Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Parent Meeting tonight at 7p

Hi again Troop 136!

I had a few people contact me asking about the parent meeting.  This will be for parents who are interested in the Mystery Campout in May.  You will also be able to get access to Scoutbook and the Band app.  Both of these will be a great help to you and your Scout during this coming year.

The parent meeting will be in the Sanctuary right after the opening ceremony.

Let me know if you have any questions.  See you at 7 pm!

Monday, December 16, 2019

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Campout, Troop Meeting, Mystery May Campout Meeting for parents, Band app, Scoutbook and Recharter


Hi Troop 136!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Campout:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame camping trip will take place on January 10-12.  I need to know if your Scout wants to attend by tomorrow night, December 17th.  I will be calling the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for group tickets on Wednesday, 12/18.  If there are more than 10 people going, we receive a discount.  Camping cost: Scouts $33 Scouts, $38 for adults includes two nights at the Gilwell Lodge at Camp Manatoc, entrance to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and meals.

Troop Meeting 12/17:
We will finish our Cyber chit requirements.  Plan to complete two activities using the chromebooks on Tuesday night at the meeting. 


May Mystery Campout Meeting:
Parents are invited to attend a super secret meeting about the trip in May.  The location of the campout will be shared and you will be able to sign up if you are interested in attending.  The information will be shared and time allowed for you to give feedback and ask questions about the trip.

Band App:
You may join our group app that we will be using the share photos and a place for you to be able to ask questions and see photos.  Please add your full name when joining so that we know who you are.  If I am not able to see who you are, you will be blocked from joining the app. The code to join is in your email and it will be available for you to join until Wednesday at 1 pm.

Scoutbook:
Parents, please bring your laptop or phone.  You will be able to download the Scoutbook app and have access to your Scout's advancement online.  We will be sharing the information for you to be able to see your son's progress using the app at the meeting. 

Recharter:
A few of you might need to see me to sign a recharter paper.  I will follow up with you later tonight if I need to see you tomorrow night.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The December 17th meeting will be the last meeting of the year!  I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends over the next two weeks and come back ready for another year of Scouting memories with the troop!


Friday, December 6, 2019

Overnight Camp-in, Orienteering on Saturday, PLC Meeting on Sunday, Popcorn, and Manger Service this weekend


Good afternoon Troop 136!

Overnight Camp-in at the church:
I am looking forward to tonight when we meet at the church at 6 pm for a fun night of food and games.  I will be picking up the pizza for the event.  I have a number for those going on Saturday based on the turned in permission forms, but not sure of the number that will show up tonight.   Remember, Class B tonight and Class A tomorrow if you are attending the Orienteering course.  You can wear the Class A under your coat or jacket tomorrow.  It will be cold, so dress in layers for the event.  The high tomorrow will only be 43 degrees.

Orienteering - leaving at 10 am:
The following individuals will be going to the Orienteering course in Lancaster @ 2805 Old Logan Rd SE, Lancaster, OH 43130. We will plan to leave the church around 10 am. We will have breakfast at the church and the Scouts will be packing lunch that morning for the trip. The Scouts that are attending based on the permission slips are: James B, Zach B, Calvin C, Brady E, Cooper E, Shane F, Alex R, Jayden V and Noah W. The adults that I am aware that are attending are: John F, Todd M, Jason W and myself.


Popcorn:
Mr. Asendorf needs prize selections from popcorn for the following scouts: Kohta Weese, Will Wisenbarger. Calvin Clasby, Noah Wright and Anderson Hurt.  Selections need to be made by the end of the Dec. 10 meeting.  If you cannot make the meeting, please reach out to him at jasendorf@gmail.com or 614-746-3746.  

Manger Service Project:

The service project that we completed for the church will be turned on for public display at 6 pm on Saturday night.  Plan to be at the church to receive recognition and be able to show our support for the church.  This will take place before the lighting of the Christmas Tree in downtown Grove City.

PLC Meeting on Monday @ 3 pm:
I briefly talked with the PLC on Tuesday night about the opportunity for them to learn more about their respective positions of leadership.  The general consensus was they wanted to learn more about their positions.  As part of the PLC, one of the items that I need to do as the Scoutmaster would be to help them prepare to be the leaders of the Troop.  The PLC determines the level of our success as a Troop.  The Scouts will be learning about how the PLC works through some games and interactive activities.  We will start this at 3 pm on Sunday afternoon.  The introduction course will take about two hours to complete and dinner will be provided for the Scouts.  We will then have the PLC Meeting begin at 5 pm and finish by 6 pm just before the Committee Meeting.

I plan to complete Module 1 this month:  Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILS)
Depending on how the Scouts enjoy it, we might complete Module 2 next month and Module 3 the third month. 

I will need at least one additional adult to be there with me for the PLC Meeting.  If you can help, please let me know.

Committee Meeting on Sunday at 6 PM:
If you are a parent in the Troop and would like to learn more about the troop or just come and sit and watch Todd lead the Committee, you are welcome to come to the Committee Meeting at 6 pm.  We need your input and you would be helping make decisions for your Scout.  I encourage you to attend the meeting at 6 pm.  We generally are done in less than an hour.  Every person has a voice and time to talk about the items during the meeting and ask questions.  Todd Miller would appreciate your input as we make decisions and plan events that affect the Troop.

