October Dates

Thanks to everyone who responded with feedback on our communication process.

As a reminder, the Troop Blog is always the best place to get timely updates and scheduling.  When plans "evolve" this is where they are announced.

It's always best to check there before any event, meeting, or other function to assure there have been no changes.

Our Calendar is also available online, and has been updated to include events through the remainder of 2011.

We'll continue to send home and post on the blog reminders and excerpts from the calendar and will confirm contact information to revamp our phone tree.

And we'll do our best to get a timely email update out to our list every Thursday morning. These emails will also be posted to the blog.

Our goal is to keep everyone informed and connected.

October Dates:

Sun Oct 2 - 7PM Drum Practice
Sun Oct 2 - 7:30 PM Ad Altare Dei meeting - all parents must attend for first 20 min
Mon Oct 3 - 7PM Drum Practice
Mon Oct 3 - 7:30 PM Meeting - Please RSVP at this meeting for our Columbus Day Weekend Event
Thurs Oct 6 - Bottle & Can sorting and prep for redemption - We need your help with this effort.
Sat Oct 8 - Trip to Bedford Trail and Minuteman National Historic Site, overnight in Bedford
Sun Oct 9 - Trip from Acton to Minuteman, and return to Weymouth
Sun Oct 9 - NO DRUM PRACTICE
Mon Oct 10 - 7PM Drum Practice
Mon Oct 10 - 7:30 PM Meeting
Thurs Oct 11 - Bottle & Can sorting and prep for redemption - We need your help with this effort.
Sun Oct 16 - Troop Committee Meeting, 7 PM
Sun Oct 16 - NO DRUM PRACTICE
Mon Oct 17 - 7PM Drum Practice
Mon Oct 17 - 7:30 PM Meeting
Thurs Oct 20 - Bottle & Can sorting and prep for redemption - We need your help with this effort.
Sat Oct 22 - Valley Pines Campout
Sun Oct 23 - 7PM Drum Practice
Sun Oct 23 - 7:30 PM Ad Altare Dei meeting - all parents must attend for first 20 min
Mon Oct 24 - 7PM Drum Practice
Mon Oct 24 - 7:30 PM Meeting - Halloween Party
Thurs Oct 27 - Bottle & Can sorting and prep for redemption - We need your help with this effort.
Mon Oct 31 - NO DRUM PRACTICE
Mon Oct 31 - NO WEEKLY MEETING

Troop 2 Leadership Contact Information -

Troop Committee Chair - Brian Chase - 617-413-4437 - brian.chase1@comcast.net
Scoutmaster - David Chase - 781-361-2677 - dmaychase@comcast.net

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or email, or in person at any of the events listed above.

Troop 2 Columbus Day weekend trip

Troop 2 will not be holding a Cape Cod Bike Trip this year. This change is in response to feedback received last fall from the scouts.

The Troop will return to the Cape for a bike trip next year, and will alternate subsequent years with a new event.

Our 2011 event will offer an opportunity for the scouts to spend a few days at the center of the “Cradle of the American Revolution” visiting historic sites, earning special patches for their sashes, and completing merit badge requirements simply by participating.


Details:

When: Oct 8 – 9
Where: Bedford, MA and Lexington/Concord MA, Acton MA
Our stops will include:

Lexington Green
Concord River North Bridge
Minuteman National Park and Revolutionary War museum
Bedford Flag Historic Trail
Isaac Davis Historic Trail

We will arrive on Saturday morning, set up our camp, and head out to walk the Bedford Flag Trail and explore Lexington & Concord. This walk is under 6 miles, and will take us about 2-3 hours.

Scouts who complete this leg of the trip will receive a special edition patch.

The trail ends at Concord Bridge. Much of the trail is inside the Minuteman National Historic Park, where we will review several historic sites, terminating at the Old Concord Bridge. We will have lunch at the park.
Afterward we will proceed to the campground, and have dinner.
On Sunday we will break camp after breakfast and proceed to Acton. We will then follow the Issac Davis Trail, which is also an official Boy Scout Historic Trail. This is a 7 mile trail walk, and will take about 3 hours, after which we will have lunch and return to Weymouth.

Scouts who complete this leg of the trip will receive a second special edition patch.

