Troop Four Family Newsletter – May 19, 2010

Advancement Status

Many scouts are closing in on advancement to the next rank. These scouts will soon be notified by email of their scheduled Board of Review, which will occur at one of the next three troop meetings. Scouts must come to their Board in full uniform, including neckerchief, slide and with all proper patches/insignia. Scouts must bring their handbook as well. Scouts advancing to Star and above must also bring their merit badge sash. New scouts must have completed the Youth Protection requirement with their parents before they can advance. For those that have not yet completed this requirement, please do so and email Phil Bedard when complete, by Wed 5/26, in order for your scout to be able to advance at this next Court of Honor.

June Camping Trip

The June Camping Trip will be Friday, June 25 through Sunday June 27 to Washburn Island in Cape Cod’s Waquiot Bay in Falmouth, MA. We will be salt water canoeing and kayaking to our campsite on a pristine island with our own powder sand beach. The island is located in the Waquiot Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and is surrounded by rare beds of sea grass, salt ponds, and a shallow sandy bay great for canoeing and kayaking

To make this trip more affordable, we are allowing scouts the opportunity to bring or borrow a canoe or kayak. For those that have access to a canoe or kayak, there will be no charge for this trip. For those that need to rent a canoe/kayak, the rental fee will be $60. Those bringing their own boat must also have their own paddles and coast guard approved personal floatation devices. Boats will be carried to Cape Cod in the troop’s trailer. If you have your own boat, please bring it to St.Mary’s at departure time, and be prepared to take it home after we return to the parish center on Sunday. If you’ll have trouble with boat transport, call or email Phil Bedard.

We will meet at the parish center on Saturday morning at approximately 10AM on Friday. The exact time of departure may shift a bit, depending on leader availability. We will confirm time after receiving back permission slips. We will return for pick up at the parish center by 3:00 PM on Sunday. Scouts need to bring a bag lunch for Friday and the items listed on the Troop 4 camping equipment list. The list is available on our website.

We will be cooking patrol style on troop camp stoves for dinner and breakfast. Scout patrols will create their own menus and duty rosters at the May 27th troop meeting. If your son will be attending this campout, please complete the permission slip and return it to the Troop Scribe at the May 27th troop meeting. If your son would like to attend but won’t be at the May 27th troop meeting, please call or email Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or pbedard1@gmail.com. This deadline is firm, as we need time to reserve rental boats. We will need a few parents to attend this trip in order to help with the transportation. Our June water themed trips are fun filled trips that have historically been favorites of both scouts and adults alike. If you can help out please indicate on the permission slip.

Retiring Leaders

A big thanks goes out to Judy Alley and Deb Furlo for all their years of service to the Troop committee. Deb and Judy recently retired from the Troop Committee, and attended a ceremony at the last troop meeting to honor their service. Over the years, Judy and Deb have made countless contributions to the troop through their help on Troop finances, COH planning, event planning, BOR support and with their help on many other aspects of the Troop 4 program. Their contributions leave us in great shape to continue our outstanding program for many years to come. Thanks!

Tracking and Wilderness Survival

Inspired by our former scoutmaster’s recent successful tracking of a monster Tom turkey, the Troop is starting two classic outdoor merit badges. The first is the Tracking merit badge (formerly known as “Stalking”). This is a historical merit badge that has been brought back for one year only for the 100th anniversary of scouting. We’ll actively work this badge at the troop’s two summer camps. The other badge is Wilderness Survival. We kicked this badge off last week with new scouts by starting the ‘survival kit’ requirement. Scouts that want to earn this first badge requirement need to come into the next troop meeting (5/20) with their completed survival kit. Older scouts will judge the kits on completeness, creativity, and packing (tight and compact). A great prize will be awarded to the best kit. We’ll continue to work this badge at camping trips and summer camps, with the goal to award the badges to qualified scouts at the Troop’s fall Court of Honor.

Court of Honor

The next Troop Four Court of Honor is scheduled for Wednesday June 9th at the St. Mary’s Parish Center. We expect to award merit badges, many badges of rank, and other awards. The evening will begin with dinner at 630pm, and will conclude around 830pm. Scouts should arrive on time and in full uniform, to include neckerchief and slide. The dinner menu is the popular Troop 4 “pot-luck” dinner. Scouts and committee members will be contacting parents with a request to bring a dinner item or dessert, and a 2 liter bottle of soft drink.

