Parents & Scouts:
Just a friendly reminder that final payment for Summer Camp 2015 at Camp Jeffrey is due tomorrow Tuesday, April 28. We need to have everyone’s payment tomorrow so we can the deposit and make final payment to secure our spot and all the boy’s badge choice. Please call or email me if you need to discuss this.
Thank you,
Sandy Johnston
sandycjohnston@hotmail.com
719-494-9922 cell
OK! Everyone got the Merit Badges they wanted for summer camp so we can check that one off the list. Here are the next things to work on:
– The final payment for summer camp is due at the 28 April meeting. For most, that amount is $137.50.
– Next work on getting your scout physical squared away. You can find the form link at the top of the page by clicking on Summer Camp 2015 then click on Health Form then Annual BSA Health and Medical Record, Parts A, B, and C. If we are lucky, the links in this email will work but if not you know how to find the form. You, as the parent will fill out part A and B, the doctor fills out part C.
– Finally, start getting the gear that you need for summer camp.
store gear
Optional Equipment: Extra Shirts, Hat, Pajamas, Bandanas, Watch, Daypack or Bag, Clothing Repair Kit, Toothpaste & Brush, Sun block, Sunglasses, Sleeping Bag, Towels, Chapstick, Closed-toed water shoes for aquatics merit badges, Spending money for Trading Post, Fishing Gear, Merit Badge Pamphlets, Alarm Clock, Insect Repellent, Camera, Rope for Clothesline, Swim Trunks, Backpack & Ground Cloth if you are planning an outpost overnight campout. Gloves, Long Pants, and Bandanna, if you are participating in Cope or Rock Climbing.
– The scout store has some pretty good deals on sleeping bags and backpacks.
Please call if you have any questions.
Sean
Sean Warner
719-648-6798
Hello everybody! This is just a reminder to all those who signed up for my Eagle Project. My first work day is tomorrow, April 26, at the church. We will be working inside the barn. The work day will go from noon to around four thirty. Snacks and beverages will be provided, but not meals. We will call parents when the work day is over. If you cannot make it to my Eagle Project, please call me to let me know. Thanks!
-Ben Swanson
Our new scouts (and some old scouts) worked on skills and advancement last weekend at Camp Wilson. Congrats to new scouts that advanced to “Scout” rank, and those that earned the Firem’n Chit and the Totin’ Chip!
Boy Scout Troop 287
Meeting: Troop 287 Committee Meeting
Date & Time: April 14, 2015, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Wilson United Methodist Church
In attendance:
Keith Moore, Tom Sharp, Sandy Johnston, Andrea Warner, Cindy Aicher, Mary Cucarro, and Lisa Woodard
Scouts,
The link to register our scouts for their summer camp activities (Merit Badges and Trail to First Class) will become available to me on April 22nd. Therefore, I need you to email me your scout’s merit badge choices by SUNDAY, APRIL 19th. This gives me time to verify and organize them and fix any discrepancies prior to registration. My email is seanmwarner@gmail.com. My cell is 719.648.6798.
You can find the merit badge selection in the 2015 Leader Book on Page 48-50. Please long onto the Troop 287 Website (www.bsatroop287.org) and click on the 2015 Summer Camp Link at the top of the page. A link to the leader’s guide is posted there. The leader’s guide also has descriptions of the Merit Badges earlier in the book so you can make sure its the one for you.
So here’s some guidance for merit badge and Trail to First Class selection:
New Scouts: These are the scouts that recently joined that have never done a summer camp and have very little accomplished towards rank advancement to first class…i.e, the Webelos that just transitioned from Pack 6. You guys will want to sign up for Trail to First Class (TFC). This is a four block instruction that will help you accomplish most of your rank advancements to First Class. TFC is available during the morning blocks or afternoon blocks of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I recommend scouts sign up for the afternoon TFC, allowing the scouts to sign up for two additional merit badges in the morning block. Thunderstorms tend to come in the afternoons and might cancel a afternoon merit badge but they will not cancel TFC due to thunderstorm so better to take your favorite merit badges in the mornings. Most merit badges take two blocks (this will make sense once you see the merit badge spread sheet on page 48-50).
Other Scouts: If you have already taken Trail to First Class at a Summer Camp, or if you have been in scouts a while and are comfortable with your rank advancement progress then you do not need to take Trail to First Class at Summer Camp. You scouts are free to sign up for whatever Merit badges that will make summer camp fun for you. Some scouts like to knock out the Eagle Required ones, some like to do ones that are fun and some like to do a mix…your choice!
