Troop 1396 Scouting in Isolation Volume 6 (UNCLASSIFIED)

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

 

Scouts, Scouters and Parents,

 

Greetings.  I hope that all are well as we move into May.  Next Tuesday, we are going to hold course on Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.  This web-based course is for members of the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC -- all Scouts in leadership position) and is the basis for a Scout leader to earn the "Trained" patch.  For Scouts in leadership positions, you will receive an individual invite with log-in instructions.  This will be a different syllabus than previous sessions; I hope to see you there.

 

This week I want to answer a couple of Frequently-asked Questions (FAQs):

 

Q1:  If I am in a leadership position and the Troop's policy for leadership credit is 80% of attendance in outdoor activities, will I get credit during this time that we are not meeting?

A1:  Yes.  You will receive credit for the months that we had to cancel a campout.

 

Q2:  What is BSA's policy for Eagle Scout during this time?  Will there be extensions past one's 18^th birthday?

A2:  Yes.  BSA National Headquarters has granted local councils the authority to grant extensions until 30 September 2020.  The extension must not exceed three months past a Scout's 18^th birthday.  You can find more details at scouting.org/coronavirus.

 

Q3:  Can we hold Patrol Meetings online during social distancing?

A3:  Yes, but special care must be taken to adhere to BSA Youth Protection policy.  When scheduling, a Patrol Leader needs to have two adults present online.  One must be a registered Scouter in the Troop with up-to-date Youth Protection Training (YPT).  Scouts need to be in uniform so they are easily recognizable as members of the Troop.  The session needs to have an administrator who verifies participants and kicks out anyone not readily recognized as a member of the Troop (e.g., "Zoom Bombing").  Invitations should go to individual email addresses with a passcode for the session so that attendance is limited to the intended attendees.

 

This week's Scoutmaster Minute:

 

Many of you have heard me talk about William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt.  Green Bar Bill was an emigrant from Denmark, where he was active in Scouting and earned Danish Scouting's highest award – Knight-Scout.  He started working for BSA in 1926 and stayed an active and influential Scouter until 1992.  He wrote the first Handbook for Patrol Leaders in 1929 (and others in 1950, 1967, and 1980), three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, two Scoutmaster Handbooks, the first edition of the Scout Fieldbook, and many other publications.  He was a prolific contributor to Boy's Life and Scouting Magazine.  What follows is his article explaining The Outdoor Code in the March 1967 edition of Boy's Life:

"Funny thing about conservation: the DON'Ts are just as important as the DOs.  I can't think of any other field in Scouting where it's possible to DO a Good Turn by NOT DOING something.  Open up your Boy Scout Handbook, take a look at the 'Outdoor Code' that's required reading for all Tenderfoot Scouts, and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Take the Code's first point:  'Be clean in my outdoor manners.'  How do you and your fellows prove that you are?  Mainly by DO-NOT-Dos:  By NOT dropping trash—sandwich bags, candy wrappers—where you happen to stop for lunch. By NOT burying garbage on your campsite (carry it out!).  By NOT littering the outdoors with broken bottles, jars, or tin cans.

Second point:  'Be careful with fire.' Here again, the proof is mostly in your DO-NOT-Dos:  You DO NOT start a fire where it might spread out of control.  You DO NOT leave it unattended.  You DO NOT depart from your campsite before you are sure the fire is out.

Third: ' Be considerate in the outdoors.'  There are plenty of DO-NOT-Dos involved here:  DO NOT make a nuisance of yourself.  DO NOT trespass.  DO NOT cross planted fields.  DO NOT climb fences.  DO NOT destroy property.

Even the fourth point, 'Be conservation-minded,' is full of DO-NOT-Dos:  DO NOT pollute rivers and lakes.  DO NOT hack trees with your ax and DO NOT peel off bark.  DO NOT destroy wildflowers.  DO NOT hunt or fish out of season.

It's my personal opinion that most of the littering and a great deal of the vandalism that's done in the great outdoors of our country is done thoughtlessly by scatterbrained people. Somehow, all Americans need to be taught to think before they act…Keeping America beautiful is everybody's business."

