Texas Skies District Roundtable

February 9, 2023  |  7:00 - 8:30 pm

Stay Informed, Attend Roundtable graphic Roundtable is a district monthly meeting typically held the second Thursday of the month at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church (22111 Morton Ranch Rd, Katy, TX 77449) at 7:00 pm to help unit leaders plan and carry out their own program. Roundtable is a form of supplemental training for volunteers. The objective of roundtable is to give leaders program ideas, information on events and training opportunities, and an opportunity to share experiences and enjoy fun and fellowship with other Scouting leaders. As a result of the roundtable experience, unit leaders will be inspired, motivated, informed, and able to provide a stronger program for their Scouts. Follow the district Facebook page at facebook.com/SHACTexasSkies.

Outdoor Leader Training

Training is an important part of learning to become an effective leader. Trained leaders impact the quality of programs, leader tenure, youth tenure, and a whole lot more. A trained leader is better prepared to make the Scouting program all it can be! Every Scout deserves a trained leader. See the council training schedule for a list of additional training courses offered around the council. For more information, contact David Sealy.

What to Bring to Training            Council Training Schedule

Date

Course
(click on title for course description)

Location

Time

Cost

Register
February 3-4, 2023 Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) Jones Creek Ranch Park
7714 FM 359 
Richmond, TX 77406		 Fr at 5 pm -
Sat at 7 pm		 $41.50 Register
February 10-11, 2023 Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) Camp Brosig
1893 Trenckmann Road
Sealy, TX 77474		 Fr at 5 pm -
Sat at 8 pm		 $40 Register
 

Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) is the Cub Scout leader training required for any Cub Scout den or pack outdoor event, including packing camping, overnighters, and Webelos den overnighters. BALOO training is comprised of two components – an online component, and a practical, hands-on component which includes an overnight with 16 hours of instruction time. A minimum of one BALOO-trained leader is required to be present on any pack family or Webelos den overnight camping.

Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) is an overnight training with 16 hours of instructional time that gives adult leaders the practical knowledge they need to help Scouts to learn outdoor skills. The skills presented closely follow the Scout Handbook and rank advancement requirements. This is a required training course for all Scoutmaster and assistant Scoutmasters.

Webelos Woods

January 13-15, 2023

Webelos Woods is a weekend event designed to introduce Webelos Scouts (4th and 5th grade) and their family to some of the exciting adventures of Scouts BSA. The event is filled with fun activities, intriguing demonstrations, and plenty of outdoor excitement. The purpose of Webelos Woods is to showcase the Scout tenants of a youth-led troop and the patrol method.

Fourth-grade Webelos Scouts will have the opportunity to visit the archery range and work on various Webelos Scout and Arrow of Light Adventures. Fifth-grade Webelos Scouts will have the opportunity to visit the BB gun range and work on various Scouting skills directly from the Scouts BSA Handbook.

There will be Arrow of Light Ceremony teams on-hand Saturday to conduct crossover ceremonies for the 5th grade Webelos Scouts who have earned the Arrow of Light rank. Packs and troops may camp the entire weekend and arrive Friday night and depart Saturday morning. All activities are led by Texas Skies District troops. The event is being held at Bovay Scout Ranch (3450 County Road 317, Navasota, TX 77868).

Registration is typically completed by the Webelos leader or unit leader. Individuals can register if their den is not attending. At checkout, pay with a credit card or electronic check. Council refund policy. 

Every unit needs to RSVP by December roundtable to let the event staff know whether the unit is attending. Estimated numbers are provided to the council so the district can reserve the appropriate number of campsites and program areas for the event. 

Learn More & RSVP

District Awards Recognition

February 9, 2023

 

District Dinner graphicThe District Awards Recognition event is held during February roundtable and is an opportunity for a night of fellowship and great food as we acknowledge and thank our adult volunteers for the hard work and dedication that made this year incredibly successful. Texas Skies District’s outstanding leaders at the unit and district levels will be recognized.  All volunteers in Texas Skies District are invited. Registration is not required for the event. The event is being held at Jeanette Hayes Elementary School (21203 Park Timbers Ln, Katy, TX 77450).

 

 

Award Nominations

Due by January 31, 2023

Nominate Scouters who have served Texas Skies District youth above and beyond the call of duty. Awards are presented at the District Awards Recognition event. For questions about nominations, contact the district advancement chair.  

 

Spirit Award

The Spirit Award is presented to one or more Scouters in each unit who has made a significant impact in the lives of youth in the unit and/or district. Each unit may nominate one candidate, regardless of unit size. Units may nominate additional candidates for every 25 Scouts registered. There is no cap on the number of nominations a unit may submit. For example, a unit of 100 Scouts may nominate four (4) candidates: one (1) for the unit itself (regardless of size) or the first 25 Scouts, one (1) for the next 25 Scouts (26-50), one (1) for the next 25 Scouts (51-75) and one (1) for the last 25 Scouts (76-100). Anyone may recommend a Scouter for this award. The unit committee selects the candidate(s) and makes the nominations to the district. All unit nominations will receive an award. 

