March 2004

The calendar tells us that spring is on the way.  Spring Training has begun, March Madness is nearing the end, and the newly bridged Scouts have joined the Troop for fun, adventure and an opportunity to climb the scouting ladder.

On behalf of the Troop Committee, Leaders, and Scouts, I would like to welcome these new scouts and their families to Troop 401. I know every scout will make them feel welcome and help them along their trail in Scouts.

We encourage every parent to become involved with the scouting program. Your involvement will not only benefit the troop and your own son, but it will benefit you as well. This will happen when you realize that you play an important part in the lives of our youth. No matter how large or small a part that is, it is important to the growth of our scouts.

Welcome. We look forward to working with all of you. Feel free to ask questions of any Leader. They can help guide you in the right direction to get the answer you need.

Marsha Kofman, CC, rdhetal@yahoo.com or 429-0794

Spring is just about here. It’s time for some outdoor activities for the troop that don't involve snow. If you look at the calendar there are two events on the weekend of April 16-19. Right now the troop is signed up to go to the Isaac Davis Trail Campout. This will be held in Acton/Concord MA. We arrive there on Sunday and leave on Monday. There will be a hike on Monday morning from Acton to the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA. After the hike we go back to the campsite and pack up to go home. Earlier that weekend April 16-18 the District Spring Camporee will be held. This will take place in Hudson, NH. Sounds like it will be a great time. More info will be passed out later.

On March 20 we had 19 scouts go the Lowell Textile Museum. While there everyone earned the Textile Merit Badge, a very interesting merit badge. I would suggest that the troop go back next year. I know there were a few of the scouts who couldn't make it this time, so when it comes time to set the calendar, this is one event we should put include. The calendar will be worked

on at the next PLC, so Patrol Leaders make sure you get your suggestions from your patrol members.

If any one has any suggestions for this summer please let me know. We don't have any troop meetings during the summer, but we do have a couple of activities. In the past we have done the July 4th activities, gone canoeing on the Baker River, and gone to New England Dragway. We can take in a baseball game in Manchester with the Fisher Cats; go to Boston, or up to the mountains. Please let us know what you want to do.

Something to think about for next summer is the 2005 National Jamboree. This will be held in Caroline County, VA. The dates are July 25 through August 3, 2005. If you are interested in participating with the NH Troop, now is the time to sign up. I have a couple of forms and can get more if needed. If you want to hear what goes on at a Jamboree from someone who has been there, please ask Ryan or Shawn Collette, Travis Courtemanche, or Russell Holman. They were all at the last one. A few other scouts and adults have visited a Jamboree. They can be lots of fun. They are also looking for staff members to work at the Jamboree. In the past the troop has visited the Jamboree for a couple of days. This would be a great time to start planning on this trip for the summer of 2005.

There have been a couple of changes to the Senior Patrol and a few more will be coming. Over the next few weeks you will see the difference. I'm sure that these new additions to the Senior Patrol will take the troop along the right path. If any one has any comments, concerns, or questions please le me know. I would love to hear them. Scouts keep up the hard work you have been doing and parents please keep the assistance going.

Congratulations to all the Scouts who have earned their next rank and merit badges.

YIS

 Bill Courtemanche, Scoutmaster Troop 401,

 a76eagle@aol.com, 424-5968

April

4/2          District Recognition Dinner

4/3          District Hike-a-thon

4/5          Board of Review

4/8          Troop Committee Meeting

4/14        PLC

4/16-18  District Spring Camporee

4/18-19  Isaac Davis Campout

4/19        Scoutmaster Conferences

4/21        Roundtable

4/22        Outdoor Leader Skills Instruction

4/24        Council Program Kickoff

4/26-30  School Vacation

May

5/3          Board of Review

5/7          St. James Cleanup  

5/7          Adopt-A-Road  

5/12        PLC

5/13        Troop Committee Meeting

5/14-16  OA Spring Fellowship Weekend

5/19        Roundtable

5/22-23  50 Mile Bike Ride on Cape Cod

5/24        Scoutmaster Conference

June

6/7          Board of Review

6/9          PLC

6/10        Troop Committee Meeting

6/11-13  Frank Daley Campout

6/14        Court of Honor

6/16        Roundtable

6/25-27  White Water Rafting Trip

Below are the patrol assignments for the next month.   

