The Troop 1954
Wednesday Newsletter

 

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Lots of stuff in the newsletter this week.  I'll try not to be too long winded.

First: I received applications from five new scouts last night.  They are: John Myers, Jaimie Collier, Mason Bandy, Daniel Frediani, and Thomas Shieff.  Please join me in welcoming these boys into our troop.  New scouts coming in from Cubs are the lifeblood of the troop.  Lets go out of our way to make these boys and their families feel at home in 1954.

Second: Dizzy with Success II!  We had record setting attendance last night folks.  There were 21 scouts present, and that is 100% of our current active roster.  There was even a visit by one scout who is inactive but still a member.  Big numbers are fantastic but also pose problems.  We really, really need good adult and youth leadership.  Each patrol currently has a PL and an adult coach.  The adult coaches badly need assistants.  The job of the assistants is to help maintain order and to be prepared to sub in on those days when the coach can not be there.  The qualifications are that you can attend meetings regularly and feel that you can work with the kids with a bare minimum of yelling or blood pressure increase.  Our general policy is to assign coaches and assistant coaches to patrols that do not include their own sons.  Please, Please, if you are can take an assistant coach position, contact me.  We have enormous potential (and growing all the time).  We can be one of the absolute best and most exciting scout groups in Central Texas, but we really need good committed adult and youth leadership to pull it off.  The kids got to run around and have fun, but they have to be supervised as well.

Third: You'll find lots of important information about upcoming events in the announcements section.  Please read it carefully.

Fourth: Thanks much to Russell and Molly Alexander for coming last night to run the OA elections.  We may (or may not) choose to announce the results of the elections early, but please remember, regardless of the vote, you need to be present at either Camporee or summer camp in order to be "tapped out."

The Biohazards were the (clear) winners of the points competition for last night.

I also want to remind you that the Troop 1954 events calendar is now available on the web in a user friendly calendar like format.  You can check it our at our website at www.sanmarcos1954.org

Attendance
SPL Lee Clendennen  presiding, assisted by ASPL Daniel Kurtz
 
Biohazards   Patrol Leader, Ben Painton.  Coached by Dr. J
Alexey
Nathan
Bryan
Flip
Ben
Mason
Nick
Justin		  
   
Crimson Fromage     Patrol Leader, Chris Jenkins. Coached by Mr. Painton
Sean
Tony
Chris
Johnny
Silas
Josh
Gus
Ben
 
Highly Flammable Piffs     Patrol Leader, Zach Painton.  Coached by Ms. Patty
Lee
Corey
Daniel
Zach
Dane

Also, we had a brief appearance by Trevor.

Point System Scoring

Patrol

Attend.

Uniform

Behavior

Spirit

Meeting

6 Mo
Biohazards 5 5 3 5 18 51
Fromage 5 4 1 4 14 45
Piffs 5 5 0 3 13 45
Note: OK, I've modified the uniform scoring system as follows: all present in uniform=5, 1-2 out of uniform =4, 3 out of uniform = 3, 4-5 out of uniform = 2, more than five out of uniform =1.

Here's the new behavior/participation plan

 

Behavior, subtract for each incident, but at the moment, lowest score is a 0

Fails to come to order when scout sign given -1
Fighting with each other -1 per incident
Bad language -1 per incident
Failure to treat others with respect -1
Asked repeatedly to do any task -1
Fails to clean up -1
Shows poor sportsmanship -1

Participation: Add for each, highest score is a five.

All members cooperate with game +1
Members make progress on meeting’s task +1
Members show enthusiasm for tasks +1
Members show good organization (listen to PL and Coach) +1
Members exemplify Scout Law +1

 

 

 


 

Announcements
 
1) Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  Will be from 6 to 9 on Saturday, March 6 at First Baptist.  It's a medieval theme party this year with a dinner that you purchase for $5 a head.  In addition to awards and the dessert auction, there will be skits and other far out stuff.  The Cubs need to know how many people are coming so, if you want to go, please email Eric Meyers by Sunday, Feb. 22 (that's this Sunday).  His email is eric@corridor.net.

2) Medical and Driver Information  Please get the information in to Cece.  If you've already done the driver stuff for me, just tell her that and I'll forward it to her.  We will still need the medical release forms and the medical record forms.

3) Summer Camp, Philmont, and Scout Accounts! Last night, and in the next week or so, you will you will receive three letters and announcements from Troop 1954 as follows:

First, you will receive a letter inviting you to Summer Camp at Camp Dale Resler. This is a great opportunity to escape the heat, have fun, and earn credit towards advancement. To register for camp, you must return the letter along with a $50 deposit by March 23rd.  (The announcement says March 16th.  It has been extended to the 23rd because the 16th is Spring Break, and we won't be meeting that week).

Second, if you are in the Fromage or the Piffs, you will receive an invitation to apply to go on the Philmont trip in 2005. Please read it carefully and decide whether or not you wish to apply for a position on our Philmont crew. Biohazards will not receive this invitation because Philmont rules require that scouts be 14 or finished 8th grade to go.  Please note that this is an application for a position.  While submitting the $50 for summer camp guarantees you a place at the camp, there may well be more applicants for Philmont than we have places available.