One goal for this trip is to complete requirements for Citizenship in the Nation and American Heritage Merit Badges.

Please check the BLOG again as we will be posting further information on this trip later this week.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Chase

Reminder - Sunday and Monday, Sept 25 and 26

Sunday, Sept 25th

 

- Drum Corps practice -  7-7:30 WHC

- Ad Altare Dei meeting - 7:30-8:00 PM WHC

 

Monday, Sept 26th

 

- No Drum Corps practice - Gym Night

- Gym Night - 8-9 PM, First Church, Weymouth Heights (Church St.)

 

 

Valley Pines Campout Sept 23-24

Our campout this weekend at Valley Pines was enjoyable. The rain stopped Friday evening, and while the skies were overcast most of the day Saturday and the woods were wet, we accomplished many things. Despite wet conditions and humidity we were able to set up a campfire and complete Firem'n Chit training for several scouts (congratulations to JB, Tom B, Antonio, Mike C, Steven D, Tim J, Andrew, Taylor, Jonathan S, Nick S, and Derek for completing the badge, and thanks to Mr. Chase and Nick C for teaching the fire starting skills). Mr, Kelley completed Leave no Trace training, and led us on a 3 mile hike after lunch. Nick C worked with several scouts to on knife and axe training, and in the process the group completed training Steve D on Totin' Chip. This group included Jordan, Joe K, Taylor, Matt W, and Derek who have all received the Paul Bunyan Woodsman award through this process.

 

Throughout the morning we worked on advancement skills for several scouts - as a reminder, all scouts should bring their books to campouts and to scout meetings to assure we sign off on their achievements as they are completed.

 

We observed quite a bit of wildlife around the campsite - many frogs and toads were seen, several small snakes, and a baby robin, likely rejected from it's nest. A photo of Matt W with one of the small snakes is below.

 

 

 

After all this learning and hiking the scouts made supper, played a few games, and turned in for the night. The picture below was taken just at sunrise - many scouts camped in tents around the campfire, and the older scouts slept around the campfire itself.

 

 

 

A big thanks to the adults who helped throughout the day, and particularly to those who stayed overnight to assure we had sufficient adult chaperones to hold the campout.   

 

Our next Valley Pines campout will be October 22. Please mark your calendars, and plan to attend for a great time.

Valley Pines Campout This Weekend

The Valley Pines campout is still on for tomorrow as planned.  Scouts should bring a dry set of clothes, and may sleep inside the cabin or under the cabin overhang. Scouts are also welcome to set up tents.

 

Our plan is to arrive in the morning by 10 AM and set up camp, including several pop up tents to provide shelter if there is a rain event. We'll set up camp and have lunch, then we'll take a short hike to explore the campground area, review the storm damage from the recent tropical storm, and cook supper.

 

Adult leaders will be available to review handbooks for rank advancement tasks relating to camping and outdoor skills.

 

Scouts should be picked up Sunday morning by 8 AM.

 

 

Troop 2 Leadership Update

As you may be aware, there have been several changes in our leadership staff over the past few weeks.

Brian Stronach, the President of the Weymouth Heights Club (our sponsoring organization) resigned in early August, and has been replaced by Charles Clancy. We greatly appreciate Brian's years of service as President, and fully support his decision to step out of his role in order to spend more time with his young family.

Charlie is a former Troop 2 Scoutmaster, Eagle Scout, and one of the founding members of Pack 2 and the first Pack 2 Committee Chair. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm and guidance to our program, and we are excited to work with him at the helm.

On the Troop side, Jim Kelley has served as Scoutmaster for two years, and Jim informed the Troop Committee of his plans to step down as Scoutmaster earlier this year. He graciously agreed to stay on as Scoutmaster through Summer Camp and our 100th Anniversary Open House, and is now ready to step down. Jim will stay on in the organization as an Assistant Scoutmaster and will continue to guide our outdoor programs. Jim's deep regard for the history and traditions of our Troop were exceptionally beneficial during our 100th anniversary celebrations.

Our new Scoutmaster is David Chase. David is a Troop 2 Eagle scout, and served as an Assistant Cubmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster. David is also the Treasurer and Property Manager for the Weymouth Heights Club, and brings a passion for advancement and achievement to the role of Scoutmaster that will serve our scouts well.

