2017 Microsoft Events Flyer

Register for:

Raritan Valley Movie Making Merit Badge – July 8, 2017

Raritan Valley Photography Merit Badge  July 15, 2017

Raritan Valley Cub Scout Robotics Workshop – July 22, 2017

Subject: New District Structure – Staffing Plan to Support New Structure, Effective January 1, 2018

March, 2017

The council’s new structure will increase the number of professional staff, and significantly change the organization and roles of our professional Scouters.  It will also change who our volunteers go to for support, depending on the function.

To support the new roles of the professional staff we have planned several training programs throughout the year; Sales training, boot camp and several team building sessions.

• Sales training is designed to improve the leadership and sales skills.
• Boot camp “where people go to participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills”.  During our boot camp, the staff will spend time with professional staff from other councils that have instituted a new district structure – to learn firsthand how the volunteers and staff experienced the change.  There will be a day when we delve into every part of their job description and we will also have one-day session on transitional leadership.
• Team building – during the year there will be formal and informal sessions on team building.  Some of these sessions could include the office staff and district volunteers.

There will be questions, concerns and bumps along the way as we work to implement and refine this significant change.  As we proceed on this journey to excellence in our Scouting program, we welcome your input and appreciate your patience.

Additional details regarding this change will be communicated to you in the coming months through the council’s “Sign’s Up” enewsletter, monthly roundtables and the website https://ppcbsa.org/districts/district-structure-2017/.  If you have any questions, please email Mark Spaldo at [email protected]

IMPORTANT:  BSA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED MODIFICATIONS TO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL CUB SCOUT RANKS.  These modifications are designed to ensure that Adventure requirements are achievable by Cub Scout Dens within a program year.  The changes are effective as of November 30, the date they were announced.  The information can be found in a 56-page document at this link:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/cubscouts/pdf/CubScout_Advancement_Modifications.pdf

• Most of the changes involve reducing the number of requirements that must be done to complete each of the Adventures
• With the modifications, Dens should now be able to complete one Adventure in approximately two Den Meetings.
• Adventures that have already been completed are not affected; however, leaders can now use the revised requirements as they work with their Dens on new Adventures

It’s very important that all Den Leaders realize there has been a significant reduction in the requirements for every rank….and it is very important to note to the Cub Scouts and their families, that these changes have come directly from the National BSA organization, and may be implemented IMMEDIATELY.

In addition to the requirement reductions in all Ranks, Bear has had a change in Required Adventures:

• “Baloo the Builder” is now a “Required” Adventure instead of an”Elective” Adventure (page 26 of the revisions)
• “Grin and Bear It” is now an “Elective” Adventure instead of a “Required” Adventure (page 28)

The Webelos & Arrow of Light Advancement Modifications begin on page 36.

• For Webelos, there are still 5 “Required” Adventures; however, the number of requirements in each Adventure has been reduced.  In addition to the 5 required Adventures, earning the Webelos Badge now requires completion of just one (1) “Elective” Adventure.  Previously, two (2) “Elective” Adventures were required.  The “Elective” Adventures have also been modified to reduce the number of requirements.  The total Adventures needed  to earn the Webelos Badge is now six (6) instead of seven (7)
• For AOL the changes are similar.  There are still 4 “Required” Adventures, but with reduced requirements, and now one (1) “Elective” Adventure instead of 3, for a total of 5 Adventures needed to earn the Arrow of Light, instead of the previous 7 Adventures.

The following is a listing of requested Eagle Projects

Contact: Audrey Hertzberg, CTRS, Life Enrichment Director, ABINGDON CARE & REHABILITATION CENTER

303 Rock Avenue, Green Brook, NJ 08812  732-968-5500 Ext. 45216

1. A  4 x 6 foot table that is wheelchair height (36”) so that we could build a slot car race track on it.  I have a Hobby Shop near me and identified the track that I want, but I need an appropriate space to build it on.
2. Recreate a gardening area on our back patio.  In addition to disassembling the current raised garden beds, where the wood is rotting, I want to have it raked out and have wheelchair height garden boxes built along the patio area, which would be more functional.

Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville, NJ 08876  908-725-1015

Contact: Hillary Murtha, Ph.D   e-mail:  [email protected]

Project:

The curator, who recently left, designed a Colonial garden space behind the 1751 Old Dutch Parsonage historic site; unfortunately, it was a very ambitious project that never reached its potential. The space is now seriously overgrown with weeds, and a handful of saplings are springing up, too. Would need to have someone dig out the saplings before they mature further. Eventually the entire space needs to be cleared, but I think this would require repeated efforts. I’d love to hear if there is a scout troop, or more than one scout troop, interested in taking the project on (that is, just clearing the space, not actually planting or maintaining the garden). Besides the garden area, there is a very small graveyard on the site (only about 6′ square, at a guess) that also needs clearing. I can provide an educational element to any scout project by explaining the features of colonial gardens, and why this one is designed to look the way it does (minus wild undergrowth!)

Please contact our RV WebMaster to remove listing as needed

Raritan Valley District Recognition Breakfast Photos – May 13, 2017