A Scout is Courteous.

 

Yours in Scouting Service,

 

Doug Henry

Scoutmaster, Troop 1396

 

 

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

FW: Thank You!!

April 19-25, 2020. National Volunteer Week in the USA (usually the 3rd week in April)

For all the Scouters and other volunteers for our Troop and Crew, we echo these words "THANK YOU" year round, but especially now in appreciation for our volunteers across the board, for all that you and your family volunteer to do, but especially what you do for Scouts BSA Troop 1396 and Venturing Crew 1396.

(Note: I have included last year's BSA "Thank You" because it still holds as true now as then, maybe more so, and also each and every day throughout the years!)

National Volunteer Week, usually held in the third week of April has been celebrated annually since the 1970s and is sponsored by the Points of Light Institute. National Volunteer Week was established by Presidential Proclamation in 1974 to highlight the various opportunities available for those interested in volunteering. It is an opportunity to thank all the thousands of volunteers across the country who keep many organizations running, communities safe and provide the services that otherwise would not exist without volunteers. It is especially important this year as so many are stepping up and doing so much for each other, even under these difficult circumstances.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Volunteer_Week
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-national-volunteer-week-2020/

While not nearly enough for all you do, a heartfelt THANK YOU VERY MUCH, from BSA and from your grateful Troop and Crew.

Yours in Scouting,

Tom Bortner, Chartering Organization Representative for Troop and Crew; Committee Chairman, BSA Troop 1396
Doug Henry, Scoutmaster, BSA Troop 1396
Newell McCaw, Committee Chairman, Venturing Crew 1396
Andrew "Scotty" Scott, Advisor, Venturing Crew 1396

Websites:
http://www.troop1396.org
http://www.crew1396.org

Chartered by St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Woodbridge, VA 22192
703 – 494 – 3090
https://www.stmatthews.us/

"The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."

WE CAN'T SAY "THANK YOU" ENOUGH

From late-night meeting planning to early-morning Scouting adventures, your time is given graciously and selflessly.

As a Scouting volunteer, you're creating a better future for all of us.

That's why Scouting Nation is spreading the gratitude for Volunteer Appreciation Week. Thank you, Scouters.


"The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."

Troop 1396 -- Scouting in Isolation, Volume 5

Scouts, Scouters, and Parents:

I hope all of you are doing well.  With the extra time, many Scouts are working to retake school tests to bring up grades, exercising, working on merit badges and rank requirements, and doing good turns daily in and around our neighborhoods. If this is you, keep doing what you are doing and continue to look for ways to serve your community as we weather through the pandemic.

This week's Scoutmaster Minute:

I would never suggest that a pandemic has a bright side, but in the gray cloud of social distancing, one does not have to look very hard to find a silver lining.  For example, many families are spending more time around the dinner table, together, talking and sharing a home-cooked meal.  When I am out running, I see families walking together taking in fresh air and the beauty of Spring.  Some families have revisited board games and card decks.  Recently, my family enjoyed watching some home movies of when the kids were younger and my hair was darker.  The current absence of the hustle and bustle of normal every day-to-day life has taken away the distractions and the excuses of not spending time together as a family.  The innate human desire for social interaction is driving us from our early social-isolation retreats of bedrooms, game rooms, dens, man caves, and she sheds and into the common areas of the dining rooms, back decks and family rooms.  Social isolation is causing us to rediscover the concept of family time.  It will be interesting to see what life is when we are past the fear of pandemic.  No doubt, we will want to do those things we are currently denied and socialize with those who we are now unable.  Yet, I hope we grasp onto some of this "renaissance of the family."  This is the silver lining to our current dark cloud.  A Scout is Cheerful.

