Parents & Scouts:
My favorite time in the Scouting year is just about here!!! Summer Camp is nearly upon us and I can’t wait! I love heading out into the woods with 10 dozen of my Scouting friends for a week of activity, fun, drinking lots and lots of water, and general merriment and mayhem – oh wait, strike that last part – merriment yes, mayhem no. 🙂
I can already hear a collective sigh of relief, as this is my final email about Summer Camp! I’ve listed out a few tips and reminders to help you and your son with final preparations for the week. You may notice some repetition from prior messages, because repeating the important things helps them to stick. 🙂
For those of you who are driving to Ransburg, the address is 7599 E. Waldrip Creek Road, Bloomington, IN 47401.
1) Your son’s gear is to be packed inside a plastic tote (Rubbermaid or other variety) with a flat lid for ease in stacking inside the Troop trailers. BE SURE to leave a water bottle out of the tote so that they access to water throughout the first afternoon in camp! They won’t be able to get into their totes until after dinner that evening. Make your son pack – don’t do it for him. He’ll know what’s in there and where it is when he packs for himself.
2) Your son needs a hanger to hang up his Class A shirt each night following dinner. Everyone going to camp wears their Class A for dinner in the Dining Hall (this goes for the adults as well… even if you will only be in camp for two nights. If you want to eat, you will wear a Class A inside the Dining Hall. Period.)
3) EVERYONE is to wear their Class A uniform shirt on the drive down to Ransburg. The shirts are to be tucked in to their shorts as well.
4) There are NO ELECTRONICS allowed. Leave those CELL PHONES at home. If there is an emergency in camp, we will contact you. If there is an emergency at home and you need to speak with your son, call the camp office at (812) 837-9423. You may leave a message for me at (217) 416-6140 (but please know that I will only check messages once per day while in camp, and you might not hear back from me if it is not an emergency situation. My phone will be hidden away, and I will not carry it with me). PLEASE KNOW that if a Scout is caught with a CELL PHONE – you will be contacted to come and pick him up and take him home that very day – regardless of the time day or night. We have a zero tolerance policy, and we need your support in this. DO NOT let your son bring one with him and encourage him to hide it. Just LEAVE IT AT HOME.
5) If you’ve somehow missed it in other emails, or the FAQ’s document or general announcements in the Troop Meetings – this is the one activity each year that the Troop does NOT arrange transportation. Each family is responsible for getting their son to and from camp. NOW is a great time to determine how your son will be getting to and from camp. The Troop does NOT arrange transportation for this particular event. YOU do. We encourage families to carpool. It is a 90 mile drive each way. But keep in mind that personal gear does NOT come home in the Troop Trailers – NONE – so if you are planning to carpool – please ensure that there is room inside the vehicle for each rider and their collective personal gear.
6) We will be gathering in the NHS parking lot on Sunday at 8:45am. Each patrol has been assigned a trailer in which to put their gear. Upon arrival to the parking lot, DO NOT PARK next to or near the Trailers. We need to keep the area clear for movement of people and gear. UPON ARRIVAL at the high school – everyone going to camp – youth and adult – must check in with Mrs. Baker. SPEAK to her. Make sure she acknowledges you, and then move your gear to the correct trailer. WE PLAN TO DEPART from the NHS parking lot absolutely no later than 10 am. BE EARLY. If you’re on time you’re late…if you’re early, you’re on time. There is a lot to do in that short hour of time – we need EVERYONE there promptly. Trailer space is First Come, First Served – so keep that in mind. Once each Scout has had his personal gear loaded, he is to gather with his patrol across from the trailers to await a short meeting for further instructions and information.
7) We will stop at McDonald’s in Martinsville for lunch. The cost of this lunch is not included in your Summer Camp cost. If he is riding with someone else – please make sure he has money for his lunch. DRIVERS – don’t bypass this stop and head on to camp… we include the stop on-purpose… 1) to make the Scouts are fed, since dinner won’t be served until nearly 6 pm and 2) because check-in begins at 1 pm. If we arrive early – we’ll just be in the Camp Staff’s way. Enjoy the stop.
8) Be sure to leave any and all medications OUT of the totes. These meds must be turned in upon check-in. Keep them together in a ziploc bag. Write their name, type of med & dosage info on a 3×5 index card, and put the card inside the plastic bag with them medications. All meds must be in their original packaging, and any prescription meds, must be in proper bottle or package from the pharmacy. Inhalers or epi-pens will not be turned in, but rather kept by the Scouts. (These are the only meds that can be kept and self-administered). NO ONE is allowed to have any meds in their personal gear or tents. ALL meds (including for the adults) MUST be turned in to the Health Officer at check-in. The camp & Troop 101 have a procedure that will be followed for administering meds. Your sons will be well cared for.
9) Your son will shower during the week. They will have the opportunity at least twice – but can ONLY go with all proper Youth Protection guidelines being followed. Specific times for each Patrol will be designated. They are NOT to go off by themselves to take a shower.
