News:

 Upcoming Events:

• April 14^th – Court of Honor – “Green & Gold”, set up at noon, event is 1-4, clean-up till 5pm
• April 19^th-21^st – Camp Lowden Tent Camping (Cabin available if too cold)
• May 17^th-19^th – Lake Geneva Camping
• May 19^th – Summer Camp Swim Test at the Glen Ellyn YMCA (Any Scout going to camp needs to pass this swim test – either here or at camp)

Upcoming Troop Meetings

• April 16^th –  Chess Merit Badge with Mr. Vail, Lowden Camping planning, Rank Advancements
• April 23^rd – Survival Kits – bring an empty Altoids or Sucrets tin and Duct Tape
• May 7^th – Eagle Scout planning meeting for all Life Scouts and above, Permission slips due for Lake Geneva camping, Rank Advancements for those not yet Life Scouts.

Reminders!

• Spring Court of Honor – April 14, 2013
• Committee Meeting – April 30th 7-8:30pm (all parents are welcome to attend – discover how you can be a part of scouting)

Summer Camp Information
Clay Watkins and Dan Stantz shared summer camp information with new scout parents and answered questions. They shared pictures and blog posts written from Tesomas in 2012. The camp Tesomas experience is truly one of a kind. This year four Troop 35 scouts (two present and two former) will be working at Tesomas on staff, what a statement. If you have time, go back and check it out, below are the links for the last three summer camps.

• Summer Camp 2012 – Eve
• Summer Camp 2011
• Summer Camp 2010

See you Sunday, april 14th at Gary United Methodist Church for the Court of Honor!

2 or more Troop Guides are needed to help lead out new Flaming Arrows. We will have 15 boys in this group and the more leaders we have the better to help them begin their Boy Scout Trail. If you are interested please see Mark H.

“Gone Fishin’! – anyone interested in earning their Fly Fishing Merit Badge, Fermi Lab is offering a free clinic. There are multiple dates to choose from, however we have a few interested in attending on May 11^th. If you are interested and want to work out going as a group please let Melinda know and she will help coordinate this. Please see the Bulletinboard on Scout Tracks for the Responsibilities Sheet, Registration Form and Site Map.

Upcoming Events:

• March 23^rd – Service Project at Gary, help set up, serve and clean-up for the Ladies Tea 1-4:30pm (wear your Class A Uniform)
• March 23^rd – Service Project at Gary, 3:30pm help move items around in the Wesley Center (white house adjacent to the church)
• April 6^th – Leadership planning meeting at Winfield Church, come help plan our calendar
• April 14^th – Court of Honor – “Green & Gold”, set up at noon, event is 1-4, clean-up till 5pm
• April 19^th-21^st – Camp Lowden Tent Camping (Cabin available if too cold)
• May 17^th-19^th – Lake Geneva Camping
• May 19^th – Summer  Camp Swim Test at the Glen Ellyn YMCA (Any Scout going to camp needs to pass this swim test – either here or at camp)

Upcoming Troop Meetings

• March 26^th – Join us for a fun evening of Dodgeball and Basketball in the Gym at Gary Church
• April 2^nd – PLC Meeting in Gamon Hall – lower level of Gary
• April 9^th –  Green & Gold planning

Reminders!

• Committee Meeting – April 4^th 7-8:30pm (all parents are welcome to attend)
• Spring Court of Honor – April 14, 2013

Hoover Polar Bear Campout
Three scouts earned their Polar Bear Award at the Hoover Campout and slept in a snow shelter that they built. Congratulations to Joey Cat, Jesse Exner and Mark Harrison.

Merit Badge University
We had a great turnout for MBU. Fourteen scouts attended various classes including 7 of our brand new scouts that have crossed over to our troop in the past couple of months.

Fly Fishing Merit Badge
If you are interested in the fly fishing merit badge. Watch the troop scoop for the flyer. This is being run by Trout Unlimited. See ASM Carl Peterson with questions.

Annual Planning Meeting
Our troop leadership will be having our annual planning meeting on April 5 and 6th at Winfield church to plan all the camping events for the next year. They will be using all the input and ideas that was submitted by each scout in January. ASM’s Andy Leonard and John Brunner will be helping our PLC facilitate the meeting.

Upcoming Events:

• March 10th – Highway Clean-up from 1-3pm. We are using the back up date because of the snow this week.
• March 15th-17th – Lakota Cabin Camping. Great opportunity to work on rank advancements
• April 14th – Court of Honor – “Green & Gold”, set up at noon, event is 1-4, clean-up till 5pm
• April 19th-21st – Camp Lowden Cabin Camping
• May 17th-19th – Lake Geneva Camping
• May 19th – Summer Camp Swim Test at the Glen Ellyn YMCA (Any Scout going to camp needs to pass this swim test – either here or at camp)

Upcoming Troop Meetings

• March 5th – PLC meeting. Scout leadership plans upcoming events and activities. All scouts are welcome to attend.
• March 12th – Campout planning, G&G Planning, Board of Reviews & Scout Master Reviews. Permission slips due for Lakota campout
• March 19th – G&G Planning, Spring Cleaning – cleaning out patrol boxes, set up tents in Gammon Hall and check for damage.
• March 26th – Fun Night- location TBD

TLT – Troop Leadership Training
Friday-Saturday our new leadership team had a great time at TLT held at the Winfield Church. Not only did they work on training for their new positions, they also enjoyed team building activities that included the Boy Scout’s version of “snow built clown car”. You have got to watch the video! Boy Scout SNOW EXPLOSION below….

