We will celebrate Spencer’s accomplishments in an Eagle Court of Honor in October at the Parish Center.

Great job Spencer!

and thanks to Jeff Croteau for supporting last night’s event, and representing the Troop on this Board or Review.

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 Thanks to all those that have turned in scout camp payments and forms. Any remaining payments should be sent to Deb Laviolette, 7 Paulene Drive, Franklin, MA 02038, as soon as possible. Any remaining health forms should be turned into Brian Weber, 11 Ariel Circle, Milford, MA 01757. Instructions and due dates for all medical forms are available on the troop website. Remember that all attendees of the Maine canoe trips (adults and scouts alike) must turn in health forms per the website’s instructions. Also, all parents volunteering to stay overnight, or who wish to participate with scouts in the swim program, must turn in health forms.

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help at Camp Resolute. We have two leaders, Brian Weber and Tom Sgammato, who will be at camp all week, plus many others that have volunteered for days and/or nights so that we have 3 adults at camp at all times. Again - thanks to our adult leaders and parents for their outstanding support.

For those looking a nice set of dowels to hold up the bug nets at camp, please note that the Hastings have purchased a whole bunch in bulk for purchase by troop members at $2 for a set of four. You can pick them up next to his miscellaneous mailbox near the garage, at 23 Lucia Drive Milford. Or see him on the first Sunday of summer camp.

Maine high adventure preparations

Preparations are proceeding at a fast clip.

An outstanding field menu has been planned, to include one-pot favorites, gourmet dutch oven meals, hearty breakfasts, and other great menu items. Based on previous troop experience on these trips, the troop is planning on 3 squares per day, but only minimal snacks. Since snack tastes vary widely, scouts are asked to bring whatever snack foods they like for the trip. The troop recommends that scouts go easy on candy snacks, and heavier on high energy snacks, like nuts, dried fruit, gorp, etc.

For scouts that are gathering their gear, the troop campout packing list is a great place to begin. Specific instructions will follow in the coming weeks for additional items to pack (or not pack). All scouts are required to attend a pre-trip planning meeting on Thursday August 5th at the Parish Center. Scouts will be required to bring all their gear to this meeting, and we will leave/lock this gear at the scout room so that we will be guaranteed ready and prepared when the bus arrives to pick us up on August 14th. At the Aug 5th meeting, older scouts will inventory every item in a scout’s bag to ensure they are prepared. If any critical item is missing, scouts must bring it on the morning of departure. Only fully prepared scouts can depart with the Troop. The August 5th meeting is also an excellent time for parents to ask questions about the upcoming trip. Parents are welcome to come and stay for this entire planning meeting. If a scout is on vacation, and cannot attend the Aug 5th meeting, he must call the Scoutmaster to make arrangements to have his gear inspected at an alternate time.

For those interested in fishing on this adventure trip, a junior fishing license is needed for non-resident ages 12-16 and the cost is $16. For a 7-day non-resident ages 16+ license, the cost will be $43.00. Both of which can be purchased on-line.

Maine canoe trip adult leaders: Each leader should prepare to offer 1 merit badge of their interest. Scouts on our wilderness trips have traditionally earned 2-3 merit badges in the wild. Please email Pat Gallagher at pgallagher [Email address: pgallagher #AT# 1105media.com - replace #AT# with @ ] to let him know which badge you intend to teach, so we can avoid duplicates. The troop has many merit badge books in our library, and can obtain more if out of stock. So far adults and leaders have volunteered to teach:

Photography Merit Badge: Mark Hobart
Canoeing Merit Badge: Peter Lanciano
Tracking (aka Stalking) Merit Badge: Phil Bedard
Wilderness Survival Merit Badge: Peter Lanciano and Phil Bedard
Coffee Brewing Merit Badge: Jim Brundrett (Jeff has already registered to be a student in this one)
Knitting and Cross Stitch Merit Badge: Jeff Croteau
Moose Tipping Merit Badge: Pat Gallagher
Bear Wrestling Merit Badge: Tony Bogner
Snipe Hunting Merit Badge: Bruce Hastings
Latrine Science Merit Badge: Stacey Barie
White Water Bodysurfing Merit Badge: Tim Brundrett

Ventures:

Just a heads up for our older scouts that the venture program will be back in force next year. Mr.Hobart has volunteered to work with our ventures (high school age and above) to craft a series of fun and interesting events over the course of the year. Much more info to come at our Ventures-only planning meeting in September.