Third, you will each receive an annual statement of your personal scouting account.  This will tell you how much you have to spend.  Please note that this money can only be used for troop activities.

4) Silver Pines  Dates for Silver Pines are May 30 - June 5.  To go, boys must be First Class and 13 years old.  It's held this year at Green Dixon and parents do not go.  Here's how the Silver Pines web site describes the program.  The Silver Pines Junior Leader Training Conference  is a week long outdoor experience for boy leaders in support of their Scoutmaster’s responsibility for training troop junior leaders.  It is a junior leader training conference conducted by the Capitol Area Council using a training program that is approved by the Boy Scout Division of the Boy Scouts of America.  Scouting recognizes that Scoutmasters have the responsibility of training their own junior leaders. The purpose of this junior leader training conference is not to assume the role, but to support it.  The objectives of Silver Pines are:         To give participants the confidence and knowledge to run the troop program.        To give participants a basic knowledge of the eleven skills of leadership and help them relate these skills to their troop responsibilities.   To give participants the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with Scouts from other troops. To create an atmosphere where Scouts will experience Scouting at its best.    To enhance the relationship between the participant and his Scoutmaster.       To have FUN!

If you're interested in going to Silver Pines, drop me a line at r.warms@txstate.edu

5) Court of Honor  We'll be having our semi-annual Court of Honor at Thermon on April 13th.  We'd really like to make this a big event for the boys.  One way we'd like to do this is by having each family bring one dessert item so that we can have a big dessert buffet after the presentations.  There will also be a presentation by Friends of Scouting before the Court of Honor (but it's not connected with the dessert buffet...no auctions at courts of honor).
 
Camporee

Next meeting we'll be moving into high gear for Camporee.  Since we will not be meeting on March 16th, we must plan our menus at next week's meeting.  The cost for Camporee will be $7 for all kids and for adults.  The money covers patches and stuff like the rental of porta pottys.  As usual, we will need $10 for food.  By the way, this year, Camporee will not be providing any food so we have to plan for Saturday night dinner.  We will also need to finish up working on patrol flags and cheers, discuss skits, and that sort of thing.  Since we've got a big crowd of highly spirited kids, and since the organization seems better than usual, Camporee should be a blast this year.  I want to really encourage everyone to get out there, compete, have fun, and not worry.

 
Upcoming Events
 

Twin Valley Camporee, March 26-28

Friday, March 26 - Sunday March 28 is the Twin Valley Camporee.  This year
sounds like a really good one.  It will be held at the Ruby Ranch outside of Buda (very convenient).  It will have a medieval theme with competition in catapults and jousting as well as the usual first aid and fire building. Each scout has been assigned to be a specialist in one or two of the Camporee activities.  They should bone up on those activities over the next month and a half.

Service Hours Available, Saturday April 3

Help with the ongoing clean-up of the Guadeloupe Cemetery on Post Road

Court of Honor, Tuesday April 13

We'll be having our semi-annual court of honor at Thermon.

April Camping, April 24-25

We'll be once again at John Knox for our April Campout.  This will be a backpacking campout.  We'll be at a site that is not accessible by car.  The main event in this campout will be to assist at the Webelos Cross Over.  We will be receiving the new scouts on Saturday Night.  They'll be spending that night at our camp site and hopefully, we'll have some cool stuff for them.

Saturday April 24th, Indoor Training for Scout Leaders and Parents

8:30 to 4:00 at the San Marcos Methodist Church.  This is the essential course for understanding how Scout Troops and meetings are supposed to work. The more parents who have this the better.  I really urge anyone who hasn't taken this course to do so.

May Scout Hut Work Day, Date TBA

We're hoping to paint the main meeting room of the Scout Hut.

May Camping, Date TBA

Wolf mountain and Enchanted Rock.  Dates and details forthcoming.

 

Saturday and Sunday May 15 and 16, Outdoor Training

This is the second half of the complete scout leader training course.  It will be held at Kiwanis Camp outside San Marcos.

Silver Pines Junior Leadership Training Program, May 30 - June 5.

We'd like to send a group of kids to Silver Pines.  To be eligible you've got to be First Class and at least 13 years old.  Cost is $175.  You'll also have to spend some money on uniforms.  But scouts will also get shirts, hats, and cups.

Troop 1954 Summer Camp, July 3 - July 11

We will be doing summer camp at Camp Dale Resler in the mountains of New Mexico.  This trip will also include visits to White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  It should be a great chance to get away from the summer heat of San Marcos and into the cool mountains of New Mexico.  It is also a fantastic chance for the scouts to make progress on advancement, have a great time, and bond more tightly as a group.  If you can possibly send your scout to summer camp, please do so.  The estimated cost for this program (including travel, all visits, and spending money), about $330 for youth and $220 for adults.