Nomination Form

Family of the Year Nomination

family of the year graphicThe family is an important part of Scouting. Family support for each youth is vital to their success in Scouting. Those parents who volunteer as leaders are a vital support for other kids as well as their own. The extra effort that parents put forth as leaders, in addition to their family responsibilities, deserve to be recognized. But when the whole family is involved in Scouting, they deserve recognition all the more. The Family of the Year award is a way to honor these families by selecting, from those nominated, the family whose work as a team in Scouting has made the greatest difference in our community.

Nomination Forms

District Award of Merit 

District Award of MeritThe District Award of Merit is a council award presented by the district.  The award is available to Scouters who render service of an outstanding nature at the district level.  A committee of district peers will review the nominations and select the recipients.  Selections for the Rising Star Award will also be chosen from these nominations. 

Nomination Forms

Summer Camp 2023

Summer camp is a week-long council-organized overnight camp for Scouts BSA that operates under council-retained leadership. The program provides opportunities for Scouts to earn merit badges along their advancement trail.

Summer camp is held at Camp Strake, a first-class and state-of-the-art facility for Scouts and their leaders. Program areas include shooting sports (rifle, shotgun, archery, sporting arrows), climbing, rappelling, boating (canoeing, kayaking, rowing, paddle boarding), swimming, ATV riding, ziplining, cycling, merit badge classes and more. 

Learn More and Register 

Individual Scouts who can't attend summer camp with their unit, or want to attend a second week of camp can register individually for Super Troop. Super Troop is a temporary troop made up of Scouts from troops around the council.

National Special Needs and Disabilities Conference

April 21-22, 2023  |  Cockrell Scout Center

Understanding and Navigating Behaviors and Mental Health in Scouting

BSA's National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee is hosting a two-day conference on Understanding Behaviors and Mental Health in Scouting. The conference is designed for Scouters in leadership positions at all levels (pack, troop, crew, ship, district, council, camp staff), BSA professionals, parents/guardians, caregivers, and anyone interested in learning more about supporting Scouts with special needs or disabilities.  Several knowledgeable guest speakers are scheduled to present on various topics: • Ages and Stages • Scout Transitions • Scout Transitions • Anxiety & Depression • Managing Behaviors • Mental Health First Aid • Success Through Failure 

Learn More & Register

National Scout Jamboree

July 19-28, 2023  |  Bechtel Summit, West Virginia

Scouting’s flagship event is one-of-a-kind. Over the course of 10 summer days, once every four years, the Boy Scouts of America comes together for a gathering of approximately 40,000 Scouts, leaders, and staff that showcases everything that is great about the BSA and its members. The result is the national Scout jamboree. To keep up with the latest information, visit the Summit website. Scouts and Scouters will explore all kinds of adventures—stadium shows, pioneer village, Garden Ground hikes, adventure sports, patch trading, and more—in the heart of one of nature’s greatest playgrounds. With 10,000 acres at the Summit to explore, there’s no shortage of opportunities to build Scouting memories.

The council will take approximately 200 Scouts to the national jamboree as part of the council contingent. The contingent will head to the Summit for 10 days of activities ranging from shooting sports, mountain biking, zip-lining, rock climbing, white water rafting and more!  The jamboree is open to youth who meet the participant qualifications, are physically fit, and agree to the jamboree code of conduct on a first come first serve basis. All Scouts BSA youth must be currently registered in a troop and be a minimum of age 12. All Venturers must be currently registered in a Venturing crew and meeting Venturing age requirements.

Learn More & Register

Range Master Training

BSA requires all Cub Scout shooting sports to be supervised by a BSA-certified range master. Range master training covers setting up a range, safety, handling equipment, using a bow stringer, care and operation of BB guns, range etiquette and safety, and instructing Scouts. Cub Scouts can shoot BB-gun rifles, slingshots, and archery in a council or district event only and is not approved as a unit event. Certified range masters are needed for day camp and district events. 

Register         Learn More

Wood Badge

Wood Badge is the Boy Scouts of America's ultimate leadership training designed to meet the advanced leadership needs of Scouters in all aspects of the BSA, whether unit, district, or council level – from assistant den leaders to Scoutmasters, from Cubmasters to Venturing Advisors, from committee members to commissioners. It is a fun, energetic and inspiring course guaranteed to infuse your unit with fun and meaning – all designed to fulfill the mission of the BSA, and ensure our youth is getting everything they are promised from the program.

Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience, Wood Badge draws upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles and successful organizations throughout the country. Participants can expect to develop skills in many areas, including leadership theory, team building, problem-solving, communication, project planning and more.  These skills can be taken back to packs, troops, crews and ships to help leaders guide youth in dynamic Scouting programs.  Scouters will find these skills invaluable in their business and personal lives as well.

Learn More and Register

Website Feedback

We would love to hear from you! Please send us your feedback on our website.  Let us know about information that we need to update, broken links, or even typos.

Website Feedback

Support Scouting with Amazon Smile

Now you can support Scouting without lifting a finger — or at least not more than one. AmazonSmile, the simple and no-cost way to donate to the Sam Houston Area Council, now works on the Amazon Shopping app for iPhone and Android.

That means it’s easier than ever to support Scouting anytime, anywhere. Through its AmazonSmile program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to the charity of your choice — at no cost to you. You’ll get the same prices, selection and service found on Amazon.com, but now Amazon gives 0.5% of its cut to a good cause.

The Sam Houston Area Council is an eligible AmazonSmile charity. Individual packs, troops, posts, ships and crews are not eligible.

Previously, AmazonSmile required the user to shop using their browser — either on a desktop computer or through the mobile browser on a smartphone. That meant that when you shopped in the official Amazon app, you weren’t contributing to your chosen charity — even if you had already activated AmazonSmile. By adding AmazonSmile to its official app, Amazon is making the program available anytime, anywhere. So now when you buy a blender from the back seat or a printer from the patio — our council still gets that 0.5%.

If you aren’t yet an AmazonSmile member, sign up at smile.amazon.com using a web browser (mobile or desktop). You’ll sign in with your Amazon credentials, and the site will walk you through the process. Amazon will ask you to choose your favorite charity. This is where you search for “Sam Houston Area Council.”

Learn More

BSA Brand Guidance Training

To ensure that we promote our programs in a clear and Scout-like manner, it important to remind units to follow BSA Brand Guidelines and use approved materials from the BSA Brand Center in developing their recruiting materials. This includes following the requirements included in the Scouts BSA Branding Dos and Don’ts Guide and the associated Brand Training Guide.  

The Scouts BSA Brand Guidance Training is one of the efforts underway to be sure Scouters have a clear understanding of what they can do. This training should be shared with all volunteers to bring this understanding to all parts of our community.

BSA Brand Guidelines     BSA Brand Center    Scouts BSA Branding Dos and Don’ts Guide    Brand Training Guide

While our goal is to encourage youth to join our program, we must always be clear in our communications about the program they are joining.

  • We are The Boy Scouts of America.
  • The Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA are different organizations.
  • We support all other youth organizations and do not disparage them.
  • We encourage parents to enroll all youth in a character development program that meets their needs – and the BSA is certainly ready to welcome them.

Looking for a Cub Scout Pack

Join Cub Scouts graphic Welcome to the adventure of Cub Scouting. Cub Scouting helps to support your family by providing ready-made opportunities for you and your child to do things together. As a parent, you want to be assured that the groups that your child joins will teach values consistent with good citizenship, character development, and physical fitness. The Boy Scouts of America has been weaving these lifetime values into fun and educational activities since 1910.

Find a pack near you

Scout Days

Scout Days are awesome opportunities to get your Scouts, friends and family together for some exciting experiences around the area with other Scouting families. All Scout Days are offered at a discounted price of admission. Also, many of our partners offer merit badge classes and advancement workshops for Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts.

Learn more about Scout Days

Donate to Scouting

SHAC CSP with car keysHelp ensure the success of Scouting in the Sam Houston Area Council with meaningful gifts including donating cars, trucks, RVs, trailers, boats, motors, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, securities, uniforms, camping equipment, memorials and tributes, planned giving and yes, even services.

Many corporations match employee contributions made to the council. Some companies even make financial contributions for volunteering time to Scouting. Numerous local companies recognize volunteer time through the donation of cash grants to non-profits in which their employees volunteer. This means that for each hour of volunteer time, employers donate funds to support the Sam Houston Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Volunteer time is money with volunteer grants.

Employment Opportunities

The Sam Houston Area Council is continually searching for potential career employees who would like to work in a profession that has a meaningful, rewarding purpose. Bring to the BSA your varied life experiences, education, and perspective, and in return, have an opportunity to combine those skills and experiences in a career that values and respects others. Scouting is a profession with a purpose!  

Job Openings

 

Help us Promote Scouting

SHAC FacebookThe Sam Houston Area Council is focusing on leveraging the power of social media through Facebook.  The more Scouters share and repost, the more powerful our marketing can be.

We are compiling a list of unit social media sites so we can work together to spread the word about Scouting by tagging, liking commenting and sharing each other posts. 

Learn More          Take our Social Media Survey