November 2004

Another scouting year is off and running. There have been “outings,” community service events, courts of honor, and fundraisers! This is only the middle of October! 

The scouts have planned another calendar year with activities and events.  I would like to thank all of the adult leaders, committee members and parents that have already stepped forward to assist with these events. If we all do a little, we can insure that everyone can have fun without being overworked.

 I would also like to thank those adults that have attended the adult training. The Troop appreciates the valuable time that was sacrificed to attend this session. We hope you enjoyed the activities that took place during the program.

We are always looking for new ideas and input to help make the program more exciting for the boys and simplified for the adults.  Bring any input you would like to share to the monthly Committee Meetings, held on the second Thursday of each month at 7 PM at St. James Church. Occasionally the date or location needs to change due to a church or school event. Please consult the Troop Web Calendar on a regular basis for any schedule changes.

Marsha Kofman, Committee Chair, rdhetal@yahoo.com, 429-0794

It is now fall and the weather is turning cold. Just in time for the troop to get busy. Starting in Nov there will be Scouting for Food. On Nov. 13 we will be distributing the bags while on Nov. 20 we will be picking up the bags. Like last year, the food picked up will be staying at St. James Church Food Pantry. The area we have may change from last year.

Troop 401's Annual Turkey Campout is coming up. This will be held on Nov. 19-21. It will be at Whip-o-Will here in Merrimack. The reason for this is because the other places we have checked were already booked that weekend. While there, we all have to remember that there is no cabin to stay in. So everyone who goes must have sleeping gear that is for cold weather. If anyone has any questions please ask one of the adult leaders. It is very important that everyone who goes stays warm all day.

We do have some interesting activities planned for the weekend. I'm sure everyone who goes will have a great time. As in the past we will be cooking turkeys a couple of different ways. Each patrol will have to cook some part of the turkey meal and a dessert. This is always a great weekend for everyone. The adult leaders all look forward to see just what the patrols cook up for everyone.

Just in case you didn't notice the dates above do overlap. Scouting for Food Bag Pickup is on the same day as our Turkey Campout. Over the next week or so we will be making a decision as to just how we will be handling this. If you can spare an hour or so that Saturday to help the Troop, it would sure be appreciated. There will be 2 trips through our area to pick up the food bags. We also will need a couple of people at the food pantry to sort through and help put the food away.

So as you can see we do have a couple of activities coming up.  If anyone has any questions or concerns please let us know. Scouts please keep up the great work you are all doing. It does make our jobs easier.

YIS (Yours in Scouting)

 Bill Courtemanche, Scoutmaster, a76eagle@aol.com, 424-5968

November

11/1        Board of Review

11/6        Den Chief Training

11/10      PLC Meeting

11/11      Committee Meeting

11/13      Scouting for Food Bag Distribution

11/17      District Roundtable

11/19      Scouting for Food Bag Pickup

11/19-21                Turkey Campout

11/22      Thanksgiving Pie Bake

11/29      Scoutmaster Conference

December

12/5        Holiday Parade

12/6        Board of Review

12/8        PLC Meeting

12/9        Committee Meeting

12/15      District Roundtable

12/20      Christmas Pie Bake          

12/20      St. Joseph’s Box Wrap

12/20      Scoutmaster Conference

12/27      No Troop Meeting

January

1/3          Board of Review

1/8          New Leader Essential/Troop Specific training

1/8-9       Whip-O-Will Campout

1/12        PLC Meeting

1/13        Committee Meeting

1/19        Roundtable

1/22        Trainer Development Conference

1/28-30  Winter Campout/Ski Trip

1/31        Scoutmaster’s Conference              

Patrol Assignments for the month of November are:

Nov 1      Setup/Cleanup                     Vipers   

                Opening/Closing                Badgers

                Skill Instruction                    Dragons

                Game                                     Lizards

Nov 8      Setup/Cleanup                     Badgers               

                Opening/Closing                Dragons

                Skill Instruction                    Lizards

                Game                                     Vipers

Nov 15   Setup/Cleanup                     Dragons                              

                Opening/Closing                Lizards

                Skill Instruction:                   Vipers

                Game                                     Badgers

Nov 22   Set-up/Cleanup                   Lizards                    

                Opening/Closing                 Vipers                   

                Skill Instruction                    Badgers               

                Game                                     Dragons

Nov 29   Set-up/Cleanup                   Viper                        

                Opening/Closing                 Badgers               

                Skill Instruction                    Dragons                                Game                                     Lizards                                                                    

Committee Meeting

The Troop 401 Committee meets on the second Thursday of each month. The next meeting will be on November 11 at 7 PM, at St. James Church. All parents are encouraged to attend and participate.      See you at the next meeting.

Paperwork

Thank you to those that turned in your “paperwork” passed out at the beginning of September.  The updating of the cars, insurance, telephone & cell phone numbers, helps to expedite the annual registration of the members of the Troop.

The annual review of the Troop Code of Conduct and your permission to photograph the scouts for publicity is a reminder for all, of the Troops visibility in the community and the expectations of appropriate scouting behavior at all times.

I am still missing some paperwork from a few. You know who you are! Please get them to me ASAP so I can stop chasing you!

Family Life Merit Badge:  For all those scouts interested in working on this merit badge, please contact Mrs. Kofman.  This MB is ongoing.

Den Chief Training:   Sat. Nov 6, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM at St. James UMC.