Finally, Joe Keenan, our Troop Committee Chair, retired on September 1st. Joe served as Troop Committee Chair for over two years, guiding our Troop through the planning and execution of our 100th anniversary events, helping to bring more volunteers into the organization, and consistently balancing our programming and our relationships with BSA and Old Colony Council. Joe served previously as our Treasurer, and was a long time Cubmaster with Pack 73. Joe remains an active member of our Troop Committee, and our Troop Community.

Our new Troop Committee Chair is Brian Chase. Brian is a Troop 2 Eagle scout, and served previously as Assistant Scoutmaster, Drum Corps Coordinator, and Camp Director. As Troop Committee Chair Brian is responsible for guiding the Troop Committee, an all volunteer organization, as they support the programs of the Troop. He is tasked with recruiting and training quality adult leadership for our Troop, and for carrying out the policies and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America.

With our new leadership in place the next step is to ramp up for Fall 2011. As in every new Scout year have new group of young Scouts and new parents.  With these yearly changes we evaluate the challenges before us, make adjustments and plans and begin to implement them.  Updating Greenbar roles for the Scouts, planning for upcoming events, and several new merit badges and other advancement opportunities are in progress, and we have an updated calendar and regularly updated BLOG in place to keep everyone informed of our plans.

Troop 2 Ski Trip to Shawnee Peak, Maine

When: January 7-9th
Payment info:

Cost: $135.00 per scout (includes food, lodging, lift tickets and rentals) – check payable to Troop 2 BSA

Due by November 1st

Details:

Please join us for the annual Troop 2 Ski Trip to Shawnee Peak, Maine. This event is loads of fun, and is well attended. We stay as a group in a single lodge, with all scouts located on two floors and adults on the ground floor. Adults are present at the mountain and in the chalet throughout the day. Many adults also ski and are on the slopes with the scouts. All scout participants are expected to stay with the Troop at the Shawnee Peak House.

Our accommodations at the Shawnee Peak House are within walking distance of the mountain, and we also shuttle the scouts to the base on a regular schedule.

Lodging, lift tickets, and rentals at the mountain are included in the event. Scouts can earn the Snow Sports merit badge, as well as learning to ski and snowboard.  3 full meals per day and snacks are available at our lodge, and we will provide a packing list for scouts before the event.

We stay right on the property of Shawnee Peak, at the Shawnee Peak House, a 10-bedroom self-service guesthouse. Each room features a private bath. The common area offers a fully-equipped kitchen, double fireplace, games, a bumper pool table, cable TV, DVD player, phone and WiFi.

Adults - Troop 2 Needs You!

We need your help!

Troop 2 needs adult volunteers willing to step up and dedicate their time and energy to the success of the scouting program.

Our Troop is a dynamic and growing organization, with a long history of community service and youth participation.

There are numerous ways to help. Some examples -

-          You can participate by helping us cook or present food at a banquet or dinner – there are two during the year - our informal dinner in September and our awards banquet in May.

-         You can dive in deep and take on a role as part of our troop leadership – helping with the day to day running of a component of the program such as Community Relations or Fund Raising. Our Troop Committee meets monthly, and all parents are welcome. New positions have been created to increase involvement.

-          You can help us with the bottle and can redemption program. This is our primary source of funding for our programs. Volunteers sort bottles and cans on Thursday evenings at 7 PM, and the program also includes other volunteer opportunities.

-          You can come by a Monday meeting and help us with the review of advancement for scouts, going over their books and assuring they’ve met the requirements and have the necessary skills to move up in rank.

-          You can teach a merit badge – virtually all interests and vocations have a matching merit badge. Teaching all or even part of a badge can make a huge difference.

-          You can help our sponsor, the Weymouth Heights Club, by volunteering to maintain the grounds or other coordinated activities inside the building (setting up for rentals, cleaning the hall, etc)

-          You can join us on overnight campouts to assure we have plenty of adult chaperones. This is a great chance to teach outdoor skills as well.

-         You can share your experiences with our scouts –if you’ve taken an exotic trip for example - the scouts are a rapt audience, and enjoy a short presentation. Similarly - if you collect something, are an armchair expert on something, or have an interesting story, we'd love to hear it and share it.

