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Iron District Newsletter

The Iron District newsletter is a monthly newsletter that contains information about upcoming district and council events and activities that is distributed at roundtable. Soon, the newsletter will be sent electronically. Sign up below. After you sign up for the newsletter, you will receive a confirmation email. You must respond to the email in order to complete the subscription. If you don't respond to the confirmation email, you will be deleted from the system after 90 days,

June Newsletter Sign-up for Electronic Newsletter

Fishing Derby

August 5, 2017 | 7:30 - 11:30 am

Troop 401 is hosting a fishing derby for Cub Scouts in 1^st - 5^th grades. The event is free. Cub Scouts will compete to catch the biggest bass, biggest bluegill, biggest catfish, longest fish, most fish caught and most species of fish caught. Forest Oaks Park is adjacent to Lemm Elementary. There is no charge for the event; however, participants are encouraged to bring a fishing related door prize (~$5 value). Parents can pool resources with other parents for bigger prizes (e.g., three parents get one $15 prize). The more prizes, the more can be given to Scouts.

Learn More and Register

Iron Horse District Roundtable

August 10, 2017

Roundtable is a district monthly meeting typically held the second Thursday of the month at the LDS Church (16331 Hafer Rd, Houston, 77090) 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 policy, 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.

District Calendar

Download the Iron Horse District calendar for June 2017 to July 2018. The council calendar and council toolkit provides additional information on upcoming council events.

District calendar for June 2017 to July 2018

Day Camp Feedback

If you and/or your kids attended day camp, we would appreciate your feedback. To assist the district and council in its continuing efforts to upgrade and improve our program and to help us meet the BSA National Camp Accreditation Program requirement for continuous camp improvement, please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

Participant Feedback Volunteer Staff Feedback

Annual Planning

A common element of strong units is they all have a good annual program planned a year in advance. The plan is then shared with all families in the form of an annual program calendar. Two other key elements of successful units are trained leaders and having the right leaders.

North Division Program Guide Leader Resources

Cub Scout Planning Boy Scout Planning Venturing Planning

Help us promote Scouting

The 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

Sign up for Popcorn

Hundreds of thousands of dollars go back to the Scouting program in the Sam Houston Area Council as a result of the annual popcorn sale. 73% of all dollars collected during the sale support local Scouting. The popcorn sale is a way for a Scout to support his or her way through the various activities during the year. There are three options to sell popcorn: traditional take order sales, sell online to friends and family out of town and show-n-sell. For more information, contact your district popcorn kernel. New for this year, units that sell over $12,000 will receive free home popcorn delivery.

Show-n-sell is similar to take order sales, except Scouts have the popcorn in hand to sell to customers. All units are eligible to participate if they agree to the terms stated in the commitment order form. Dens, packs or troops can request permission to sell in front of a retail store or chartered organization. Units must agree to use show-n-sell to grow and not replace traditional take order sales.There are four bundle options that can net units between $500 and $3,600. Order and sell multiple bundles to increase unit profits! There is little risk as any unsold popcorn is rolled into traditional sales. Show-n-sell popcorn is picked up on August 15, 2017, at location TBD. Pick up times: TBD. The show-n-sell campaign runs from August 15 - October 1, 2017. Sign-up by August 1, 2017.

The Scouting Trail

The Scouting Trail is a monthly handout provided to units at roundtable describing upcoming council events for the next quarter.
This is a great resource for Scouters and parents.

June/July 2017

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, you will have an opportunity to combine those skills and experiences in a career that values and respects others. Scouting is a profession with a purpose! Check out the current openings at www.shac.org/employment.

Philmont Advisor Skills School (PASS)

December 9 or 10, 2017

Philmont Advisor Skills School (PASS) is designed to help prepare Philmont advisors to lead a successful trek. PASS is an 8-hour course taught by experiences Philmont staffers that covers backcountry and logistical fundamentals of Philmont. Participants will enjoy a trail lunch and sample a trail dinner in between training sessions. At the conclusion of the course, advisors will receive PASS materials to share with crew members. The December 9^th course will be held at Camp Brosig and the December 10^th course will be held at the Cockrell Scout Center. The cost is $40.