Use this category to add news to the Troop blog. News can be a collection of announcements, live updates (photos, videos, etc.) on outings, or any information that pertains to the entire Troop.
We are back on the Zoom meeting format, and will continue our regularly scheduled meeting themes with a slight change in the future, however, this month will follow the below format since we are not able to hold any in-person events at all (I was looking forward to the lock-in):
Here is a call to action! Several Committee Members are coming to the end of their terms as members of the Troop Committee. The term is generally two years and filled often by new members to the troop, or those who have been in the troop for about a year, so they kind of know the ropes (ish). This way, there is some buy in and the new members can see how things were run, and how they can be improved upon.
Several of the current committee members have been in their positions for nearly four years. While they are doing a fantastic job, they need a little releif from their roles and need to be allowed to focus on other aspects of their Family lives. Their Scouts are Life Scouts and are getting ready to move on to bigger and better things.
The bottom line here, is that we need some of you to step up and hep the Troop out by grabbing up one of the positions that is opening up. They are listed in the sign up genius link below. Closing date is the end of the year, so we can start 2021 nice a fresh!
No worries if you miss this post, I will repost it several times between now and the end of the year.
This statue stands outside the US Army Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, GA.
Troop,
Tonight the new leadership takes over as voted by you a couple weeks ago. Here is the breakdown:
SPL: Mark P. ASPL: Evan R. PL: Austin P. PL: Geren M.
This is what is in store for you tonight: Since this past weekend was a campout (we just wont talk about that), tonight is a game night, hosted and managed by your ASPL via Jackbox over Discord. Zoom to start, Discord to follow; details below.
Next week is Thanksgiving week, there will not be a meeting.
Our next meeting is scheduled for 1 Dec.
See you all tonight!
Dan
Topic: BoyScouts Troop287’s Zoom Meeting Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Troop, I have recieved a few questions about Merit Badges and the process to obtain them. Here is a quick rundown on how it works:
This stuff can also be found here: https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/the-merit-badge-program/
I totally encourage all Scouts to get involved in the Merit Badge program and it does a lot for a Scout, including reaching out and “cold calling” or making “cold contact” with people they are not familiar with to set up meetings and discuss things they are interested in learning about (for us adults, it kind of sounds like a cold call in business).
Step 1: Find a topic you want to explore. There are likely a few out there that one of the currently available 138 merit badges will cover.
Step 2: Talk to the Scoutmaster and get a Signed Blue Card for that merit badge (basically, the signed blue card is the authorization to start the MB) – I will update SB with the started MB. Most Pikes Peak BSA (PPBSA) programs (not camps) will require you to turn in a SIGNED blue card at the start of class. This step is to be completed PRIOR to starting the Merit Badge. Officially, any work completed prior to doing this does not count toward the completion of the Merit Badge. However, we can work stuff out on a case by case basis depending on the situation (and the Merit Badge counselor).
Step 3: Search out and make contact with a QUALIFIED MB counselor (YPT and Registered with BSA); let me know who it is and I will link them to you in Scoutbook. There have been some folks who get MB stuff completed by those “counselors” who are not validated, registered, or YPT certified to do this type of stuff under the BSA umbrella. Finding a QUALIFIED MB counselor is a safety thing for the Scout and the Counselor. Plus, should anything happen (someone gets shot with an arrow, etc.), BSA insurance will cover it. If the counselor is not qualified, insurance will not cover it.
Step 4: Either demonstrate skills/knowledge to the MB Counselor or obtain guidance from the counselor – continue this process until the counselor is satisfied with your skills, knowledge, etc. (completing the requiremens of the badge) and signs off for all requirements. This process may take more than one meeting with the counselor, or may take several months to complete. Since the counselor should be linked in SB, they should sign off in the system. If they don’t, let me know and I will take care of that aspect of it when I get the [completed] blue card. The PPBSA is pushing this process and we will likely see this mandated in the future, but who knows. Any knowledge or skills demonstrated prior to getting a signed blue card will not count toward completion of the badge. You’ll have to re-deomonstrate stuff to your counselor if this is the case.
Step 5: Turn in the Completed Blue Card to the Scoutmaster and get recognized at the next COH. The Counselor may or may not keep a portion of the card for his/her records. That is just fine. The other two portions of the card should be turned in and the Troop will keep a portion of the card for our records. The last portion of the card will be returned to the Scout upon recognition at the CoH with the badge earned.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.
There is some flexibility due to COVID this year, that will be discussed individually on a case by case basis.
Thank you for being so flexible and attending the ceremony we held for Josh the other weekend. It was a really nice turn out and the weather was fantastic. I know that Sandy, David, and Josh all appreciated the fact you braved the social world and turned out for his ceremony.
Josh reached out to me and asked me to ask those who provided gifts for him without tags to reach out to him (or Sandy) directly so he can properly thank you for what you gave him. He is super appreciative of everything you all did and provided!
