is really about ... making a difference in the lives of kids. You can help.

Take lots of pictures at your events. Your kids will get a thrill seeing their name or picture in the newspaper and your unit can earn the “Scouting in the News” award by submitting one article per month or twelve per year to a newspaper, church bulletin, or community newsletter. The more we let others know about Scouting, the greater the community support for Scouting. Bring your articles to Roundtable or turn them into Marcus Jackson by either fax or email. Fax # 713-865-9149

Wood Badge for the 21st Century
Wood Badge is a mentally-intense 6-day leadership course designed for all adult Scouters. It is hoped that every Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturing leader, as well as council and district leaders and professionals, will take the Wood Badge course within two years of becoming a Scouter.

Wood Badge training is an advanced leadership course that presents participants with the skills they need to be effective leaders at all levels of the Scouting program. It offers participants the tools to lead, as well as the opportunity to practice leadership. Wood Badge will help you improve your role in Scouting. It will help you focus on your responsibilities, identify a goal, help you work toward that goal -- and give you the tools to reach it.

And while these skills are offered within a Scouting context, they are easily applied to other areas of each participant's lives—work, home, and family. All leaders that have completed basic training for their position are invited to attend, regardless of their tenure in Scouting.

There are many opportunities for Wood Badge:



Important Websites

Sam Houston Area Council Site

National Scouting Site

Council Wide Trainings from all Districts

On-line Youth Protection Training

Council Training Information

State of Texas Sex Offender Database

Important Phone Numbers
Marcus Jackson 713-756-3386