Folks,

The 2016 Camp Program has been released!  Please review the merit badge/Rank Advancement options for your scout.  Its recommended that first year scouts participate in Tenderfoot and Second Class Session and First Class Session (Used to be called Trail to First Class). Sign up for Merit Badges begins on May 4th…so May the 4th be with you in getting your first choice! (Star Wars Pun).  I will put a sign up sheet for merit badges in the church so you can start filling them out.

The Program Guide can be found at this link:

http://www.pikespeakbsa.org/pubs/2016_Camp_A_PROGRAM_guide.pdf 

Parents! Please schedule your scouts physical for summer camp. The physical can be downloaded at this link:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680-001_ABC.pdf

A couple of key points in the Program Guide:

• Merit Badge Schedual pg.17– This is the list of merit badges and activities Camp Alexander will be offering during merit badge times.
• Adult Leader Training pg. 24- This page describes the Adult Leader training we will be offereing this year.  Our Council training Committee is still working on the schedualed program.  I will send out the information on that prgoram once it is completed.
• Check In/Out procedures pg. 28– This page descripes our check in procedures on Sunday/Monday and lists the forms required upon check in.  That page also goes over check out procedures for Saturday morning.
• Medications pg. 29- This page describes Camp Alexanders medication procedures.  It is very important you pay attention to this section.  That State of Colorado requires Camp Alexander to store all youth’s medications in there orginal prescriped container.  With that, there is a section explaining the two signatures that are required on part B of the BSA medical form.  One signature is required by a parent and one is required by a licensed doctor.  Your scouts will not be able to receive any over the counter medications or there prescribed medications at camp unless those two signatures are on the form.

For any questions please contact me at seanmwarner@gmail.com

Sean

Sean Warner

Troop 287

Assistant Scoutmaster

Thanks to all the scouts and parents who participated in distributing door hangars for the flag program…we put out almost 600 hangars yesterday!

At Tuesday’s meeting we’ll start the Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge.  This is an Eagle required badge that is being run by Mr. Weston…thanks Jonathan!  New crossover scouts should bring their BSA handbook as we’ll be working on Trail to First Class items.

See you Tuesday, WUMC, at 7 pm.

Below information is from Jessica Hines,

“At the Walmart on 8th street, they have 1$ clearance, wool blend boy socks. It is on an end cap in the boys clothes section. I think they are about 25%  wool. That is better than no wool at all and could be a good start for newer boys or even as back up socks. I thought Id throw the word out to you and maybe you can share to the parents…”

This may be a good deal if the rest of the sock blend is primarily synthetics (nylon, polyester, spandex, etc), which they probably are.  If the socks are 25% wool and 85% cotton, I’d not recommend them.  Cotton has a tendency to absorb moisture and cause blisters, and is very poor at insulating when wet.

This may be a good deal for new scouts looking to save $$.

For Sunday’s (28 Feb) hike meet in the WUMC parking lot at 1 pm.  We’ll be breaking out the trail stoves so if you’d like to bring a meal, snack, or beverage you can make with hot water (e.g. ramen, freeze dried meal, hot chocolate etc.) please bring water, the item, and a cup/spoon.

Check your BSA handbook for hiking items.  At a minimum you’ll need a daypack, water (2 liter camelback or 2 water bottles), snacks, hat, sunscreen, and sturdy shoes (athletic shoes should be okay given the terrain and weather forecast).  If you’d like to pack the other essential items (flashlight, raingear, first aid kit, matches/firestarter, etc.) this would be a great way to test out your gear.  We’ll be going over gear during breaks in the hike for good examples of what to pack.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday 1 Mar; Meeting at WUMC; Webelos night (Pack 6)

Sunday 6 Mar: We’ll be hanging door hangars around Mountain Shadows to market the flag program.  Need 5 drivers and 10 scouts (minimum) to accomplish 10 routes assigned by the Rotary Club.  Signupgenius invite will be forthcoming.

Tuesday 22 Mar:  NO MEETING; spring break

Fri-Sat, 1-2 Apr:  Lazy campout at WUMC.  Get familiar with Troop gear, shakeout personal gear, intro to camp cooking, firem’n chit (fire safety and fire building), totin’chip (knife, ax, saw safety and usage), compass use, the famous WUMC orienteering course, and more!

At Tuesday’s meeting we’ll have annual Order of the Arrow elections to select candidates to join the local lodge.  There are camping and participation requirements so this is primarily for the older scouts.  We’ll host Jimmy Miller to describe the program and administer the elections.  All scouts are eligible to vote and it will be great for the new scouts to learn about the program.

As with all meetings, please bring your BSA Handbook so we can begin to sign off accomplishments!