10) YES! Mail can be sent to your son. A separate email about this has already been sent out. Don’t delay, mail it today.
11) CELL PHONES need to be LEFT AT HOME. I can’t say this one enough. You don’t want to make that trip down to Ransburg mid-week to pick them up… now do you? Moms, dads… don’t risk it. We mean it. We will be calling. Don’t undermine the Troop’s policies just because you want to hear his voice at some point during the week. Just because it rains in Noblesville doesn’t mean it’s raining in Bloomington. If there is an emergency of any kind involving your son – you will be contacted. Otherwise just assume he’s having a GREAT time and you’ll hear all about it on the drive home or when he’s dropped off by his carpool.
12) If your Scout has been awarded his Firem’n Chit and/or his Totin’ Chip, he needs to bring that with him to Summer Camp. We recommend that you laminate each of them to protect from the weather. If your Scout does not have the appropriate Chit/Chip, he will not be able to build a fire or use a pocketknife.
13) If he hasn’t done so already, NOW is the time to be drinking LOTS of water every day. Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go so you get used to it. You’ll need to have a water bottle with you everywhere you go throughout camp. There are two goals here, and if you achieve the first one, you’ll take care of the second one easily: to stay hydrated, and to be clear and copious.
14) If he hasn’t already done it, NOW is the time to determine who his tent mate will be.
15) T101 Scouts are NOT allowed to purchase any kind of energy drink in the Trading Post. The Trading Post accepts cash, Crossroads of America Gift Cards (available at the Scout Shop), or Credit Cards. Please encourage your son to closely monitor any funds he brings to camp. T101 is not responsible for any lost funds. It is HIS responsibility to take care of his money. Parents – the Trading Post sells a variety of beverages, candy, ice cream and other snacks; along with t-shirts, hats, walking sticks and a wide array of camping “gear” that is easily purchased at Wal-Mart, Meijer or Target. No 101 Scout should be buying hatchets (yes, they do stock them in the Trading Post), and any purchases like that will be held by Mr. Smith until Saturday morning. The knives sold typically aren’t of the highest quality, and the prices aren’t the best either. A quick conversation at home about what they should or should not be purchasing in the Trading Post would be appreciated. (Many of the camping gear items sold in the Trading Post are available at Wal-Mart. If he really wants that hatchet, he’ll find the exact same one at home at Wal-Mart for a couple of dollars less).
16) All Scouts need to have a watch. They will be responsible for making sure they get to where they need to be on time each and every day.
17) Sunscreen is very, very important. Be sure to send it along with your son – and encourage him to actually use it.
18) Make sure any and all pre-requisites have been submitted to Mrs. Baker. These WILL NOT be accepted at Check in Sunday.
19) Scouts can be picked up from Ransburg on Saturday morning at between 9:30 & 10:00 – but please understand that they will NOT be released to leave until ALL of our campsites are cleaned and we are released by the Ridge Commissioner. Please plan on sticking around until the Scouts are released to leave. It is not fair to the rest of the Troop to take them home early. Everyone in camp needs to complete the normal police-line procedures. The sooner we get it done properly, the sooner we can all go home. But once that all-clear is given, we all want to go home. We don’t want to be standing around waiting on parents to arrive. Please be respectful of all of the volunteers’ time and arrive early to pick up your son.
20) Personal Snacks are allowed – but they must be labeled with the Scout’s name, and they MUST be kept inside the Troop Trailer. NO ONE is to be eating near or inside their tents. Please don’t overdo it on the personal snacks though… we’ll only be gone for 6 days. A few items each will be fine.
21) Please remember that just because it rains or storms in Noblesville, does not mean that it is also raining or storming in Bloomington. Ransburg has excellent disaster preparedness plans in place in case of severe storms. We will NOT be contacting you regarding the daily weather conditions in Bloomington, nor will we send out messages about how the Scouts are faring during any rain or storms that come our way. We WILL contact you if there is an emergency situation that warrants it. Otherwise – please know that your Scouts will be well cared for, and will most likely have a terrific time, regardless of the weather on any given day – and you’ll be able to hear all about the weather they experience when you pick them up on Saturday morning.
22) NO OPEN TOED SHOES OF ANY KIND are allowed – Scouts or Adults. We want you to be as safe as possible, and open toed shoes are just an invitation for injury. Keep the flip flops at home.
23) Make sure to have a water bottle with you at all times. Staying hydrated is extremely important, especially on Sunday afternoon. Scouts will not have access to their stuff from the trailers until around 4pm. Be sure to carry a full water bottle with you in the car so it can be carried around that afternoon and consumed as needed.
24) With the amount of rain that we can have at Ransburg, it can be a good idea to bring some type of padded cushion to put on benches or chairs to keep dry.
Thank you. See you Sunday morning!
Yours in Scouting, Mr. Hunt