Scout Troop 591

Bike Prep This Week

The Scoutmaster — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:19:47 +0000

In preparation for our Cape Cod Rail Trail bike trip this weekend, Mr. Leonard has graciously agreed to provide some “tune ups” for your bikes. If you haven’t been riding this year or if you are having difficulty with shifters or brakes or tires, please bring your bike along to the meeting on Wednesday.

We will also have a utility trailer on site Wednesday, so we can pre-load as many bikes as we can before the trek to the Cape on Friday. Weekend traffic to the Cape can be difficult and the Sagamore Bridge is under construction so we want to get on the road quickly Friday afternoon and (hopefully!) avoid the worst

In addition to tents, mess kits and sleeping bags, you will also need to be prepared for a day on the trail. This means

A daypack to carry your stuff
Water bottles or bladder
Snacks
Sunglasses
Helmet!!
Rain Gear
Bike Gloves if you use them
Portable bike pump, spare inner tube, bike tool if you have them

A reminder that HELMETS are mandatory for all riders on this trip.

Looks like it’s going to be another nice weekend, so saddle up and join us for a great weekend on the Cape!

Reminder: Eagle Project this Weekend

The Scoutmaster — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:17:14 +0000

Just a quick reminder that Mustafa is starting work on his Eagle Project this weekend and is in need of volunteers!

The project is to build a set of bookshelves to benefit the Day School in Westford.

The project will take place at Mustafa’s home both Saturday and Sunday from 11 until 4 pm.

Lunch . . . → Read More: Reminder: Eagle Project this Weekend

Cape Cod Rail Trail Trip Info

Mr. Valante — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:44:03 +0000

The information on the Cape Cod Rail Trail Biking trip has been posted to the website. Please log in and visit the “Outings” section for the trip information sheet and permission forms.

The Bike Trip requires a minimum of 4 adults to attend - for riding the trail and to provide support to the riders. If you plan on going, please let us know at the next meeting.

Permission slips and payments are due at this week’s meeting – May 9th.

672

The Scoutmaster — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:47:40 +0000

672 is a very important number.

It represents the minimum number of adult volunteer hours we need to support the Troop during summer camp. Scout camp relies on each Troop to provide adult supervision for the boys during non-program hours. So it’s a fairly easy calculation: We need 4 adults in camp 24 hours each day for 7 days.

4 is the magic number of adults. With a requirement for 2-deep adult leadership for any contact with the Scouts, we can’t leave a single adult in the Troop site. Leaving an empty site is an invitation for trouble as Scouts come and go during the day. So in order to provide an adult presence in the site and allow the Scoutmaster to attend meetings and adults to run errands we need at least 4 adults.

24 hour coverage is a must. We’ve had boys get sick in the middle of the night or had to deal with a sudden late-night storm during which one or more adults need to leave the site.

7 days is the number of days your boys will be there … and if your boys are there we need adults to be there with them!

So 672 is the number we need to meet. As of today, we’re only 1/4 of the way there … with 168 hours of coverage. That leaves us with 504 hours left to cover.

In order to insure proper coverage, we must have a firm commitment from adults to specific dates and times that you can stay with the Troop at camp. If you can’t stay the entire week, but have some flexibility please let us know, but we need to start getting adult time filled in to know which dates are lacking coverage.

There will be a adult signup sheet at the meetings and we ask for your help to fill in the blanks as soon as possible. Without your support there’s no summer camp for the boys.

This Week’s Reminders

The Scoutmaster — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:08:23 +0000

A couple of quick reminders for this coming week …

Summer Camp

Camp Yawgoog has updated it’s program guide for 2012 and the updated forms have been posted on our Summer Camp page. Scouts should begin to review the options for Merit Badges and other special programs being offered at camp this year. You’ll begin to plan your week with your Patrol Leader over the next few weeks.

Service Project

A reminder that we’ve got a service project scheduled this Saturday (May 5) to perform a little yard work for one of Westford’s seniors. We’ll meet at the church at 8:30 Saturday morning to drive over to the home. Remember that “many hands make light work“. I expect we’ll finish up around noon if we’ve got enough people … so please plan on joining us this Saturday with gloves, rakes and other yard tools.

GeoCaching

Mr. Valante — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:12:52 +0000

Greeting;

Geocaching… Using Multi-Million dollar Satellites to find Tupperware in the woods.

This weekend, we will be hunting some elusive Tupperware. This is all done thru a website called Geocaching.com. To get the troop started, I have created a Troop account on geocaching.com. The account login: ********; password: *******.

With your parents permission, take a look at the site. Some things to note: Off the Play Menu, you can select on Hide/Seek a Cache to find local caches near you. Off the Profile Menu, you can look at “Trackables”, select on “yours” and this will bring you to the Troop’s travel bug that we want to release this weekend.

As always… this is a public web site, and we are always respectful when posting on line.

Thanks;

Mr. Valante

Adults for Blue Hills trip?

Mr. Valante — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:40:58 +0000

Greetings;

I’m looking to get a count of adults for next weekends (4/27-29) trip; hiking in the Blue Hills.

If you are planning on coming, please let me know at the meeting on Wednesday.

Thanks;

Glen

Adult Leaders Needed at Summer Camp

The Scoutmaster — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:42:53 +0000

Wouldn’t you just love an all-expenses-paid vacation in a pastoral setting, close to the water, surrounded by nature … and 700 of your son’s closest friends?

If this sounds like your idea of a dream vacation, the Troop has several openings for adult leaders this summer during Troop Week at Yawgoog Scout Reservation.

We rely on the adult leaders to keep the Troop running and manage the boys during non-program times in camp. With the BSA “2-deep” policies for adult contact with youth in force, this really requires a minimum of 4 adults in camp at all times. This allows 2 adults to monitor the campsite, while another 2 adults are free for tasks around camp or available in case of emergency.

The Troop simply cannot attend camp without the support of volunteer adult leaders like you!

One of the most important things for us to do over the next few weeks is to put together the adult schedule for camp. We need to ensure that we have adequate coverage throughout the week and we need to give our volunteers sufficient notice to plan their time off.

There will be a sign-up sheet available at the meeting next week, but feel free to send me email if you are planning on attending camp or if you have any questions.

By the way, I wasn’t kidding about the all-expenses-paid part … Yawgoog provides meals and accommodations for up to 4 adults free of charge … so it really won’t cost you more than your time!

I already submitted my vacation request … how about you?

Support for Seniors

The Scoutmaster — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:45:15 +0000

A Scout is Helpful!

The Troop will be helping out some of our Westford Seniors around the yard with a spring cleanup. Working through the Cameron Senior Center, the Scouts will provide yard services to seniors who have difficulty performing yard work by themselves. We’ve been assigned 2 homes and have scheduled the work for May 5th. We’ll be raking, cleaning out flower beds, pruning branches, and other work around the yard.

We’ll meet at the Church at 8:30 on May 5th and drive over to the homes. Plan on bringing rakes, work gloves, a water bottle and your Scout Spirit with you for a little community service work around town.

We’ll have additional details as the date gets closer.

EMS Club Day is Here!

The Scoutmaster — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:11:00 +0000

Oops! I just saw this in my email. Sorry for the late notice but EMS is having their Club Day weekend sale today and tomorrow (April 13-14).

Members of outdoor clubs (and this includes Scouts!) will receive up to 20% off on camping and hiking gear. This applies to in-store purchases only.

So if you’re in need of some new gear, this would be a great time to pick up a few things at EMS in Acton or Nashua.

Visit ems.com for more information and to find store locations and hours.