Weekly Post, Week of March 18, 2012

Post date: Mar 18, 2012 3:19:19 PM

Greetings Troop 737! We had a very successful JLT yesterday, lots of activities and discussion about leading in a Scout Led Troop. What most of you don’t know, and neither did I until a couple of days ago, JLT is no longer a program in Scouting. It’s now called Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops, or ILST. I used the new materials to put together a program for our training yesterday. It looked like the training was high impact and the scouts seemed to enjoy it.

This week we have our last meeting prior to spring break. Tomorrow is an Advancement Meeting and Campout Prep for the spring break trip. We will also have the uniform table set up, so please make sure to visit and purchase troop uniform items. If you don’t have a Class B Tee Shirt, please make sure to purchase one. We will need to wear our Class B Tee Shirts at many activities as spring and summer approach; New Scout Campout, Church Cleanup Day, Scout Show and Summer Camp to name just a few.

Make sure you look at the calendar for the most up to date information. Note that after tomorrow, we will not meet for a regular scout meeting until April 9^th. The PLC will meet on April 2^nd, the last day of spring break.

We have three minor problems at our troop meetings;

· Circle Time. The incoming and outgoing PLC has asked that we keep our circle time to the scheduled 15 minutes from 8 PM to 8:15 PM. All scouts and adults need to keep announcements brief and moving along. Please make sure that your message is concise and planned prior to coming into the circle. They also request that adults either join in the circle time, or take any conversations outside the meeting room. We all thank everyone for their help in this matter.

· The second issue is that too many scouts are leaving the meetings early. When we have circle time and try to hand out awards and recognitions, we often call scouts that have left the meeting already. AS a reminder, meetings start at 6:30 PM and end at 8:15 PM. If you are attending the meeting, please plan on staying until the end. I recognize that homework and other priorities sometimes need to come first, but leaving early should be the very rare exception. If you do leave early, please let someone know.

· We have too many recent instances of minor hazing and physical contact between scouts. I have already spoken to all scout leaders about this problem, and I will be addressing the entire troop at circle time. As a reminder, we are scouts and we live by the scout law. More on Monday!

Uniforms:

Below is the schedule for the Uniform Table at regular troop meetings for the rest of the year.

· March 19^th

· April 9^th

· May 7^th

Service Patrol:

The service patrol for February will be the Serpents!! All members of the Thigers 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 and Sign up & Payment Deadlines:

Troop Meeting – Advancement and Campout Prep; - March 18, 2012 at ELC:

· Merit badges and trail to first class scout skills.

Personal Fitness Merit Badge – is still ongoing, March through May ELC

· HALO: Mrs. Roche

· Here is the schedule, these dates are also on the calendar:

o Thursday March 29th @ 7:00 PM – Progress testing and requirement #’s 4 & 5. (this is Spring Break week, don’t worry if you miss)

o Thursday April 12th @ 7:00 PM – Progress testing and requirement # 1.

o Thursday April 26th @ 7:00 PM – Progress testing and requirement # 9.

o Thursday May 10th @ 7:00 PM – Progress testing only.

o Friday May 25th @ 7:00 PM – REQUIRED! Final testing and requirement # 8.

PLC Meeting – Planning for April meetings and activities; April 02, 6:30 PM at ELC:

· All PLC members need to attend.

New Scout Campout; April 20 - 22, 2012 at Fort Lupton:

· HALO: Mr. Catterson

· This campout has something for everyone! All scouts should plan on attending this fun filled weekend campout.

· The goal of this campout is to give our new scouts a very big head start on rank advancement. All new scouts that work hard and participate in all of the skills sessions taught by our older scouts will make Tenderfoot by the end of the weekend. They will learn all of the basic outdoor skills necessary to camp with the troop.

· We have invited several new troops from Denver that are trying to get a start in scouting. We will essentially adopt these troops into our new scout training sessions and our evening activities; dinner and the campfire. So far, only one troop has responded that they are coming.

· For older scouts that need service project time, we will participate in a service project to help the Historical Society in their efforts to maintain and improve the park. This project will take several hours between Breakfast and Lunch. We may be able to cycle instructors with service project participants so everyone has an opportunity for both activities.

· There will be other activities: a tour of the fort and black powder shooting to name two.

· And finally, there is the pig. We will try to cook a pig again this year. I am looking for an adult leader to learn the ins and outs of pig cooking so they can take over for me next year. It is time for me to pass the pig cooking tradition on to someone else.

· Uniform for this campout will be Class A for traveling and Class B during the activities on Saturday and Sunday.

Church Cleanup Day; April 02, 8:00 AM at ELC:

· HALO: Mr. Wagonhals

· This is an annual event where we help our chartered organization with their annual cleanup of the church and grounds. This is a required event for all scouts to give back to the church for all they do for us. No details have been developed yet, but stay tuned for much more on this in the weeks ahead.

· Uniform for this event will be Class B. Please make sure to have your tee shirt purchased prior to this event.

Arkansas River Rafting Campout; May 11 - 13, 2012 at Salida CO:

· HALOs: Mr. and Mrs. Kraft

· Details are still being worked out, but this late season campout will be a great spring trip in the Rockies. We are planning to float the Arkansas or hike the Rockies. New scouts will take their five mile hike with the scoutmaster while second year and older scouts have an opportunity to raft on the river.

· Stay tuned as more details are worked out.

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 5^th, 30% including the $30 deposit.

o April 2^nd,the next 30%

o May 7^th, 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.

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