Thank you to all scouts who participated in Scouting for Food. Thank you also to all of our scouts who marched in the OV Parade this weekend and a special thank you to our new quartermaster Wyatt for coordinating a successful shed cleanup along with five other scouts. Congratulations to Evan, Gavin, Owen, and Bubba who completed ILST this weekend and received their Trained patches tonight.

Invoices for summer camp have been sent out. Please pay your invoices promptly as the troop must make full payment to Summit Bechtel Reserve next week. I will be sitting down with all scouts in the coming weeks to discuss with them their merit badge and other activity schedules for summer camp.

We also need to book our canoe trip on the James River for May. If you have not yet RSVP’d for this fun campout May 17-19, please do so as soon as possible at https://forms.gle/bnzJXm1jy75ki5oP9. Note that there will be a $38/scout activity fee for this special canoeing experience with Twin River Outfitters.

Thank you,
Scott Guirlinger

Ahead of this weekend’s lock in, please remember to bring any food you have collected for Scouting for Food to turn into the church’s food pantry.

In addition to clothing (including full Class A uniform) and sleeping gear, all Scouts should bring something to write with and on, e.g. paper and pen, as well as mess kits to eat with. If anyone has a hot glue gun they can bring to help with putting tiny compasses on promotional cards, that would be much appreciated.

Finally, if you have not yet RSVP’d for summer camp July 7-13 at Summit Bechtel Reserve in WV, please do so here: https://forms.gle/gCDioNxK5LPGCE5x8. I have been told by many that it’s potentially the best scout camp around.

Thanks everyone! See you all tomorrow.

Scott

For those attending the lock in this weekend, the doors will open at 630pm Friday and close at 700pm. All scouts should eat dinner prior to arrival. Scouts will need sleeping gear, clothing, and toiletries. We will be hiking the parade in full class A uniform on Saturday morning – please dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear to be hiking on the road for multiple hours. All scouts should be picked up or otherwise depart by 7:30am Sunday.

For those scouts wishing to get their preparatory hike done sooner than later for our AT trek coming up in April, they may choose to hike the parade with a loaded pack. It might be a good advertisement for scouting’s adventurous spirit too!

Patrols held elections tonight. Michael was re-elected as patrol leader for the Platypuses and Owen was elected as patrol leader for the Pickles.

With the parade this weekend and extra daylight at our troop meetings starting tonight, now is a great time to invite someone to join our troop. If you need any flyers, calendars, postcards, or other materials to give to potential scouts, please just ask. We’ve got some really cool things lined up – let’s make sure all the youth in the community know that they are invited to join in!

Thanks everyone,
Scott

All scouts should be prepared for a full uniform inspection at Tuesday’s meeting. If you are missing any elements of the uniform, the troop has some gently used items that may help you to complete it.

All scouts attending this weekend’s lock-in at the church should also bring $20 to Tuesday’s meeting for patrol meal planning.

The planned agenda for the lock-in was created by the PLC and has been posted to the event on the troop calendar at https://www.troop5norfolk.com/calendar/.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Scott Guirlinger

Congratulations to Evan Malleck, who was elected as the troop’s next Senior Patrol Leader at Tuesday’s meeting!

All scouts attending the lock-in March 15-17 at the church need to bring $20 cash to the meeting on Tuesday for patrol groceries (this is the budget that the scouts agreed upon with their patrols).

We will also conduct a regular uniform inspection at Tuesday’s meeting (this includes your Scout Handbook). For those scouts marching in the parade on March 16th, it is imperative that the full Class A uniform be worn (shirt, pants/shorts, belt, and boots). If you are missing any elements of the uniform, the troop has some gently used items that may help you to complete it.

For those attending Scouting University at ODU this Saturday, you should have received emails this week with check-in details. If you did not receive this information for your registered scout or adult, please let me know and I will forward it to you.

The Scouting for Food service project and Camp Card fundraising campaign continue. If you need any more information or materials, please contact Teasa Glenn and/or John Day.

Thank you,
Scott Guirlinger

Congratulations to Colin and Hunter who passed their Eagle Scout boards of review this past week! Stay tuned for more Eagle Scout announcements and ceremony details.

Scouting for Food is happening now. This is a simple service project the whole council does this time of year to help replenish local food banks. Scouts should hang the tags on doors in their neighborhood. We will then do a collection prior to our lock-in, when we will replenish the church’s food bank. Contact ASM John Day if you need more tags or have any questions.

A reminder for all scouts working on merit badges outside of special events like summer camp, winter camp, and Scouting University, you must work with a registered merit badge counselor and complete a blue card. Scouts interested in pursuing any merit badge should communicate with the Scoutmasters so that we can get you connected with a merit badge counselor and give you a blue card.

Looking ahead to our April campout hiking the Appalachian Trail, the PLC has agreed to some special requirements for scouts to meet. Due to the relatively rugged nature of this outing, we must all Be Prepared. Successful presentation of a properly loaded backcountry pack and completion of a multiple-mile hike with the pack must be done at least one week prior to departure. Proper footwear (hiking boots) is also required. Attendance by any individual scout is at the discretion of the Scoutmasters to ensure that all participating scouts are able to complete the 13.6 mountain trek in a safe manner. We will provide opportunities to learn and practice all of this in the weeks leading up to the trip; please be sure to attend and participate or otherwise coordinate with the Scoutmasters to show your proficiency.

