Medical forms
Troop 26;
We have just audited our collection of medical forms. The BSA medical form is ONLY good for one year.
If you are going to Summer Camp, you need to ensure that an updated BSA Medical Form is complete and turned into the Troop. Since Summer Camp is more than 72 hours, part C of the form must be completed by a medical professional.
If you are not going to Summer Camp, we still need your annual form. Please submit to us the BSA Medical form, with at least parts A and B complete.
Again, if you are going to Summer Camp, you NEED to ensure that parts A, B and C of your form are complete and turned into the Troop prior to leaving for Camp. Mr. Boyd will be individually in touch with each of you that are missing information. A copy of the blank form is attached.
Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Weissman
bsa med form.pdf
Committee Meeting Cancelled
I guess the cart was set up first. We will cancel the Committee Meeting this Thursday as the boys have a Bike Ride that evening.
Joe
Committee Meeting
Howdy All,
I am setting up a Troop Committee Meeting for this Thursday, June 20th, 7 p.m. at the OHaire Motor Inn. We have many items to discuss for activities for the remainder of this summer and looking into this fall. We should also look at reconciling bills and the Troop Account.
The boys are getting ready for Summer Camp as well as Jamboree.
Swimming Tonight!
I hope you all had a great weekend, and Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s in our Troop! I know that for some of you last weekend was a BUSY Scouting weekend.
- I would like to congratulate Tyler Copenhaver and Max Weissman for becoming Ordeal members of the Order of the Arrow! The OA is Scouting’s honor society, and I am thrilled these two troop leaders have taken on this responsibility. For those of you not yet in the OA, please talk to the OA members in our Troop and our OA Troop Representative (Brennan Lukas) about the organization. Please also consider putting your name forward for elections next Spring if you are eligible (First Class rank and at least 15 nights camping in the past two years, including at least one long-term camp).
- I would like to take an opportunity to recognize James Reyes for going over and above as a volunteer at Cub Day Camp over the past week. James worked at camp as camp staff EVERY day and was a huge benefit to the camp. With over 200 Cub Scouts attending, this was a big job and James deserves kudos for a JOB WELL DONE! James has also agreed to take on the leadership role of Den Chief for Pack 26 in addition to his position as Assistant Patrol Leader of the Panthers.
- I hope that all of you join us this evening at the Great Falls Water Park tonight at 6pm. We will be swimming tonight as guests of Pack 26, who rented the pool for their swimming activity. This fun outing will be in place of our normally scheduled meeting at the Church.
- For those of you that have not yet achieved First Class rank, please bring your books tonight. I will be performing swim tests for all of the swimming requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. For those of you with swimming ability and have achieved at least the swimming merit badge, I would also like your help performing Aquanaut tests for the Webelos of the Pack that have not yet achieved that activity badge.
See you tonight, 6pm at the Great Falls Water Park!
Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Weissman
Let’s Go Swimming! ! !! !!
Our swim party for tonight with Pack 26 has been posponed – we will hold it Monday, June 17th in place of the regular meeting. 6:00 at Mitchell Pool. Wet-n-Wild. . . . !
Wow!!
Sorry folks, but the rain has delayed our swimming night, it has been moved to Monday June 17th (should be sunny and warm) from 6pm-8pm. Same details still apply and I still would like a volunteer to check people in.Dwight Dover
Hoven Equipment
4181 North Park Trail
Great Falls, MT 59405
(406) 727-7153
Meeting Plan for 6/10/13
Troop 26;
>
> We have had a busy winter and spring!
>
> As we begin the Summer, I think we should plan on catching up on all of our rank and merit badge accomplishment paperwork on Monday. >
> Our meeting tomorrow will be at our normal meeting place and time;
> 7pm at Trinity Lutheran. At the meeting, please bring all of the records for all of the merit badge and advancement work you have done and not yet been awarded. Our goal will be to record all of this work so that we can ensure you are recognized at the next Court of Honor. >
> Scouts that have not yet earned First Class will be tested on rank requirements. We will also be prepared to conduct Scoutmaster conferences and Courts of Honor for those Scouts ready to advance in rank. >
> Life Scouts working on their Eagle projects should also be prepared to give an Eagle update. >
> I would also like to propose a game of Ultimate Frisbee during our break at the Natatorium park. >
> See you all tomorrow!
>
> Mr. Weissman
Lifeguard Class Opportunity this Weekend!