-          You can help us with internal communications, including our BLOG, emails, newspaper submissions, etc.

-          You can join us on our road trips, volunteering to carry equipment, scouts, or joining us as a chaperone.

-          You can check with friends, neighbors, co-workers, family, and others to see if they can donate materials (canoes, camping gear, used uniforms, etc) for the scouts to use.

-          You can check at work to see if your employer offers matching donations or other programs to reward community service, or if they give paid time off for volunteer activities or fund matching for donated time.

Some of these opportunities require you to complete an adult registration and CORI check. All volunteers must complete Youth Protection Training.

Please see Mr. Chase if you have any questions.

Happy Birthday PK

Happy Birthday Nick S

Happy Birthday Nick

Ad Altare Dei - Religious Award

Ad Altare Dei - Religious Award

The purpose of the Ad Altare Dei (Latin for “To the Altar of God”) program is to help Roman Catholic Boy Scouts develop a fully Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the seven Sacraments. The seven Sacraments are a primary means toward spiritual growth.

Participants must be over the age of 13, having completed the 6^th grade before starting the program.

The program will be taught by two Troop 2 volunteers – Mrs. McCabe and Mrs. Schneider – on Sunday evenings. The program runs for several months, culminating with the presentation of the award at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

Scouts are encouraged to participate. A signup sheet was distributed on Sept. 19th at the Ham & Bean Dinner, and a mandatory parent/scout meeting with the counselors is scheduled for Sunday, September 25^th at 7:30 PM.

Classes will begin soon after.

Happy Birthday Jon

A belated Happy Birthday to Jonathan S, who celebrated his special day on 9/11/2011.

Here we see Jon enjoying his KP duties at Summer Camp.

A few group shots of our scouts this evening at the Ham & Bean supper (thank you to Lisa Davis).

 

Numerous camp badges were awarded. If you are missing one, please check in with Mr. Chase (so he can check the records from camp) and we'll sort it out. Some badge work remains for scouts who took Communications and for some scouts who took Public Speaking, which will be completed later this month.

 

A big thanks to all the adult volunteers who helped with the preparation, presentation, serving, and hall set up and breakdown.

 

 

 

Reminder - the Ham & Bean dinner is tonight - starts at 7 PM at the WHC.  Full uniforms required. Dessert is greatly appreciated.

Bottles & Cans Redemption Program - We need your help!

Since 1983 our primary source of fund raising is the collection and redemption of bottles and cans. This program involves several steps, detailed below:

 

1. Collect the returnables - drop off boxes are located at the WHC, the North Weymouth Fire Station, and Immaculate Conception Church. Returnables can also be dropped off at the WHC on Monday nights.

 

2. Empty Drop Boxes/Local pickups - Drop off boxes must be emptied on a weekly basis. Also several local businesses save returnables for us, and require a periodic pickup.

 

3. Beer boxes - two local stores save empty case boxes required for redemption of glass bottles, which must be picked up weekly.

 

4. Sorting - on Thursday nights at 7 PM we meet to assemble, sort and count the returnables. This effort requires 6 to 8 adults and usually takes 2 hours with a full crew of volunteers. This is an adults only activity due to broken glass and other materials in the stream.

 

5. Redemption - Friday or Saturday morning all sorted and counted materials are delivered to the redemption center for processing.

 

This program generates the funding necessary to keep our programming costs down. We need your help to continue this program.

 

If you are able to pitch in and help out with any of the steps above, please see Mr. Chase for details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Ham & Bean Dinner, Monday Sept 19th at 7 PM

Event: Monday Meeting (Annual Ham & Bean Dinner)
When: Monday 9/19/11 7pm – 9pm
Where: Weymouth Heights Club
Who: All Scouts and a Parent

Note: Full uniforms required.

Join us as we kick off another year of scouting. All scouts are encouraged to bring one parent to this event.

There will be no drum practice this evening.
A Ham and Bean dinner prepared by our adult volunteers will be served, and merit badges earned at camp and over the summer will be awarded. Some badges (Public Speaking and Communications) have remaining requirements and will not be awarded until those are completed later this month.