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Scout Patrols!
We have new Scout Patrols! We have combined our scouts to create 3 new Scout Patrols. They are Patrol #1 – “Name to be determined”, Patrol #2 – “The Honey Badgers”, Patrol #3 – “The # Patrol” (pronounced the hash tag patrol). Look for an email sent from Joey C. if you aren’t sure what patrol you are in now.

Upcoming Events:

• Feb 22^nd-24^th – Hoover – Polar Bear Camping 6:30pm meet at Gary Church
• Feb 23^rd – Merit Badge University – York High School
• March 3^rd – Highway Clean-up
• March 10^th – Highway Clean-up Rain Date
• March 9^th-10^th – OA overnight at Rush Copley open to all scouts and friends – registration required
• March 15^th-17^th – Lakota Cabin Camping
• April 14^th – Court of Honor – “Green & Gold”, set up at noon, event is 1-4, clean-up till 5pm
• April 19^th-21^st – Camp Lowden Cabin Camping
• May 17^th-19^th – Lake Geneva Camping
• May 19^th – Summer  Camp Swim Test at the Glen Ellyn YMCA (Any Scout going to camp needs to pass this swim test – either here or at camp)

Upcoming Troop Meetings

• Feb 19^th – work on rank advancements
• Feb 26^th – 1^st Aide rank advancements w/stretcher carries
• March 5^th – PLC – permission slips due for Lakota Cabin Camping
• March 12^th – Campout planning, G&G Planning, Board of Reviews & Scout Master Reviews
• March 19^th – G&G Planning, Spring Cleaning – cleaning out patrol boxes, set up tents in Gammon Hall and check for damage.
• March 26^th – Fun Night- location TBD

Reminders!

• Spring Court of Honor – April 14, 2013

We warmly welcome you to our troop and look forward to getting to know all of you as you continue your scouting journey.

Upcoming Events:

• Jan 25^th-27^th – Cascade Mountain Cabin Camping and Skiing
• Feb 2^nd – Klondike at Cantigny 8am-5pm (more details to come)
• Feb 22^nd-24^th – Hoover – Polar Bear Camping 6:30pm meet at Gary Church
• March 3^rd – Highway Clean-up
• March 10^th – Highway Clean-up Rain Date
• March 9^th-10^th – OA overnight at Rush Copley open to all scouts and friends – registration required
• March 15^th-17^th – Lakota Cabin Camping
• April 14^th – Court of Honor – “Green & Gold”, set up at noon, event is 1-4, clean-up till 5pm
• April 19^th-21^st – Camp Lowden Cabin Camping

Upcoming Troop Meetings

• Jan 29^th – Klondike planning and Future Events Planning! (Meeting in Gamon Hall – lower level of Gary Church)
  • Each scout has been asked to do a little research and fine 5 places he would like to go. These can be ideas to do during a Troop Meeting on a Tuesday night. They can be something we can do in a day as a day trip. Or they can be ideas of places to go for a weekend campout or perhaps even a longer 3 day get-away. Within reason (no trips to the moon!) if you want to do it, or you have a friend in another Troop who has done it and it sounds like fun – bring it! We will then take those ideas and begin to plan on how we can get there.
• Feb 5^th – PLC – all scouts are welcome to come and plan future meetings
• Feb 7^th – Committee Meeting
• Feb 12^th – Permission slips due for Hoover Camping – Campout planning/Flaming Arrow’s advancement/simple campout supplies/Okpik presentation about cold weather camping
• Feb 19^th – work on rank advancements
• Feb 26^th – 1^st Aide rank advancements w/stretcher carries

Reminders!

• Get your ideas together for January 29^th meeting!
• Klondike – February 2^nd
• Spring Court of Honor – April 14, 2013

Scouts,

Now that the Holiday’s are over and I’ve just awoken from a 2-week

hibernation it’s time to get focused on Scouting and look ahead to a whole year of new opportuities!

There is a fundamental change that happens when a boy leaves Cub Scouts and bridges into Boy Scouts. New Boy Scouts learn early-on that the responsibility of advancement and the pace of earning merit badges now rests squarely on their own shoulders.

Mom and Dad aren’t expected to carry that burden once the boy enters the big leagues.

With summer camp fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to to set goals. Careful planning, smart goal-setting and constant encouragement are essential components of goal achievement.

Scouts who are disciplined to set specific, measurable and realistic goals give themselves the best chance of steadily earning merit badges and rank advancement on the path to Eagle Scout.