Yours in Scouting,

Doug Henry

Scoutmaster, Troop 1396

Chartered to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

Troop 1396, Scouting In Isolation, Volume 4

Scouts, Scouters and Parents:

I hope this email finds you and your loved ones healthy.  Let's pray that the extreme measures that our Nation and other countries are taking continue to slow the spread of the virus and allow health care professionals to leverage precious resources on a smaller pool of patients.  This week I conducted my first virtual Scoutmaster Conference (SMC); please join me in congratulating Ethan Mishler on earning the Scout Rank this past week.  We will recognize Ethan in front of the Troop and present him with a Troop neckerchief when we meet together again.  In early March, I had discussed with few of you about conducting a SMC at the April campout.  Given that we will not have a campout, please contact me and we will also conduct a SMC via an electronic medium.

Here is this week's Scoutmaster Minute:

As we all know, gyms are closed.  Many parks are closed.  Salons and barber shops are closed.  Many places of worship are closed and delivering services virtually.  Some parents are teleworking rather than going into work.  For some, the stay-at-home order means no shave, no shower, and no getting out of sweat pants.  One might surmise that it does not matter anyway -- we are not going anywhere so why should anyone care what he or she looks like or smells like?  For some, the relief from fastening slacks or zipping up a dress means further enjoyment of the wide world of elastic waistbands.  With that in mind, we find humor in a popular meme going around the Internet says that we should wear masks inside of our homes, not to protect us from COVID-19, but to keep us from endlessly snacking.  

I submit to you that we are going to get through this period of isolation, and each of us wants to have the requisite energy and stamina to camp, hike and play sports.  Yet, this will not go well if for a month-plus all we work out are our thumbs on game controllers, TV remotes, and phone text screens.  I implore you to get out, enjoy the fresh air and exercise while keeping social distance.  Note that a modicum of self pride is a good thing -- take a shower, comb your hair, brush your teeth and use deodorant (if not for your sake, for the sake of the family with whom you share a home).  It is easy to be depressed during a time when we are denied the activities and fellowship that we are accustomed.  Exercise and self grooming can help us combat sadness because it helps us feel better about ourselves and it puts us back into the routine we were in before the pandemic hit our shores.  It also allows us to get back normalcy at a running start rather than a dead stop.  Take care of your body -- it has to last you for your whole life.  As our Scout Oath says, "I will do my best... to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake..."

Yours in Scouting,

Doug Henry

Scoutmaster, Troop 1396

Chartered with St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

Lake Ridge, Virginia

Troop 1396 -- Scouting In Isolation 07 April 2020

Scouts, Scouters, and Parents,

Greetings! Albeit we are unable to assemble together, it is good to see efforts to continue to socialize and communicate through electronic media as we all seek to flatten the curve of the COVID-19. Part of that communication is the Troop blog. If you have not seen already, please tune in for digital classes. Our Quartermaster has posted videos on the three-pot dish washing method and how to properly set up a tent, and I think I spotted a cameo from the ASPL.

This afternoon we have witnessed the April showers that bring May flowers, and that tells us it is a great time to start the Gardening Merit Badge! You can find the requirements and a handy workbook here: http://www.usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/Gardening.pdf. If you wish to take advantage of this down-time to see if you have a 'green thumb', shoot me an email and I will pre-approve your Blue Card so you can start the merit badge.

This week's Scoutmaster Minute:

This week would have been Spring Break for many of you. For some families, Spring Break is time for vacations to exotic places. For others, it is a trip to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. For many, travel restrictions and our desire to protect our older family members have denied us these cherished visits with our extended family. Not only are we saddened by the inability to see our elderly relatives, but they are equally, if not more, sad not to get to see us. Compounding this grief, many of them prudently chose isolation from the community as age-related health conditions make them more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. These conditions can create a sense of despair. What can you do about it? Pick up the phone or write a letter. Leverage Facetime, Whatsapp, Skype, or some other form of video chat. Text a picture of yourself to your grandparents along with kind words. Cheer them up by letting them know that you love them and that you miss them. This costs you little more than your time, yet the value to the family member is immeasurable. Not only will it make them feel better, but it will make you feel better. A Scout is Kind.

Yours in Scouting,

Doug Henry
Scoutmaster, Troop 1396