Monday, January 29, 2018

FOS and Court of Honor with Potluck tomorrow

Parents:

Please see the note below from Phil Freeman; our District  FOS [Friends of Scouting] Presenter for tomorrow night. We will have the FOS campaign presentation during the Court of Honor tomorrow night, along with our Pot-Luck Dinner. 

Please plan to be there for this event tomorrow night and help support FOS if you are able.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kirk Bohanan
Scoutmaster Troop 136



Phil Writes:
Dear Scouters and Scout Families,
 Scouting is a program which builds future leaders. I sincerely hope your Scout is having a great experience and is learning many skills to equip them for future successes.
I’m looking forward to the Court of Honor for Troop 136 on Tuesday, January 30th. We will have the chance to celebrate and recognize the Scout’s achievements. In addition to the Court of Honor, I will be conducting the annual Friends of Scouting presentation to ask for your financial support of local Scouting.  This annual giving campaign is important to the Simon Kenton Council’s ability to deliver a quality program to our Scouts.  I personally support Friends of Scouting and hope you will consider doing the same. 
Last year members of Troop 136 gave 11 gifts totaling $2190. These donations change the lives of Scouts in the Simon Kenton Council. The goal this year is to increase the number of gifts and amount raised to impact more kids. 
 I will be sharing more details about the campaign and where your dollars are directed. Please know you can make a pledge at the presentation and pay it whenever and however you want in 2018.  All Friends of Scouting donations are 100% tax deductible.  Thank you in advance for your generous support and for choosing Scouting as an adventure for your family.
 If you are unable to attend to the Court Of Honor and wish to make a one-time donation, please visit skcscouts.org/donate. 
 For more information regarding Friends of Scouting please visit skcscouts.org/friendsofscouting
 With Sincere Appreciation,

Phil Freeman

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Tuesday's meeting is COH potluck and Feb camping change

Parents and scouts:

I have a few items to pass along for the good of the Troop.

1.     We will have our February PLC meeting this Sunday due to the Super Bowl going on next weekend.  We will be meeting Sunday at 5 PM.  All members of the PLC should be there and ready to discuss the upcoming meeting plans for March.  Please be ready!  
2.     The Troop Meeting next Tuesday will be our Winter Court of Honor. We will recognize all advancement from the last few months while we enjoy a Pot-Luck dinner. Our Opening will be by the Leadership Patrol. We will be starting at 7:00 PM with the Pot-Luck dinner.  All patrols have been given types of dishes to bring.
a.      Patrol assignments are as follows:
                                                    i.     Leadership Patrol – Main Dish and Side Dish  
                                                   ii.     Black Hawks – Main Dish and Dessert
                                                 iii.     Blue Blazes – Main Dish and Side Dish
                                                 iv.     Dragons- Main Dish and Dessert
                                                  v.     Troop will provide drinks and eating utensils.
b.     Please be on time so we can get the dinner completed and have our Court of Honor start promptly after our dinner. If you can be there any early [6:30] please do.  I can use help with setup.
3.     We will also hold our Annual FOS Presentation at the Court of Honor this next week.  This is a fundraising campaign established by our local Council. It is an important part of our Council funding and your participation will help continue the Mission of Scouting within the Simon Kenton Council.

4.     I also have the permission slips attached for the February campout as well as the cost info for the trip.  We have decided to attempt to redo our January campout and go to Manatoc / Brandywine up in Peninsula Ohio for our snow sports outing.  Since we could not go in January due to the weather we will try again.  Those that signed up for the January will still need to redo the permission slip but if they want to do the same activity then no need to pay again; we will use the money you paid in January.  Those 18 that were signed up in January will have the first opportunity to stay in the cabin.  We have 24 spots in the cabin. After the 24 spots we then have tent camping available.  Please note that this cabin is only heated by a wood fire place so plan for cold weather sleeping.

Thank you – and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Kirk Bohanan
Scoutmaster Troop 136

Monday, January 1, 2018

Jan Newsletter, Permission Slip and more

Parents and Scouts:

Happy New Year!

I hope all have had a great time off with family and friends. We will not be meeting until January 9th as our first meeting of the year.

Items of Note:

1. This coming Sunday; January 7th, we will have an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Robbie Dool. All are invited to attend and see Robbie receive his Eagle. I will be needing some Scout assistance with this ceremony - If you can assist please let me know via e-mail.

2. January Campout permission slips are due on 1/9. We have only 24 total spots IN the Cabin at Camp Manatoc. Others over this amount can attend but they will be in tents. This is a cold weather campout and you will need to plan accordingly. Click here for the Permission Slip. 
Click here for the cost info for the outing.

3. I will be taking final hoodie orders on 1/9. Click here for the form

4. OA Members – we will have our monthly district OA meeting on Thursday January 4th at 7 PM. Location is at the First Presbyterian Church. Please plan to attend if you are a member of the OA [Order of the Arrow]

5. District Round Table Meeting – also January 4th at 7 pm. Location is at the First Presbyterian Church. We will be discussing Advancement within our units and how to improve. Adult Leaders – if you can - please plan to attend.

