Weekly Post, Week of December 16, 2012
Post date: Dec 16, 2012 1:00:35 AM
Greetings Troop 737! I would like to remind everyone that Parker Trower and Ian Roche are celebrating their Eagle Scout Court of Honor at ELC at 4 PM. Please join us in helping them celebrate this accomplishment!
Last week we did a lot of planning and here are some of the results;
The PLC met and planed the next three troop meetings, into January. This week’s meeting on 12/17 will be our last for 2012 and is an advancement meeting. We will also be having a special Parents Meeting from 6:30 to 7 PM. Please do not drop your scout and leave, we have some very urgent troop business to discuss with all parents. We will be meeting in the Main Sanctuary as the troop starts their flags and moves into the advancement part of the meeting. Merit badge counselors will leave the parent meeting early, to work with the scouts. We will also have an ASM or two in the scout meeting.
The ASMs and Troop committee met on Thursday for our regular planning meeting. Here are some important notes from this meeting:
· We needed to hold a special parents meeting as described above. We ill be talking about the many activities that we will be planning and doing in the spring summer time frame and other issues that affect the troop.
· There is a new National Scout training policy. I have attached this policy to the end of this email, please look at this policy and I will also answer question about it on Monday.
· I had been approached by several parents about our winter camp training policy. As promised, we did discuss this policy at the committee meeting. This discussion happens every year because each year, we have two or three scouts that can’t make it and have to miss camping with the troop during the winter. As in years past, the committee decided that this policy must stand as is. We recognized that not everyone will be able to attend this training on the day it is scheduled. However, this would be true of any day we schedule it on. What we as a troop do is let every parent of a new scout joining the troop know that this is the policy. Furthermore, we schedule this training more than six months in advance and notify every scout and parent during the new scout orientation in March of the scheduled date. I know that this decision will not be satisfying to those that missed, especially if they missed for some other activity or sport. In this case I would have to ask if the sport would cancel a particular game or practice because of scouting event? They would not, nor would I expect them to. In life, we all have choices to make, and if a competing activity is scheduled at the same time as a scout activity, the scout will have to make a choice. I have no remedy for this.
As far as Military training, this is also asked of me every year. I can only point to my own experience. I am a former Marine Officer and Naval Aviator, highly trained in all sorts of survival; winter, summer, desert, deep water, etc. I did this and other scout training and I am here to tell you that I always learn something new from these young scouts. The information that I learned from winter camp training and other scout training, makes my camping more enjoyable! I am sorry, but military training is not a substitute for scout training.
Activity Level of Interest (please signup now if you think you are going to any of these):
· Spring Break Trip: Family Backpacking to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon. Five to seven days during Spring Break. Final dates will be agreed on with families that plan to go. We need to understand the level of interest before purchasing our back country permit. This trip will be from Saturday to Saturday during spring break.
· Boundary Waters High Adventure trip: As shown by Mr. Ballantyne, this is an adventure of a lifetime similar to Philmont. This is a high adventure trip for scouts that will be 13 years old and first class scout by the date of the trip. The trip is tentatively scheduling from June 11 through June 20, 2013. We need to know soon if we have enough interest for several crews before we pay our deposit.
· Summer Camp, out of State: This is an out of state adventure for mostly older scouts, year three and up. This camp is outside the west entrance of Yellowstone and is a two day trip to and from camp. The troop leaves on Saturday, July 6, and arrives back on Sunday, July 14. It is a full 12 hour drive so we need parents to drive and stay for the week.
· Summer Camp, in State: Camp Ben Delatour in the Red Feather Lakes region west of Fort Collins. July 14 – 20. This camp is for first and second year scouts and any other older scouts that will be working on Trail to First Class and/or Merit Badges.
Upcoming Signup Deadlines (see below for details):
· None this week.
Service Patrol:
The service patrol for December is the Stags Patrol!! All members of the Stags Patrol should be inside our meeting room no later than 6:15 to help set up for the meeting.
Please read below for details on upcoming events, and always stay current with our Troop Calendar on the web site. This is the best way to have the most current information.
Upcoming Activities:
Ian Roche's and Parker Trower's Eagle Scout Court of Honor – Sunday December 16th from 4:00 PM to about 6:00 PM at ELC:
· Ian and Parker would like to invite Troop 737 to our Eagle Court of Honor Sunday December 16th, 4pm at the ELC. If you are able to come that would be great.
· The flier has been sent in a separate email.
Troop Meeting: Last Meeting and Advancement Night of 2012 – Monday, December 17 @ 6:30PM at ELC:
· HALO: Mrs. Osborn
· Work on Merit Badges and other advancement opportunities.
· We will also be having a special Parents Meeting from 6:30 to 7 PM. Please do not drop your scout and leave, we have some very urgent troop business to discuss with all parents. We will be meeting in the Main Sanctuary as the troop starts their flags and moves into the advancement part of the meeting. Merit badge counselors will leave the parent meeting early. We will likely wrap up at about 7 PM.
Okpik – Friday, January 4th to Sunday, January 6th at Tahosa High Adventure Base:
· HALO: Mr. Trower and Mr. Riley
· This event is full. If you still want to go, please let me know and we will see if there is an available registration.
· Cost is $100 and includes food, gear and training for the weekend.
· Extreme winter camp training for scouts and scouters.
· This is a high adventure activity for scouts 14 and older.
· No equipment except for personal clothing and gear is required. They supply gear necessary for the weekend.
As always, please read the troop web site, especially the calendar, for the most current information on all upcoming and scheduled events.
Mr. Hoffman
Scoutmaster
Troop 737