You guys decided on a few things for this weekend’s campout.
Food: Everyone is on their own for food.
Shelters: Everyone will be in their own tent/shelter (family members can be together)
Activities: Geocaching MB, Quartermaster duties inside the barn, First Aid Skills for rank advancement.
Schedule:
Friday at 1700: Arrive at the barn and set up your shelters. Dinner, then maybe a socially distant gathering around a propane fed fire (fire ban is currently underway)
Saturday: Wake up and get breakfast, cleanup, quatermaster duties in the barn (inventory and inspection, organization), Geocaching MB (E. Reeves instructing), Rank required First Aid Skills instruction. Lunch and Dinner will be played by ear (easy since everyone will be supplying their own food).
Sunday early wakeup and break-down of camp/shelters, then breakfast.
Sunday 1000: End of Camping operations. Hand-over of Leadership responsibilities to newly voted persons.
We will not be holding our CoH as we had planned. It will be rescheduled for a future date. COVID strikes again!
***COVID UPDATE*** Play this weekend by ear guys, as of right now (12 Nov 20), we are a go for camping according to the PPBSA website.
BE PREPARED TO HEAR THAT THIS WEEKEND IS CANCELLED (hope not).
Here is the organization deal: we are supposed to have only 10 people at an outdoor activity. The Scouts will camp in a separate location from the adults (maintaining social distance). The Adults will supervise from a distance. We can make this work, but please be flexible.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know. Trying times, but we will deal with it all.
This evening, the PLC had a meeting where they discussed the next round of Scout Troop Leadership. Please continue reading. Most importantly, if you want to have a position in the Scout Leadership ranks, please attend tomorrow night’s meeting.
The PLC decided to use a Google form to vote on. Each Scout will have the opportunity to throw his name in the hat for what position he wants (1CL+ for SPL/ASPL).
If you want to be a PL, make it known! Your name will be added to the list for voting. If it is not on the list, of course you will not get that position.
Also available for leadership (what I call soft leadership positions) are Historian, Scribe, Quartermaster, Chaplains Aide, Bugler, Outdoor Ethics Guide, and Instructor. I know there are several other positions in the book, but our troop traditionally does not use them (like the Librarian, since everything is online anyway, or the Webmaster, since the SM does a lot of that web-stuff).
Anyway, please attend tomorrow night via Zoom for the first 40 minutes and then a transition to Discord, where the voting and all that stuff will be documented.
Dan
Zoom details:
BoyScouts Troop287 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: BoyScouts Troop287’s Zoom Meeting Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 8EKJzf One tap mobile +13462487799,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (Houston) +16699006833,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 345220 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbpqoiIeSS
Last week, you all touched on prepping for this weekend’s Quartermaster/Lazy Camp at the barn.
Here is the Scoop: COVID is a bunch of disruptive business. It pushed us back into the digital meetings, but still allows us to camp together as a Troop (under 25 attendees), which means we are good to move forward and have our Lazy Camp this weekend (13-15 Nov). Here is the sign up genius:
Here is the deal for this campout: We need a couple of adults to sign up and be there for the weeknd. I have a client coming in from out of town, so I will be out of the net for most of Saturday. Need some help on this one! Otherwise, we will have to cancel it.
Leading from the campout which is scheduled from Friday night until Sunday morning aroudn 10, we will roll directly into our Court Of Honor.
Details on the COH:
This is our first one since February. We will have quite a few Rank Advancements and Merit Badges that have been earned. We need to get these Scouts recognized for their efforts. Don’t worry boys, your rank is recorded as the day of your SMC (Scout rank) or your BOR (TF-Life).
We will have some light refreshments, ranks, awards, and new leadership which will be voted on by the Scouts. I will have voting sheets available for every Scout in the troop to cast a vote. I will collect the sheets and make count the votes. If there needs to be a run-off, we will cross that bridge when it comes to that.
Details on Voting:
Here is the deal on voting and postitions: If you are running for SPL or ASPL you need to be 1CL or higher. For PL or any other postion, I prefer TF or higher. It takes a bit of experience to lead, but you can’t gain experience without trying, and with the size and makeup of our troop, you get experience by leading your peers. So, the kids with the most direct leadership contact (PL) should be younger and can be in the First Four Ranks.
I like the Soft Leadership (Scribe, Histroian, Quartermaster, etc.) to be anyone who wants to volunteer for that position.
Anyway, too much rambling for one night. I will send another message as the week progresses.
We need another Driver/Navigator team to pony up for flags this Sunday. I think we have the Scouts covered.
Please if you have the opportunity to help us out, throw your name on there! The Scouts do all the work, so all you would really have to do is donate your time and gasoline for the route you are given. It takes about 90 minutes in the am and pm.
The Scout’s get about $60 each to do this in their Scout accounts, which can be used for dues, gear, classes, etc. (pretty much anything Scout-related).
Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 8EKJzf One tap mobile +13462487799,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (Houston) +16699006833,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 345220 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbpqoiIeSS
Troop, a few weeks ago, we were offered the opportunity to fill some slots at Northern Tier. This opportunity is for Scouts who are 13years old and have completed the 8th grade, or are already 14 years old by the time of attendance (Jun next year). If you are interested, the sign up link is below.
Here is the catch: We have to pay our deposit by Thursday this week!! This means, if we get enough for a crew to do this, you’ve got to be able to put your money where your mouth is and drop off a check for the amount of $700+/attendee by Thursday so the Troop can drop the money on-line to reserve our spot. Right now there are three people signed up (Geren, me, and Jack D.). So, if you are (or will be) of age, and are interested, and have the cash to cover it (final price to be detailed in the next day or so), sign up.
Troop, last week seemed to be pretty productive in regards to what the PLC (Patrol Leader’s Council) did. Their guidance will continue this week/month, and they reaffirmed the following rotation of meeting subject matter:
Week 1: Rank ADV Week 2: MB Work Week 3: Camp/Activity prep Week 4: Game night Week 5: (if available) then we will fill in with Rank ADV or MB work
The (in person) meeting breakdown will continue with the 30/30/30 loosely adhered to guidance. 30 for admin and Rank/MB/Planning, 30 for buffer work/SMC or whatever, and 30 for IPA.
Tomorrow night we will meet again on Zoom for the first 30 minutes or so, for Rank ADV. We will try and do some breakout groups or something like that. I have to figure that part out. The Scouts will likely peel off into Discord or whatever afterwards.
Here is a little info on how to motivate your Scout to be self reliant and able to check his progress through Scouting (ahem, remind us adult leaders to check stuff off in Scoutbook, etc.) If you feel comfortable allowing them access, please do so. As a parent, you are the only one who can grant this access. Here is how to do it:
How Do I Give My Scout Access to Their Account?
A parent is the only one who can give a Scout access to their records online.
The Scout needs to be registered in a unit.
Make sure the parent is connected to the Scout account / record in the Scout’s Connections page. Also make sure the parent has the Parent/Guardian connection role with either Full Control or Edit Profile permissions.
The parent can then login to Scoutbook and edit the profile of their Scout and click the option at the bottom of the page to allow their Scout to connect to their own account. The Scout will need their own email account. A temporary password will be sent to them.
NOTE: If a parent does not see the Invite Scout to Connect button at the bottom of the Scout’s Edit Profile Screen, then the Scout has already been invited and an account has already been setup for them with their email address as his User Name. Go to the Messaging Center and click on the Scout’s name, unclick the BCC option and send the Scout an email to log into Scoutbook. They can use the Forgot Password? option on the login window to reset their password if they forgot it.
The Scout will receive an email invite similar to the above.
Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 8EKJzf One tap mobile +13462487799,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (Houston) +16699006833,,9618585239#,,,,,,0#,,345220# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) Meeting ID: 961 858 5239 Passcode: 345220 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbpqoiIeSS
Yup, you read that right! If you ordered a troop shirt or sweatshirt, I have them at my house. We can link up to give you your goods. Just give me a call 228-806-9063 or shoot me a text.
There was an issue with the Red Sweatshirt, they did not have the red with white accents. They are red with black accents. They look cool. So if you do not want it, let me know. I think there were only a couple of those ordered.
If you read my last post, you will know that we are back to virtual meetings. I know, it is not ideal, but this is the order we are required to follow.
Here is our plan as we move forward:
Tonight’s meeting (7-7:45pm) will be on-line, and only for the Scout Leadership (SPL/ASPL, PLs, Scribe).
At about 7:45pm, after they make some decisions, they are going to get on Discord and do stuff there, which is open to everyone else.
Saturday at 1100 am: we will meet at the Barn for Josh Johnston’s Eagle COH. This is a voluntary event, so not a mandatory thing, nor is it an official meeting. We are doing to proceed with it because it is very, very important to recognize this accomplishment. Masks and Class A unifrom required.
Next Tuesday and meetings moving forward, we will have to play it by ear and see what the State and BSA are going to allow us to do. Based on what your leadership decides, we may revert back to the every other week meetings with an unofficial activity in between. We shall see.
Camping: we can still go camping! So, we will still hold our planning meetings and such for our campouts (only one left this year, and the lock-in). But we will still maintain that sort of activity to get us outside and closer to Mama nature.
See you (leadership) tonight at 7, the rest of you on discord at 7:45pm.
If you were scheduled for a BoR, that is still on because it was virtual anyway, just remember to coordinate with whomever your Board rep was.
Welcome to the website of Boy Scout Troop 287 at Wilson United Methodist Church, located on the northwest side of Colorado Springs, CO, in school districts 11 and 20. We are in the BSA Pikes Peak Council, Frontier District.
To the left, you can view our news and events. Below you can browse information about our troop, subscribe to our blog by email, download documents, and access useful links.
