2024-07-28 This Week: Troop Meeting, Thank you Plaque, Scoutmaster on Vacation, Ben Moore Eagle Project, Zachary Kenny Eagle BoR, Dutch Oven Engraving, Merit Badge Counselors, Box of Destiny, Acting SPL, Flight School, Adult Volunteers, One Month Look-ahead

Troop 131,

I hope you are well and enjoying your weekend.  There are lots of things in this email so please read through it.

This was the last week of camp at Goshen and except for Gabe (who will be down there through Tuesday) the rest of the troop’s counselors are either back home or on travel.  I cannot guarantee this, however, you may see one or two of them at the meeting on Monday…

I have not heard from Jay, but I am going to assume that all went well with his Eagle project on Saturday and thank you to all the scouts and adults who volunteered to help him!

TROOP MEETING

We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill! 

Josiah Baldwin is acting as the SPL this week and I know he has a good meeting plan for you all that includes prep for the camping trip and a lesson on how to adapt when circumstances do not go according to plan! As usual there will be plenty of time for games.

Our August outing is a patrol only activity.  If you recall, we tried this in November of last year and it was a resounding success, with each patrol planning their own activity.  I would certainly encourage you all to plan a patrol overnight camping trip, but if you wanted to do a day activity like a movie and pizza or go see a baseball game, etc … then that is fine too.  It is up to you all, however, you must help plan it!

Some of the initial ideas last year did not meet the guide to safe scouting, so the adult leaders will need to approve the plan well beforehand.   During the patrol time at the meeting, let’s keep thinking about what you want to do!  Here is what I have so far

Nylons/Moose: ???

Mustachios: Camping at the Cove

Turtles:  Fishing Trip

Penguin Raiders and Goats: Camping along the C&O Canal

Tasmanian Devils:  ???

For your woggles, I will bring a can of white paint primer, for any scout who would like to have theirs primed before you paint them, I will do so at the meeting.  Just remember to bring it with you!  See below for more information on painting.

THANK YOU – PLAQUE

I missed Mr. Irwin’s last meeting due to my illness, so I did not get a chance to present this to him in front of the troop; however, he stopped by house on Saturday with Luke to say goodbye and was able to give this to him a little parting gift in person, see image below.  We wish the Irwin family safe travels to Denver and hope to see them again soon.

 SCOUTMASTER ON VACATION

While I will be at the meeting this week, I will unfortunately miss the next two (August 5^th and 12^th) due to a family vacation.  The other Assistant Scoutmasters and adult leaders are in town and will be at the meeting, so fear not!  Please keep working on your advancement and don’t let the summer go to waste!

 BEN MOORE EAGLE PROJECT

See note below and attached flyer from Ben, he has scheduled his eagle project and needs your help.

 Benjamin Moore’s Eagle Project is forthcoming, and he is looking for volunteers.  The project is a book drive for the Boys and Girls Club of Alexandria. On August 10th starting at 10 A.M. and most likely ending around noon, I need help dropping off flyers to the neighborhood around the church (similar neighborhood to Scouting for Food). The flyer will request neighbors to donate books for kids from ages 6-18. On August 17th from 10:00 A.M. to roughly noon we will pick up any donated books and take them to the Boys and Girls Club of Alexandria. Ben needs scout volunteers to help him drop off flyers at these houses and pick up donated books the following week. Adult drivers are also needed for both days to transport scouts throughout the neighborhood and to pick up books and transport to the Boys and Girls Club. Any donations by scouts would be greatly appreciated! If you would like to volunteer or have any questions email Ben at bendmoore07@gmail.com. 

 ZACHARY KENNY EAGLE BOARD OF REVIEW

On Thursday evening, Zachary Kenny successfully completed his Eagle board of Review!  This is a big accomplishment, so be sure to congratulate him when you see him!

 DUTCH OVEN- ENGRAVING

Thanks to Amazon prime day, we were able to purchase on sale and for the troop, two brand new (and BSA stamped) Dutch Ovens!  A good bit of our fundraising this year will go toward new cooking gear for the troop.  The Dutch ovens and the previously mentioned cast iron pans are part of this effort.

I would like to number these and engrave T-131 on them, so if there is an Adult or Scout who has the equipment and experience doing this, then please let me know!

