Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter- 11/29/2020

Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter

Celebrating our 108th Anniversary serving youth in Catonsville and beyond . . .

CALENDAR

Here are some important upcoming dates:

DECEMBER

3 - PLC and Troop Committee Meeting

10 - Outdoor Meeting at Catonsville Presbyterian Church

17 - Troop Meeting via Zoom

24 - No Troop Meeting (Christmas Eve)

31 - No Troop Meeting (New Year's Eve)

We hope all of you continue to be safe and well.  Most activities and meetings inside the Catonsville Presbyterian Church building will remain suspended through the month of December.  Troop 306 is cautiously holding some outdoor events and activities.  Please see the schedule above.  For any outdoor activity, the Scouts will be separated by patrols or small groups.  Social distancing and face masks are required, and hand sanitizer will be available.  We also will be using a non-contact forehead thermometer to check the temperature of any Scout or adult participating in a Troop meeting or activity.  We ask that anyone who is not feeling well or suspects recent exposure to Covid-19 to refrain from attending in-person Troop meetings or activities. 

If there are any changes to the schedule, we will update you as soon as possible. 

RE-CHARTERING

The deadline for the annual re-chartering process to be completed is tomorrow, November 30.  We have requested a brief extension because there are still some outstanding payments as well as YPT training that has not been completed.  Your cooperation is needed to prevent additional delays to the process.  The reregistration fee this year is $125 per Scout.  The cost for adult registered members is $45.  If you still need to make the payment, please submit it electronically today or let Cynthia know when and how you plan to make the payment.  Electronic payments can be submitted to Jeff via Zelle or PayPal, but please also inform Cynthia.  If you prefer to pay with a check or cash, Cynthia will be at the Christmas tree sale today from 3 - 6 pm.  

If any family has a financial need that would prevent payment of the registration fee, please speak in confidence with Cynthia or Jeff about obtaining assistance from the Memorial Fund.

Parents:  Please remember that funds in your son's Scout account may be used to cover reregistration fees -- you just need to notify Cynthia of your request.  

Adult Members:  Almost all of you have YPT dates that expire next year, so you must complete YPT again this year.  This requirement is mandatory in order for you to be registered with the Troop.  If you have not satisfied this requirement, please do so today.Please notify Cynthia via email when the training has been completed.  Background forms are only required for new adult members or those changing positions.

All:  Please also inform Cynthia of any changes to your contact information -- this includes addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

CHRISTMAS TREE SALE AND CHURCH GROUNDS CLEANUP

Our annual Christmas Tree Sale got off to a great start yesterday.  We had already sold about 6 or 7 trees before the sale officially began at noon!  The sale is being advertised on several local websites and Facebook pages.  We expect the trees to sell quickly, so if you want one, you should make your purchase soon.

We truly appreciate everyone that showed up early on Friday morning and yesterday to help with set up of the tree stands and the tent, along with the unloading/sorting of the Christmas trees and cleaning the church grounds.  Things went very smoothly on both days!

Here are a few reminders about the sale:

1) The sale continues daily until we sell out (which is usually a week or so before Christmas).

2) Every Scout family is responsible for covering shifts during the sale.  The sale is a not a "drop and run" event.  A parent, guardian, or older relative must remain with the Scout during the shift. 

3) The shift schedule for the sale has been distributed.  If you have a conflict and need to swap a shift, please make arrangements with another family.  NOTE:  Swaps can only be arranged between adults, not the Scouts themselves.  Cynthia sent out an email yesterday that contains the email address of every Scout family to assist with contacting others in the Troop.   

THANK YOU!

Many thanks to all of the parents have volunteered for a role or responsibility within the troop over the past year.  We also very much appreciate the involvement of the Scout families who joined Troop 306 in late spring.

Parents, we need you in order for the Troop to continue to thrive.  We are in great need of additional support, particularly on the program side of things.  Please consider ways in which you can get involved now or in the new year.

SCOUTING IS IN HIGH GEAR !!!!! LET'S HAVE A GREAT SCOUT YEAR !!!!