Some Merit Badges or activities will have an age requirement and or cost additional money. For example, Rifle Shooting requires a $5.00 additional charge for ammunition. Shotgun Shooting has an additional fee of $20.00 and its only recommend for boys 13 and older. Leather work merit badge requires you buy a kit for $10. Fishing requires a $2.00 fishing permit. This is all laid out in the Leader’s Book so please look at the descriptions of the merit badges so avoid any surprises.
Some merit badges fill up pretty fast…like the shooting sports, C.O.P.E., climbing, etc. Many of us scout masters will be attempting to register our scouts at the same time. There is a chance that scouts may have to re-arrange their desired schedule to get the merit badge of their choice. The earlier I am prepared to register merit badges, the better the chances of scouts getting their first choice. I plan on registering the second the site becomes active.
Again, Please take a look at the Leader’s Guide and email me you scout’s selection by 5pm on the 19th. I will start calling people if I haven’t received them. Feel free to call if you have any questions.
Thanks
Sean
Sean Warner
Just a reminder: April Committee meeting is tomorrow Tuesday, April 14th at 7:30pm. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. We look forward to seeing you all!
Sandy Johnston
This Saturday, Troop 287 will be doing a preparation campout to learn some basic skills and begin completing requirements for rank advancement.
Cost:
$5
Scout can pay cash, check (made out to Troop 287), or use money from their Scout funds, if they have a sufficient balance.
Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast will be provided. Boys should bring their own lunch on Saturday. Extra snacks are fine. We’ll probably be doing s’mores Saturday night, as well.
Parent Permission:
Please download, print, complete, sign, and bring the parent permission form:
> BSA Parent Permission Form (PDF)
Time:
11 a.m., Saturday, April to 11 a.m., Sunday, April 12. Just one night.
Things for Scouts to bring:
Use a permanent marker or tape to identify their belongings.
Pack in a backpack or large bag or plastic container bin.
Scout can consult his Scout Handbook for anything we might have committed on this list.
ALSO: IF YOU HAVE SOME FIREWOOD YOU CAN SPARE, BRING THAT, TOO!
Discarded 2x4s (non-treated) work great if you find some lying around.
The troop provides tents, cooking stoves and utensils, tarps.
Agenda:
Call ASM Swanie if you have questions (719-963-5645).
Hi All
Correction for April Committee Meeting. I incorrectly gave the wrong date for the April committee meeting
on my last post regarding troop dues, etc. Committee meetings are generally held the 2nd Tuesday of the month
and I was off on my calendar. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The April Committee Meeting will
be on Tuesday April 14th (not tonight).
Andrea & I will still be at the Scout meeting tonight and are available to discuss your Scout’s account.
Sandy Johnston
Folks,
You can now find the 2015 Merit Badge Schedule within the Leader’s Guide on Page 48-50. Its a little confusing but if you study it for a few minutes you can figure it out. Each day is broken down into three blocks, a morning, afternoon and evening block. For example, Monday is M1 (Morning), M2 (Afternoon) and M3 (Evening). Tuesday is T1, T2, T3…etc. It looks like Merit Badges encompass two blocks. For example, Wilderness Survival is offered on M2 (Monday Afternoon) and T2 (Tuesday Afternoon). That means that if you chose Wilderness Survival your Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon is taken up with that leaving you the option to pick another merit badge in the mornings or evenings of Monday and Tuesday or any of the blocks on the Wednesday and Thursday. Does that make sense?…it will when you open the document.
Trail to First Class is offered either in the Mornings (9am-1130am) or in the afternoons (130pm-4pm) Monday through Thursday. The way I read it is if you select the morning Trail to First Class, then you can have the option to take a merit badge in the afternoons. This would mean you could knock out two merit badges in addition to Trail to First Class.
So here is the nitty gritty. The option to register merit badges will open in a couple of weeks. I need all the scouts to look at the options and decide this week which merit badges or activities you would like to do. Make sure you look at the requirements, for example, some might require an additional fee or an age requirement.
I need to know what merit badges you would like to take by the meeting on April 14th. I need them turned into me by hand or emailed to me. This will allow me to register your scout’s preferences the second the link becomes available. There are only so many slots to each merit badge and I guarantee the Texans that are going to summer camp will be quick on the trigger!
You can download a PDF version of the leader’s guide here or from the 2015 Summer Camp link at the top of the Page.
