November 1, 2013 Scoutmaster Update
Well it seems like we were off and running this week starting Sunday afternoon when Mr. Cole and I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Dahlmann the younger for his Eagle Scoutmaster Conference. As you know, Mr. Dahlmann’s Eagle Project ranks right up there among the best in T648. During the Conference we were able to see the amount of work that went into the planning, design, funding raising and execution. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our thoughts with this fine young man as he works through the final steps towards earning his Eagle.
Tuesday nights Troop meeting was thrown a curveball as we had no power in the meeting room. Nevertheless, Mr. Conrad took his Citizenship in the World Merit Badge group to Cactus Park and carried on in fine Boyscout fashion. That was the last meeting for this merit badge. Mr. Conrad will be sending out a notice to those who still have items to complete in the Workbook. Please contact Mr. Conrad directly if you need any face-to-face time at Troop meeting to wrap up.  I encourage you to complete your assignments in short order as the longer you postpone the higher the risk that it slips through the cracks.
Mrs. Traynor is wrapping up the re-charter for the Troop for which we are most grateful and offer her a hearty thank-you. For those of you still owe dues for scouts or adults, please try and get those checks to Mrs. T. next week.
The Honor Patrol departs for Disneyland this afternoon. Please make sure you are at Blessed Sacrament by 3:45 pm so we can depart on time at 4 pm. Mr. Cole sent out a checklist last night via email which I’m reproducing here.
- Bring snacks if you want and some hydration to eat in the van (hopefully something less than messy). Â We will make a quick stop for dinner on the far side of town, and will also possibly make a California stop to get gas.
- Highs around 78 with nighttime lows in the high 50s. Â It might even be wise to bring a sweatshirt or a light jacket for the park, and utilize one of the park lockers if you don’t want to carry it all during the day. Â Bring an extra $10 or so for a locker.
- Reminder to bring a permission slip
- Reminder to bring $40 gas money
- Reminder to wear comfortable civilian clothes for the park – we will not be wearing scout uniforms this trip
- If you want a towel to wash your face or brush your teeth, please bring your own
- Bring your snack for the trip, and money for fast food later Friday night and Sunday noon, and for meals in the park Saturday noon and evening. Â You can probably get by for $40 unless you are a big eater – I’m assuming $7 per fast food meal, and $12 per Disney meal – adjust accordingly.
- Bring your charger if you are bringing a cell phone
Our November PLC meeting will be held this Monday at Blessed Sacrament at 6 pm with the Toop meeting starting promptly right after at 7 pm. Please do your very best to show up so we can have a productive meeting.
Our next Adult Leader Meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 11 at 7 – 8:30 at the Scottsdale Worship Center (65th and Cactus) happens to fall on Veterans Day, which I failed to notice when scheduled. We can discuss off-line but I will be in town and would suggest we hold that date since we didn’t meet in October. I encourage some of you new parents to participate. You’ll see what happens behind the curtain so to speak and have an opportunity to provide your input.
Looking ahead, our outing this month (November 15 – 17) will be an easy backpacking trip to Badger Springs, which is right off of I-17 about 50 miles north of Phoenix (exit #256). While the details from Mr. DeAngelis the older, who is the Youth Lead and Mr. Cramer, who is the Youth Assistant (with Mr. Conrad as the Adult advisor) are forthcoming, our newer and less-experienced backpackers should know that this is a great intro-backpacking opportunity with the hike in at right around 1 mile. Once base camp is set up we will do day hikes around the area. The temperatures will be Arizona perfect with the trailhead at just over 3,000 feet.  Here is a link to the Badger Springs site if you are interested in learning more.
(http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/hiking/badger-springs.html)
On Saturday, November 9th, the younger Conrads, are organizing a shed inventory project. This will basically be to build upon the shed-organizing project we did a while back. The project will be to basically count everything we have in the shed, throw out any junk, and maybe do some further organizing. It should take a few hours. I’m guessing we will start around 7 AM. The Conrads intend to have fliers at the troop meeting this Tuesday. This is a great opportunity to earn service hours and I encourage everyone to show up and help. More information will be forthcoming but put this on the calendar.
Mr. Turner