Troop 131,
I hope everyone is doing well on this cold and blustery evening! Hopefully spring is just around the corner! Thank you to all the parents that tuned-in for the committee meeting Thursday night.
Sorry for the late email this evening, just lots going on this weekend!
TROOP MEETING:
We will have an in-person Troop meeting at 7:30PM at Immanuel Church on the Hill this Monday.
NEW (Arrow of Light) SCOUTS
I am pleased to announce that we have 14 new scouts joining the troop from Pack 135 and Pack 129. There are also a few other Arrow of Lights Scouts who are also considering joining our troop! We are indeed very fortunate to have so many new members.
(former) Arrow of Light Scouts – Welcome to Troop 131!
Given your number, we will organize you into two separate patrols. Please start thinking about a patrol name that you like and if you want to run to be the patrol leader.
You should already have your troop scarf and we will provide you with the Troop 131 Uniform Patch at the meeting.
For all the older/veteran scouts we need your help! Please introduce yourself to the new scouts and help them get acclimated to how we do things. I am sure you all remember what it was like to switch from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA. I am also looking for a few volunteers to act as Troop Guides for these new patrols.
ORDER OF THE ARROW (OA) ELECTIONS – 20 March
We will have our Order of the Arrow (OA) Elections tomorrow. This is the first time that we have had elections in several years. To hold the elections at least ½ of all the scouts on the roster, need to be in attendance. So, it is imperative that you please show up to the meeting and support your fellow scouts.
A representative from the Council will be on attendance tomorrow and to administer the election. Current OA members, please feel free to wear your white sash if you want to.
The following scouts are eligible and must be in attendance to be elected:
Aidan Bolte
Arthur Dalton
Tadgh Devlin
Sean Mulvaney
Ryan Mulvaney
Theo Ramirez
Jay Setliff
David Stayanoff
John Wells
Nathan Wells
Please note that this is 100% optional, any scout who does not want to participate in OA, may opt out of the election. Just let me know.
Arrow of Light Scouts, unfortunately, you will not be able to vote this year, however, it is good for you to see the process for next year!
SCOUT SKILL SATURDAY (1:00 to 5:00)
There will be more information to come on this, however, this coming weekend is Scout Skill Saturday. This will be held outside at Immanuel Church on the Hill and will be like what we did over a year ago. That session was very successful (and a lot of fun) so we wanted to provide the opportunity again.
For all scouts below First Class, this is a chance for you to gain basic scout skill experience and potentially sign off on some Rank requirements.
Topics will include:
- First Aid
- Navigation/Orienteering
- Fire Building & Stoves
- Totin’ Chip
- Physical Fitness
- Knots/ rope
- Flags/ Citizenship
- Tents/ Backpacks/ Cooking
For the scouts First Class and above, we ask that you volunteer to help teach a subject. For those working toward the Life Rank, this will fulfill requirement 6.
COURT OF HONOR- March 27th
Next Monday is our twice annual court of honor. The court of honor will take the place of a traditional meeting and will recognize all the Rank, Merit Badge, and other awards you have earned since the last Court of Honor. Scouts, your SPL may ask you to participate in the ceremony!
Parents, this is an open event, and we encourage you to attend with siblings and other family members or friends. This is a great way to honor the scouts and their achievements.
Unlike the Summer/Fall Court of Honor which coincides with our picnic, this event will NOT include food. So make sure you eat dinner beforehand!
EAGLE PROJECT- HENRY AND BEN
We have TWO Eagle Projects on going and several others not far behind. We are so fortunate to have so many scouts in the troop working toward their Eagle. Henry started this weekend, and it was great to see so many scouts helping. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, as far as I could see, the first day looked very productive.
With that said, there is plenty left to do, see messages below from Henry and Ben. Please sign up to help support both!
Henry Bingman
For my Eagle Scout Project, I will be building and installing three garden beds and a fence for the Early Childhood Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The garden beds and fence will be used in the school’s indoor courtyard to spruce up the area and help the students learn more about plants!
There are two different workdays that you can sign up for. The first day will focus on building the project, so I advise that only older scouts sign up to help on this day. There will be a morning and afternoon shift on the building day, you are welcome to sign up for both shifts, but it is not required. The second day will be installing the items at the school, scouts of any age can come help on this day. Details on each project day are below as well as the sign-up genius form!