Also, we will gauge interest for a 5 mile hike this Sunday at 1 pm, beginning from the parking lot at WUMC and taking a tour through Ute Valley Park.  I’ll need one adult to come with me, so if you’d like to join in on the fun shoot me an e-mail at jonu_1999@yahoo.com

The annual chili cookoff Court of Honor is next Tuesday (16 Feb)!  Scouts should rummage through old family recipes to make some award winning chili.  Setup begins for all scouts at 5:30 pm, with the chili dinner served around 6 pm. The boys selected a theme of “countries” for the COH, so please wear a hat, shirt, or other attire to represent your favorite country (Note: The Broncos are NOT a country).  The COH will follow at 7 pm with awards and advancements.  All Troop 287 families are invited!  A separate invite and item signup will be sent out via signupgenius.  If you don’t receive an invite by noon on Friday, please send your e-mail address to jonu_1999@yahoo.com.

We completed Troop elections at the last meeting.  The new Patrol Leader Council will take over during duties at the COH.  Here are the results!

For Tuesday’s meeting (7 pm, WUMC) we’ll have our semi-annual troop elections!  We’ll elect a Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and appoint the PLC and additional Patrol Leaders.  Additionally, all scouts will have a uniform inspection in preparation for the Court of Honor on February 16th.

Most importantly, we’ll be welcoming 8 new scouts that are joining Troop 287!

All parents are invited to the committee meeting which will begin at 7:30 while the boys are conducting elections.

See you Tuesday!

There will not be a T287 troop meeting on Tuesday, 2 Feb, due to D11 schools being closed for snow.  Enjoy your snow days!

We had a successful weekend at the Lockin with 18 Scouts/Webelos attending!  Lots of good fun, food, and games.  Thanks to Mr. Weston for helping out!

Also, thanks to the Scouts who participated at Scout Sunday at WUMC!

We will have a normal Tuesday meeting this week (2 Feb, 7 pm, WUMC).  There will be a Webelos crossover at WUMC on Friday, 5 Feb, at 6:30pm, with most of the Webelos coming to Troop 297!  We’ll look forward to welcoming them into the Troop.

For planning purposes, the February Court of Honor will occur on Tuesday, 16 February.  This will be the chili cookoff COH, so start dusting off your recipes!

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Scout Sunday is this Sunday, 31 January, at 8:30 am at WUMC.  Please come out and show your appreciation to the WUMC congregation for all they do to support our boys!  Scouts will show at 8:30 am to receive instruction so they can perform greeter and usher duties.  Thanks to Josh J. for volunteering to be the reader!  We’ll also be presenting the Troop 287 charter to Pastor Dave during the service.  The service begins at 9 am, and we should be finished at about 10:15 or so…after we finish the Troop 287 cake!  See you Sunday!

At Tuesday’s meeting we’ll be hosting Webelo’s 2’s as they contemplate the big move to Boy Scouts!  Let’s have a good showing to tell them about Awesome Troop 287!  We need all Scouts to show in Class A’s as we encourage these Webelo’s to continue on their Scouting journey.  We’ll be setting up tents, building small fires, and tying knots (all Scout led) as we discuss Troop 287’s upcoming activities, to include summer camp and a high adventure backpacking trip or canoe trip this summer!.

We will also have a lock-in at WUMC on 29-30 Jan (Fri-Sat) with more information to be provided at Tuesday’s meeting.  Scout Sunday will also be Sunday, 31 Jan, at WUMC.  Lots of fun activities coming up!  See you Tuesday at 7 pm!

Boy Scout Troop 287

Meeting:                     Troop 287 Committee Meeting

Date & Time:            January 12, 2016, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Location:                   Wilson United Methodist Church

In attendance:

Jon Ullmann, Tom Sharp, Jonathan Weston, Lisa Woodard and Sandy Johnston.

Jon Ullman – Scout Master

• Troop is in need of a Flag Coordinator
• Discussed the need to print door-hangers to increase ‘Flag’ subscriptions
• Tuesday, Jan 12^th, 7:00 pm: will be a normal meeting with Weebelo Cub Scouts visiting; Eagle, Life and Star Scouts highly encouraged to attend
• Friday, January 29^th, 5:00 pm activity: Freez-o-Ree versus Lock-In; boys voted at tonight’s meeting
• High Adventure Summer Trip is being discussed among the Scoutmasters; final decision will be given next Tuesday.
• Troop Master software program is up and running once again

Tom Sharp – Charter Organization Representative

• Feb 7^th is Scout Sunday; boys attend one of the services, either 9:00 am or 10:30 am and help to usher, present a reading, and help take the offering.
• Discussed the possibility of doing the Soapbox Derby; May/June timeframe

Sandy Johnston – Committee Chair

• Tuesday, Feb 9^th, 7:30 pm: Committee Meeting
• Tuesday, Feb 16^th, 6:00 pm: Court of Honor ‘Chili Cook-off’
• Will be placing a bulk order for Troop t-shirts, hoodies, etc.

