Troop 131,
I hope you are well and enjoyed your weekend. A scout is courteous, so be sure to Thank your mothers for all that they do for you!
I understand that the Saturday Shakedown ride was a lot of fun and they had near perfect weather. Thank you, Mr. Grocki, and Mr. Gross, for organizing!
We have a very busy month with lots of activities, so be sure to sign up and read the rest of this email!!!
TROOP MEETING
We will have a Troop meeting at 7:30PM this Monday at Immanuel Church on the Hill!
This is the last meeting before our biking trip, so meal planning, and gear selection is critical. Don’t leave the meeting unless you have a clear plan. As always, I would like to review the completed duty rosters!
BIKING & CAMPING TRIP
See email below from Mr. Mulvaney. We have wanted (and tried once before) to make this trip happen. I know that this will be the time and it will be an amazing trip. Right now we have 5 adults and about 12 scouts who are planning on going!
Saturday May 18th – Sunday May 19th
Bike Camping Trip on the C&O Canal
Meet at Swain’s Lock (Mile 16 just past Great Falls Tavern and Billy Goat Trail) @ 0900. We’ll do an out and back ride of at least 20mi, camp Saturday night and do another short ride Sunday morning. There is an option for Scouts to camp only, however preference will be given to bikers depending on the amount of interest and size of the campsite.
Parents, we’ll need drivers who can transport bikes and camping gear!
Due to harder than normal logistics for this one, we are asking everyone to sign up early! We really cannot have any last-minute sign-ups as we must arrange transportation of the gear and bikes.
A big thank you to Mr. Grocki (with support from Mr. Gross and Mr. Jay) for organizing this activity.
Who: Everyone with a sense of adventure who loves the outdoors (i.e. SCOUTS!!!!)
What: Riding into the sunset (or at least along the canal)
When: SAT 18 May – Sun 19 May 2024 (Just Sat & Sun this month!)
Where: C&O Canal
Why: Let’s Ride!
Cost: $20 Each
And there is a Biking Merit Badge (https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/cycling/)
Sign up at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDyQpNResSoEP6Hj1OnNI_HPHJW0XLmNMOcx3M5BdJh93m6A/viewform
Brendan Mulvaney
UPCOMING TROOP MEETINGS (please read)
Monday, May 20th – Swim Test – 7:00 to 8:00 PM – Chinquapin Park Req. Center (3210 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302) adjacent to AC Highschool.)
- Please note that the meeting next week will be at Chinquapin Park Req. Center from 7:00 – 8:00.
- We are starting ½ earlier and it will run no longer than an hour.
- Mr. Dalton, Mr. Farmer, and some of our Goshen Counselor Veterans will run swim tests for everyone in the Troop.
- This is primarily so that we can evaluate your swimming level prior to the canoe trip. If you are planning on going on the canoe trip, then your attendance at the swimming test is strongly encouraged.
- If you are going to summer camp, you will need to take the swimming test there, however, this is good practice for this!
- Mr. Dalton was able to reserve two lanes for us, so after everyone has completed the test then we can have an open swim until 8:00. It might be good for some of you to get a few laps in!
- All Scouts are welcome to come, even if you are not planning on going to summer camp or the canoe trip, frankly it is just fun to be in the water!
- Parents, please plan accordingly, as this is a shorter than normal meeting.
Monday, May 27th – No Troop Meeting – Memorial Day
Monday, June 3rd – Troop Meeting– 7:30 PM (ELECTIONS) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
- It is hard to believe that six months have almost gone by, and troop elections are just around the corner.
- 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 troop leadership positions available as well!
Then we only have two meetings before summer camp!
SUMMER CAMP SIGN-UP- Early Bird Pricing Extended to May 17th
Mr. Irwin sent me a link that the early bird pricing was extended!
Please contact Mrs. Lacayo if you would like to go!
GOSHEN T-SHIRT VOTING
For all the scouts going to camp, see note and link below from Tadgh. Please take a moment to vote on the T-shirts.
Since we need the T-Shirts voted on soon in order to get the shirts in time for Goshen, I made a google form for the scouts to vote for their three favorite shirts. It’s been shared with you, so once they answer you’ll be able to view the responses. Would you mind sending this to the troop in an email soon? We need the shirts voted on soon. Thanks!
YIS,
Tadhg Devlin
https://forms.gle/mZhMUD8ix4cGzdsr9
ILOS TRAINING
We need at least two ILOS trained adults on every camping trip. I know we had one parent who just completed their ILOS training recently, but I would certainly encourage anyone who wants to camp with the troop to consider taking the training.
There is an upcoming session on June 15th and 16th. See information below:
06/15-16 – Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS)
https://www.scoutingevent.com/082-iolsspring24
This training is for Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, Crew Advisors, Associate Crew Advisors who need to complete their program-specific training requirements, as well as those other adult volunteers who want to help with the outdoor program activities and basic advancement skills.
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, May 6th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, May 11th – Shakedown Bike Ride – Four Mile Run
Saturday, May 11th – DAY HIKE- George Washington Trail
Monday, May 13th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday May 17th – 19th – OA Conclave – Camp Snyder
Saturday May 18th – 19th Camping – Biking Trip – C&O Canal
Monday, May 20th – Swim Test – 7:30 PM – Chinquapin Park Req. Center
Monday, May 27th – No Troop Meeting – Memorial Day
Monday, June 3rd – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (ELECTIONS) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday June 7th – 9th Camping – Canoe Trip – TBD
Monday, June 10th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM (PLC)(BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, June 17th – Troop Meeting- 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Sunday June 23rd – Start of Summer Camp
Monday, June 24th – No Troop Meeting
Saturday June 29th – End of Summer Camp
