Information for Parents

Here is some basic information for parents of the scouts in our troop.

Fees

There is a one-time registration fee of $10 to register as a scout. The troop charges annual dues of $50 to help defray costs of the program, primarily fees and food for camping trips plus troop camping gear.

There is an additional fee for every camping trip. The exact amount depends on the expenses associated with the trip, but $20 is fairly typical.

Uniforms

Scouts are required to wear the uniform shirt, neckerchief, and appropriate insignia at troop meetings and sometimes during travel. The uniform trousers, while encouraged, are not required.

Meetings

Meetings are 7:00 to 8:30 on all Mondays when the Waltham Public Schools are in session, except as announced otherwise.

Health Forms

Some of our events, particularly summer camp, require us to have a health form on file. Here is a link to the standard health form for scouts.

Equipment

Proper camping and hiking equipment is vital. The troop supplies tents, cooking gear, camp stoves, lanterns, wood cutting tools, and all other gear needed by the patrol. Individuals are responsible for their own gear. Some loaner equipment is available from the troop. The adult leaders have a wealth of knowledge on how to get geared up for camping trips without going broke at REI. More...

The Routine for Camping Trips

A permission slip is distributed at a troop meeting before each camping trip  It must be signed by the scout's parent or guardian and returned to the troop. The permission slip will also specify the fee for the trip. We will try to make duplicates of the permission slips available on this site.

On the day of departure the troop meets at the Church. Please be on time. Once at the church, we pick up troop gear from the locker and load it into the trailer. We then depart.

During the trip we will keep our cell phones on as much as possible, but we are often in areas with little or no cell phone coverage.

We always give an estimated return time. Keep in mind that we may be early or late, depending on how quickly we get out of camp and on traffic conditions. We will generally contact parents by cell phone when we're about 45 minutes away from Waltham.

After we return to the church the scouts still have duties, such as unpacking the troop gear and setting up tents inside the barn so they can dry. These post-arrival tasks generally take between 30 minutes and an hour.

There are occasions where it is known in advance that a Scout either has to arrive late or leave early. Contact the Scoutmaster if you need to make special arrangements.

Join Us on our Trips!

We encourage parents to join us on all of our trips. Try it! Its great fun! Sometimes I think we have more fun than the boys!

Summer Camp

We spend a week at summer camp every year. In recent years we've gone to camp T.L. Storer in Barnstead, New Hampshire. Summer camp includes the usual summer camp fare (swimming, boating, sports) as well as opportunities to work on merit badges and other advancement requirements. And, of course, FUN!

Fundraisers

We have two primary fundraising activities throughout the year. In the Fall, the scouts sell popcorn. Most of the money from popcorn sales stay with the troop. In the Spring we sponsor a Golf Tournament, with the proceeds shared among various Waltham troops and Cub Scout Packs. This year's tournament is scheduled for June 10, 2009.