As planned by the scouts at last Tuesday’s PLC meeting, we will meet at the OV Fishing Pier tonight (not at the church). Please bring your own fishing supplies and be prepared to pay admission at the pier entrance.

For scouts who are First Class and above and have completed Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST), the council is offering National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) over two consecutive weekends in November. This is a fairly significant time commitment because it is a significant training course and achievement. The troop will cover the registration cost for any eligible scout who attends. Regarding the pre-requisite ILST, our troop hosted ILST at our retreat in March and can host ILST again in September as necessary. The only other registration requirement is a current medical form. Full registration information is available at https://scoutingevent.com/596-NYLT2025

Troop 5 will be camping at Natural Chimneys and participating in a caving expedition.

Where: Camping at Natural Chimneys Park and Campground in Augusta County, VA
When: Friday, August 8th – Sunday, August 10th

Please RSVP for this event: https://forms.gle/yoLdhKbChKG2sFQq8

Details will be provided closer to the outing.

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting and court of honor tonight and congratulations to all scouts who received awards. If you have any questions about summer camp or venturing that were not answered tonight, or come to you later, please feel free to reach out to me (or to Bill Sheedy directly).

Looking ahead, the PLC will host an open meeting at the church during the regular troop meeting time on Tuesday, June 3rd to plan our summer activities. All scouts are invited to attend.

On Saturday, June 7th, we are participating in Clean the Bay Day. Please contact Teasa Glenn to join our cleanup crew for that morning.

We are attending summer camp the week of June 22nd-28th at Camp Bowers near Fayetteville, North Carolina. If you have not yet submitted your payment or medical form, please submit those as soon as possible. Also, if your scout has any dietary restrictions, those need to be entered as soon as possible by parents (not leaders) using the parent portal login provided earlier this year. If you need your parent portal login information to be provided again, please contact me.

On Tuesday, July 8th, we are participating in a “TrySCUBA” experience at Lynnhaven Dive Center in Virginia Beach. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $75 per scout (no adults). Call (757) 481-7949 to book and tell them you are with the scout group on July 8th. Scouts must pass the BSA swim test beforehand. To save time with paperwork that day, please create account for scout at https://my.divessi.com/login with Lynnhaven Dive Center as the training center; parent must then confirm registration via their own email (as provided on form).

Finally, the weekend of August 8th-10th, we are camping and caving near Natural Chimneys Park. RSVP’s are required as we must confirm our booking with our cave guide. Look for an RSVP form coming soon.

Thanks everyone. Looking forward to a fun summer with some scouting in the mix!

Scott

Reminder that this Tuesday we are holding our spring Court of Honor at the church. All parents are encouraged to attend the full meeting as we will be hosting a summer camp information and preparation session beforehand and will also have some guest visitors from a venturing crew in Virginia Beach to share with us about that scouting program. We will give out all awards that have been earned by scouts since our last court of honor in February.

Scouts should wear full Class A uniform. For those attending summer camp, please turn in your scout’s updated medical form (parts A, B, and C) and bring a check for payment, if your scout’s popcorn sales did not already cover this cost. (Paying by check will save the troop from Square fees.)

Thank you,
Scott Guirlinger

The troop is participating in Clean the Bay Day this year on the morning of June 7th. Please contact Teasa if you can join the cleanup crew that morning. This should count for 2-3 hours of conservation service.

Thank you to all of the scouts who attended tonight and provided feedback on this past year’s calendar of events. The PLC will use this feedback soon to plan next year’s calendar.

Next Tuesday, May 27th, we will hold our spring Court of Honor at the church. All parents are encouraged to attend the full meeting as we will be hosting a summer camp information and preparation session beforehand and will also have some guest visitors from a venturing crew in Virginia Beach to share with us about that scouting program. We will give out all awards that have been earned by scouts since our last court of honor in February. This is also an opportune time to turn in your scout’s updated medical form (parts A, B, and C) for summer camp.

On Tuesday June 3rd, the PLC will host an open meeting at the church during the regular troop meeting time to plan summer activities. All scouts are invited to attend.

Thanks,
Scott

The troop is hoping to participate in Clean the Bay Day this year on the morning of June 7th. We have a couple scouts and adults interested but could use a couple more. Please RSVP here as soon as possible as we do need to register for this event: https://forms.gle/baEmqDG2SvaGx33Z9. This should count for 2-3 hours of conservation service.

We will depart this Saturday morning at 8am from the church for our bike trip on the Capital City Trail, from Jamestown to restaurant for lunch and back. Everyone is invited to attend; just make sure you have your bike, helmet, and gear with you at the church at 8am on Saturday!

In two weeks on May 27th, we will hold our spring Court of Honor at the church. All parents are encouraged to attend the full meeting as we will be hosting a summer camp information and preparation session beforehand and will also have some guest visitors from a venturing crew in Virginia Beach to share with us about that scouting program. I hope you all can attend.

Please let me know if you have any questions. More information to come soon on summer activities.

Thanks,
Scott

Thanks to everyone for attending the swim test tonight. In further preparation for summer camp in June, please remember to (1) get your medical form parts A, B, and C completed by a physician and submitted to the troop, and (2) review the pre-requisites for any merit badges you are taking: https://scoutingevent.com/Download/425150146/OR/Bowers_Program_Guide_v1.pdf. We will hold a summer camp information and preparation meeting on Tuesday, May 27th before our court of honor that same evening.

The troop is hoping to participate in Clean the Bay Day this year on the morning of June 7th. Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/baEmqDG2SvaGx33Z9

We had several scouts unable to stay overnight at our planned cycling trip to the High Bridge Trail in May. The PLC has decided to switch this campout to a day outing instead, biking the Capital City Trail from Jamestown that Saturday (with a stop for lunch halfway). More details to come at next week’s meeting.

Any and all tents that have been sent home with scouts (to dry out) should be returned next Tuesday, May 6th. We plan to inspect all of the tents for missing and damaged parts before the sit for the summer.

Thank you,
Scott Guirlinger

Troop 5 is holding class for the Horsemanship Merit Badge at Tidewater Trails next to NAS Oceana this Sunday. Lessons start at 11am with class lessons. There will be a cost of $45 for the instructor. Need to be dressed appropriately including shoes such as boots or hiking shoes. No open toes, or sneakers.

Contact ASM John or SPL Gavin for more information.

Let’s go hiking! We depart at 4pm this Friday for our backcountry hike in the Three Ridges Wilderness. To get on the trail as early as possible (before sunset), we will only be making one quick bathroom stop at an I-64 rest area near Charlottesville; everyone should eat dinner before arriving or pack it with you to consume in your vehicle. On the way home, we will stop for lunch so please bring money for that. All attendees should check the weather forecast for Wintergreen, VA and pack accordingly to keep themselves and their gear dry. Looking forward to it!

Next Tuesday, April 29th we will hold our swim test at Northside Pool during our usual 6:30pm meeting time. This is required for all scouts and adults to participate in any aquatic activities, including summer camp and any other outings where bodies of water are involved. The PLC will meet immediately after the swim test is completed; all other scouts are free to head home.

A reminder to let Evan Malleck know if you are able to help him with his Eagle project on Saturday, May 3rd at 9am at Camp Hope Haven. Each volunteer will need to register with Union Mission by creating an account at
https://unionmission.vomo.org/org/the-union-mission-ministries. Click "Join" in the top right corner and create an account with your email; nothing else needed after your account is created.

Finally, congratulations to Eli who completed a board of review for his Tenderfoot rank this Tuesday!

Thanks everyone,
Scott Guirlinger