Tools will be provided, but make sure to bring your own gloves and provide your own transportation! Thanks for helping! – Henry Bingman
Installation Day: Friday, March 24th (Teacher Work Day for all ACPS schools)
– Location: 5651 Rayburn Ave. Alexandria, VA, 22311 (Early Childhood Center)
– Time: 11am-1pm (Lunch not provided)
– Open to all scouts, meet at Door 1 located at the front of the building
Sign-Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44AEAF2BA0FCCE9-henry
BEN TURNEY
I am excited to let you know that I will be executing my Eagle Project over Spring Break of this year! I am constructing four tables and twelve benches for an outdoor classroom/multipurpose space for my old elementary school, The Del Ray Montessori School. I need help on April 2,3, and 4 from any Scouts who are able to participate. The schedule and time slots are below. Depending on the weather, I may have to postpone the project by a day or two, so your flexibility would be much appreciated. For older Scouts, your help is welcome all days, but particularly requested on the first one. Younger Scouts, you are welcome any time. Scouts will get service hours for their work!
| Time | Sun (04/02/23) | Mon (04/03/23) | Tue (04/04/23) |
| 9:00-12:00 | Shift 1 | Shift 1 | Shift 1 |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch for Scouts staying both shifts | Lunch for Scouts staying both shifts | Lunch for Scouts staying both shifts |
| 1:00-4:00 | Shift 2 | Shift 2 | Shift 2 |
All Scouts will go through a safety demonstration for the tools we will use and will practice using them on scrap wood before we move to the actual furniture. If you are staying for both of the sessions in one day, lunch will be provided (probably delivery of pizza or something similar).
If you are interested in helping out please fill out this form.
Thank you all for your help! Unfortunately, because of my enrollment in the Senate Page Program, I am unable to present this in person, but I look forward to seeing you all over Spring Break and getting more active next year! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me at ben.turney06@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Ben Turney
SUMMER CAMP
If you are planning on attending summer camp, then now is the time to sign up! We already have over a dozen signed up!
ILOS TRAINING- June 17/18
Just resending to the link to the Council ILOS Training. I already know of a few adults from the troop who have signed up, but we always want as many trained adults as we can get for each trip. Parents, please consider going.
https://scoutingevent.com/082-67316
CAMP COUNSELOR OPPORTUNITY 4-H
We received the following email from a representative from 4-H. For the older scouts looking for a summer opportunity, this is something to consider. See attachment for more info.
Good afternoon,
My name is Sharon Toth and I am the 4-H Agent for the City of Alexandria. If you are not familiar with 4-H, it is the country’s largest positive youth development program that focuses on leadership, community service, and citizenship. We provide programming throughout the city on a variety of subjects.
Every year we host a summer camp in Front Royal at our NOVA 4-H Camp Center and we are looking for teen counselors (14-19) to be positive role models to our campers (ages 9-13). We already have a few amazing teens from Alexandria (one of our longest camp attendees is a Boy Scout!) and I was looking to see if any of your Scouts would be interested in becoming a counselor this summer with us?
There is a $150 fee, but it covers all the trainings, lodging, class supplies, food, and camp t-shirt. Counselors get to participate in camp at this reduced fee by helping ensure our campers stay safe. We do offer 100+ volunteer hours for any counselor that requests it, too.
I have attached our camp flyer here and our counselor application. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and feel free to share the information with anyone you might think would be interested.
Take care,
Sharon
Sharon A. Toth, PhD
Assoc. Extension Agent, 4-H – City of Alexandria
Unit (Office) Coordinator
Virginia Tech I Virginia Cooperative Extension
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
P: (703) 746-5547 I E: satoth@vt.edu
Telework: Wednesday, 8am-5pm
Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/Alexandria4H
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, March 20th – Troop Meeting (OA Elections)- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday March 24th – Henry Bingman Eagle Project
Saturday, March 25th – Scout Skills Saturday (1:00 – 5:00)
Monday, March 27th – Court of Honor
April 2, 3 &4- Ben Turney Eagle Project
Monday, April 3rd – No Troop Meeting- Spring Break
Monday, April 10th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, April 17th – Troop Meeting (BoR) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday, April 21st -23rd – Camping/Fishing Trip
GENERAL TROOP MEETING INFO:
Wear your full Class A Uniform and Scarf! 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 troop meeting.