Sean Warner, ASM
Summer Campers,
Summer Camp at Ben Delatour will be upon us before we know it. I think I am just as excited to go as my son! To make sure we are all prepared I am going to post periodic updates/reminders in addition to the Summer Camp link Swanie made on Troop 287 homepage. The purpose is to ensure your scout is prepared and all benchmarks are made along the way. Here are the top three things parents and scouts should focus on now:
1. Merit Badge Selection – The 2015 Merit Badge submission link will be made available within the next couple of weeks (estimated the 21st). The goal is to have our scouts decide on their merit badge choices before the link become available that so they can get their first choices. If we delay the submission, Troops from Texas will take all the good merit badge choices…it happens every year. The 2015 List is not available yet but should be soon. Once it is made available, I will likely give you 48-72 hours to have you choices sent to me so I can submit them as soon as the camp allows it. Here is some guidance in making your selection:
– New scouts should choose the “Trail to First Class” option over Merit Badges. This allows scouts to complete most of the rank requirements up to First Class Rank. Trail to First Class is all day everyday so the new scouts will not have time to select additional merit badges. This makes is easy for our new scouts 🙂 If the option to get in an additional merit badge becomes available, then I will let you know.
– More senior scouts that do not need to do Trail to First Class will select Merit Badges. I recommend you select merit badges that are Eagle Required (if that is your goal) or ones that are tough to get outside of summer camp first. Next, pick the one that just seem like a lot of fun. Please reference your scout handbook for a list of eagle required merit badges. Here is a link you can use to look at last years merit badges to get an idea of what’s offered. I will send an update as soon as the 2015 options are released. 2014 Merit Badge Options. I will also attach this list as a PDF.
2. Final Summer Camp Payment is Due April 28th – The amount is $137.50. Summer camp charges a late fee so please have this payment in on time.
3. Summer Camp Physicals – Summer camp requires a physical that must be signed off by a physician. Here is a link to the form and I will also attach a PDF. Summer camp is 14 June. Please plan on turning in a COPY of your physical to me no later than 31 May. This is two weeks before summer camp. Annual BSA Health and Medical Record ABC. This form also include immunization records.
Please focus on these above items now and I will provide notice at meetings or through this web site for additional updates.
Thank You,
Sean Warner
seanmwarner@gmail.com
680-001_ABC 2014 Merit-Badge-Schedule
Scouts & Families,
Just a few accounting details to take care of before our committee meeting next week.
Our troop re-chartered in Dec for 2015. The following re-charter dues were deducted from the Scout’s accounts. All adults who were re-chartered need to check with Andrea to see if you need to reimburse the troop for your fee.
Existing Troop Scouts – $24.00 each
Transfer Scouts – $0.00
Adults – $24.00
Troop 287 dues are due in February for the year. With all the transition in our troop we are now trying to take care of this. Dues for 2015 are $72.00 ($6.00/month) and is paid all at once. (Transfer Scouts get credit for the 1 month because they transferred in Feb). The following dues have been deducted from the Scout’s account (which may bring your Scout’s account in to a negative balance).
Existing Scout dues – $72.00 each
Transfere Scout dues – $66.00 each
If your Scout would like to receive Boy’s Life (Scout magazine) that is an additional $12.00.
FINAL PAYMENT FOR SUMMER CAMP IS DUE NO LATER THAN TUESDAY 4/28.THE AMOUNT DUE FOR EVERY SCOUT IS $137.50.
Our next Committee Meeting is Tuesday 4/7 @ 7:30pm. All are welcome! We would really appreciate having a parent join us or stopping by and checking on their Scout’s account so we can get them all settled.
We are working to bring you more information on the website in a timely manner. Thanks for bearing with us during the transition. If you have any questions
feel free to email me.
Thanks,
Sandy Johnston, Troop Committee Chair
Hi all, several notes for parents:
Normally, we ask the boys to take responsibility for communication between the troop and parents. However, we realize that sometimes our boys ‘forget.’ :O)
So, we’re going to try to do a better job at posting weekly announcements on the website to assist (but not replace) the communication process. Here’s the latest …
The boys will be doing a quick training campout at Wilson Church, up by the barn, Saturday-Sunday, April 11-12, starting at 11 a.m. on that Saturday.
WE NEED TWO ADULT VOLUNTEERS TO ATTEND!
Right now, we don’t have adult coverage for the campout. If you have Youth Protection Training, you can attend the campout. Contact Keith Moore or Swanie if you can attend.
