Troop 131,
Wow, what an epic camping trip and the largest group for a backpacking trip since I joined the troop; with 23 scouts (spread over three crews A, B1 and B2) and 9 adults in attendance- See RECAP below.
Let me thank everyone in the troop who participated in the wreath sales, I don’t yet have the final numbers but want to thank Mr. Green for organizing the efforts.
Just a reminder, please pay your Troop Dues if you have not already done so, see info below from Mr. Devlin.
Finally, it is hard to believe, but we will have Troop Elections at the next meeting, see below.
TROOP MEETING – SKATEBOARDING- BoR
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill!
The first part of the meeting will focus on cleaning up after the camping trip, storing gear in the shed, refilling the camping stoves as well as patrol time for rank advancement.
We will also hold Board of Reviews for the scouts ready for their next rank. Scouts currently signed up to have a Board are:
Quinn Ziemann – Tenderfoot
Andrew Gross – First Class
Once this is done and since the weather looks good for Monday, your leadership team has scheduled (our now annual) Skateboarding meeting! If you have a skateboard and helmet, feel free to bring them, however, any scout on a skateboard (MUST) wear a helmet- No exception! Any scout who does not follow this rule or acts in an unsafe manner will get to hang out with adults for the duration of the meeting- no joke. I want you all to be safe, but otherwise, feel free to shred it!
If you don’t have a skateboard or helmet, don’t worry, we will have extra of both so that all can participate!
If you have extra equipment, please bring it as well to share with the other scouts. Roller blades are welcome as well!
CAMPING TRIP RECAP
First let me thank Mr. Grocki for planning, organizing and acting as our backpacking expert/guide (we could not have done it without you) as well as the other adults (Mr. Gross, Mr. Reading, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Farmer, Mr. Devlin, Mr. Norris and Mr. Teixeira-Moffat) who came on the trip and supported the scouts!
We did an amazing job getting camp set up on Friday (in the dark and in a campground that was unfamiliar for many of us). We had a little bit of everything with respect to weather, including warm days and cold nights, overcast sky, heavy rain, wind, sun … and managed it all with grace and resourcefulness that is scouting! I understand that despite having to pack everything in, the food was good including a particular meal that is affectionately referred to as “Josiah’s Slop”!
The A crew took the traditional 4-mile route to Mudhole gap with 753 feet of elevation gain that took them just under 3 hours.
The B crews had a longer hike of 8 miles with a total of 1,500 feet of elevation gain that took almost 7 hours. While a little tired at the end, the scouts handled it well, I will not say the same for their scoutmaster!
This morning was amazing, with the scouts saying they wanted to be out by 8:00 and for the first time EVER, they were 100% ready while the adults were still filling their packs! We had a good hike out utilizing the traditional 4-mile route!
Some of the crews need to work on their cleaning skills as well as their bear bag hanging abilities and we had more than a few challenges as well as quite a few “learning moments” however, I am proud of the troop as a whole! Now let’s reset and get ready for the next one!
ELECTIONS – Monday, December 1st- Troop Meeting– 7:30 PM
It is hard to believe but our next meeting (no meeting the week of Thanksgiving) will include troop elections!
· If you intend to run for SPL, then please let me know.
· For those of you that want to run for Patrol Leader, I would start talking to your patrol mates and let them know.
· There are plenty of other leadership positions available as well, see list below of the roles that we commonly fill. For the older scouts, I would like to see at least three (2) Troop Guides this round as well, so please consider that position. The younger patrols will benefit from your experience and wisdom!
o The patrols elect the Patrol Leader. The Patrol Leader appoints the Assistant Patrol Leader.
o The troop elects the Sr. Patrol Leader. The Sr. Patrol Leader appoints the Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader(s) and the other leadership positions:
§ Assistant Sr. Patrol Leader:
§ Quartermaster:
§ Historian:
§ Librarian:
§ Bugler:
§ Scribe:
§ Troop Guides:
§ Chaplain’s Aide:
§ Order of the Arrow Rep:
DUES
Parents: See note below from Mrs. Devlin– Committee Chair concerning the troop Dues. Please note that the Dues are now Separate from the National Registration with the Scouting America/National Capital Area Council.
Good morning, scouts and families!
Thanks to the 2024 change in BSA’s national registration system, this message is only regarding local Troop 131 dues! (National dues are paid directly to the BSA organization. The MAJORITY of our scouts/adults will renew at the end of January, so be on the lookout for that email.)
As you’ve seen with your own budgets, costs are going up for the gear we need to put on this program. T131’s 2026 dues will be $40 per scout FOR THE YEAR. We still supplement with events like the wreath sales and car washes, but dues constitute the majority of our funding.
· This money mostly goes to pay for things like rank patches, merit badges and troop camping gear, but it also includes unit registration, summer camp registration, scout camping food, annual picnic supplies, and our annual cub scout recruiting dinner.
· It DOES NOT pay for high adventure; HA participants have separate fundraising events.
· Continuing from last year, we will still waive adult camping fees (with the exception of events that come with secondary costs like climboree/camporee, skiing or rafting). Thank you to all who continue to support our boys’ outdoor experiences!
· Troop 131 dues are only for scouts—no dues for adults.
· Pay by NOV 15 via Zelle/cash/check to Mr. Baldwin (Zelle: treasurer@t131.org). This can also be covered with past wreath sales or other credits.
Finally, we never want dues to stand in the way of the Scouting experience. Scholarships are available; please contact me or the scoutmaster to discuss.
Anastasia Devlin
Chair, Troop 131
786.457.3043
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, November 17th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, November 24th – No Troop Meeting -Thanksgiving Week
Monday, December 1st – Troop Meeting – ELECTIONS – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, December 6th – Scottish Walk – Old Town Alexandria
Sunday, December 7th – Day Trip – Linden to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter – Linden VA
Monday, December 8th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 15th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 22nd – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
Monday, December 29th – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
GENERAL TROOP MEETING INFO:
For our typical meetings, please wear your full Class A Uniform! Bring your Book, Bring a headlamp! Leave your phone in your pocket! and have a good time!
Blue Cards! Did you know that your Scoutmaster can email you a blue card? Just send me, Mr. Ramirez, an email (scoutmaster@t131.org)! Note that the SCOUT must request the blue card, not the parent!
See you all at the next troop meeting.