 MERIT BADGE COUNSELORS

Like rank advancements, the summer is a great time to work on Merit Badges.  All you need is the desire, a blue card (from me or one of the other Assistant Scoutmasters and to talk to you counselor)

Mrs. Farmer, the Advancement Chair, has created a google document, see link below, that contains a list of all the merit badges and the current list of troop counselors.  Eagle Required are highlighted.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19yJTQS1qk7-UBpIjI2fgJBLrB2qMx-48/edit?gid=1739196674#gid=1739196674

PARENTS: We are blessed to have so many adults with a wide diversity of skill sets, occupations and hobbies.  If you would like to be a counselor (or expand the ones you already have) then please reach out to Kathryn Farmer.

For eagle required, we are bit light on:

• Emergency Preparation
• Environmental Science

Please don’t hesitate to sign up for merit badges where there are others, it is better if the scouts have choices on who they can work with!

 BOX OF DESTINY (Woggle/Slides)

As I announced at the meeting last week that as a fun summertime activity, we would have a woggle painting competition.  Each of you is to paint your Patrol Woggle.  We will review the painted woggles at the Court of Honor/Family picnic on August 26^th and the best three will be able to take a woggle from the Box of Destiny

The winners may take one of the blanks from the box or one of the ones that I painted.  I am painting a few new ones now!

For your patrol woggles, I recommend that you:

• Prime them first with white or grey spray paint/primer.
• Paint them with Testors Acrylic or Enamel paint.
• Seal them with a clear spray paint coating.

For younger scouts, please talk to your parents first!

 ACTING SPL

As you know the troop leadership core is at Goshen for the coming weeks so we will have a rotation of Scouts who will be the “acting” SPL at the Monday meetings.  Please be sure to support these scouts!

This may change, but here is the current plan with the acting SPL in (bold):

Monday, July 29^th – (Josiah Baldwin)

Monday, August 5^th – (David Lloyd)

ACCOTINK BAY DISTRICT FLIGHT SCHOOL- SATURDAY AUGUST 17

See note below from Assistant Scoutmaster Patel (scouting.t.patel@gmail.com) for the Flight School program previously mentioned. He offered to coordinate efforts/carpools for any other scouts that would like to attend:

Dear T131,

I mentioned the Flight School at tonight’s meeting.

Details are below. Please sign up your Scout individually at the link at the bottom of the message.
Accotink Bay District Flight School

August 17, 2024 | Gunston Hall
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Featuring: Viper Rocket Launch
The Accotink Bay District is pleased to welcome units to our Flight School.
Scouts will earn Aviation and Space Exploration merit badges, as well as get to launch rockets.
Aviation Merit Badge Prerequisite
To begin (before the class), scouts should watch these two short videos that help explain
key concepts of flying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyeX6ArxCYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg0TXNXgz-w
Please review and complete requirement #4 which is the ONLY pre-requisite for the Aviation merit badge.
It requires you to do ONE of the three:

Visit an airport. After the visit, report on how the facilities are used, how runways are numbered, and how runways are determined to be ‘active.’
Visit a Federal Aviation Administration facility – a control tower, terminal radar control facility, air route traffic control center, or Flight Standards District Office. (Phone directory listings are under U.S. Government Offices, Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration. Call in advance.) Report on the operation and your impressions of the facility.
Visit an aviation museum or attend an air show. Report on your impressions of the museum or show.
Our Flight School is a chance for scouts to understand, appreciate, and be excited about the amazing machines that have transformed our world.
The Flight School registration fee is $40.
https://scoutingevent.com/082-flight2024

Please let me know when you sign up so that I can keep a list for communications purposes.
Thank you.

YiS,
Tejas

ADULT VOLUNTEERS

We cannot do this without you!  We need 2-3 volunteers to help with:

• Wreath sales (our annual fundraiser)

SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead

Monday, July 29^th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill

Monday, August 5^th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill (Scoutmaster on Vacation)

Friday August 9^th – 11^th – Patrol Outing or Camping Trip – TBD By Each Patrol

Saturday, August 10^th – Ben Moore Eagle Project – Part 1

Monday, August 12^th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill (Scoutmaster on Vacation)

Saturday, August 17^th – Ben Moore Eagle Project – Part 2

Saturday, August 17^th – Accotink Bay District Flight School

Monday, August 19^th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC and BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill

Monday, August 26^th – Court of Honor and Family Picnic – Immanuel Church on the Hill

Monday, September 2^nd – No Troop Meeting- Labor Day

Monday, September 9^th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill