Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter 2023-03-27

Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter

Celebrating our 110th Anniversary serving youth in Catonsville and beyond . . .

CALENDAR

Here are some important upcoming dates:

MARCH

  • 29 - Pack 306 AOL Bridging Ceremony, 7 PM at CPC
  • 30 – PLC Meeting 6 – 7 PM, and Regular Troop Meeting 7 – 8:30PM (both meetings at CPC)

APRIL

  • 6 – Troop Committee Meeting, 7:30 - 9 PM via Zoom (tentative -- we may need to change the date)
  • 13 – Regular Troop Meeting 7 – 8:30PM, at CPC * Sea Base Shakedown, 6 - 7 pm at CPC
  • 20 – Regular Troop Meeting 7 – 8:30PM, at CPC * Sea Base Shakedown, 6 - 7 pm at CPC
  • 21 – 23: Camping at The Stables at Mezza Luna and Saturday Trip to Udar-Hazy Center at Dulles
  • 27 – PLC Meeting 6 – 7 PM, and Regular Troop Meeting 7 – 8:30PM (both meetings at CPC)

Listed above are the Troop's upcoming activities for the month of March and April.

We also are providing a link to the Troop's Google Calendar. It will be updated as needed.

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=YWk4cXRncWM1bmp2dGU3djM4ZTdoMm81bXNAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ

SUMMER CAMP 2023 MERIT BADGE SELECTION DEADLINE!!!

Today is the deadline for Scouts to choose which Merit Badges ("MB') they'd like to earn at Camp this summer. With parental guidance, Ms. Liz asks that Scouts select 6 (4 primary in priority order and 2 substitutes in priority order). When replying to Ms. Liz, please be sure to distinguish the priority badges from the substitutes. All attempts will be made to get the top 4 MB selections.

If you or your Scout have not submitted the merit badge selections, please do so no later than today! Please refer the 3/19 email from Ms. Liz (she also forwarded the email yesterday) for more information, such as the 2023 MB Schedule and the list of MBs each Scout has earned to date. Feel free to contact Ms. Liz with any questions.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AT CHILDREN'S HOME

We greatly appreciate the Scouts and adult leaders who assisted yesterday with completing the Blossom Trail at The Children's Home in Catonsville! The weather was not great, but you showed up and helped out significantly!

Since the weather was not cooperative, additional assistance may be needed at a later date, and if so, Ms. Alexis will let us know. Also, please contact Ms. Alexis if you need a Service-Learning Form and did not receive one from her yesterday.

FRIENDS OF SCOUTING

The Baltimore Area Council recently kicked off its Friends of Scouting 2023 Annual Giving Campaign. Friends of Scouting is very important because it directly supports Scouting opportunities in our local community.

We realize that funds may be tight, particularly in light of the upcoming High Adventure Trip in August. Rather than setting a monetary goal, we are asking that every family considers contributing to the 2023 annual campaign so that our Troop can achieve a 100% participation rate. If all families contribute, our Troop demonstrates that we understand the importance of Scouting and ensures that Scouting remains strong in our community.

All donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and also are tax deductible. Please see our personalized donation link below -- we hope the smiling faces of our boys will encourage you to help bring the Scouting experience to others!

https://donations.scouting.org/#/council/220/appeal/6457

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

IT'S TRANSITION TIME!!!

Our current Scoutmaster, Jeff Scharf, will be stepping down from this role effective Thursday, March 30, after serving in this position since 2012! At that time, Eric Fielding, will transition to the role of Scoutmaster as his duties as den leader for the AOLs in Pack 306 will be complete. Also, approximately 10 - 11 Scouts from Pack 306 will be attending their first meeting as members of Troop 306 on March 30!

You are welcome to stop by the last 15 minutes or so of the meeting on Thursday to hear any parting words from Jeff. Please also help us welcome the newly bridged Scouts and families to the Troop!

SUMMER CAMP

Our Summer Camp will again be at Rodney Scout Reservation (same place as last year) and is scheduled from June 25 - July 1, 2023. The total cost for summer camp is $555, and the Troop is covering $100 of this fee. The final payment is due to Camp Rodney by Monday, May 1st, so our internal payment deadline will likely be Thursday, April 27. If you subtract the $50 deposit and the $100 contribution from the Troop, the final amount that families will owe for summer camp for each Scout is $405.
We realize that this fee may pose challenges for some, particularly in conjunction with payments for the High Adventure trip also scheduled for this summer. Financial assistance is available, from either the Memorial Fund or the Delmarva Council. Please see Cynthia's 1/26 email for more info.

An important email with forms and other info will be sent out during the first week of April!

SEA BASE HIGH ADVENTURE 2023

It's 2023, and our Sea Base High Adventure Crews will be departing for Key West, Florida in just a little over 4 months!!! There is a lot that needs to happen between now and then. We thank all of the parents who attended the meeting on 2/9 where important updates and information were shared.

Please remember that Sea Base attendees should be regularly participating in Troop and Sea Base activities as indicated in the contracts that were signed.

It is very important that each Scout continue working on building upper body strength and endurance! Every crew member should be working out regularly and not just at the shakedown or swimming workouts. Please utilize the exercise tracking mechanisms and other information provided at recent shakedowns. Please also check out the link below from Ms. Hope that contains helpful exercises!

https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/swim-exercises-to-stay-in-shape-without-a-pool

The next and final payment of $8,055 will be due on May 7, 2023.

Payments are due by the third Thursday of each month and can be made via PayPal using the following email address: friendsofboyscouttroop306@gmail.com. Please contact Kristal McCormick at braysmum@gmail.com if you have questions or need more info.

WE NEED YOU!!!

We celebrated our 110th anniversary in June and have so many reasons to be thankful and proud! We are the oldest Troop in Maryland, if not one of the oldest Troops in the U.S., and we've been chartered every year since then with the exception of one year during World War I. This accomplishment is greatly due to the support from CPC, the community, and in particular parental involvement, and all of which are necessary for the Troop to continue to thrive.

We encourage each family to attend the Troop Committee meeting held on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm -- this is a great way to learn about upcoming plans, see how the Troop is managed, and obtain more information about areas of need. The meetings are currently being held via Zoom, and an email with the agenda, minutes, and Zoom link are distributed the day of the meeting.


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