Help keep the United States a strong and fair nation by learning about our system of government, your responsibilities as a citizen and future voter, as well as the history of our country and the people who made it strong for future generations – just like you will.

Here is a quiz from Microtrains, a model railroad manufacturer….

Question for February: Which President was a Yale boxing coach, was the first president to have been an Eagle Scout, served as a gunnery on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific and was never elected President or Vice-President?
CLICK HERE TO ANSWER!

Test your knowledge – do you know who it is? Send a message to me and if your answer is correct, I’ll reward the winner at Tuesday night’s meeting.

What you do and what you know about our country can make a difference! 

A Scout is Reverent

Scout Sunday is generally observed on the first Sunday in February, however the United Methodist Church - Troop 35′s sponsor organization observes Scout Sunday on the second Sunday in February.

Scout Sunday is set aside to recognize the contributions of scouting to the community and to recognize scouts and scout leaders for their contribution to the community. In keeping with the Scout Law and its mission of doing a good turn daily, Troop 35 prepared dutch oven cobblers for the congregation for sharing and fellowship between services at 10 AM. The morning began with scouts preparing the cobblers in the parking lot and serving them to the congregation in the common area. The day concluded with the scouts enjoying a bit of cobbler and cleaning up, after all a scout is clean, too. The congregation enjoyed the cobblers and we were told about a long-time parishioner who normally gets a ride to church for the 11 o’clock service. She had called the church office to let them know she would be driving this week because she wanted to make sure she got cobbler! Check out the pictures below!

The troop’s next outing will be Klondike at Catigny on Saturday, February 4th. They will be running the fire starting competition – hope to see you there!

Top 10 Reasons you should go to Tomo Chi-Chi this weekend:

10.   Younger Scouts need to come and work on advancements!
9.    Older Scouts are needed to use the EDGE method to help younger Scouts!
8.    Take a hike to “The Rock that Know All”!
7.    Practice your Polar Bear skills or sleep outside if you want!
6.    Play baseball in the snow or go sledding if there’s enough snow!
5.    Carve a new neckerchief slide!
4.    Enjoy some famous Troop 35 cooking!0
3.    Make a fire in the beautiful Tomo Chi-Chi fireplace!
2.    We’ve lowered the price to make it an even better value than before!

And the #1 reason you should camp at Tomo Chi-Chi this weekend…..

1.  You won’t be left out when you hear the rest of YOUR  troop talking about how much fun they had at Tomo Chi-Chi!

-Plus-
It’s close to home so there’s no annoying long car ride!
Even the name is fun to say!

You can click here to get the permission slip in MS Word or Adobe pdf format.

Hope to see you there!

Your Scoutmaster,
Mr. Cat

Each December and June, the troop holds leadership elections and scouts run for office. They hold elections and the scouts elect who will be their next senior patrol leader (SPL). After the SPL is elected, the scoutmaster, the outgoing SPL, and the SPL-elect meet to discuss which scouts will fill out the remainder of leadership positions – ASPL, troop guides, quartermaster, and other positions. Once they have been selected the troop holds a leadership seminar to train the new leaders – much like a company or corporation would for incoming managers and executives.

Troop 35 held its Winter Troop Leadership Training Friday (1/20) night and into early Saturday at Winfield Community United Methodist Church –an affiliate of our sponsor church Gary United Methodist Church. It was snowing and the grounds were covered. Most of the scouts were more interested in shoveling and playing outdoors, but once we had uncovered the driveway and sidewalks it was time to get down to learning about leading. It all starts with a vision and Mr. Whitlock opened with a question – What do you want your troop to look like?

Friday evening was spent with the vision and what each scout was expected to do as their part in moving the troop to that vision. Of course, we stopped and played, too. Friday was our area’s second snowstorm and it dropped about 6-8” depending on where you were. It left plenty of snow outdoors and the scouts constructed a quinzee – pronounced quincy – a snow shelter. It was great fun. We began Friday night and finished Saturday.

As you can see from the pictures below, being outdoors was more fun than being inside – but that is the way it for most of us. Most importantly, the scouts shared their vision and when the new leaders take office in February, they will be ready to guide the troop for the next six months. During that time, we’ll welcome new scouts, go camping, go rock climbing, earn merit badges, celebrate our 100 year anniversary, and attend summer camp. Mistakes will be made and lessons learned – and that is what scout-led means.

Since informed citizens are our best defense against crime, we would like to offer the Boy Scouts an opportunity to earn their Crime Prevention Merit Badge. This  workshop will include a tour of the Naperville Police Department Jail and will be  conducted by Mary Browning, Crime Prevention/Community Education Specialist.  Registration is required by emailing Mary Browning at browningm@naperville.il.us with your name, address, phone number, and Troop #. You may also call Mary at  630-420-6731.

All requirements for the badge will be completed on January 26th except for the  following requirements:

2. Prepare a notebook of newspaper and other clippings that address crime and crime prevention efforts in your community.

4. After doing EACH of the following, discuss with your counselor what you have learned:

a. Inspect your neighborhood for opportunities that may lead to crime.  Learn how to do a crime prevention survey.
b. Using the checklist in this pamphlet, conduct a security survey of your home and discuss the results with your family.

6. Help raise awareness about one school safety issue facing students by doing ONE of the following:

a. Create a poster for display on a school bulletin board.
b. With permission from school officials, create a page long public service announcement that could be read over the public address system at school or posted on the school’s Web ite.
c. Make a presentation to a group such as a Cub Scout den that addresses the issue.

If you choose to complete these 3 requirements before the workshop and bring proof
of completion (item, written work, note, pictures etc.) you will earn the badge that
evening. If these 3 requirements are not complete, you may still attend, however
before you can earn the badge you will need to finish those requirements on your
own.

A Scout is Thrifty.
A Scout works to pay his own way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.

Troop 35 annual dues are $150 for 2012 scouting year and many scouts earned their dues by selling wreaths – way to go!  A few scouts sold enough wreaths to pay for scout outings, summer camp, and maybe – even Jamboree 2013. Way to go scouts!

Remember scout dues are due January 31^st

Many people view the New Year as a time of renewal, a time to restart, a time to make changes, and a time to look forward. In the Boy Scout troop, it is a time when we add new members – new scouts and older scouts move up and into leadership positions. Scouting is about having fun and developing the leadership skills a scout will rely on his entire life.  Scoutmaster Cat sent this message on New Year’s Eve to all scouts and their families – it his Scoutmaster Minute for the New Year. Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve – Scoutmaster Minute
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. 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. Please, Please, Please don’t wait for the last minute!

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

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 forScouts to consider as they 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 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.

Looking forward to a great 2012 and Troop 35′s 100-year anniversary,
Your Scoutmaster,
Mr. Cat

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Troop 35!

Happy Holidays from Troop 35 to you and your family. We’ll see you in the new year.