Pictures from the Webelo Crossover

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Patrol Leader Council Notes for February

Hello all, I hope you are having a good Super Bowl Sunday.

Patrol Assignments for the next four weeks are:

  • Monkeys- Takedown
  • Bandits- Setup
  • Drarrows- Opening
  • Flaming Bacon- Skills and Game
  • Dancing Bananas- Closing

Upcoming Meetings:

  • 2/9/16 Meeting- Patrol box cleaning and mulch letters
  • 2/16/16 Meeting- Personal Fitness Merit Badge
  • 2/23/16 Meeting- Summer camp merit badge sign-ups and learning the outdoor code
  • 3/1/16 Meeting- Knots with the now crossed-over Webelos

Webelos Crossover ceremony will be on the 21

The Wild West Campout will be at Chilo Lock 34 Park. Please meet at the church on 3/14

Order of the Arrow elections TONIGHT

We need as many boys as possible at tonight’s troop meeting. We will be holding elections for Order of the Arrow (OA). OA is Scouting’s Honor Society.  In order to hold an elections, we need to have at least 50% of the registered boys to be in attendance. Please do your best to attend the troop meeting tonight so that we can hold this election as planned. We will have someone from Council attending to facilitate the election and we would rather not have to reschedule.

For more than 90 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America’s youth.

Upcoming Events

Boys should be in full Class A uniforms for all below activities.

Tuesday 1/26 7:00-8:00pm– Winter Court of Honor . ALL families are encouraged to attend even if your son is not receiving anything. This is one of 3 times a year that we celebrate achievements. There is also be very important information discussed at this meeting about Directory Sales, Mulch Sales and Friends of Scouting.

Tuesday 1/26 8:00pm – Philmont 2017 information meeting. This will be for anyone who will be 14 or older (or 13 and completed the 8th grade) in 2017 and 1st Class that has interest in going to Philmont in the summer of 2017. Agenda items – trip timeframe, cost, budget, etc.  Greg Kyser and Dave Zubelik are taking the lead on planning this High Adventure Trip (thanks guys).

Saturday 1/30 7:30am – 1:45pm— Merit Badge Challenge (Day 1). We will meet at MSPC at 7:30am to caravan to Sycamore High School. We should return to MSPC around 1:45pm (we are in charge of straightening up classrooms on day 1.)  Boys will need 3 self-addressed stamp envelops, their pre-work, pen/pencil/old notebook and the merit badge book (if available). There is a concession stand that boys usually like to buy snacks/soda from, no more than $5 is necessary. Please let me know if you are able to drive to/from/both (I need 6 more seatbelts both ways).

Saturday 2/6 7:45am-1:15pm – Merit Badge Challenge (Day 2). We will meet at MSPC at 7:45am to caravan to Sycamore High School. We should return to MSPC around 1:15pm. Boys will need 3 self-addressed stamp envelops (if not already handed into counselor), their pre-work (if applicable), pen/pencil/old notebook and the merit badge book (if available). There is a concession stand that boys usually like to buy snacks/soda from, no more than $5 is necessary. Please let me know if you are able to drive to/from/both (I need 6 more seatbelts TO and 10 more seatbelts FROM).

Sunday 2/7 – A Scout is Reverent. Sunday Feb 7 is Scout Sunday. We will be participating in services (9:00 and/or 11:00) at MSPC as well as service a pancake breakfast to the congregation from 9:45 – 11:00. This is a Troop 209 tradition and a very easy/nice way for us to show our appreciation for over 95 years of support from Madeira Silverwood Presbyterian Church. You do NOT need to be Presbyterian to participate. The entire activity will run from 8:45am – noon. We will need readers for both services, please see me, Mr. Wegenhart or Sam Carpenter if you are able to be a reader. Thanks again to the Evans Family (Tommy, Sarah, Mason and Samantha) for your very generous support in preparing and funding the annual pancake breakfast.

Saturday 2/20 7:45am-1:15pm – Merit Badge Challenge (Day 3). We will meet at MSPC at 7:45am to caravan to Sycamore High School. We should return to MSPC around 1:15pm. Boys will need 3 self-addressed stamp envelops (if not already handed into counselor), their pre-work (if applicable), pen/pencil/old notebook and the merit badge book (if available). There is a concession stand that boys usually like to buy snacks/soda from, no more than $5 is necessary. Please let me know if you are able to drive to/from/both (I need 6 more seatbelts TO and 10 more seatbelts FROM).

Campout Update #3

Saturday 1/23 – instead of a campout this weekend, we will be spending part of Saturday at the Cincinnati Museum Center. We will be going to the Lego display (The Art of the Brick), the OmniMax show (Journey to Space) and the Big Bone Lick exhibit. Meet at the church at 11:30, we are shooting to be back at the church around 4:30. Group rate is $11.

In order to get the group rate, we have made a reservation for 28 (youth and adults). Please respond to this e-mail ASAP if you/son plan to attend. Once the 28 slots are filled up, the Museum Center cannot guarantee we can get more tickets as a group. I need responses by 8:00pm today to make sure I have enough seatbelts. The first 24 slots I am reserving for those that had already committed to the campout this weekend.

The permission form is attached to the email sent by Mr. Fitz. Please complete it AND bring with you tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience as we worked through this “issue” with the weather.

Campout Update #2

For those going camping this weekend.

Mr. Cross (Committee Chair), Mr. Gravlee (Activities Coordinator) and I have been actively monitoring the weather patterns all day and it still appears at this point that Portsmouth, OH (Camp OYO area) is going to get hit with 8-12 inches of snow right around the time that we will be traveling to the camp. This is a weather hazard and something that we are not willing to risk your boys safety. We have looked for alternatives north and west that would have heated accommodations since Saturday night is expected to be 10 degrees. We have had no luck at this late stage in the planning. It is our opinion/feeling that the boys are not prepared to sleep in tents in potentially single to lower teen temperatures.  Therefore we are making the “executive decision” to cancel the campout.

We are still working on an alternative outing for Saturday only (no overnight). I will have more information about this out later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Sorry for this late notice but we were hoping that the weather patterns would change but as of now they have not. Safety comes first.

If you have already purchased the food for the weekend, please let me know individually and we can work out how to deal with the food (saving it, freezing it for the next campout, etc.)

Please stay tuned to your e-mail for more information about Saturday.

Mr. Fitz

Campout Update

As you are likely aware, it appears that the Portsmouth area is going to get hit pretty hard with snow tomorrow. We are currently looking into alternative for this weekend. Thanks for your patience as we work through this. We may end up at Camp Friedlander but we don’t know any logistics at this point.

I hope to get back with you before the food is all purchased just in case.

More to come later today.

New Rank Requirements

Effective Jan 1, 2016 there are new rank requirements. When the new requirements take effect for you is outlined below:

  1. Scouts who joined the Boy Scouts of America on or after Jan. 1, 2016
    • MUST follow the rank requirements as printed in the 2016 Boy Scout Handbook
  2. Scouts who joined the BSA prior to Jan. 1, 2016:
    • Who are working on the Tenderfoot through First Class ranks MAY continue to follow the old requirements, but MUST convert to the current requirements upon attaining First Class.
    • Who have completed the First Class rank MAY complete the rank they are currently working on in the old requirements, but MUST convert to the current requirements for subsequent ranks.
    • Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, all Scouts MUST use the current requirements regardless of rank.

Handouts that can be attached to your current handbook listing the new requirements will be handed out soon.

If you would like to learn more about the new requirements go to Bryan on Scouting – New Requirements