If you would like to bring a dessert to share, it would be appreciated.

Lost and Found

Found - Religious Award Knot (purple square knot) at WHC after Monday meeting

Lost at camp - Light brown cot bag

Lost at camp - Hobo knife

Found at camp - clothes, towels, notebooks, and messkit pieces

Please see Mr. Chase on Monday night before or after the Ham & Bean dinner to reclaim your items.

Troop 2 Weymouth – September Dates

September 12 – WHC meeting – last chance to pass in any merit badge materials from Camp for presentation at the Ham & Bean Dinner

September 15 – Adults needed to help sort bottles and cans, 7 PM at the WHC garage

September 18 – Troop Committee Meeting at 7 PM, Weymouth Heights Club

September 19 – Annual parent and son Ham & Bean Dinner and Award Presentation –
When: 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: Weymouth Heights Club
Who: All Scouts and a Parent

Full uniforms required.

Join us as we kick off another year of scouting. All scouts are encouraged to bring one parent to this event.

A ham and bean dinner prepared by our adult leaders will be served, and merit badges earned at camp and over the summer will be awarded.

If you would like to bring a dessert to share, it would be appreciated.

September 22 – Adults needed to help sort bottles and cans, 7 PM at the WHC garage

September 23 - Comedy Night

WEYMOUTH HEIGHTS CLUB
SPONSOR OF TROOP 2, PACK 2 AND GIRL SCOUT TROOP 74383 PRESENTS AN EVENING OF COMEDY, MUSIC AND DANCING

Friday, September 23, 2011 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Weymouth Elks
1197 Washington Street
Weymouth, MA

COST: $20.00 per ticket


September 24-25 Valley Pines Campout – Scouts should arrive at Valley Pines on Saturday morning by 10 AM, and should plan meals including a lunch, supper, and light cold breakfast. Work on rank advancement, Paul Bunyan, and other activities are planned. Scout should wear sturdy footwear for a potential hike.

September 26 - Gym Night at the First Church, 8 PM – 9 PM

September 29 – Adults needed to help sort bottles and cans, 7 PM at the WHC garage
Please check the BLOG regularly for updates on all events. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Chase

Weekly meetings at WHC start Monday, Sept 12.

Our weekly meetings at the Weymouth Heights Club begin again this week at 7:30 PM.

All scouts should wear their full uniforms, and will meet from 7:30 until 9 PM.

Next Monday, September 19th, will be our annual dinner at the WHC, where we pass out badges earned at camp.

Please see Mr. Chase if you have any questions.

100th Anniversary Event Sept 10-11

As a reminder, Troop 2 is continuing the celebration of our 100th anniversary with a display of historic items this weekend at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center.

The hall will be open to visitors from 4:30-8 on Saturday and 10:30 to 6 on Sunday.

Former members of the troop, families, and friends of Troop 2 are expected to drop in at this event.

All scouts are encouraged to attend, and should be in full dress uniform with sashes.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Chase.

Digital Picture Frames

If you have a digital picture frame that you can loan to the Troop for display of photos at the 100th anniversary celebration, please contact Mr. Chase.

Happy Birthday Brian C

Happy 18th !

100th anniversary set up

If you're available Wednesday evening or Friday evening at 7 PM to help set up materials for the 100th anniversary event this weekend, please meet at Immaculate Conception Parish Center.

We'll be setting up tables, hanging banners and flags, and setting up decorations in advance of the weekends event.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Chase.

Happy Birthday Andrew

Cliff Island 2011

Happy Birthday Mitchel

King of the Rock - for a moment at least!

Troop 2 100th Anniversary Observation

Troop 2 Weymouth is celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2011.


To mark this occasion we'll be hosting a homecoming event with light refreshments, September 10th and 11th at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center.

Visitors are welcome from 4:30 PM until 8:00 PM on Saturday, and from 10:30 AM until 6:00 PM on Sunday.

All scouts are encouraged to attend, and should wear their uniforms.

All alumni and friends of the Troop and the general public are invited to join us at this event, to catch up with old buddies, view pictures and memorabilia from 100 years of Scouting in Weymouth, reminisce about their time with Troop 2, and learn more about scouting.