Weekly Post - January 22, 2012
Post date: Jan 29, 2012 6:20:05 PM
Greetings Troop 737! Our last troop meeting for January is an advancement meeting. We will be working on Robotics, Trail to First Class (maybe) and several new merit badges. In addition, I have added the Aviation Merit badge to the calendar on April 29. We will have a sign up and more information soon.
Sea Base is one of the three highest, high adventures that scouting has to offer. It ranks right next to Philmont and Boundary Waters. The scouts of Troop 737 elected to try to go to boundary waters in summer 2013. I say try because we need to enter and win a lottery to be eligible. The lottery closes on February 15th, so we have to act fast to get our entry ready and apply. We will have a presentation to interested parents and scouts at tomorrow's circle time. Parents, please come to circle time and join your scouts to find out what types of Sea Base adventures are available and how we will elect which one(s) we will apply for. We will also discuss approximate costs etc.
Because it is so important, I would like to repeat the information about Big Horn and Wood Badge. Please see the information at the bottom of this post.
It is troop policy to have all of our senior patrol leaders and assistants Bighorn trained. In addition to making you eligible for these positions, it is one of the best leadership trainings you can attend as youth. This can be used on your college applications, right next to your Eagle Scout!!!
If you are an adult leader, please consider the Wood Badge training being offered over two weekends in April. I have always been reluctant to go because it would cut into an already limited number of vacation days that I get in a year. However, this one is different, it will require two Fridays and the weekends, only! I am strongly considering it this year. The leader of this training is one of the finest local scouters I know, Greg Lure. Further, the troop pays for some of this training after successful completion.
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.
Service Patrol:
The service patrol for January will be the Titans!! All members of the Titans Patrol should be inside our meeting room no later than 6:15 to help set up for the meeting.
Past and Current Activities
Court of Honor; Speaking as a participant, we had a great Court of Honor last week, and I would like to thank all of you who helped, participated and came to this event.
Special thanks goes to our HALO, Mrs. Furman for all the organizing and setup she did with the food, Mr. Trower for the program, and our MCs; Graham Peterson and Trevor Roche. They all did an outstanding job and helped make this Court of Honor a success.
Upcoming Activities and Sign up & Payment Deadlines:
Advancement Troop Meeting - January 30, 2012:
· Merit Badge and TTFC Scouting Skills time
· Steel the Bacon!
· Boundary Waters presentation at circle time!
Semi Annual Planning Meeting - February 4, 2012 at ELC at 9:00 AM:
This meeting was started last year by Mr. Wickham to put some details behind troop activities scheduled for spring time. This year, we would like to plan the Spring Break trip and the rafting trip in May. I would like to ask that the HALOs for these trips be present to help the scouts with planning. I will be there and so will Mrs. Freeman, our HALO. We could also use some laptops to get on line and make reservations and research options. PLC participation is mandatory and all troop members are also encouraged to attend. Snacks will be served. Here are some details provided by our HALO:
· Who: Everyone is invited; however, PLC, HALOs (especially if your event is not planned out yet; ie, spring break trip and rafting trip), and Mr. Hoffman need to be there.
· What: To plan for all upcoming activities
· When: February 4 9:00-11:00
· Where: ELC
· Why: Well...there might be a discussion if this is still useful as many activities are already well planned at this point. But, we'll try it this time and see how it goes.
· Laptops will be needed for efficient research and planning purposes. Please RSVP to this email stating if you are coming and/or if you can provide a laptop to use for the morning.
· The Freeman Fam will provide all in attendance with a mid-morning snack and drink. That's another good reason to let us know if you're coming so you can be fed.
Scout Sunday - February 5, 2012 at ELC or your own Family's church.
This is a nationally recognized day for scout recognition at churches across the country. I would like to invite all scouts to attend church service on this Sunday morning in very clean Class A uniforms. If you do not have a church that you regularly attend, please attend church services at ELC, they would love to have you and see you in your uniform.
NEW FOR ALL OA MEMBERS!!! Tahosa Lodge OA Banquet - February 4, 2012:
· Where: PPA Event Center-just a few blocks North of Sports Authority Field at Mile High
· Time: Starting at 5:30 PM
· Video: http://youtu.be/x34f-EP65oo
· Details & Registration: http://www.tahosalodge.org/registration/calendardetail.asp?ActivityKey=1066742
Troop Meeting - OA Elections and Callout - February 6, 2012:
· HALO: Mr. Johnson
· OA Presentation and Election
· Fencing Presentation
· Callout Ceremony
SM & ASM & HALOs for Upcoming Events Meeting/Committee Meeting - February 9th, 2012 at 6:30 at ELC:
Once again, I would like to build on the success of our last SM & ASM & HALOs for Upcoming Events Meeting & Committee Meeting and again have as much parent participation as possible. There is a lot to talk about and plan for in the coming months. I will have much more information next week, but if you are a HALO of an event in the next month or so, please plan on coming and helping.
· The ASM meeting starts at 6:30 PM: Need to discuss upcoming events with HALOs.
· The committee meeting starts at 7:00 PM: Need to discuss troop business vital to running the troop for the next month and into the future; finances, advancement meetings, summer camp, etc.
If you have never been to one of these meetings, please come by and see what we do and give us your ideas! I will send out an agenda for these meetings by next weekend.
Timberline District Klondike - February 24 - 26, 2012 at ELC:
· Sign up deadline is February 6th.
· HALO: Mr. Riley
· We need to have signups for Klondike as soon as possible as we have to begin registering this week.
Troop Elections - March 5, 2012 at ELC:
· HALO: Mrs. Roche
· Details and theme to be worked out at the SM & ASM & HALO for Upcoming Events Meetings.
Peaceful Valley Summer Camp; July 08 to 14, 2012:
· HALOs: Steve Stalter and Allan McCabe
· The Signup and Payment Deadlines are rapidly approaching. The HALOs will be getting the registration login information soon and shortly after that will begin inputting names. Registration for Merit Badges is still a few months away, but you want to have your name entered so that on the day registration opens, the HALOs will be able to sign you up for your first choices.
· Cost: The fee for each scout for summer camp is $250. A$30 deposit is required for each scout to put their names in and we can register scouts on the Peaceful Valley Web Site as we get the deposit. The payment schedule is as follows:
o As soon as possible, a $30 deposit. We will register scouts by name as soon as we get this deposit
o March 5th, 30% including the $30 deposit.
o April 2nd,the next 30%
o May 7th, the final 30%
o The fee for the adults still needs to be determined by the number going. We get the first two slots for free, so we have some options.
District and Council News and Upcoming Activities:
2012 Big Horn Information: Summer 2012 dates are posted. If you are interested, more information will posted as it comes out. This training is required for all Scouts desiring to hold the Senior Patrol leader position.
Wood Badge Training - This course is offered in two parts. You must attend both weekends. Friday-Sunday April 13-15, 2012 and April 27-29, 2012.
Please go to this link for more details and registration information: http://www.timberlinedistrict.com/registration/calendardetail.asp?ActivityKey=1045319.
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