Please, Please, Please don’t wait for the last minute!
Goal-setting is not solely a tool for earning merit badges and rank advancement. Scouts can set a wide variety of goals that will help them in their journey. While goals are very personal and individual, here are ideas for you to consider as you learn this life-long skill:

Short-term goals (achieve in 30 days or less)

1.     Plan a month’s worth of Good Turns- 30-days makes a habit for this core value in Scouting
2.     Learn two new knots- this essential skill in Scouting takes practice
3.     Learn about the Troop leadership positions and decide which one is best for you
4.     Organize and re-stock your first-aid kit
5.     Teach a younger scout how to correctly fold a flag, then practice, practice, practice

Longer-term goals (achieve in 3-6 months)

1. Help a younger scout earn 1 merit badge and 1 rank advancement
2. Complete any partial merit badge you have
3. Master orienteering- Map and compass mastery can be intimidating, yet it’s a vital survival skill
4. Look ahead to your next rank, set a date and make a plan to achieve it
5. Earn enough money in your Scout Bucks account to buy a scout-related item, just for you
6. Earn a certification- i.e., first aid, CPR, BSA lifeguard
7. Earn an Eagle-required Merit Badge

The number of goals you set is as important as the quality or complexity of the goals.Setting  too many goals can lead to frustration when they aren’t all met. This may lead to an urge to   give up all together.

If this all sounds like too much for you, start by setting one near-term and one longer-term goal.

The important thing is to get your mind and your body in motion… NOW!!! 

Looking forward to a great 2013!
Your Scoutmaster,
Mr. Cat.

With Christmas upon us, I thought tonight I would try to answer an age-old question regarding Santa Claus: Is it possible that Santa Claus was a Boy Scout?

Let’s take a look at how The Old Man stacks up against the Scout Law;

• Trustworthy – You certainly can trust that Santa will show up every year, just like he promises.
• Loyal – He’s very dedicated to his craft and his mission. Imagine the disappointment if he wasn’t loyal to his work.
• Helpful – saves many Dads from last-minute shopping. Dads are notorious for leaving things to the last minute, just ask a mom.
• Friendly – how many adults would let a millions of kids sit on their lap and listen to what they want? And smile while doing it?
• Courteous – He always says “thank You” for the billions of calories he gets in milk and cookies each year.
• Kind – delivering gifts to children is a great act of kindness. Except for the drum sets. That’s not too kind, at least to the parents.
• Obedient – I emailed Mrs. Claus on this one. No reply, but seeing he’s been married for all those years, I’m going to bet he does what she tells him.
• Cheerful – Ho ho ho. Need I say more?
• Thrifty – makes his own toys. Saves a bundle on shipping alone.
• Brave – would you get in a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer and fly? Me neither.
• Clean – not sure how he does it, but that red suit looks great even after the millionth chimney has been gone down
• Reverent – does his thing on a very special night for his religion and represents the spirit of the day.

…So yes Troop 35, it looks like Santa Claus may indeed have been a Boy Scout.

This time of year no matter what holiday you celebrate, remember that doing your best every day and living the Scout Oath and Law is what really makes each of you a Boy Scout!

Happy Holidays,
Mr. Cat.

Retail Sales continue this weekend – see the schedule on ScoutTrack

Upcoming Events:

December 2nd-8th – Christmas Sharing at Gary Church – See email from Jim Whitlock for times

December 6^th – Committee Meeting at CozyMel’s in Wheaton at 7pm

Upcoming Troop Meetings
Dec 4^th – Help with Christmas Sharing

Dec 11^th – Winter Court of Honor

Dec 14^th-15^th  – Lock-In at Gary (Webelos attend 7-9pm)

Dec 18^th – Troop Elections

Dec 25^th – Christmas Day – no meeting!

Jan 1^st – New Year’s Day – no meeting!

Jan 8^th – PLC

Jan 10^th – Committee Meeting

Jan 15^th – Ski trip planning (permission slips due)

Jan 18^th-19^th – JLT 6pm to 1pm on Saturday

Jan 22^nd – Klondike Derby Planning

Jan 25^th-27^th – Cascade Mountain Cabin Camping

Jan 29^th – Klondike planning

Reminders!

Christmas Sharing week of December 2-8, 2012 at Gary Church

Winter Court of Honor – December 11, 2012

Committee Meeting at CozyMel’s – December 6, 2012 at 7pm

As Americans, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

We live in freedom, most of us have an abundance of food and clothing, and we all have adequate shelter.

We are as blessed as any people in the world, but sometimes we forget that and gripe that we don’t have even more.

Let’s remember that a lot of the worlds’ population goes to bed hungry in homes that few Americans would want to live in. Not to mention the diseases that we’ve never even heard of before.

So it’s good to remind ourselves occasionally that we are lucky and to give thanks for our blessings.

That’s what Thanksgiving really is, a time to give thanks. The Pilgrims started it hundreds of years ago when they gathered to thank God for a bountiful harvest.

Today Thanksgiving is a time for families gathering around a table groaning with a bounty of food, followed by watching football games, and then more dessert!

There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s important that we don’t forget the real meaning of Thanksgiving.

So when you sit down with your family for Thanksgiving dinner this year, take time to count your blessings and give proper thanks for them.

Your Scoutmaster,
Mr. Cat.