Troop Committee Meeting was held via Zoom.   We had a special guest of our Unit Commissioner Gary Ibanez to observe our meeting and hear our event plans.   Pam Jensen opened the meeting with the announcement of the awards from the El Camino Real District awards night in December 2022.    Michael Lindsey received Cubmaster of the Year for his work with Pack 35    The Exceptional Scouter (aka Extra Miler) Award for Troop 35B went to Mike Sweeney and Alan Hundhausen and for Troop 35G to Liz Houston and Mark Withycombe.  Liz gave the Treasurer Report and noted that only a handful of families still need to pay the 2023 dues and national and council fees.    Pam will send out reminder emails.  Scoutmaster Reports reported on the events of the last month.   Advancement Chair reports involved a discussion of the upcoming court of honor.  Since a few more scouts will qualify for rank and merit badges if the COH is held in February, the Committee decided to postpone the Jan 29th COH.   Committee decided to hold the COH for Troop 35B at the Feb 16 troop meeting.   Troop 35G will decide the timing of their COH within the next two weeks.  We have two new Eagle scouts - Rain and Sebastian.   Summer Camp report - first payment will be due soon.   Please make your payments on time.   High Adventure Team report discussed the recent hike and upcoming events.  Recent rains did change plans so some things will be rescheduled.   For New Business, the Committee discussed upcoming plans for separate recruitment nights for Troop 35 G and for Troop 35B.    35G older scouts are planning the t35 event.   Discussion was how to publicise it.   Six of the ten girls who were the first members of Troop 35 G are now Eagle Scouts.    Discussion was about having them make a video about experiences in scouting.    Date of the recruiting events will be decided in the next two weeks as the PLC of each unit will assist in the decision.  Committee spent the rest of the meeting reviewing the calendar and making final plans for upcoming events.     Consult the Troop calendar for the events.  At the end of the meeting Chairman Pam Jensen announced that  after 6.5 years, she will step down as Chair at the end of May 2023.   She said that it is important for the chair to attend events and she is not able to attend many of the events due to her job requirements.    Position is open to any adult registered with either Troop.   Minutes submitted, Pam Jensen

The Troop committee is one group for both Troop 35 B and Troop 35 G.   It is made up of  registered adults with either a son or daughter in the troop or registered adults whose children were in the troop and continue to be interested in helping with the Troop 35 programs.    The committee members each take on a role such as the overall chair, advancement, summer camp, weekend camping, treasurer, HAT, new member coordinator,  quartermaster and organizing events and helping as needed.    The chair oversees the committee to ensure that all functions are delegated, coordinated, and completed.  The chair arranges the troop committee meeting each month and works with OCBSA to ensure the Troops' programs are in accordance with OCBSA/Scouts BSA guidelines.   The length of service as the chair usually follows the timing of when a son or daughter is in the troop.   This position will be open June 1, 2023 so the Troop Committee and Chartered Organization are looking for someone to take over in June.  You have to register as an adult leader but you don't have to be currently serving on the committee.  If you have questions about all the responsibilities of the Chair and /or you are interested in being considered for the Chair position,please contact the current chair, Pam Jensen.    

Two troop members helped pack members and adults at Hortense Miller Garden today with maintenance and plantings.    They all earned the Day of Service Patch. If your son or daughter would like a Day of Service Patch, they still have time to earn one.   Please do a service project before Wednesday of this week.    You can pick up trash in your neighborhood, collect food from your neighbors for our food drive (bring the food to our Troop meeting), write letters to servicemen and women (see below for rules about this) or another type of service in your community.   You can do it with your family.  Take photos and email them to me by Wed, November 9 so I can order the badges for our Troop meeting on November 17 and show them at Roundtable next week.  

Fifteen parents attended the parent meeting on Thursday, November 3.    Dr. Hovanesian reminded everyone of the Troop Attendance and Troop Participation rules on page 14 of our Troop handbook (see side menu for link to the Handbook).   Note from your Committee Chair:  Parents - please do your best to remind your scout to wear his/her Scout Uniform to all our meetings.    If they don't have time to change at home, they can bring it to the meeting and change in the restroom at the church.   Very few youth were wearing uniforms on Thursday.  It is important to wear the uniform (Class A or Field Uniform) to the meetings.  The scoutmaster will tell the youth when to wear the Class B or activity uniform ( Troop T shirt and pants) to nonmeeting events.    We also discussed roles for parents in our troop.    Thank you to the response at the meeting.  Parents who were not at the meeting will be contacted over the next two weeks about volunteering for certain positions.   WE NEED EVERY PARENT TO HELP with some or many events.  Mr. Hundhausen spoke about the HAT program.  Parents, please encourage your son or daughter to give the upcoming HAT training/practice hikes and the actual HAT event a try!    Official HAT events will be limited to youth age 14 and over per Scouts BSA rules.    BUT - we have many other hikes planned for our 11 to 13 year old members that will train them for HAT events.   Hiking is FUN when you are properly trained.   Our adult leaders are for HAT are properly trained for hiking and helping our youth members succeed at this type of event.     Finally, please refer to the posting in our announcements from October about the dues for 2023 and how to pay.  Total amount due is $250 by November 18.  Thank you, Mrs. Jensen, Troop Committee Chair

We have started our rechartering (reenrollment) for Jan to Dec 2023 Membership.   For the third year in a row, the Troop Committee agreed that despite minor increases the National portion of the dues, we will keep our dues at $250 per youth and $50 per registered adults.   I hope that all the youth in both Troops  will continue to stay active members in 2023.     If you need to drop away for 2023, please let me know as soon as possible.    Depending on the reason, we can try and make arrangements for the youth member to stay active.     As in prior years, we can provide assistance with paying the dues if a family will find the payment a hardship.    Some of the adults leaders donate to pay the fees of a youth member.  Our wonderful chartered organization, VFW, will also provide assistance. A parent should not hesitate to ask Scoutmaster LIndsey, Scoutmaster Withycombe or me if the family needs assistance.    Assistance will be confidential between the Scoutmaster of the youth's troop, the Committee Chair, the Treasurer and the parent (s)of the youth.   The youth member will not be told.  

Scoutmaster Grandma Jane informed the Troop Committee this week that she regretfully had to resign as Scoutmaster of Troop 35 G for personal and family reasons.  All of us were saddened to hear of the news but know she did not make this choice lightly.   At our October 9, 2022 Court of Honor, we will honor Grandma Jane for her years of service to Troop 35 (before the G designation started) and to her role as our FIRST FEMALE SCOUTMASTER for our FEMALE Troop (F Troop in the early days.)   Without Grandma Jane stepping up to take on that important role, we would not have been able to start our girl troop.   THE GOOD NEWS - within Two Hours of her announcement, Mark Withycombe volunteered to take over as Scoutmaster.    Mark is an Eagle Scout and Assistant Scoutmaster.  His appointment has been approved by the Chartered Organization.   We will have a Scoutmaster Installation Ceremony at the Court of Honor.   The Court of Honor will start at 4pm on Sunday, October 9.  We will have a potluck meal after the program.   We look forward to all our families (B & G) joining all the leaders at the Court of Honor to recognize our Scoutmasters for Troop 35 G.   Please register or send regrets for the COH by clicking on the calendar entry and following through to the register page.  Thank you! Pam Jensen, Troop Committee Chair