Weekly Post, Week of October 21, 2012
Post date: Oct 21, 2012 3:39:46 PM
Greetings Troop 737! We have had two big events since the last weekly post two weeks ago; our Court of Honor and our Wilderness Survival Campout.
I was not present at the Court of Honor due to a Band Competition. I did not hear from the Evergreen folks, but Conifer finished first in Metro Regional 4A competition, go LOBOS! I received a court of Honor report from Mr. Westfall and heard we had a really fine Court. Nice job to our MCs and all the scouts for working so hard on their rank advancement and merit badges. I would like to say a special thank you to Mrs. Kline for being HALO for this event. She did a truly great job!!!
Our second event was our Wilderness Survival Campout. It snowed on us pretty much all weekend, even though it was warm and sunny for most of that weekend here in the Conifer/Evergreen area. In fact, when we drove about a half mile from our camp site, we hit the full sunshine that eluded us all weekend. However, this was still one of our best campouts all year. Real scout skills were learned by all. For those scouts that are working on their Wilderness Survival Merit Badge, don’t forget to show me your survival kit.
Upcoming Signup Deadlines (see below for details):
· Monday, October 29 is the Signup Deadline for Winter Camp Training on October 2 – 3
· Monday, October 5th; last day to sign up for the November Campout to Pawnee National Grasslands on October 9 – 11th.
· December 3rd; last day to sign up for Okpik, however, if you wait this long, you might not be able to go because we have to commit soon. We have registered for about 10 spots and once these are filled, we can request more, but no guarantees.
Service Patrol:
The service patrol for October is the Falcons Patrol!! All members of the Falcons 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:
Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops, and a Patrol Leaders Council Meeting – Monday, October 22 @ 6:30 to 8:30 PM at ELC:
· There is no regular troop meeting on this Monday.
· This meeting is for all incoming and outgoing troop leaders. The outgoing leaders and the scoutmaster will take the incoming leaders through a training session designed to help get new leaders the skills they need to be successful. If you are an incoming or outgoing troop leader, excluding Den Chiefs, you need to be here.
· This meeting will end with the new leaders conducting a PLC with help from the outgoing leaders and plan the next month of scout meetings and activities.
· This meeting will be very busy and take the entire two hours. Please arrive at least five minutes early so we can get set up and start on time/end on time.
Troop Meeting – Advancement Night – Monday, October 29 @ 6:30 to 8:30 PM at ELC:
· Regular troop meeting to work on Merit Badges and Trail top First Class.
Winter Camp Training – November 2 - 3:
· HALO: Mr. Moss and Mr. Robertson
· Winter Camp Training is required for all scouts and adults that will camp in the winter months; November - March. This one time training starts on Saturday morning for trainees, and includes a lunch prepared by our master scout and adult chefs. Expert training is conducted by Boy Scout experts that are very experienced in winter camping.
· Trainers will show up on Friday evening to prepare for the next day's training activity, and will sleep over with snacks and movies. Exact time and details will be worked out in October.
· We need to have our Quartermasters, troop guide, and all troop instructors sign up as trainers. I would also like to encourage all scouts that have been to winter camp training and winter campouts with our troop to sign up as trainers. This is a fun activity for the trainers that start with Friday evening preparation, followed by snacks and movies. All experienced winter camp scouts are welcome!
Pawnee National Grassland Winter Campout – November 9 - 11:
· HALO: Mr. Snyder and Mr. Catterson
· Winter Camp Training is required for by all participants of this campout, ne exceptions.
· Cost is $20.
· Activities will include a five mile hike to the top of both of the Pawnee Buttes and maybe working on several merit badges. I am thinking; Astronomy, Nature and/or others. This is also a good campout to work on trail to first class, and to do some fancy cooking for your patrol meals.
· Unfortunately, campfires will not be allowed, so we will plan a campfire program using a fake fire of some sort, like a lantern. We will perform skits, run-ons and stories. Please come prepared.
· More details to come.
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