Sincerely,

Kirk Bohanan
Scoutmaster Troop 136



Our Theme this Month is: Local History  
Please note the following upcoming events.  Refer to the 2017—2018 Program Plan for the complete year planning events.  Note that the plan is subject to minor changes.
1. PLC: [Patrol Leader’s Council]
Jan7th - at 5:00-6:00 at the Church.
Senior Patrol Leader, Asst. Sr. Patrol Leader,
All Patrol Leader’s. & Asst. Patrol Leader’s and other members of the PLC including Scribe, Historian, Quartermaster are also encouraged to attend.

2. Troop Committee / Parent Meeting:
Next Meeting is Jan 7th at 6:00 PM at the Church.
All parents are invited to attend this meeting and learn what is up coming in the Troop activities.
3.Camp-out this Month:
Date: Jan 12-14, 2018
Location: Camp Manatoc - Brandywine
Leave Friday @ 6:00 PM
Return Sunday @ 1:00 PM
Cost: depending on which activity you do.  See permission slip for details.
Permission slip must be filled out and returned by:  1/9/2018
4. Monthly Dues:                    “A Scout is Thrifty…”
Please keep up to date on your monthly dues.  We collect $10.00 each month for troop operation.  This can be paid or taken from your son’s Scout Account.  Scout Accounts are funded by participation in fundraising activities. 
The Scout Account can be used to pay for Summer Camp fees, Monthly camp-out fees, Troop Dues, and Troop related expenses that are approved by the Scoutmaster. Please note that the purchase of Personal Gear is not an approved expense that your scout account will cover.
Please check with Jim Baughman on status of your son's Scout Account.

5.  BSA Health Forms
Health Forms from summer camp last year are now on file for the next 6 months.   If you did not go to summer camp you should have at least Part A and Part B of the New Health Form submitted to the troop.  [Part C is the visit to the Doctor’s office]. This is important information that we have and are able to take on our outdoor outings in case of an emergency.  Please help us by getting this information into the Troop. As any medications changes please update Part A of your son’s form. See the website for a link to the latest revision of this form.

6. Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Robbie Dool
The Troop will hold an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Robbie Dool on January 7th at the First Presbyterian Church.  The ceremony will start at 2 PM.  Please join the Dool family and the troop in celebrating Robbie’s awesome achievement.

7. Local History Discussion – 1/9/2018
Our meeting on January 9th will have local historian and current Ohio House of Representative of the 23rd District Laura Lanese join our meeting to talk about Grove City’s History.  Please plan to attend and get an insight of our town’s past.

8. Final Hoodie Orders – 1/9/2018
I will take final Troop Red Hoodie orders at the 1/9 meeting.  Please plan accordingly if you wish to purchase one. Order form is attached. New scouts that have joined since last spring until now will get one free – curiosity of the Troop Committee.

9. NYLT – Looking for Scouts for Nagatamen!
The troop will be sponsoring 2 scouts again this year for the NYLT [National Youth Leadership Training].  It is the Nagatamen Program that  will be held June 10-16.   This is a great opportunity for scout’s star rank and above to learn about being a leader within the troop.  It is fully paid by the troop.  If you are interested please let Kirk Bohanan know. A decision will be made of who will be attending later this spring.  If more than 2 are interested in going there will be an interview process to decide who will go.

10. January Campout – Winter sports at Brandywine
The Troop will be traveling to Peninsula Ohio to have a weekend of snow sports.  This will be on January 12-14.  Signups must be done by our meeting on January 9th.  We only have 24 spots in the cabin – others above this number will be tent camping if they wish to go.  The options are snow skiing, snowboarding or snow tubing.  It will be a cold weekend – so plan accordingly.  See attached for cost details.

11. University of Scouting – 1/20/2017
The University of Scouting [For Scouts, Adults & Leaders] will be held on Jan. 20th at Westerville Central  High School. This is a training activity for adults and has a variety of topics that will be offered.  Cost is $25.00 until 1/3/2018; then it will go to $35.00.  If you are interested sign up at:  https://skcscouts.org/adulttraining/universityofscouting/ 
For the scouts - there will be some merit badges also offered at this the training event [Chess, Robotics, Emergency Prep, Safety, Disabilities Awareness, Scouting Heritage, Law, Dog Care, Search and Rescue, Plumbing, Nuclear Science]. 

12. Winter Court of Honor 1/30/2017
We will have our Winter Court of Honor on January 30th @ 7:00 PM at the Church.  This Ceremony will be for awards that have been earned since the Fall Court of Honor.  We will have a pot-luck dinner before the ceremony.  Please contact your patrol leader to find out what dishes you are to bring. [You will bring a main dish and one side or dessert]. The troop will provide the table service and drinks. I hope you all will come and support the boys and watch them receive their awards.

13. Summer Camp 2018 – Let’s start planning!
This year we will be going to at Muskingum Valley in Coshocton Ohio – July 1 - July 7.  Keep a look out for upcoming information in the months to come. Early bird camp fee of $25.00 is due on Feb. 27th to the troop; we have to have into Muskingum Valley Council by March 3rd.  Those that register at the early bird time will get a Camp Themed Cowboy Hat for camp.  If all fees paid by 5/11/18, the total cost will be $250.00.   After the  5/11/18 date the cost will be $275; and then if not paid until getting to camp it will cost $290.  [New Webelos crossing over will still get the $250 price after the May 11th date] Start to think about which Merit badges you will want to take NOW!

February’s Theme is: Character and Leadership