Action Items
On the Calendar
Give the Gift of Scouting This Holiday Season
Scouting thrives on the dedication and generosity of volunteers who give their time, talent, and treasure.
As the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) campaign kicks off, we’re reaching out to our Scouting family to help us continue enriching the lives of youth in our community. With your support, we can provide young people with life-changing experiences and valuable life skills.
How You Can Help
We’re looking for volunteers to serve as table ambassadors for the annual Friends of Scouting dinner. This kicks off on January 7 at 6 pm at Communion in Richardson with an easy one hour meeting to divide existing contacts to follow up with and brainstorm new potential opportunities. The job simply entails following up with past and new donors. We also need experienced Scouters with strong speaking skills to share the FOS message at unit Courts of Honor and Blue and Gold banquets. If you can help, please contact Kristine Schwope at [email protected] before Jan.1. Northern Trail is raising $150,000 towards the Council goal of over $4M and every dollar counts!
Did You Know?
Scouting offers unique benefits for adults, too! It brings together parents and guardians who are navigating the challenges of raising children today. Through Scouting, you can build lasting friendships and share valuable insights with other parents, creating a supportive community for families.
This holiday season, please consider giving the gift of your time, talent, and treasure to Scouting. Your support will help ensure that the values and life lessons of Scouting continue to enrich the lives of children in our community, building resilience and character.
Happy Holidays!
Time is running out, please take the time to recognize someone in your unit who has made a difference.
It just takes a few minutes to nominate someone in your unit for a Y.E.S. award. Simply go to this webpage: ntrail.org/yes/ and fill out the on-line form. Every unit may have up to 2 nominations and larger units 50-99 may have an additional nomination and units larger than 100 may have four total nominations.
More information may be found here: ntrail.org/adult-recognition-0.html. If you have questions, please contact the Awards and Recognition Chair Muhammad Ikram at [email protected]
Merit Badge Mania Saturday January 25, 2025, Richland College
Here is a great opportunity to complete or get a good start on needed Merit Badges.
Badges offered:
| American Heritage | Archeology |
| Camping | Chess |
| Citizenship in the Community | Citizenship in the Nation |
| Citizenship in the World | Communication |
| Cooking | Digital Technology |
| Disabilities Awareness | Emergency Preparedness |
| Engineering | Environmental Science |
| Family Life | Home Repairs |
| Personal Fitness | Personal Management |
| Reading | Scouting Heritage |
| Signs, Signals, and Codes | Sustainability |
| Theater | |
Why Knot? A Knot Tying Workshop
Learn how to tie some interesting and useful knots.
GROW North Texas
Knot Tying Workshop
Owenwood Farm & Neighbor Space
www.owenwood.org
Wed, January 08, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
1451 John West Road Map
Dallas, Texas
More information and registration: grownorthtexas.org/events
Hazardous Weather Training Now Required
BSA Nationals updated reporting on Hazardous Weather Training requirements last week, resulting in an immediate and dramatic decline in the number of fully-trained direct contact leaders we have in this district.
If you have not taken hazardous weather in the past year, please find a few minutes to confirm the expiration dates and renew your training. The online course is only 28 minutes. The training is available by logging onto my.scouting.org and then use this link:https://training.scouting.org/courses/SCO_800
If you have any questions about this, or any other training needs, please contact us at [email protected]
Training
WFA Wilderness First Aid
Wilderness First Aid is required for attending all BSA High Adventure bases - Philmont - requires 3 with WFA; Northern Tier - 1; Sea Base - 1; Summit -1 recommends having 2. and in general recommended for all scouting activities beyond one hour of medical help. I will have 4 classes this spring.
Jan 24 - 26
Mar 7 - 9
Apr 4 - 6
May 16-19
Classes: Friday, night; Saturday, all day; Sunday, afternoon
Cost: $90
CPR/AED is required and will be offered the Thursday night before each class.
For the application and more information contact Mike Reisinger, 972-907-8949, [email protected]
Range Activities Safety Training
The Range Activities SAFEty training is now available online. Every unit who participates in Range Activities must have trained leaders at the range with their units. So this is not just directed at the Unit Leader but at whomever is accompanying their unit for a range day. If you are a direct contact leader, take the course. It requires about 30 minutes of your time. Once you login to my.scouting.org you can then follow this link directly to the course at https://training.scouting.org/courses/SCO_822
A huge amount of training material is available online, including position training and Youth Protection. Access your account here. If you don't have an account, it is easy to set one up. You can access your training records and set up a complete training program.
Time to Complete Recharter / Renewal
Your unit commissioner is available to answer questions and assist with the process.
Friends of Scouting
Let us know when your unit would like a Friends of Scouting (FOS) presentation before Feb 11, 2025. It only takes 15 minutes and a perfect time is your Winter Court of Honor. Contact your DE Katherine Givens or Kristine Schwope at [email protected] or 214-734-2281 to slate a time. Funds raised through FOS directly support our camps, support staff and programs for Scouts. Northern Trail District is raising $150,000 towards a Councilwide $4M goal.
Cub Scout Unit Camping Updates
There have been some changes made recently in the Cub Scout program that involved advancement updates and camping guidelines. Be sure you are current on these changes. Details may be found here.
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: 2025 Adventure Card Campaign
Next Chapter Meeting: January 14, 2025 7:30pm
Time to renew your OA membership go to: miki.org/event-registration/ to pay your dues.
Unit elections are coming up, contact [email protected] for information about how to arrange an election for your unit.
Contact [email protected] with questions.
The Order of the Arrow is an honor camper service organization. Each district has a chapter and members are chosen by their peers.
Northern Trail has an active commissioner staff with deep scouting knowledge. Get to know your commissioner. Your commissioner can help you and your unit resolve problems and pass along some ideas to make your program even better. Our District Commissioner is Bram Franklin, who may be reached at: [email protected].
If you are having trouble reaching your commissioner, contact Bram and he will assist you.
Commissioner Service
Looking for a way to give back to scouting. New unit leaders need mentors who can help them navigate the trail. As you know it can be a little overwhelming. Training is available! Contact our district commissioner Bram Franklin [email protected] for more information.
Website and Newsletter
Our newsletter and website reach a very large audience in Northern Trail. If there is something scouting related which needs to be on the website or the newsletter, please do not keep it to yourself, let us know. [email protected]
If we need to fix a broken link or have incorrect information, please take a moment, and let us know. [email protected]
Do not keep the newsletter to yourself! Everyone in your unit should be receiving the newsletter and be aware of the website. sign up is easy, just send them to: Newsletter sign up . Do not forget to sign up on Circle Ten to receive updates from the council.
Looking for something in a recent newsletter? Several years of past newsletters may be found here.
Yours in Scouting,
John Slaughter
Northern Trail Communications Committee
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