Upcoming Dates & Updates!

Several parents & leaders met this past weekend to talk about the upcoming year in the Troop & to establish a draft calendar.  This calendar is a work in progress.  It will be reviewed & adjusted at Committee Meetings as needed.  Parents are encouraged to attend Troop & Committee Meetings for the latest updates and to volunteer to continue to make Troop 20 awesome!  Please also check the blog for updates on dates, timing & location.  There are a lot of exciting activities in the works for the upcoming Scout year! 

Ryan Grady's Eagle Project is underway!  Ryan needs help this Saturday, 9/3 starting at 9am.  If you are able to attend, adults are encourage to bring drills to assist.  Scouts are encouraged to wear clothes that may get dirty and to bring work gloves, water & a hat for sun protection.  Scouts will be painting the benches that the adults will be assembling.  Ryan's project is to build an outdoor classroom at the HBB school so that each elementary school will have their own outdoor classroom!
The address to help  on this Saturday, 9/3 is 37 Winter Street.
On 9/25, Ryan's project will continue at HBB starting at 9am.  Hopefully that will complete Ryan's project!  Way to go, Ryan!

The first Committee & Troop Meetings of the year will be held on Thursday, 9/15.  The location is Central Congregational Church located at 2 Webster Street, Middleboro, MA.  The Committee Meeting will be at 6pm and the Troop Meeting will be at 7pm.  At the Committee Meeting we hope to elect a new Scoutmaster as we have a couple of people interested.  If you are interested in the Scoutmaster position, please prepare a letter of interest and see the details below on the blog post from 8/18. 
We are still in need of an Advancement Chair & an Activities Chair.  If you are interested in assisting the Troop, please reach out to a leader or Sherri Swindle directly.  Please see blog post from 8/18 for more details on these positions.
At the Committee Meeting we will also discuss leadership positions for the Troop.  There are many opportunities for Scouts to earn credit for leadership positions.  More details to come on these exciting positions!

Julian Cassady's Eagle Project is also underway and the first date for that will be Saturday, 9/17 at the Soule Homestead located at 46 Soule Street, Middleboro, MA.  The project will continue on Sunday, 9/18.  Work will begin each day beginning at 9am.  Please bring work gloves, water & a hat for sun protection.  We will update here if you need to bring any other items.  Julian's project is to build goat houses at the Soule Homestead! 

9/22 & 9/29 will be Troop Meetings at the Parish Hall.

Webelos Woods will be the last weekend of the month with more details to come!

Upcoming Dates & Important Information

8/27:                    1-4pm Informal planning meeting at the Swindles house (82 Miller Street).  Please feel free to bring your bathing suit & towel if you would like to swim after the meeting.  However, parents must stay with their Scout during the entire meeting & for any swim time.

9/15:                    Committee Meeting (6pm) and Troop Meeting (7pm).  Location TBA once we verify if the Parish Hall is available.  Check here for an update.

Mid September     Alex & Julian Cassady’s Eagle Projects will be worked on.  Details TBA.

End September/Early October   Parent Informational Meeting to discuss overall program & areas where your assistance is needed in support of your Scout & Troop 20.

Troop & Committee Positions that need to be filled

Scoutmaster:      Please prepare a letter of interest to include why you would like the position and your BSA qualifications, training & experience.  If more than one person is interested, the active Committee members will vote anonymously on the applicants.  Please bring your letter to the Committee Meeting on 9/15.  Mr. Lamoureux will be Scout Master until the end of December 2016 and will assist the new Scoutmaster with transition.

Advancement Chair:        This position involves entering rank advancements & merit badges into an existing computer program.   Position is also responsible for prepping cards & badges in preparation to award any achievements as needed & at Court of Honor ceremonies.  This can be handled by more than one person if there is a fellow parent you would like to work with.  Mrs. Melchin will assist with training & transition.

Activities Director:           Mr. Gilson would like to train someone in this task as he will be stepping down after the next ski trip in approximately February 2017.  This position involves getting tour permits, making sure there is a point person for each trip and securing license/insurance information for drivers for events.

 
If anyone has pictures from Summer Camp, please bring them to Mrs. Swindle on a flash drive or CD so that we can gather them all at once for a future posting on the blog.  Thanks!

Camp Squanto Apache Relay

Troop 20 took 3rd place this year in the Camp Squanto Apache Relay.  They all did a fantastic job!

Another Great Year at Camp Squanto!

Our Scouts are having a fantastic week at Camp Squanto and took 3rd place in the Apache Relay!  Way to go Troop 20!  Here's a few pics of them enjoying a campfire after the race.

Important Summer Camp Information

Mr. Swindle and Mr. Lamoureux attended the camp pre-meeting earlier this week and both are looking forward to a great week!  

Summer Camp drop off will be at 1:00 PM on Sunday. Please do not arrive earlier than 1:00 PM. Please have your scout wear his swimsuit as the first activity Sunday afternoon will be a swim test. 

Camp Squanto, 200 Cutters Field Road, Plymouth, MA, but the website notes that GPS may be incorrect.   We recommend you print out these paper directions as a backup:

Directions to Camp Squanto

Here is a list of suggested items to bring to camp:

What to Bring to Summer Camp:

We are still missing a few medical forms and payments.  All payments must be turned in on Sunday before your scout can stay at camp AND all medical forms must be complete along with medicine turned in inside properly marked containers.  We have to settle our bill with Camp Squanto Monday morning and must have all payments on Sunday.  If you scout does not have a completed medical form and their payment is not made in full, they cannot stay at camp until these items are addressed and resolved.  If you have some type of issue that is delaying the payment or medical form, please contact Mrs. Swindle by email at sherriswindle@verizon.net or by call/text at (508) 930-4889.

Parents must stay until your scout is cleared through the medical clearance line.  Please plan a few hours for the drop off process.  Parents also cannot leave without their Parent Guidebook.

Pictures – there will be a group photo taken during the week of our Troop 20 scouts.  There is a $13 fee for the photo and this money must also be paid on Sunday.  The fee goes directly to Camp Squanto for the costs of producing this photo.  The photo makes a nice memory of camp for your scout memory book.  Checks can be made out to Troop 20 and given to Mrs. Swindle at drop off.  Mrs.Swindle will be tracking the payments to advise Mr. Swindle and Mr. Lamoureux who has ordered a photo. 

Reminder – electronics usage by Troop 20 Boy Scouts will be allowed under limited conditions. Usage will include being allowed to communicate with parents/guardians and to take photos if they would like.  The time for usage will be after all activities, dinner and all camp site related responsibilities are complete.  Time usage will be up to 8:00 PM. After 8:00 PM,all devices will be taken and locked in the troop trailer.  It will be at the discretion of Mr. Swindle and Mr. Lamoureux if such devices are being abused, and should such abuse be discovered, those devices will be collected and perhaps parents/ guardians will be contacted as well.  It is up to the Scoutmaster to determine if further parental notice will be required, to also include removal from camp.

We are looking forward to a great week!  Please remind your scout to be respectful of fellow scouts and the leadership donating their time so that everyone can have a great week!