--
Phillip Freeman
Scoutmaster, Troop 136 in Grove City, OH 

Monday, December 2, 2019

Overnight Sleepover, Mystery Campout, Meeting for adults, and future dates and information....


Hey Troop 136!

I will be late to the meeting on Tuesday night.  I will be accepting some money on behalf of the troop.  I will get there as soon as I can.  The SPL will be with me.  The ASPLs will be in charge until we get back!

December 6-7 overnight sleepover:
Our overnight at the church will begin on Friday, December 6th at 6 pm.  The PLC will have input when we meet this week right after the meeting as well regarding the activities that we do on Friday night.  I will share their feedback after they meet and talk about the event after Tuesday night. I am sure they have some ideas about what they want to take place during the sleepover. No cost for the pizza and sleeping on Friday night!

Mystery Campout Meeting on 17th:
At the December 17th meeting, we will have a Mystery Campout Meeting for the adults only.  This is for adults only and nothing will be shared with the Scouts.  No details of the meeting or the location will be shared with the Scouts!  We want for this to be a surprise!  Eric Ewing will take the lead for the meeting.  I will be with the Scouts for this meeting, so if there are questions that cannot be answered, I can answer them after the meeting.

December 13-15 Christmas in the Cave Campout:
This is a special event and a lot of fun!  This was not originally on the yearly plan, but is an option for Scouts to go in they wanted to experience the area during the winter time.  They will be staying in the heated Kiwanis cabin.  There is limited room. You will need to sign up by Tuesday, December 10th.

January 10-12 Campout:
Signups for the campout will be closed on Tuesday, December 17th at the beginning of the meeting.  The PLC will be planning the menu at the December 8th meeting.   The cost is $33 for the scouts and $38 for the adults.  We need to know by Tuesday, December 17th to order the group tickets.  We need at least 12 scouts and adult to go to get the discount.  This is a campout that many scouts were excited for when the PLC was planning the event.  I have never been to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, so I am excited as well.  It looks like a great place to spend some time and we will have fun at heated Gilwell Cabin at Camp Manatoc.

December Meetings: 
We will not meet on December 24th and December 31st.  Spend time with your family!  Enjoy the break!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  We will continue our meetings on January 7th.

February Campout:
We will decide on Tuesday where we want to go.  We have four options for this weekend event in February.  We will decide when I get back from the event:
#1 - Go to Marengo Caves on the following weekend February 21-23.
#2 - Go to Salt Petre Caves in Kentucky and spend all day in the caves similar to the Marengo Caves adventure last year
#3 - Go to Chief Logan Klondike.  This is the camp that might be closing in September 2020.  https://skcscouts.org/event/clklondike/
#4 - Go to a Blue Jackets Game on Friday, February 14th and camp-in at the church and go-kart and escape room on Saturday morning.

Blue Jacket Game:
One of the items that we had on the calendar for the month was to attend a Columbus Blue Jackets game.  They have the following games in February:  Friday, 2/7, Saturday 2/8, Friday 2/14 and Friday 2/28.  We just need to decide which night you want to attend.  I would not be able to attend the Saturday, February 8th game.  We will also decide at the meeting on 12/3 what we will plan to do for the Blue Jackets games at the same time as the event for February when I get back from the meeting.

SCUBA Diving 2/29:
I have reached out to Rick's SCUBA Diving to see if they are available on the February 29th.  I will know more when they respond.  Looks like the price on their website is $50 for an introductory SCUBA class.  I am still talking with Rick's Scuba Diving and am planning to visit his facility on Tuesday after work before our meeting this week.  I will share details of my visit on Tuesday night.

Maple Syrup March 6-8 Campout:
We will be helping with the Maple Syrup Festival that weekend at Camp Lazarus.  We will be staying in the cabins and helping with the rope station.  Scouts will be able to rotate with the time for looking at the various Maple Syrup events during the day.  This is a great activity if you have never been to the festival.

Spring Camporee April 3-5, 2019:
This weekend is the Ohio Valley Spring Camporee that will be held at Chief Logan.  We will have the OA tapout this weekend.  This will also be the same weekend that Scouts can work on advancement with the Order of the Arrow that morning.  Lots of fun activities will be happening this weekend.  I will know more details as the campout get closer.

Helping Pack 136 April 24-26 Campout:
We will be helping with the spring campout with Pack 136. This is an annual event and a great way for the new incoming Scouts to get to know us.

Mystery Campout May 22-25 Campout:
Mystery Campout - I am not going into any details about this one! You will receive a packing list in March, but that is all that I can share at this time.  You will really enjoy this campout, but you Scouts will not know where we are going until we get there! This is the first time we have had a campout where all of the details will be planned by the adults.  This will be a once in a lifetime adventure!  Parents will have a meeting on December 17th.  Plan to be there to hear more information!

Yearly Calendar:

--
Phillip Freeman
Scoutmaster, Troop 136 in Grove City, OH