Football is offered throughout the Des Moines Catholic Football League. Parents should visit www.dmcatholicfootball.com for football schedules and information.

The volleyball season runs approximately six weeks. Five weekends of match play and the championship tournament in mid-October. Volleyball is available to students in 6th-8th grade. Holy Trinity practice begins in mid-August and continues through mid-October.

Cheerleading is open to both boys and girls in 7th & 8th grades. Cheerleaders will cheer for their grade for both girls and boys basketball seasons.

The sport of wrestling starts mid-November and concludes with a tournament in February.

Practice for track and field starts in March and concludes with a championship meet in May. Athletes generally participate in one field event and three running events at each meet. Participation in the championship meet will be determined by performance in the qualifying meets.

This program is a wonderful extracurricular learning activity that teaches students in a concrete manner the dynamics of the American trial process. Mock Trial is an excellent activity for increasing self-confidence, and it engages the student to experience both dramatic acting and public speaking.

Chess club, which meets monthly, is a casual club for students who play chess and want to enjoy dedicated time to play with other students. All levels of experience welcome! For more information, contact Erin Grillot at grilloterinm@gmail.com.

Battle of the Books is a before (and maybe after) school book club that meets to read a book list from October-April. They can use these books during their WIN time or as books they read in the classroom. We meet 2x monthly to talk about what we are reading and share. Then grades 3-5 form teams to compete against other Catholic Schools in a book trivia contest at a local Catholic grade school in April or May. Grades 6-8 form teams to compete in Winterset, IA, also in April or May. If your child wants to read the books with us but not compete – that is fine too! We love making struggling readers successful by exposing them to good stories just as much as we love challenging strong readers to keep discovering good books! If you have any questions, please contact Janelle Kerr at kerrjed@aol.com.

After School Art classes are for students in 2nd-5th grade. Two sessions are held each year, one in late fall and one in early spring.

Welcome to Boy Scout Troop 77

In this packet we hope to address any questions you may have about the troop. Should you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact one of the adult leaders.

Troop organization
Troop 77 is primarily a boy-led troop with supervision and guidance provided by the Scoutmaster and parent volunteers. The troop is led (under the guidance of the Scoutmaster) by a Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and Assistant Senior Patrol leader (ASPL). Troop elections are held every 6-12 months. Scouts vote for Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader. Upon successful service the ASPL is promoted to SPL. Other positions including Troop Guide, Troop Librarian, Troop Chaplain and Troop Quartermaster are appointed by the Scoutmaster working in conjunction with the Senior Patrol Leader.
The troop is further broken into Patrols based on age/grade. Second year Webelo Cub Scouts joining the troop will form a new patrol and choose a patrol name. Troop 77 is sponsored by Holy Trinity church and is part of the Raccoon River Valley District and Mid Iowa Council of Boy Scouts of America.

General planning for the troop takes place during the Patrol Leaders Council. This meeting is held once monthly and is attended by the Scoutmaster and all of the boys holding a leadership role in the troop.

The Parent’s Committee/ Troop committee provides general oversight for the troop as well as financial management and supervision for all meetings and activities. This group meets monthly. It is comprised of adult volunteers and includes the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters, Committee Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Advancement Chair, Camping and Activities Chair, Equipment Manager and District Commissioner. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings regardless of whether they hold a committee position. It is a great way to meet other scouting parents and the opportunity to share your ideas or concerns. Scouts do not attend these meetings.

Meeting times
Troop 77 meets at Holy Trinity School on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in one of the 7th grade classrooms. Meetings typically run 1-1.5 hours. Occasionally things will differ from the normal calendar so watch your email for any changes to the schedule or times. Scouts are required to wear their Class A Boy Scout shirt and jeans or dress pants to all meetings.

Communication
Most communication to parents and boys takes place via email so please update the scoutmaster any time your information changes. A master list of all troop members and a master calendar are completed yearly by the Parent Committee and distributed by email. Parents also receive a monthly troop update of the Parent Committee minutes and Patrol Leader Council minutes.

Campouts and Activities
Troop 77 tries to plan a weekend activity every month (campout, hike etc). Many times our outings include the opportunity to camp either in tents or in a rustic cabin. The boys plan the meals, do the cooking and clean up, and learn new skills. The scouts are required to wear their uniform on travel to and from campouts. The troop owns a few tents and camping equipment. Scouts are expected to purchase their own back packs, sleeping bags, mess kits and personal gear. Cots are optional. Scouts are asked to not bring computers, cell phones or electronic games. The Boy Scout Handbook includes a list of recommended gear for camping. This will also be discussed with the Scouts at a meeting prior to a campout. If you have any questions please contact the Scoutmaster.

Parent volunteers are essential to a successful scouting troop. The Boy Scout organization has guidelines that must be followed in terms of the number of adult supervisors required on campouts and activities. Leader training is offered by the local Boy Scout organization and all parents interested in accompanying the Scouts are encouraged to complete this training. When you are participating on a campout or other activity as a parent volunteer you are expected to help maintain discipline and assist with the overall supervision under the direction of the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters.

The scouts attend summer camp at Mitigwa (near Boone) for one week in the summer. Although this is not mandatory it does provide an excellent opportunity for scouts to learn more about scouting and work on key merit badges. Troop 77 camps together as a troop when on summer camping trips. Occasionally, the troop will plan a summer camping trip to a more distant location. Past trips have been made to Colorado, Wisconsin and New Mexico.

As members of the Holy Trinity debate program, students work with a partner to conduct research in order to create arguments that both affirm and negate a current issue (resolution). During each round of competition, the partners then have to convince a judge to vote for their position on the issue instead of their opponents by presenting a case, asking and answering questions, rebutting counterarguments, and clarifying relevant points. Through participation in debate, students learn a wide-range of skills including research, argument writing, speaking, listening, teamwork, etc. Students in grades six through eight are eligible to join. The team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 pm to 5:15 pm usually from December until May. For more information, contact Ms. Brott at ebrott@htschool.org.

Lego Club is a commitment-free club for students to spend time building with Legos. All students from kindergarten through eighth grade are welcome. There is a recommended theme each meeting that students can follow or they can build whatever they want! Legos are provided. Parents are welcome to stay and build with their child(ren). Lego Club is held one Friday a month in the media center from 7:15-8:00 am. Students are free to arrive any time after 7:15. See the school calendar for the days Lego Club is scheduled. For more information, contact Evan Besperat at ebesperat@hotmail.com.

Stock Market Game (SMG) is a club to teach middle school kids what a company is, what stocks and bonds are, and how to invest in them. While this is a game designed for students of all ages, the program has been tailored for a middle school audience. We will focus on business issues, work collaboratively in teams, and hopefully inspire students to learn more about money, investing and business. The club is open to students in grades 6-8, and we meet about two times a month. For more information about the program, visit the SMG website (https://www.stockmarketgame.org/) or contact Nick Gerhart at nickgerhart@yahoo.com

Formerly known as HyperStream. Look for more information soon!

More information to come.

More information to come.