Mar 29    Set-up                                    Badgers               

                Open/Close                          Lizards

                                Court Of Honor      

                Clean up                               Vipers

Apr 5       Set-up                                    Lizards

                Open/Close                          Dragons

                Skill Instruction                    Vipers

                                Forestry: Merit Badge Introduction

                Clean up                               Bison

Apr 12    Set-up                                    Dragons

                Open/Close                          Bison

                Skill Instruction                    Badgers

                                Forestry:  Tree Measuring Devices

                Clean up                               Vipers

Apr 19    Set-up                                    Bison    

                Open/Close                          Vipers

                Skill Instruction                    Lizards

                                Forestry Theme

                Clean up                               Badgers

Apr 26    No Troop Meeting – School Vacation

Scouts who have already started the Family Life Merit Badge or are interested in starting, please see Mrs. Kofman.  Remember, this is an ongoing Merit Badge. Don’t forget to bring your Blue Card!

Troop Communications

Troop 401 has tried to keep up with the modern age of technology—computers and email.  We use a Troop Web Page to keep our calendar updated, provide permission slips and the Troop newsletter on the site, in case they don’t make it home.  The web site has a wealth of other Scouting information and links.  We have Yahoo mail groups for parents, scouts and leaders to send out reminders, update details of our events and send other pertinent information to our respective mail groups.  We did this at your request.  We were told, people “check their email and set their computers with pop up reminders, more than they check the calendar on the wall.”  So we listened. 

We strongly reminder everyone to check your email a few times a week just for scouting updates.  Mark the Troop Web Site in your Favorites or Bookmarks.  Check it weekly.  If an event is scheduled for Saturday, please check for any last minute updates on Friday night.  If you are not receiving troop mail, please see Mrs. Kofman or Mr. Collette (the Troop Webmaster) to make sure your email address is correct. 

Everyone has a busy life.  Email and the Troop Web Page is a way in which we can reach everyone at any time of the day or night, and not boldly intrude into your family time with a phone call late at night.

Various Meetings

Committee meetings are open to all Troop adults.  They are on the second Thursday of each month at St. James Church, at 7 PM.  Hope to see you there. 

District Roundtable is on the third Wednesday of each month.  They take place at the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Nashua, at 7 PM.  All leaders and troop adults are encouraged to attend.

 Permission Slips

Permission slips are posted to the web site.  If you miss a meeting, you can still pick up a permission slip electronically.

 WANTED:   Parents or guardians to become involved with Troop 401.  You don’t need to hold a specific position. It can be a small simple job for one or two events. The impact can be greater than you can imagine.   For more information, contact any Committee Member or Marsha Kofman for further details.

Isaac Davis Campout and Hike

Troop 401 will attend the wonderful Isaac Davis Patriots Day event this year, come rain or shine, on April 18-19 (Sunday-Monday).  This Massachusetts holiday marks the start of the American Revolution against the British.  A full costume period reenactment at the Old North Bridge in Concord marks the “shot heard round the world.”  The event includes a one way 7 mile hike across easy ground early Monday morning.  We are registered as a Troop, but we will need an accurate total headcount by April 9^th to avoid penalty fees.  There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board at the church.  The cost per participant is $5.50 (this includes the event itself and an Isaac Davis patch).  Troop food will run around an additional $5-6 per participant. We will depart Sunday early afternoon from the church and return Monday at a similar time.  We will need to provide Merrimack schools with a “permission slip” for their approval as Monday is a school day in NH.  As this event is very educational the schools have never denied permission in the past.  This is a great event…don’t miss it!  See Mr. Collette with questions.

Cape Cod 50 Mike Bike Ride and Campout

On May 21 to the 23^rd we will travel to Cape Cod to camp, swim in the frigid Atlantic, and bicycle the full length of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (25 miles each way). 