Finally, troop elections are next Tuesday, March 5th! It is important for all scouts to attend so that we can have sufficient votes cast to elect our youth leaders for the next six months. Please wear your Class A uniform to give a good impression to those voting and appointing 🙂

Thanks everyone,
Scott

Reminder that we are hosting an open house for all interested youth this Tuesday, February 27th during our regular troop meeting. The PLC has planned some interactive knot training for both our visitors and those scouts needing knot requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class (which is pretty much everyone).

We want to present our best selves at this open house; all scouts should wear CLASS A uniform and arrive on time.

Please invite any and all youth who may be interested in scouting to come visit us. No prior scouting experience is required and there is no commitment for them to stay. For those scouts who do invite a youth not already in Boy Scouts scouts, or who is currently inactive in scouts, you will fulfill the following First Class requirement:

Tell someone who is eligible to join Scouts BSA, or an inactive Scout, about your Scouting activities. Invite this person to an outing, activity, service project, or meeting. Provide information on how to join, or encourage the inactive Scout to become active. Share your efforts with your Scoutmaster or other adult leader.

First Class Requirement 10

(Note that inviting someone who is already in Scouts BSA to transfer to our troop will not meet this requirement.)

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks everyone!

Scott Guirlinger
Scoutmaster

Congratulations to Colin, Evan, Gavin, and Hunter who were nominated by the fellow scouts tonight to join the Order of the Arrow! For those unfamiliar with it, OA is scouting’s honor society. These scouts now must complete their ordeal weekend to become full members of the order. I know they will do well!

Scouts picked up tags for Scouting for Food tonight. This is a simple service project the whole council does this time of year to help replenish local food banks. Scouts should hang the tags on doors in their neighborhood. We will then do a collection prior to our lock-in, when we will replenish the church’s food bank. Contact ASM John Day with any specific questions.

Camp cards were also distributed tonight. These discounts cards are sold for $10 each with 50% of the proceeds of each card coming back to the scout. If you are looking to help offset some of the cost of summer camp or similar scouting expenses, this is a great way to augment your fundraising beyond the popcorn we sell in the fall. Please contact our treasurer Melissa Day with any specific questions on this program.

The council is hosting the Tidewater University of Scouting at ODU on Saturday, March 9th. All Scouts, prospective Scouts, leaders, parents, and volunteers are invited to attend. This jamboree style event offers interactive trainings & certifications, hands-on activities & adventures, merit badges & advancement opportunities, and personalized Scout quests to earn prizes & rewards. Cost is $25 per adult and $20 per youth. Scouts can earn up to 2 merit badges; 6 of those merit badges offered are eagle required. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/596-UOS2024

Finally, our open house night is next Tuesday, February 27th! The PLC is meeting this weekend and will ensure we have a solid and fun plan for the evening. Please invite anyone and everyone you know that might be interested in scouting to come check us out! No need for them to RSVP; they can just show up at our normal 6:30pm meeting time at the church.

Thanks everyone,
Scott

Orienteering campout is this weekend! Scouts should be dropped off at the church at 8am Saturday and picked up at 12noon on Sunday. Plan for freezing temperatures on Saturday night. This scout article is a helpful guide on what to pack to stay warm: https://scoutlife.org/outdoors/outdoorarticles/6981/checklist-for-a-basic-cold-weather-outing/. Scouts need to pack a day pack for orienteering hike on Saturday with water, lunch, compass, and other hiking essentials. Troop tents will be provided; Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast have been coordinated by patrol. There is a bath house nearby the campsite at Newport News Park so we will have flush toilets and sinks. If you happen to have discs (for disc golf) please bring those as we will be playing a short course on Sunday morning. Class B uniform for departure (since we will be going straight into our hike upon arrival) and Class A uniform for return.

The council is hosting the Tidewater University of Scouting at ODU on Saturday, March 9th. All Scouts, prospective Scouts, leaders, parents, and volunteers are invited to attend. This jamboree style event offers interactive trainings & certifications, hands-on activities & adventures, merit badges & advancement opportunities, and personalized Scout quests to earn prizes & rewards. Cost is $25 per adult and $20 per youth. Scouts can earn up to 2 merit badges; 6 of those merit badges offered are eagle required. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/596-UOS2024

For scouts, our troop will hold elections for Order of the Arrow next Tuesday, February 20th. Not familiar with OA? Learn more about BSA’s "honor society" at this next meeting.
For parents, there will be a committee meeting next Tuesday. All are invited to join the discussion and help with the support operations of the troop. Many hands make light work!

We will be participating in Scouting for Food later this month. More information will come at our next meeting. Please help us increase Scouting’s visibility and give back to our community!

Reminder that we plan to host an Open House at our February 27th meeting. Please invite anyone you know that may be interested in scouting. Prior scouting experience is not required.

And finally… for any baseball fans, the Washington Nationals are hosting a scout day on August 4th. More information here: https://www.mlb.com/nationals/tickets/specials/scout-days

Thanks everyone!
Scott Guirlinger