And so the new year begins . . .

Dear Scouts,

We have started our meetings back at the Scout House, on Tuesdays at 7:00-8:15pm; there maybe times where we meet outside, but we will communicate that ahead of time, so please check the announcements and scouts, tell your parents if there are decisions and announcements made at the meetings.

Parents, you are more than welcome to stay for part or all our meetings. The scouts start on time and right after flags and oath and law, there are announcements and any adjustments that need to be made.

Planning: Regarding changes to the calendar, we were unable to secure our J-22 sloops for Newport sailing due to another sailing event in Newport. Changing schedule dates for the trip was considered but conflicted with many other events. The scout leaders decided to substitute the overnight camping/sailing with a September day fishing outing and this information and sign-up will be coming out shortly.

We have a full schedule for the 2022-2023 year including of camping, service projects, Courts of Honor and some interesting scouting day outings (ice climbing, skiing), Klondike or Polar Bear Challenge.

Our first Patrol Leader Council Meeting (PLC) meeting (generally held on the second Monday of the month) will be held September 12 at Monument Hall. During this meeting, we will align our schedules including an exciting spring adventure trip and we will have more details next week, and plan the next month of Troop meetings.

Scouts, tell your parents about all these events and your desire (or not) to participate in all or some. We structure our meetings around these events, provide opportunities for group scout skill learnings and patrol break-outs.

Parents, we always need help and we will be having a parent meeting soon to describe what we need. As always, our big fund raiser and service project is the Christmas Tree Pickup. This is a mandatory all hands event as we prepare and pick up 750 trees in one day. This year that day is January 7, 2023. Please put this into your calendar.

Many hands make light work, so if we all pitch in and use our gifts (skills, time and other resources) our troop will continue to be such a success.

Another key success for our troop is the range of the ages of the scouts. This year we are especially grateful to have a total of seven high school seniors (Cameron, Christian, Freddy, Jonah, Lucas, Lucien, Tommy). All of these boys are exceptional scouts, great leaders, good followers and good teachers. They are always willing to help others with their scouting journey and I’m very proud of them. They can be counted on (Trustworthy) and as a troop, we are indeed fortunate. 
Welcome back. Start or continue your detailed planning for the year, and stay tuned for more information as it emerges.

Advancement: Shoutout to two scouts who advanced this week. Congratulations to Charlie, who advanced to the rank of Life Scout, and to Nathaniel, who advanced to the rank of Star Scout.
 
Do your good turn each day!

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Duggan