Troop Tickets for PawSox Sunday June 13

The Lions Club has generously donated 25 tickets to the troop for the 1pm June 13th PawSox game against Louisville. If interested, please contact Phil Bedard. Up to 4 tickets per family will be given on a first come first serve basis.

Leader Training

Thanks to all the Maine canoe trip leaders that took the recent CPR and First Aid training, and to Stacey Barie for coordinating. Please note that ALL Maine canoe trip leaders must also have current Youth Protection, Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, and Hazardous Weather training. All leaders, regardless of whether you are supporting camping activities, are required to have current Youth Protection training. All training is quick, and on-line, and takes about 30min per course. All training is good for 2 years from date of completion. If by trip/camp time, it has been less than 2years since your training, you are still ‘current’. Leaders should email a copy of the completion certificate to the troop’s training coordinator, Stacey Barie, at staceybarie@gmail.com.

Memorial Day Parade

The Memorial Day Parade will be held Monday, May 31. This is the only parade that the troop attends each year. Scouts should meet in the Stop and Shop parking lot near the 99 Restaurant at 9:30 AM in full uniform. Scouts may be picked up at Draper Park at the parade’s conclusion (~1130AM). Please notify Phil Bedard if your scout plans to attend. It’s important for the Troop to have a good showing at this important event.

Troop T-Shirts

The troop periodically orders a batch of our signature lime green Troop T-Shirts, otherwise known as “Class B’s”. Shirts cost $10 each, and come in sizes Youth Medium, Youth Large, and Men’s S, M, L, XL, and XXL. The shirts come in very handy at troop volunteer events, informal events, and especially at Camp Resolute. Final opportunity to order a T-Shirt will be at the June 9 COH. An announcement will be made at the COH to give you an opportunity to place your order with the Troop Scribe. Ordered shirts will be available prior to Summer Camp. No up-front money required. Payment is due when the shirts come in.

Order of the Arrow

Congratulations to Wyatt, Dev and Joshua for their Order of the Arrow accomplishments. The OA is the BSA’s camping honor society. These scouts recently completed their “Ordeal” recently at Camp Resolute, and are now full members.

Rockets

The Eagle and Lightning patrols have been constructing rockets recently. These are not ordinary rockets, but are massive puppies, powered with enormous E-sized engines. They are scheduled for lift-off at the next camping trip in T minus 3 days.

Relay – thanks!

Thanks to all scouts and leaders who helped at the recent Relay for Life event.

Troop Elections

Scouts ranked First Class or higher are eligible to run for Senior Patrol Leader. Elections will be held at the June 3rd Troop Meeting. If interested in running for this prestigious post, please prepare a short speech (~1min) to the troop to announce your candidacy, which you read to the troop on June 3rd just prior to the election. They elected winner will meet with the troop adult leadership for training over the summer, and will be able to choose his staff over the summer, too.

Summer Camp Update and Due Dates

Final payments for both summer camps are soon due. Final payments for the Maine Canoe Trip (you should have received an email with the amount) are due this Thursday May 20. Registration fee for new scouts going to Camp Resolute is due Thursday May 27. On June 3rd, Camp Resolute scouts will be selecting their merit badges at our troop meeting. Leaders and older scouts will be on hand for guidance. And finally, BSA medical forms for those attending summer camp are due June 25th to my house at 22 Harmony Trail Hopedale, or earlier at a troop meeting. This applies to all attending scouts, all adults on the Maine trip, and all adults planning to spend a night helping out at Resolute. All med forms will be pre-screened by the troop’s medical officer Brian “Bones” Weber. He will contact you if there are problems. Please direct any med form questions to Brian. He can be reached at bpmkweber@comcast.net, or catch him at a troop meeting. Much more camp information is posted on the troop website.

Troop Meeting – Maine canoe trip payment due

Troop Meeting – Troop elections, Camp Resolute merit badge selections

Scouts ranked First Class or higher are eligible to run for Senior Patrol Leader. Elections will be held at the June 3rd Troop Meeting. If interested in running for this prestigious post, please prepare a short speech (~1min) to the troop to announce your candidacy, which you read to the troop on June 3rd just prior to the election. They elected winner will meet with the troop adult leadership for training over the summer, and will be able to choose his staff over the summer, too.

PawSox game

The Lions Club has generously donated 25 tickets to the troop for the 1pm June 13th PawSox game against Louisville. If interested, please contact Phil Bedard. Up to 4 tickets per family will be given on a first come first serve basis.