To our older Scouts:
The city of Great Falls aquatics department needs your help. In order to operate all of the municipal pools, they need 60 certified lifeguards on staff. Unfortunately, they are a long ways from hiring that many bodies.
As a result, Mr. Bob Stingley, the aquatics director at Great Falls High School, will be holding an lifeguarding certification class THIS WEEKEND.
And the Choice for 2014 Summer Camp is …
The votes are in and we have tabulated the results! In the Summer of 2014, the boys of Troop 26 have voted to attend:
Camp Parsons, Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Attendance at Camp Parsons will be more expensive than K-M or Melita Island. The registration fees for this camp in 2013 were $310 per Scout, with two adults free. The travel fees per person will likely be in the neighborhood of another $200 – $300. We are now trying to plan a fun trip, where we all take the Amtrak train to Seattle and the Ferry to Bainbridge Island, which is near the camp.
In order to make this idea happen, everyone that attends will have to commit to fundraising over the next year.
In the meantime, I would like to know your preference regarding which week to attend. Camp Parsons is open for eight sessions in 2014, on the following dates:
- Week 1 June 29th-July 5th
- Week 2 July 6th-July 12th
- Week 3 July 13th-July 19th
- Week 4 July 20th-July 26th
- Week 5 July 27th-August 2nd
- Week 6 August 3rd-August 9th
- Week 7 August 10th-August 16th
- Week 8 August 17th-August 23rd
In the comments below, please let me know if you are interested in attending and your top three preferences for session.
Summer Camp and Fundraising Opportunities
Troop 26;
I am looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting tonight. It will be good to be back at our normal meeting place at our normal meeting time.
By now, you should have confirmed to Mr. Boyd whether or not you are going to Melita Island Summer Camp with the Troop this July. If you have not, please do so by tonight. We are going to finalize that process and begin signing boys up for merit badge classes.
Yesterday you should have received a statement showing the cash in your Scout Account. If that number is less than the expected cost of Summer Camp (about $300, including gas), you should be working on fundraising.
Mrs. Kelleher is organizing a popcorn sale in front of Wal-Mart this weekend, on Saturday, June 8. We will be selling the popcorn we have left over from last Fall’s sale. The boys that work the sale will get shares of the proceeds from the sale based on the shifts worked; I encourage you to sign up to work the popcorn table at the meeting tonight.
I also hope that we can set up a carwash this month to help boys raise funds for camp. Parents, are one of you willing to organize this effort?
See you tonight!
Mr. Weissman, Scoutmaster
A Few Words from the Scoutmaster Regarding Participation
“Be Active in your unit.”
These words are part of the requirements for every advanced rank advancement in Scouting. What do they mean?
Our unit has been very active since the beginning of the Spring. We have attended three separate camp-outs, begun weekly bike rides and worked as a team on two separate merit badges.
Unfortunately, I am beginning to note a trend of some Scouts in our unit not participating in our camp outs and activities. We support extracurricular activities such as team sports and jobs. However, I do not believe that excuses like “the published program is not interesting” are reasons that meet your requirement to “be active in our unit.”
If you think that our campouts and activities are boring, then you should make a point to attend our Patrol Leader Council meetings and make your opinions known. We will try to plan more activities that everyone finds interesting. However, if you just stop coming to our activities, you may be surprised at your next Scoutmaster’s conference; I simply will not sign off on your rank advancement if you are not being active in the troop.
Tomorrow evening will be a regularly scheduled Troop meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church. At this meeting, we will conduct a review of the Pack/Troop campout and family BBQ this past weekend and we will begin planning for our scheduled hike and campout to the area of Our Lake (Hidden Lake) near Choteau over the weekend of June 22-23. As such, Assistant Scoutmasters Stephen Boyd and Robert Montgomery will be giving us a demonstration of ultra-light backpacking techniques.
If you would like to bring your pack to this demonstration we will conduct an advanced Pack check for this campout. Please remember that you will be expected to pack light for hiking and camping through bear country. Working on these skills will be the subject of all of our June meetings.
Finally, our weekly bike rides are now happening. If you would like to join us on a ride, meet on Thursday evenings at Knickerbiker at 6pm for a 10-15 mile ride, which will likely have a mid-ride stop at a local ice cream parlor. Bring water, sun protection and money if you want to buy ice cream.
