JOINING BOY SCOUTS
If you have not paid yet, the fee is $10 per scout or leader plus an optional $12 for a subscription to Boys Life magazine. You can give cash or check (payable to Troop 1 Richmond) on Tuesday night to Mr. Santagata or mail to: Rodney Santagata, 390 Hillsdale Road, West Kingston, RI 02892. Boys must formally sign up in order to participate with the troop.

ARROW OF LIGHT
The Arrow of Light is a graduation ceremony for Webelos. The event includes all kinds of symbolism about their journey through Scouts starting as young Tiger Cubs all the way to Webelos and finally crossing over to Boy Scouts. It will take place at the Richmond Elementary School Cafeteria. If the weather is good we will walk out to the pond and conduct the ceremony there. Webelos crossing over to Boy Scouts will need a beige class A boy scout shirt for this ceremony and at some point the red and white Richmond, 1, and RI left sleeve patches. Troop 1 Richmond will provide each boy with a troop hat, troop patch, neckerchief, slide, a Boy Scout Handbook, and red shoulder loops to signify that he is a Boy Scout. He will also receive an aqua-colored troop t-shirt that will serve as his Class-B uniform.

REVIEW THE PARENT GUIDE
Unlike Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts has fewer parent-son exercises. However, there is one important one that you will want to do before the New Scout Weekend. In the front of the Boy Scout Handbook there is a pamphlet entitled: How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parents Guide. After you receive the Scout Handbook at the Arrow of Light Ceremony and before the New Scout Weekend, complete the pamphlet exercises with your son and sign the front page of the guide with a note that you reviewed it together. This provides positive safety-oriented information for both parent and scout and will fulfill an important advancement requirements for the new Scout that I will go over with him at the New Scout Weekend.

NEW SCOUT WEEKEND
The first event for the new Scouts is an overnight stay at Camp Richard in Charlestown. There they will become the New Scout Patrol and learn how the troop runs as well as some basic scout camping skills including tent set-up, basic knots, how to conduct a flag raising ceremony, physical fitness, and simple first aid. All new scouts will sleep outside in tents. They will also take responsibility for cooking dinner and breakfast under the guidance of the older scouts. They will cover many of the advancement requirements for the ranks of Scout and Tenderfoot during the weekend. Scouts will meet at Camp Richard. The cost will be $15 cash per scout to cover food. I will email a packing list for the weekend and directions to Camp Richard separately.

Make sure to communicate any health concerns at drop-off. I understand that some new scouts will have to arrive late or leave and return at some point because of conflicts with baseball or other commitments on Saturday. That is fine, but please let me know in advance if your son will not be arriving at 9:00 AM so that we can plan. Directions to Camp Richard are below.
 

MEETINGS
The troop generally meets every Tuesday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at the Richmond Elementary School.

ACTIVITY MEETING AT THE URI POOL
Twice a year we try to have Activity Meetings at the URI Aquatics Center. These meetings are partly just for fun, partly for scouts who want to work on swimming skills, and partly for scouts who want to work on water-related advancement requirements. A URI pool Activity Meeting is from 6:00-8:00 PM. Cost will be $5.00 per scout, payable to the attendant at the front desk. If you have a pool membership, there is no additional fee. Scouts will need to be driven to and from the pool. To save time at the beginning, most scouts come wearing their bathing suit. Generally scouts stay in the shallow warm-water pool or use the diving well. (We put no restrictions on jumping or diving off the high platform, so talk to your son in advance if this is something you want them to avoid.) Swim tests will be given to those who want to attend the Canoe Trip. There generally are not many formal scout activities at the pool, so parents can leave with their scout before 8:00.

SWIM TEST
Any Scout interested in going on the canoe trip must pass the Boy Scouts of America swim test. It is the same test used at Camp Yawgoog. Scouts interested in the canoe trip can take the swim test at the URI pool Activity Meeting. BSA Swim Test (as outlined on page 154 of the Boy Scout Handbook): Jump feet first into water over the head in depth, swim 75 yards in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl. Then swim 25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. The 100 yards must be swum continuously and include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim, rest by floating. Swimming goggles are allowed, but masks that cover the nose are not.

SPRING EVENTS
In May and June in addition to troop meetings and community service projects, the new Scouts will be eligible to go on the Pawcatuck River Canoe Trip, Bike Trip, and the Fishing Weekend at Camp Richard. Generally Scouts either help shop for food or pay a fee to cover the cost of meals.

CAMP YAWGOOG OPEN HOUSE
Camp Yawgoog is offering an Open House on Saturday and Sunday during from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It is designed to help prepare new scouts and their families for their first year at camp. Registration is required. For more information and to register go to: http://www.narragansettbsa.org/yawgoog/pages/open.htm