NOTICE TO BSA LEADERS:

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE 2019 UNIT JTE WORKSHEETS, 2019 YOUTH ADVANCEMENTS, AND 2019 SERVICE HOURS MUST BE ENTERED BY DECEMBER 31 TO COUNT FOR 2019.

IF YOU ARE ENTERING ADVANCEMENTS IN SCOUTBOOK, YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPDATE THEM ANYWHERE ELSE AS THEY WILL SYNC AUTOMATICALLY. CLICK HERE FOR HOW TO PRINT AN ADVANCEMENT REPORT.

SCOUTBOOK HELP GUIDE HERE; FOR ADDITIONAL HELP, EMAIL SCOUTBOOKSUPPORT@SCOUTING.ORG

(IF YOU DO NOT HAVE RECHARTER ACCESS, PLEASE CALL SCOUT SERVICE CENTER AT 325-677-2688)

To report Advancements, click here! 
To report Service Hours, click here!
To report Rechartering, click here!

Texas Trails Council
2019 Unit Trailblazer Award

All units will need to meet all five requirements before December 31st to earn the 2019 Unit Trailblazer Award. This award will be the units past year's performance.

• Earn the Scouting's Journey to Excellence Unit Award. Minimum requirement bronze.
• Working through the District committee, set a Unit FOS goal and hold a presentation.
• Participate in a Council Product Sales Campaign.
• On Time Charter renewal, completed electronically. Paperwork and fees turned in no later than December 20th.
• PACKS - Earn Summertime Pack Award. Application turned into Scout Service Center. 
• TROOPS - Attend a long term resident camp and camp 9 months during the year.
• CREWS & SHIPS - Participate in a Super Activity.

Each Unit earning the Trailblazer Award with be entitled to free Rank Advancement for 2020. Units that achieve this award may purchase the 2019 Trailblazer patches at cost.

(Form available here)

Silver Beaver Award Nominations

Silver Beaver Award – to recognize registered Scouters of exceptional character
who have provided distinguished service within a council. More information on the
Silver Beaver Award can be found HERE. The nomination form can be found HERE.

Please submit all nomination forms to the Council Office by
January 15, 2020.

Click here to print the 2019 Eagle Scout and Silver Beaver Recognition Banquet Form

Contact: Cindy Webb 325-677-2688 or ciwebb@bsamail.org

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Adult Leader Training for all Cub Scout and Scouts BSA Leaders:

• Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS)
• Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training
• Outdoor Webelos Leader (OWL)
• Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (Baloo)
• Pack / Troop Committee Member Specific Training

Complete the following applicable online / in person training courses
before attending your first session:

• Youth Protection
• This is Scouting
• Cub Scout Den Leader Position Specific

(You must be registered as an adult Scout Leader. You must have a BSA medical exam showing physical ability to participate in short hikes and sleeping outdoors.)

For more information, contact the Council office at 325-677-2688;
To register, click here.

REGISTRATION BEGINS FEBRUARY 1, 2020

For more information, contact 325-677-2688

Adult Recognition Awards – These awards typically have certificates, pins or medals, and a patch with a square knot embroidered on it in different colors. These awards are worn over the left pocket. The full list of adult recognition awards along with links to their applications can be found HERE.

District Award of Merit – Available to registered Scouters who render service of an outstanding nature at the district level. More information on this award can be found HERE. The nomination form can be found HERE.

Commissioner Awards and Recognition – Given to commissioners as recognition of an individual’s commitment to serve units. A full list of available commissioner awards and recognition, as well as links to information and applications for each award, can be found HERE.

2020 Wood Badge

Download the official flyer and registration form HERE

Recharter and National Membership Fees

As of November 1st, all units in Texas Trails Council can access the Unit Charter Renewal System by visiting

https://scoutnet.scouting.org/UCRS

Required documents to turn in to your District Commissioner Corps in order to finalize the process:

• All pages of the unit recharter Renewal Report package (no draft copies please).
• BSA Adult and Youth applications for everyone listed as “new” on page one of the Charter Renewal Report package.
• All new Adult applications MUST include a signed Disclosure/Authorization form.
• Youth Protection Training Certificates – YPT is available online at http://my.scouting.org
• All membership and recharter fees need to be turned in by December 21st, or by the established District dates.

PLEASE NOTE:

• To ensure we have the resources to fulfill the promise of Scouting despite increasing operating costs, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has made the difficult but necessary decision to increase the annual membership fee effective January 1, 2020 to:

  • $60 for youth members in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts,

  • $36 for youth members in Exploring

  • $36 for adult members

  • $ 4 Insurance fee for all programs (Local Council insurance program fee)

  • $60 for each unit that a chartered organization is chartering.

• All registered members 18 years or older must complete the additional disclosures & background check authorization form found HERE, no later than 12/31/2019.

• The final paperwork must include appropriate signatures on all individual adult and youth applications and on the Charter Renewal Application. The lack of appropriate signatures may delay the processing of your charter renewal.

• Please confirm EVERY adult leader has YPT (Youth Protection Training) before turning in the final renewal paperwork. Youth Protection Training is required for all adults, 18 and older, and cannot expire until after January 1, 2021.

Other documents strongly encouraged to be turned in:

• Journey to Excellence Form – JTE forms are available online at https://www.scouting.org/awards/journey-to-excellence/scorecards/2019-scorecards-english/

• Additional useful forms (Membership Inventory, Unit Budget Plan, New Youth & Adult Applications, etc.) may be found on scouting.org at https://www.scouting.org/resources/info-center/forms/ and can be printed and used to assist in the completion of your unit’s 2019 charter renewal.

As we start gearing up for summer camps, we’re pleased to let you know about Bunk1, a camp photo and message sharing service that takes hassle out of sharing pictures, handling camper mail and communicating with parents. Overall, Bunk1 empowers your camp to build stronger bonds with families, share interesting and important information, and promote next year’s camps easily and effectively.

Features include:

- Bunk Notes and Replies, which make it faster for families and campers to send and receive letters while keeping your campers technology-free. Campers receive a letter template with writing prompts to complete in pencil or pen. When camp staff scan the bunk note, the barcode ensures that an image of the letter is automatically sent to the camper’s family.

- Support for videos in the mobile gallery to showcase activities at your camp.

- Custom push notifications and text messages that keep camp families up to date with camp activities all year long. Messages are easy to send directly from the Camp Director app.

TO DOWNLOAD, GO TO YOUR MOBILE DEVICE'S APP STORE

Advancement reports and awards: The Scout Shop has setup a computer in the lobby for anyone who needs to enter advancement into Scoutbook, print out the Advancement report, and print the purchase order for the awards. Both Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA are moving away from advancement reports that are filled out by hand to reports that can be entered into Scoutbook and printed directly from Scoutbook. National Supply has discontinued blank advancement reports, meaning we can no longer order them. We politely ask that when submitting advancement that everything has already been entered into Scoutbook and printed out. In addition, you may use this computer if you need to take your "Youth Protection Training".