We have a busy month coming up, and I wanted to remind people of what is going on:

In addition to our weekly troop meetings (are the patrols working on their Merit Badge design contests?) we have some trips and activities coming up:

Friday Sept 27-Sunday, Sept 29:  Ft. Fisher trip. 

Sunday, Oct 13: Troop Picnic at Harris Lake. More info to follow, but food, fried treats, games, in addition to what Harris Lake has to offer, like frisbee golf, and open fields.

Friday October 18-Sunday Oct 20:  Virginia Creeper trip: a very popular bike trip, over enough distance to qualify for camping or biking merit badge requirements. Plus it is Western Virginia in the Autumn. Should be beautiful! I expect a BIG turnout for this trip!

Reminder: Declare for this trip will be coming in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned and stay informed!

Parents: In the coming weeks, we will be giving families access to their Troopmaster account. What is Troopmaster?  It is the program and database that the troop uses to follow advancement, leadership, merit badges, adult participation... you name it, it tracks it.

It is becoming increasingly clear that our data is getting out of date... email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, schools, and especiallyvehicles used for transportation. 

We have tried in the past to give our printouts and have parents return them with the information. Not everyone completed it, and in addition, it required another adult to put the information in. There is a web version of Troopmaster designed to give parents this access to make their own changes, that ultimately can be tracked, so we know how up to date it is. Plus, it can be done from home, where you have information like insurance, license numbers, etc, so it should be easier. 

So be on the lookout for that email, so you can make those changes.

Thanks!

Life Scouts: I will also give you access to your troopmaster account. There you will find important things like rank advancement dates, leadership roles, merit badge dates... things you need for your Eagle application. 

LASTLY, keep in mind that current leadership positions expire at the end of October. We will need new leadership, from librarian and bugler to patrol leaders and Senior Patrol Leader. Especially for those who need leadership for advancement, be thinking about what you would like to do to earn your leadership, and help the troop in the coming months.

Mr. Bowman

Scoutmaster, Troop 212