Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter- 02/27/2022

Troop 306 Weekly Newsletter 

Celebrating our 109th Anniversary serving youth in Catonsville and beyond . . .

CALENDAR

Here are some important upcoming dates:

FEBRUARY

28 – Mandatory High Adventure Meeting

MARCH

3 – PLC (6:30PM), and Troop Committee Meeting (7:30PM) via Zoom 

10 – Regular Scout Meeting, 6:30 – 8PM

17 – Regular Scout Meeting, 6:30 – 8PM

18  – 20: Camping Trip (Camp Running Bear in Monkton, MD)

24 – Regular Scout Meeting, 6:30 – 8PM

30 – Pack 306 Fundraiser at Peace-A-Pizza, 3 - 7 pm (rescheduled from 2/16 - carryout only)

31 - Spring Court of Honor

We hope that everyone is safe and well.  Listed above are the Troop's upcoming meetings and activities for the months of February and March.  

During the month of February, the Troop resumed meeting in person.  However, the meetings were outside under the pavilion, and masks were required.  We will reevaluate in March.  Please continue to stay safe.  

NOTE:  Our court of honor is rescheduled for Thursday, March 31.  Please plan to attend.

MANDATORY HIGH ADVENTURE MEETING ON 2/28

After input from the scouts and discussions with several parents, it was recently announced that Troop 306 will be sending two crews to Florida Sea Base High Adventure Camp to participate in a Sailing Adventure in mid-summer 2023.

In order to move forward with the preliminary plans, we will be holding a mandatory meeting in the gym at Catonsville Presbyterian Church on Monday 2/28 at 7pm.  Every scout wanting to go to Sea Base should be there with a parent, as well as any adult willing to attend the trip.  At this meeting we will discuss the planned itinerary, the proposed budget, and discuss the Troop 306 Guidelines and Requirements Agreement.  We will hopefully lockdown the names of those going. Everyone going will need to sign the Guideline Agreement. We also will talk about the additional adult support that is needed, and some fundraising ideas.

At this meeting, please be prepared to give a $125 cash or check deposit for everyone going. This money is needed so we can make the reservation with Sea Base and the first set of payments, as well as open a checking account just for this trip.

Everyone that is interested in going should read and review the Sea Base Sailing Participant Guide prior to Monday’s meeting and before they make a final decision. 2022-Sailing-Participant-Guide-.-Editable.pdf (bsaseabase.org)

If you have not already done so, please reply to the email from Dayne, and RSVP if you are planning on attending Monday’s meeting. If your scout is interested in going but unable to attend, please let Dayne know so that the scout can be put on a crew, if eligible. Please review both the Guidelines and Requirements Agreement and the Sea Base Participant Guide before Monday'smeeting.

SCOUTING FOR FOOD IN MARCH

As many of you know, March is the month for the BSA’s annual Scouting for Food campaign.  Troop 306 has traditionally participated by individual families donating and collecting food on their own, and then sharing what is collected by our group with the CEA.  This year, the Troop would like to step it up and really get out into our community and participate in the Scouting for Food campaign!  Our collection will still benefit the CEA.

On Saturday, March 5th, 2022, at 9amparticipants will meet in a designated neighborhood in Class A uniforms and place door hangers on the porches of assigned blocks within the neighborhood.  The door hanger will explain Scouting for Food, the donations we are soliciting, and that we will pick the donations up from porches the following Saturday, March 12th, 2022.  We will meet up and begin picking up donations at 9am.  Also in Class A uniforms!  : )

A parent must participate with the Scout.  If you have not already done, please respond to Hope Riley's email to indicate whether you are available on both Saturdays.  Doing so will help Hope coordinate logistics for both days.  Also, parents will be needed to drive and collect and transport the food on the 12th. 

DIAPER DRIVE - ENDING SOON

Francis Unkel, a Star Scout in Troop 306, is currently working on earning his Family Life merit badge.  Francis is organizing and collecting diapers and diaper wipes for families in need for the St. Gabriel Aid Food Pantry.  Please consider purchasing and donating diapers and wipes or giving a monetary donation to help purchase diapers for families in need.

Diaper donations may be left on the Front Porch of the Church House at Catonsville Presbyterian Church at 1400 Frederick Rd. Catonsville MD 21228.  Donations will be collected all through the month of February 2022. 

If you would like to support Francis’s diaper drive with a monetary donation, please make your check out to:  St. Gabriel Catholic Church, with Diaper Drive/Pantry on the memo line.  Checks can be mailed to 6950 Dogwood Rd. Windsor Mill MD 21244.

2022 LEOPOLD WEEK

"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics." -  Aldo Leopold 

Aldo Leopold, and his essay "The Land Ethic", is an important piece of BSA's Outdoor Ethics.  The 2022 Leopold Week runs from March 4 – 11.  

This year's "theme" is "Explore Your Sense of Place".  There are speakers/virtual presentations (for free) that you can register for.  If you cannot make it, recordings will be available after Leopold Week.  More info is available at:  https://www.aldoleopold.org/news-events/leopold-week/ 

PICTURES FOR SPRING COURT OF HONOR

As mentioned above, Troop 306 will be holding its spring Court of Honor on Thursday, March 31, 2022.  During this event, we will recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the Scouts, and also thank the adult leaders, committee leaders, and parents who have led or helped with our activities over the past year.  Although we likely will not have a potluck dinner as we have done in the past, we still want to continue with some of our traditions.  One of those traditions is a slideshow that highlights the activities of the Troop over the past year.  The slideshow is always a very memorable portion of the evening!  

If you have pictures that you or your Scout have taken over the past year (from the camping trip is February 2021 through the present), please send those pictures to Cynthia. 

WE NEED YOU -- VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY BELOW!

In June of this year, Troop 306 will reach it 110th anniversary, which is totally awesome!  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.

We will soon begin our Scout Saver Coupon Card fundraiser, which is a annual fundraiser that directly benefits the scouts themselves.  Kristal McCormick has graciously coordinated this fundraiser for a couple of years.  This year we would like to extend this opportunity to another parent volunteer.  Coordinating the sale is very simple, and basically just involves managing the distribution of the cards, and collecting the money from any sales.  If you're interested, please contact Cynthia.

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

If you no longer want to receive messages from your scouting unit click UNSUBSCRIBE