New Eagle Scout!!

Congratulations to Jim Malnati for becoming the Troop’s most recent Eagle Scout. The troop will celebrate his accomplishments at our fall Court of Honor.

Youth Protection Training:

 Is now mandatory for all registered leaders. The Council is now automatically dropping leaders from our roster that are not trained by the end of the year, and will not admit new leaders without this training. Training only takes about ½ hour and is available via the link on the Knox Trail Council website. Also - for those leaders attending the Maine high adventure, you must also complete Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, and Hazardous Weather Training. These three courses are also available on-line, and take about ½ hour each. Please send all completed training certificates to Stacey Barie at staceybarie [Email address: staceybarie #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ]. New leaders: note that the council offers new leader training that can bring you up to speed quickly on the BSA program and Troop organization. If interested, check out the Knox Trail website for an upcoming course. All training fees are picked up by the troop.

Please call Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or pbedard1 [Email address: pbedard1 #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ]  if you have any questions.

The troop will celebrate Jim’s Scouting achievements at our next scheduled Eagle Court of Honor at the beginning of the fall season.

Please congratulate Jim the next time you see him.

Thanks to Mark Hobart for serving as the Troop 4 representative on the Board.

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 [Email address: pbedard1 #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ]. 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 [Email address: staceybarie #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ].

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 [Email address: bpmkweber #AT# comcast.net - replace #AT# with @ ], or catch him at a troop meeting. Much more camp information is posted on the troop website.

_____________________________________ 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 ____________

All Scouts and Adults:
I (we) will need to rent ___ canoe/kayak to accommodate ___ people

___ will bring a boat and coast guard approved personal flotation devices. Boat is a ___ person canoe/kayak (circle one)

Parent Drivers:
I will (please check) ___ not be attending

___ drive to the event, but can’t stay

___ drive back from the event, but can’t stay

___ attend and drive to/from the event

Note that the drive from the parish center to the marina is about 90 minutes

Permission Slip is due at no later than the May 27th troop meeting. Call Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 if your scout would like to attend the trip, but can’t attend the May 27th troop meeting.

IF RENTING A CANOE OR KAYAK - FEE (DUE 5/27) IS $60 PER PERSON. MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO TROOP 4. IF NOT RENTING, THEN THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS TRIP.
For Adults Driving (this information is needed to apply for BSA tour permit):

Vehicle Make: _______________

Vehicle Model: _______________

Vehicle Year: ________________

Drivers License #______________ (required only for first time troop drivers. Note that this is the driver’s license number, not plate number.

My vehicle has seat belts to accommodate ____ scouts, including my own scout

_____________________________________ 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

                                                     ___ drive to the event, but can’t stay

                                                     ___ drive back from the event, but can’t stay

                                                     ___ attend and drive to/from the event

Note that the drive from the parish center to the campsite is less than 5 minutes !

Permission Slip is due at no later than the May 13th troop meeting. Call Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 if your scout would like to attend the trip, but can’t attend the May 13th troop meeting.

For Adults Driving (this information is needed to apply for BSA tour permit):

Vehicle Make: _______________

Vehicle Model: _______________

Vehicle Year: ________________

Drivers License #______________ (required only for first time troop drivers. Note that this is the driver’s license number, not plate number.

My vehicle has seat belts to accommodate ____ scouts, including my own scout

There is no fee required for this camping trip.