TROOP MEETING
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill!
As I mentioned last weekend, I was a bit under the weather last week (just a cold) so while I was in bed with idle hands, I crafted a little gift for the scouts and adults who went on the outing and to commemorate the experience. I will present it this week!
Next week (March 4th) will be our semi-annual Court of Honor. If you are working on your communication merit badge, this is a great time to volunteer to be the Master of Ceremonies. In addition, look for your SPL to ask some of you to participate in the speaking roles!
For parents (rookies or veterans alike) who may have questions about Summer Camp, Mrs. Catherine Lacayo and Mr. Lee Irwin will have a break session during the meeting to answer any questions you might have. To get you started, see information below.
NEW SCOUTS!!!
Theo, Tadhg, and I had the pleasure of attending Pack 135’s Cross the Bridge Ceremony today and were able to receive three new scouts into our troop!
Simon Macek
Sami Lipke
Quinn Ziemann
When you see them, please be sure to give them a warm welcome to the Troop 131 Family!
SUMMER CAMP
See email below from Mrs. Lacayo, our Summer Camp Coordinator!
Goshen 2024
Summer camp is coming up! This year, we will be attending Camp Olmstead at Goshen. I’ll provide more details about camp activities and merit badge sign ups in the coming weeks, but here are a few things to know now:
- Location:Camp Olmstead in Goshen, VA
- Dates:Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29, 2024 (week 1)
- Camp Fees:If you register by April 11, the early bird cost for one Scout is $475. Regular registration will increase to $505 per Scout. (Note: This does not include the $80 bus fees; see below.)
- Transportation:Scouts will ride the bus to and from Goshen. (This is a change from last year – we are asking everyone to take the bus unless you are bringing supplies.) The roundtrip cost is $80. The bus leaves from Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, VA, and will drop back off at the same location.
- Merit Badges:There are many merit badge options available; you can view the schedule here. New Scouts will go through the Trailshead program. I’ll send details in March about how we do sign ups.
- Forms: Each camper will need to fill out BSA Medical Forms A, B1, B2, and C, as well as the NCAC form. All forms can be found here.
Please note: Part C requires the signature of a medical professional, so prioritize getting this signed! - Scholarships: The troop is committed to making Goshen accessible to as many Scouts as possible. If you are interested in a Campership (financial aid) to help cover the fees, please let us know before February 28, 2024.
- Adult Campers: Interested in joining the Goshen fun? We will need a few good adults to join the Goshen trip. You can come for a portion of the week or the whole week. I’ll follow up with more info in a separate email, but for your awareness, adult early bird registration costs $230, and increases to $270 for regular registration.
We will host a parent meeting to provide more information at the Troop Meeting this Monday, 02/26/2024. We’ll be ready to answer all your Goshen questions!
PARENTS/COMMITTEE MEETING
See note below from Mrs. Devlin, our committee chair concerning the upcoming Meeting.
Dear T131 Families,
Parent / Committee Meeting
Please mark your calendar for our upcoming parent and committee meeting via Zoom on Thursday, March 14 @ 7:30pm (link to follow).
This is your chance to find out what’s going on with the troop, get questions answered, make suggestions, and find where you can support. All are welcome!
Uniform Swap
As we get ready for new scouts in April and May, please gather your son’s outgrown uniforms. If you send them to the troop meeting, we can add them to our uniform swap box.
Volunteer Needs
We are looking for some adult volunteers in these areas:
- Scoutmaster – We are looking for someone who might be interested in this role to shadow Mark for a gradual transition into being Scoutmaster, especially some of our parents who are former scouts. Please ask questions, we’d love to discuss.
- Service Coordinator – Our outgoing service folks are happy to discuss the requirements; this can even be done by one parent with a little extra time to track service hours and opportunities.
If you’re a parent who doesn’t have time for activities or camping, please consider helping with one of these positions, I’m happy to discuss!
Thank you for your consideration, see you in March!