We will camp Friday night near the start of the trail in Dennis and bicycle the trail R/T on Saturday.  There is a bike rental shop at the head of the trail so those who do not own bicycles can rent one (the shop has all types of bikes including two to four person versions).  We will depart Sunday AM and return to the church by early PM.  This event will be weather dependent.  Excessive rain and cold weather could be an issue.  Hopefully Mother Nature will work with us.  This event will qualify as the 50 mile hike required for the bicycling Merit Badge.  Once again a sign up sheet is on the bulletin board.  See Mr. Collette with questions or call him at 429-1045.

 For more information or registration forms, please see Mrs. Rich, r-rich@comcast.net, 880-8222.

Congratulations to the young men who have earned a new badge of rank, completed merit badges and other worthy achievements.  Keep up the good work.  Below is a summary of the work completed and advancements earned. 

Ranks

6 New boys - Scouter

1 boy - Tenderfoot

3 boys - 1st Class

1 boy - Star

1 boy - Life

1 boy - Silver Palm

Merit Badges

19 boys - Textile

1 boy - Coin Collecting

1 boy - Indian Lore

1 boy - Camping

2 boys - Personal Management

1 boy - Safety

1 boy - Archery & Home Repairs

1 boy - Hiking

1 boy - First Aid

Board of Reviews will be held on April 5, May 3, and June 7.  Scouts are responsible for notifying Mrs. Gontarz, after completing their Scoutmasters Conference, if they need a Board of Review.  Scouts may contact Mrs. Gontarz at 424-9534 or by e-mail at kgontarz@juno.com.   

The next Court of Honor will be on June 14.   

The Bread Bake for the benefit of the St. James Food Pantry will be completed by the scouts at their own homes.  Participating Scouts should pick up a bread mix (or two) after the Court of Honor.  Scouts need to bake the bread by themselves and then return them to Mrs. Rich at the April 5 troop meeting.  For each loaf of bread baked, scouts earn an hour of service time.   

The St. James parking lot cleanup and Adopt-A-Road on Pearson Road have been scheduled for April 9, weather permitting.   Class B uniforms are the uniform for each of these service projects.   Watch the Troop Website for times.

Scouts working on the parking lot should meet at the church.  Please bring brooms, shovels and gloves.  If someone has a wheelbarrow, that would also be appreciated.  The cleanup project is to sweep and remove all the sand from the parking lot and walkways at St. James.

Scouts planning on doing the Adopt-A-Road project should meet at the Reeds Ferry School sign at the end of Lyon Road.  Remember to wear long pants for protection from poison ivy and tick bites.  Insect repellent, gloves and safety vests, if you have one, are also highly recommended.   Troop 401 has volunteered to pick up trash along the sides of Pearson Road from Bedford Road to the Bedford town line.

Service projects completed outside of Scouting may be used for service hours, so keep records!!

Interested in raising some money for your Scouting events?  We have a few suggestions that could help you. See Mrs. Kofman.

Badger Patrol

The Badgers have been busy as of late.  William Comstock was just inducted into the OA, so congratulations to him.  This last weekend part of our patrol went to the Lowell Textile Museum.  We learned about cloth and the history of textiles.  We also got the Textile merit badge in doing so.  Most of us are now working on merit badges like Citizenship and Electricity and are nearing a new rank.

Submitted by David Porbundawala, Badger Patrol

Bison Patrol

On Saturday, March 27, the Daniel Webster Council held its second annual Webelos Crossover at the NH Capital Building in Concord.  James Rothenberg and Aaron Becker attended the event with several other Webelos from around the state.  Max, the Monarch’s mascot and Primetime from the Nashua Pride visited with the boys while everyone gathered.  The OA dance team performed and then led the scouts on a dance around the state house lawn.  Each boy attending received a certificate, a patch, an invitation to a free weekend camping trip to Hidden Valley, and a $10 discount coupon to be used for summer camp. 

 The deadline for articles to be included in the next newsletter is April 19.  You may submit articles at the Troop meeting or by contacting Mrs. Becker at 424-2954.