Hi All,

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! It’s back to business for Troop 287. Please join us for January’s Committee Mtg tomorrow at 7:30pm. All are encouraged and welcomed to attend.

See you then,

Sandy Johnston

We’ll start up with our regular weekly meetings beginning this Tuesday! Here is what’s on the agenda.

-Bring your Personal Management merit badge workbook.  We’ll continue with the merit badge requirements.  If you haven’t developed a budget and begun to track expenses/income, now’s a great time to start!

-We’ll plan activities for the following Tuesday’s meeting (Jan 19th) when we’ll be hosting Webolos in pursuit of their Arrow of Light!

-Due to conflicting activities for many scouts, I’ve cancelled our participation in the Klondike Derby for next weekend (15-17 Jan).  There is the possibility of a campout at the USAFA Freezoree (29-31 Jan) but I will need at least one (and preferably two) adults who can attend with me.  Please discuss participation in the Freezoree with your scout, and if you (adult) can help out please e-mail me at jonu_1999@yahoo.com.

See everybody at WUMC Tuesday at 7 pm!

We will not have a meeting on Tue, 5 Jan.  Regular Tuesday Troop 287 meetings will recommence beginning Tue, 12 Jan!

We are planning participation in the High Plains Klondike Derby on 15-17 Jan.  You should have received a signupgenius invite.  Please let me know via signupgenius if you will be participating in this campout by Wednesday, 6 Jan.  If you need further info or need to be added to the signupgenius distribution list, please e-mail me at jonu_1999@yahoo.com.

On Sunday, December 27th, Troop 287 will provide scout volunteers to the WUMC sponsored soup kitchen at Sacred Heart Church (2030 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904).  Please show at 5:45 pm in Class A shirt.  This event typically takes about an hour and a half and counts towards volunteer requirements for rank advancement while providing a service to the community.  See you there!

Our next regular Troop meeting is Tuesday, January 12th, 7 pm at WUMC.  Lots of great events for January to include planning a Webolos night and the next outing!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

Troop 287,

Here’s your chance to get outside and play in the snow a little bit.  We are going to piggy back on UpaDowna’s Snow Day event for some sledding, Fat Biking, Hot Chocolate and snacks.  UpaDowna is a non-profit organization who’s sole purpose is to get people outside!  This event is completely free! They will provides Sled and Fat Bikes for your use.  If you never rode a Fat Bike in the snow then come out and try it. It’s awesome!  Make sure you dress for playing in the snow.  Bring your own sled if you do not wish to share and bring a bike helmet for Fat Biking. This event is for the entire family so parents and siblings can play too!

Please arrive a little before 10 and we can do a short flag ceremony to make it an official meeting. This event is the Troop outing for the Month.

Here is a link to the Upadowna website event and I pasted the information below. http://www.upadowna.org/event/snow-adventure-day-3rd-sunday-adventure/?instance_id=23523. Aspen Valley Ranch is located in Woodland Park.

“Well folks it is time to get out the sleds, fat bikes, snow shoes and hot cocoa!! It is our annual snow day play day at the beautiful Aspen Valley Ranch.

We’ll kick things off at 10am and play in the snow until one! We will have hot cocoa, coffee, and some snacks! Please be prepared with warm clothes, gloves, and hats. Bring your own snow toys or borrow our sleds and snowshoes! We’ll also have fat bikes on hand…thanks to The Hub Bicycle Shop for coming out again to help! 

AVR is located at 1150 South West Road in Woodland Park – just one mile from downtown. When driving into Woodland Park on Highway 24 (from Colorado Springs), turn left onto West Road (at the stoplight just past Donut Mill). Follow West Road for about 1.1 miles. The entrance to AVR will be on your left (marked by two stone sculptures). Continue up this dirt road until you reach a round-about. Follow the signs to the parking area near the sledding hill (south towards Pikes Peak). Please do NOT park near homes.

Please Note: Aspen Valley Ranch is not yet open to the public, except during special events.”

Feel Free to email me with any questions at seanmwarner@gmail.com

Sean Warner

In accordance with Troop 287 policy that we do not hold activities when D11 cancels school, I am cancelling tonight’s meeting.

Stay tuned for info on sledding this Sunday (20 Dec) in Woodland Park!