Introduction

Troop 365 plans to go to Camp Geronimo for Week 7, leaving from Dream City Church at 9AM Saturday July 11, eating lunch in Payson, then going on to Camp Geronimo.  We expect to return on Saturday July 18 after having checked out of Camp and eaten lunch in Payson.  This email contains basic information about Camp for anyone planning to go or thinking about it.

First, let's address the most basic questions:

Q:  Will camp happen?  A: We think so. The first four scheduled weeks of camp, which would have run from May 30 to June 27, have been cancelled.  Camp is being offered starting June 27 for four weeks, and we have chosen Week 7, which runs July 11 - 18, because we have adult leaders that are able to commit to being there that week.  We expect that if it becomes necessary for the Council to cancel these weeks of camp that we will know it by the latter part of June.  Note that they have assured us that if Camp happens there will be a number of measures taken to protect everyone's health, starting with screening of everyone in the Parking lot before they can enter Camp.  Attached is a dlocument from GRand Canyon Council that can answer your questions.

Q: What happens if Summer Camp at Geronimo gets cancelled?  A: Troop 365 has a plan B in its hip pocket, which would be a combination of a 3 day weekend base camp at 7000' or so plus some days of day camp in the Valley, which would include a daily swimming opportunity and a designed program to support advancement.  We have an outline of what it might look like, but would not work on it in detail until we know that we need Plan B, probably late June.  We'd have about a month to put it together, which should be plenty of time.  At the earliest it would include the weekend of July 17-19 and several days the following week.

Troop 365's response to the times that we are in is to have virtual Zoom meetings -- separate ones for the

• Pirates Patrol (Scouts working on Scout and Tenderfoot ranks) at 7PM,
• Phoenix Patrol (Scouts working on 2nd and 1st Class) at 7:30 PM, and
• Dragons Patrol (1st Class and above) at 8:00 PM. 

Connection information went out via the Announce Tool, so you all should have received it.  We won't repeat it here because distribution here can be seen by the general public.  If you do not know how to get into your Zoom meeting, contact Wyatt. 

"See" you Monday night!

New BSA Medical Forms were introduced in late 2019.  You can find them attached below and also in the Files section of our website.

Note that these are fillable PDFs that allow you to type in most of the info and then print them and sign them,  You can also print out the blank form and fill it all out by hand.

Please start using this form from here on.  If you use an older form in 2020, it will be honored only until 12/31/2020.

The 680001_AB.pdf form has Parts A and B, which the Troop needs for every youth and adult for outings of 72 hours or less.Note that a photocopy of any insurance cards should be attached.

The 680001_ABC.pdf form has Parts A, B and C.  This form can cover both the 72 hours outings and any lomger outing, such as Summer Camps, NYLT, Philmont, Florida Sea Base, etc.  A photocopy of insurance forms is also needed for this form.  Part C must be signed by a Physician, Nurse Practioner (NP), or Physician's Assistant (PA).  While the Part C page is a fillable form, it's very likely that you will give the form to the Physician or NP or PA and they will do their parts by hand, and most importantly sign it.

Mrs. Buchanan will maintain the forms until (and if) a new medical form keeper is identified.  We would like everyone to turn in a new form (at least Parts A and B) starting immediately, and hold on to Part C if you can't get the physical right away.  Part C will of course be part of getting ready for any of the long term camps that are coming up.  What we want to avoid is any last minute problem on a weekend outing with youth or adults having their old forms expire, so getting new ones from everybody in January really helps.

We also strongly recommend that you give us a copy of your originals rather than trust us to have the only copy.  Stuff happens!

Here are some tips for rank advancement and other activities to do at home

click here for scouting from home tips

Below is a portion of the latest email generated to each unit. With that in mind, Troop 365 meetings and local campouts are put on hold. The general consensus is that if scouts are not in school, they should not be in meetings. We will continue to monitor the advice of council and let you know when our troop's meetings and outings are scheduled. We are hoping that the outing to Burro Crrek can be rescheduled for April 11, but that is only tentative.

We hope that you all are staying safe and healthy during this trying time. Please reach out to Sheila Buchanan if you have any questions or concerns. 

Troop 365 Leadership 

Dear Scouting Family,

We continue to review recommendations from public health officials as we monitor the spread of COVID-19.  We’re mindful of the role we play as Scouts to ‘be prepared’ and give leadership to others.  As we evaluate this quickly evolving situation, we are relying on information and guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and local public school systems.

The following changes will be made immediately:

Until schools reopen, we strongly recommend units immediately postpone all meetings and activities. 

Once schools re-open we recommend that units coordinate with their charter partners and review guidance from CDC, ADHS, and local public health officials to determine appropriate next steps.