April 2013 Newsletter

Upcoming Troop Meetings
Troop meeting plans are posted on the website
4/4        Scale lashing project (2 week project)
4/11      Scale lashing project (2 week project)
4/18      No Meeting
4/25      Merit Badges
5/2        Car Night
5/9        Oceanography

Upcoming Events
4/7 PLC Meeting
The next PLC meeting will be at the Spellman Center beginning at 7PM. Please note that there is no PLC in March. All PLC members are expected to attend. Bring a snack!

4/19-21 Pioneer Campout
We will be at Camp Resolute in Bolton MA for a pioneer weekend. Woods tools, lashings, dove tails, and Dutch Oven cooking. Bring your fishing rods, the lake here is great!

4/28 Soapbox Derby
We will be running a full-sized soapbox derby in April at the Spellman Parking lot. Plans are available on the troop website and we estimate it will take most of the winter to build your cars.

5/5 Community Service
Our sponsor, the Holy Ghost Parish, has asked for help. We agreed to help and to prepare and serve the First Communion Breakfast on Sunday May 5th. Helpers are needed to buy the food, prepare serve and clean-up.

5/17-19 Cape Cod Campout
We will once again be staying in S. Yarmouth on the Cape this weekend. During the day we have swimming, canoeing, and fishing events. Those who are interested may bring their bikes for a trip into Hyannis. At night we will travel to the Wellfleet Drive-in for dinner and movies!

5/25 Memorial Flag Placement
The troop will be placing flags on the graves of Veterans. This community service is a required event. Please report to the VFW at 8:00AM in Class A uniform. The placement normally takes just an hour of our time but is very important.

5/27 Memorial Day Parade
The required Memorial Day parade event meets on Court St @ 8:30 AM Monday morning. All scouts should be in Class A uniforms for this parade and dedication.

Other News and Events
Eagle Courts of Honor
We have several Eagle presentations coming this spring! Please mark these dates/times
      4/6        Chris Coughlin            1:00 PM.
      4/27      Brian Mills                  1:00 PM
      5/5        Jeff Caron                 2:00 PM
      5/10      Greg McGrath            7:00 PM

4/11 Alaska Meeting
Our next Alaska meeting will be at 6:30 PM on 4/11. We will be finalizing our excursions this time. Everything else should be scheduled and reserved!

5/25-27 Native American Dance
Each year on Memorial Day weekend I attend the May Dance in Spencer, MA. Those who are interested may join for the day or the weekend. See the flyer on the troop website for more details.

6/1-4 Old Goat Fishing Trip
the 11th annual trip to the Rapid River in Maine is coming. We have 8 people this year and there are open bunks for 2-4 more. This is for those over the age of 18 yrs, see Mr Warner or Mr Samya if you are interested!

6/23 Deep Sea Fishing
JakeO is putting together the day trip to go deep sea fishing in June. Jake will be announcing the plans at upcoming meetings!

Summer Camp 2013
We are booked into Wanalancet site again next year. In January we will begin collecting reservation fees for our week in the woods. Parents who wish to attend for some or all of the week are welcome too!

Potpourri
4/11 – Monthly Parent's Meeting
We ask all parents to attend our monthly Parent meetings to review upcoming events and volunteer to assist or run some of the upcoming events. We meet at 8 PM on the second Thursday of each month. Each event has a scout as the event coordinator, but we need to have an adult to mentor and guide the scout. This is also a chance to ask your questions about the troop and learn a bit more about the opportunities within the troop for your son and yourself over the next year.

Troop Leader Development
On June 8th we are planning our Junior Leader Training event for our Troop leaders. All members of the PLC should plan on attending this one day event. Other scouts interesting in taking on a leadership role in the troop are invited too.

Parents are invited to join in as instructors or just sit in and listen to how the troop is supposed to be run. We will confirm the location next and begin staff meetings so the day covers the subjects needed.

Schedule Changes
Due to some new events we are altering our June events. Please note that the most current schedule is posted on the troop website as well.
      5/30            Troop Meeting - Troop elections
      6/6              Super Supper
      6/8              JLT
      6/13            No Troop Meeting
      6/14-15       Planning Meeting
      6/27            Annual Parent's Meeting/Camp prep
We will remind everyone as the dates approach too.

What is the Troop Uniform?
Boy Scout uniforms are classified into two groups: Class A (Scout shirt) and Class B (Scout T-shirt). Uniform for activities will be specified for each activity. Travel to and from activities will always be in uniform, either the Scout shirt, or Troop T-shirt. You may purchase one at any troop meeting.

The minimum acceptable Class A uniform for meetings is an official Scout shirt, which must be clean, buttoned and tucked in, Scout green pants (any green pants will do) and a Scout belt. The shirt must have the proper patches sewn on as well. For placement, check out this website: http://bsauniforms.org/

Troop Trip in 2014
Mr Mills has proposed a nice idea for a troop trip during the summer of 2014. This trip would focus on the coast of New England from Boston to Groton, CT. We would be camping and running day trips to various places with historic or cultural interest. Our goal is to use vans to caravan and keep the costs down. We are looking for a few volunteers to look into this trip and help with pre-planning.

Gillette Fund-raiser
We have again signed up to run a booth at the stadium. We have been very fortunate with this and we use the funds with the 80/20 split allowing the individual scout accounts to pay for a lot of program features for those scout families who participate. Our first event offer is for March 30th but additional dates will be coming once the schedules are fixed. If you are willing to commit to working the booth this coming year please contact Mrs. Mills and Mr. Moss who are leading this fund-raiser.

Stay Connected
Don't forget to visit the troop website at www.t22whitman.org  and our Facebook page at Troop 22 Whitman, MA. News and calendar events are kept there and updated frequently!

Scoutmaster’s Corner
This year we've been learning how to find directions on a map and use the compass to stay on course. It is an important skill to be able to orient a map and use map and compass to travel in unknown place.

In Scouting we have another kind of "map and compass". They are the Scout Oath, Law, motto and slogan. They are excellent guides for traveling through life.

Whenever you are wondering what's the right thing to do, consult those "maps and compasses." They won't always provide and easy answer. Sometimes you will have to think through your decision, but it will be easier if you ask yourself, "What if I act according to the Scout Oath and Law?" Chances are the Law will help to show you the right thing to do.