The boys are going to work on their Fire N’ Chit and Tote N’ Chip training to learn how to safely use fires, axes, knives, and saws for summer camp. We’re also going to work on some cooking skills.
We now have a web page for 2015 Summer Camp: https://www.bsatroop287.org/summer-camp-2015/
This page will be updated by ASM Sean Warner on a regular basis. There is also a link to this page at the top of the website in case you can’t remember the full link address. If you have questions, you can post a comment at the bottom of the page and we’ll try to reply as soon as we can. Everyone will be able to see the comments and replies.
PUT IN YOUR CALENDAR: MAY 5 – SWIM TEST.
Boys will be required to do a swim test before going to summer camp. We’ll be doing a swim test the first Tuesday in May, 5th. Location and cost: TBD.
MEDICAL FORMS!
On the summer camp page, there’s a medical form you can download and print. You need to have it completed by your family physician or nurse practitioner prior to going to summer camp. Your boy will not be allowed at camp without it.
There is now a web page with information coming soon for the 2015 Canoe Trip to Green River, CO/UT: https://www.bsatroop287.org/canoe-trip-2015/
Right now, it looks like the adult leaders going on the trip will be Jon Ullmann and Chris Swanson (Swanie). In the next several months, we’ll be planning several parent meetings to go over trip details and logistics. By now, you would have needed to commit your first $50 down payment to go on the trip. We’ll be collecting the remainder at a later time.
PUT IN YOUR CALENDAR: MAY 5 – SWIM TEST & CANOE TRAINING.
Boys will be required to do a swim test before going to summer camp. We’ll be doing a swim test and canoe training the first Tuesday in May, 5th. Location: TBD.
MEDICAL FORMS
On the canoe trip page, there’s a medical form you can download and print. You need to have it completed by your family physician or nurse practitioner prior to going to summer camp. Your boy will not be allowed at camp without it.
As you can imagine, we need adult leader volunteers to make the troop run. If you’re interested in being an assistant scoutmaster, we could really use your help. We have an influx of 12 new scouts over the past year, which is great, but we really need some new ASMs, too!
If you’re interested, we can get you going right away. There’s some good training provided by BSA to help you learn the ropes. Don’t feel like you had to have been in scouts before to be an ASM. You just need to be able to attend scout meetings and outing and provide adult leadership and guidance. The scout knowledge will come along, no problem.
Today I finished my eagle project thanks to the help of Franklin and Kevin. Therefore, there is not going to be a third workday Sunday. Thank you all who helped.
I have scheduled my last two work days for my eagle project, this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday, 1:00pm-4:00pm. It’s at my house, 2323 W. Kiowa St. Please let me know if you can make it, either by phone or email; (719)-465-4715 or Smore287@comcast.net. This way I know how many supplies I need to get for everyone. Thank you.
Sam Moore
The Green River/Labyrinth Canyon trip is scheduled for 26-31 July. We need to collect a $50 initial deposit per person by tomorrow’s meeting (3/17) for those going on the trip. Please bring a check made out to Troop 287, or let us know to pay the deposit out of your scout account. The deposit goes to the outfitter to guarantee our trip dates and equipment. Total cost for the trip is estimated at $275 per person. If you need further information please contact me at jonu_1999@yahoo.com.
Dear Parents,
Troop 287’s Membership Directory needs updating. If you are new to the Troop, or have new contact information, keep reading! 🙂
Please send me a personal email by April 30th so that I can update, print and hand out the new directories to everyone at the May Court of Honor.
If you are new to the Troop, please e-mail me the following information: your Scout’s name, your home address, an email address (either the parent’s or the child’s) and your preferred contact phone number.
If your information is already in the directory, but needs to be updated, please email me as well!!
My email: lisalwo@gmail.com
Thank you all very much,
Lisa Woodard
Troop Secretary
Due to few boys signing up, we are canceling snow caving and the boys may look to plan a different trip in April.
Boy Scout Troop 287
Meeting: Troop 287 Committee Meeting
Date & Time: March 10, 2015, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Wilson United Methodist Church
In attendance:
Sean Warner, Andrea Warner, Dave Krzemien, Lisa Woodard, Jen Jirous, Tom Sharp, Sandy Johnston and Phil Stafford
Mark your calendars – here are a few upcoming activities planned by the Scouts at their Yearly Planning Meeting (more info at pikespeakbsa.org):
