TROOP 4 Family News Letter –
February 25, 2012
High Adventure Status:
ur high adventure suppliers have provided us a schedule of payments due, and accordingly, we’ve set up the following payment schedule for participants.
January $100 deposit (previously paid by all)
March 1st troop meeting $150 2nd payment due
May 31st troop mtg Final payment (estimated $300-$350, before personal pancake ticket credit applied)
If an individual scout has already sold $250 or more worth of pancake tickets, they’re $150 2nd payment is covered.
February Winter Sports Weekend Trip Report: While the snow may not have been that great for the snowmobiles, it was pretty fast for sledding. A great time had by all. Thanks a bunch to Mr. Lanciano and Mr. Croteau for their generous hospitality and fun activities.
Troop Skate Night Trip Report: Another winning event; and perhaps a new annual tradition. Thanks to Mr. Rosa for arranging the logistics, and to scouts Brian and Kevin Spiegelman for conducting the Skating Merit Badge training.
Pancake Breakfast: The breakfast is scheduled for Mar 4th. Tell all your friends and relatives. Thanks to all the scouts who are working hard to sell tickets and advertisements. All scouts have picked up their initial 20 tickets to sell for the breakfast. Nearly $2500 worth of tickets, and $1200 worth of advertising, has been sold so far. Several scouts have sold several hundred dollars of tickets each. Great job! It’s not too late to get more tickets, and to cash in on the outstanding prizes to be given out to the top salesmen. See Evan at the next troop meeting if you need more tickets. Prizes will be based on tickets sold and money turned in by the START of the pancake breakfast.
The pancake breakfast is one of more important troop events of the year. It is our only fundraiser. All scouts (not parents) are expected to sell their initial $100 allotment of tickets and to participate at the event. Proceeds help not only high adventure, but also allow purchase of all our regular camping gear, too. The SPL will discuss his plan for scout roles and responsibilities at the pancake breakfast. Plans will be finalized at the March 1st troop meeting. We will also conduct waiter training at this meeting. If you can’t attend the breakfast because of a serious schedule conflict, you MUST contact the SPL in advance. The venture kitchen staff should report for KP no later than 630 AM sharp. Scouts in charge of a station (ticket booth, camp display, troop store, bake sale, etc) should arrive no later than 7AM. The wait staff (all other scouts) should arrive between 700 – 715AM for set-up and final waiter training, and must be in regular Class A uniform. Cooks (ventures) should wear a Troop 4 T-Shirt. Looking forward to seeing you there!
We will also likely have a bake sale table to sell goods donated by interested troop families. Keep an eye out for more information from the troop committee soon.
Troop Day Hike: will be Saturday, March 17th at along the Wapack Trail in southern NH. We will meet at the parish center at 8AM so that we have sufficient day light for the hike. We will return for pick up at the parish center by approximately 5:30 PM that evening. Scouts need to bring: a bag lunch, poncho or rain coat if it looks like rain that day, boots, a hat and gloves/mittens. A spare pair of socks is a must to bring. If the weather is cold, bring a warm coat as well. Scouts should bring two quarts/liters of water (no soda, juice, punch, etc.). Do not bring water in disposable water bottles – get a canteen or hiking water bottle at Wal-Mart, Target, etc. for about $5-$10; they last forever. Scouts need to bring a day pack (school pack will work fine) to carry their personal and troop gear for the day.
The Wapack Trail is a great place to hike and explore. The historic ridge trail was the first distance trail created in New England, and extends for 20 miles from Mt. Watatic in north-central MA, to Pack Monadnock in southern NH. The troop did the first 10 miles of this trail many years ago, and we plan to do the northern section this time. We will divide the scouts into age/ability groups and cover distances that are comfortable for each group. Younger scouts will tackle a 5mile route, and older scouts working on the hiking merit badge will tackle a 10 mile route.
At the end of the hike we will have some of Troop 4’s famous fried dough! No fast food stops are planned for this trip, so no pocket money is needed.
If your son will be attending the hike, please complete the attached permission slip and return it no later than the March 8th troop meeting. If you son would like to attend but won’t be at this troop meeting, please call or email Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or pbedard1@gmail.com We will need a few parents to drive to/from and/or stay for the event. If you can help out please indicate on the permission slip.
SCOUTS – Camping Merit Badge Trek Plan Opportunity: For scouts looking to fulfill the camping merit badge “trek plan” requirement, here is a great opportunity. The troop will give credit to any scout who drafts a compliant trek plan for the March day hike. Use the web for your research, where you should be able to find simple trail maps, road maps and town/park details. Your plan must include a simple trail map with a suggested 5mile hiking route. The Wapack Trail website offers a good map. You must also include a road map (e.g., google map) with your suggested driving route from Milford to the start of your proposed hike. Include local emergency numbers (police/fire), address of nearby hospital, troop leadership contact information (can be found on this newsletter), and your suggested schedule/itinerary for the day. In the very unlikely event that we have trouble on the trail, a good trek plan, left behind at home and on our car windshields, would help guide friends/family and rescue workers to our aid. In addition to merit badge credit for all entries, a great prize for the best Trek Plan will be awarded.
Troop Four Website: Please frequent the Troop 4 website at: www.troop4milford.org.
Please call the Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or email at pbedard1@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Troop Four Permission Slip
For the Troop Four day hike to the Wapack Trail in Southern NH on March 17th, 2012
_____________________________________ has my permission to attend the event as noted above. If I can not be reached in a medical emergency, I authorize the Adult Leaders to obtain the appropriate medical care, at my expense, if necessary.
During the event I can be reached at the following telephone # ______________
If I can not be reached, please contact __________________________
at this telephone #______________________ Relationship to scout __________
Signed _____________________________________ Date ____________
Parent Drivers:
I will (please check) ___ not be attending
___ attend and drive to/from the event
Permission Slip is due at no later than the March 8th troop meeting. Call Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 if your scout would like to attend the day hike trip, but can’t attend the March 8th troop meeting.
For Adults Driving (this information is needed for us to apply for BSA tour permit):
Vehicle Make: _______________
Vehicle Model: _______________
Vehicle Year: ________________
Drivers License #______________ Required for first time troop drivers only. Note that this is the driver’s license number, not plate number.
There is no fee required for this hiking trip.