Anastasia Devlin
786.457.3043
ORDER OF THE ARROW ELECTIONS
Mr. Irwin has coordinated with the Local OA Lodge, and we have scheduled this year’s OA elections for Monday March 18th.
For the troop to hold a valid election we need to meet the following attendance requirements and rules:
- At least ½ the troop must attend – in our case I believe this is 22-23 scouts.
- To be elected to the Order – an eligible scout must receive ½ the votes of those in attendance.
- For example, if 22 scouts attend, then an eligible scout must receive 11 votes.
- Only scouts vote, adults are not eligible to vote even if they are in the OA.
- All scouts can vote, both those that are currently in the OA and those that are not.
- Scouts may vote for as many or as few candidates as they like.
- A scout may vote for themselves.
- The election will be administered by current OA scouts OUTSIDE of our troop.
- Current OA members may wear their OA sashes on election day.
- The order of the arrow is Scouts BSA Honor Society. Scouts should vote for candidates that they feel embody the best spirit of scouting and those scouts who follow the scout oath and law.
For a Scout to be eligible for the order of the arrow they must:
- Embody the spirit of scouting.
- Be the rank of First Class and above on election day.
- Have camping experience (15 nights total with a minimum 5 long-term consecutive nights such as summer camp/high adventure experience within past 24 months).
Based on the above criteria the following scouts are eligible OA candidates this year:
Qualified:
Miles Jackson
Jonathan Nguyen
Noah Urchek
Josiah Baldwin
Luke Irwin
David Stayanoff
Arthur Dalton
Declan Heatherington
Logan Bond
Ethan Lacayo
If you would like to remove yourself from the election list, then please reach out to Mr. Irwin.
If you feel that you are qualified and were inadvertently left off this list, then please reach out to Mr. Irwin and he can review the requirements with you.
Thank you, Mr. Irwin, for coordinating the election again this year!
Scouts BSA has a collection of four National High Adventure Scout Camps (Sea Base, Philmont, Northern Tier, and Summit/Bechtel) with programs that are a bit more challenging, and rewarding, than the usual summer camp experience.
As a result, and for the Summer of 2025, the troop has reserved a slot to send 6-8 scouts to the Sea Base – sailing program.
We would like to hear from both the scouts and parents that you are interested in the activity. The age minimum is 13, however, given the “Covid effect”, we will prioritize based on the age of the scout (older scouts first, as the younger scouts will have more time to participate before aging out).
More information will follow, however, here is the basic information concerning this trip.
- Location:Florida Sea Base – 73800 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL 33036
- Program:Coral Reef Sailing
- Dates:8/6/2025-8/11/2025
- Total Cost for a crew of 6-8:$10,200 (note that the total cost is the same for 6 or 8)
- Minimum Cost per Scout:$1,275 (assumes 8 scouts- note the cost will be higher if the crew is smaller)
- Additional Costs:$800 estimated- Airfare, Travel Money, T-shirts etc.
- The payment schedule is as follows:
o 10% of Balance Due by June 1st 2024
o 50% of Balance Due by October 1st 2024
o Final Payment = April 1st 2025
If you are interested and want to be kept on the info list, please fill out our T-131 form at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc05U-shCReeO0Ll73jXHp61ZhzStAN75YsI2B_JromRTrtnQ/viewform
Brendan Mulvaney
Outings Coordinator
Boy Scout Troop 131
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday February 26th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (summer camp info meeting)– Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, March 4th – Court of Honor – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, March 11th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Thursday, March 14th – Parent & Committee Meeting- 7:30 – Virtual
Monday, March 15th – 17th – Camping – Shooting Sports – Izaak Walton League – MD
Monday, March 18th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (BoR) (OA Elections) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday March 23rd – Scout Skills Saturday – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, March 25th – No Troop Meeting – Spring Break (ACPS & FCPS)
Monday, April 1st – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (ACPS- No School) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