 New Leader Essentials:  Sat. Jan 8 or March 5, at 7:30 AM 

Leader Specific training for Troop Committee or Scoutmaster and Assistant SM:    Sat. Jan 8 or March 5, 10:00 AM.    SM and ASM training requires you to attend the outdoor skills portion to be held May 14 and 15, 2005.

Trainer Development Conference:  Sat, Jan 22, Camp Carpenter, Manchester, NH

University of Scouting:   Sat., March 19, Alverine High School, Hudson, NH

For more information or questions on training, please see Mrs. Rich, r-rich@comcast.net, 880-8222.

Congratulations to all of the Scouts who worked hard this summer to complete various levels of rank and merit badges.  At the October 18 Court of Honor, the following boys received their new badge of rank.

Aaron Becker                        Tenderfoot

Nathan Demers                   Tenderfoot

Seth Randall                        Tenderfoot

James Rothenberg             Tenderfoot

Ricky Emery                          First Class

Greg Tucker                          Star

David Porbundawala          Life

We also had 25 boys earn a combined total of 52 merit badges in 26 different areas of study. 

Congratulations are also extended to Travis Courtemanche on receiving his Eagle rank at his Court of Honor on October 17.  

Thanks to everyone that attended, the Adopt-A-Road cleanup project on Pearson road was a big success.  In just a short time six bags of trash was collected.  Thank you to everyone for helping to keep our town roads clean.

Troop 401 will be cleaning the yard for Rev. Gage on October 30 at 9 AM.  With many hands, the work will get done quickly.  Please remember to sign up if you plan on attending.

Again this year the troop will be selling Christmas wreaths obtained from Wilson Farms. Order forms will be distributed on 10/25 to those that would like to participate. This is an optional fundraiser.  For more information contact Mrs. Kofman. 

We will however be selling wreaths and candy at the November Presidential Election on November 2, at the Mastricola location. We will be looking for Scouts and adults to oversee this station during the day and after school. Look for a sign up sheet next week.

Thank you in advance for your help and support.

When I arrived at the Camporee Saturday morning, I saw that everyone was awake and cooking breakfast.  I was a bit surprised when I saw the field we were camping in—the grass was a foot high and very wet.  It was real foggy when I arrived. 

We had two patrols for the weekend.  Mason Glover was patrol leader for the Anaconda’s, which included Mason, Aaron and Matthew Becker, James Rothenberg and Mike Phillips.  I was patrol leader for the Ligers, which included Patrick Marston, Dan Petrovic, Nathan Demers, and Francisco Resendez.  Our Senior Patrol for the weekend included Justin Kofman, Greg Tucker and Will Comstock.  Our Leaders were Mr. Tucker, Mr. & Mrs. Becker and Mr. Resendez.  Mrs. Resendez and her den of Webelos from Pack 424 joined us for the weekend.

The theme for the Camporee was Wilderness Survival.  Some of the stations were Shelter Building, Grab Bag (different games), Knots & Lashings, Fire Building, and Signal Flags, to name just a few.  

In the afternoon, there were several different competitions we could enter.  Four of us (Francisco, Patrick, Dan P. and I) entered the spears tournament.  Patrick finished in second place.  At the closing ceremony two awards were handed out for this event.  One to the scout who never lost and one to the scout who never won.

The Improve Competition was also a lot of fun with five or six teams competing.  Dan P. and Patrick M. represented Troop 401.  Once again they did a great job.

Saturday night was kind of hectic.  Not only was there the closing ceremony, but several of the Leaders and older scouts were asked to help push the EMS bus.  It had got stuck in the mud as it tried to leave the field.  To add to the problem, the weather couldn’t make up its mind to downpour or dry out.  The weather changed every ten minutes or so. 

All in all, I am pleased to say that everyone seemed to have a great time. 

Submitted by Dan Becker – “Liger Patrol”

 A Scout is Helpful:  A scout is concerned about other people.  He does things willingly for others without pay or reward.

A Scout is Friendly:   A scout is a friend to all.  He is a brother to other scouts.  He seeks to understand others.  He respects those with ideas and customs other than his own.

A Scouter

Written by:  Jean Buydens, Victoria, BC

A Scouter is a person who, week after week, month after month, provides fun, adventure, challenge, and learning for our active children;

A Scouter hurries home, eats a quick meal, puts on a uniform while answering the phone five times, and arrives smiling to meet the youngsters, all in 30 minutes.

A scouter gives up weekends and home comforts to teach children about woodcraft, nature and camaraderie;

A Scouter is somebody who can put up a tent in the dark, find lost boots, dry wet bedding, handle asthma, blisters, homesickness and children’s excitement on four hours of sleep---and go home talking about the next camp;

A Scouter attends meetings to learn and plan, has an expandable basement and a head full of ideas;

A Scouter can lead a song, teach a skill, play a game, perform a ceremony, listen to a child and say a prayer;

A Scouter willingly fills the gap so that a child will not be let down;

A Scouter is committed, caring, hardworking, sturdy, strong, reliable ---with a wealth of knowledge, a store of skills, and a heart of gold;

A Scouter gets little spoken thanks, but knows the spirit is passed on.

The deadline for articles to be included in the next newsletter is November 17.   You may submit articles at Troop meetings or by contacting Mrs. Becker at 424-2954 or pab514@netzero.com.