Parents: If you are able to contribute treats (healthy or otherwise) for the Court of Honor this Thursday, please contact Sue Jones at sue_jones@designpac.com to let her know that you will be bringing something. With our hungry hoard of scouts (75 currently), we need lots of food! Sue will also need at least a couple of parents to help her set up the refreshment table and make drinks. Please respond directly to Sue if you are available to help.

Thirty of our scouts paid for all or a portion of their Camp Tesomas fee with money they earned selling popcorn. Congratulations to all of them! Five scouts still have credit remaining, to use for the bus to Camp Tesomas, or for future events:

Max B – $210.70
Ryan K – $41.77
Jeff R – $27.00
Joe R – $45.00
Jimmy S – $162.70

Please report to Riverside Foods ten minutes before your shift this weekend! It will be raining, so please bring all rain gear that you think you will need for carrying boxes or walking back and forth from stations – scouts will be mostly indoors. Also, please show up in your scout uniform. This will set a good example for the community. Instructions will be given to you before your shift, so it is important to show up at least ten (10) minutes early.

The people signed up are as follows (adults first, scouts last):

Saturday- 9-12 a.m.: Roman S., Sue J., Pat R., James S., Max H., Daniel D., Abraham and Elijah O., Joe J., Ryan C., Andy C., Robert D.

Saturday, 12-3 p.m.: Michael P., Elizabeth G., Max and Noah H., Daniel D., Andrew S., Nick S., Karl J., Chris M., Georgi G.

Sunday, 9-12 a.m.: Beth M., Chris M., Charlie M., Joseph B., Louie M., Erik R.

Sunday, 12-3 p.m.: Carolyn R., Roman S., Jeff R., Chris O., Mike G., Caleb S., Jose L., James S., Charlie M., Robert M.

Please contact Joe Rogers for any questions at rogersj17@gmail.com.

Parents: Please check your son’s shoes and see if he may have worn the wrong shoes home from the Troop meeting last night. Missing are black & white Nike shoes with a little red trim, in about a size 8. It’s possible that multiple pairs of shoes are on the wrong feet, of course, but the shoes that were left were Avila brand.

Please contact dawneensuriano@sbcglobal.net to switch shoes. If we find a multiple switch is necessary, e-mail Nancy and we’ll post another notice.

Our Spring Court of Honor will be next Thursday, April 19, 7:00 p.m., in the RPC Social Hall. We have two Courts of Honor each year to recognize our scouts’ achievements. We ask that at least one parent attend with each scout, as parents come to the front of the room to stand with their scout for rank advancements. Our scouts will also describe their events and outings.

To emcee this event, we are asking if there are any scouts currently working on the Communication Merit Badge, who need to full Requirement 8: Plan a troop court of honor, campfire program, or an interfaith worship service. Have the patrol leaders’ council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies. Scouts should contact Mr. Payne at pain08@comcast.net immediately if they wish to fulfill this requirement at the Court of Honor.

Finally, we need two parent volunteers to organize the treats for the reception following the program. Those parent volunteers will coordinate set-up and clean-up and will need volunteers for snacks (cookies, fruit, cheese/crackers, veggies, etc.) If you are willing to help coordinate the reception, please contact Nancy Hopkins at nmhopkins1@comcast.net

Next summer is the biennial National Jamboree. Interested scouts from Troop 24 can attend as part of the Des Plaines Valley Council’s contingent. Calvin P and Cody L (as well as Scoutmaster Michael Payne) attended the last Jamboree and could answer questions for interested scouts.

Be the first to experience BSA’s newest High Adventure Base and permanent Jamboree base at Summit Bechtel in beautiful West Virginia at the 2013 National Jamboree. Des Plaines Valley Council now has one troop of 36 scouts and 4 Leaders. Don’t be left out!

Register at www.bsajamboree.org, create your personal account and reserve your space now! Follow instructions to print out your reservation certificate, get Scoutmaster approval signature, and return to Council Service Center with down payment of $150.00.

The final per person cost is expected not to exceed $2,000.00. Cost includes admission to Jamboree, round trip travel, excursion trip with overnight accommodation, patches, t-shirts and other memorabilia.

For more information, contact: joe.vucko@gmail.com

All scouts should bring their books to the meeting on Thursday. They will leave their books so that we can update our online records to record their rank advancement requirements. Books will be returned next week at the Court of Honor on April 19.

At the Troop meeting on Thursday, April 12, scouts will be working on Tenderfoot requirements 10a & 10b:

10a Record your best in the following tests:
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Sit-ups
Standing long jump
1/4 mile walk/run
10b Show improvement in the activities listed in requirement 10a after practicing for 30 days.

In addition, starting at approximately 7:30 p.m., we will discuss options for merit badges classes at Camp Tesomas. Ideally, scouts and parents will have reviewed the choices in advance (which can be found at http://clsr.samoset.org/resources/TSCAdvancement.pdf. The meeting will be an opportunity for questions about camp activities in general. Parents are not required to attend this meeting, but are welcome to come if you have questions about camp (especially parents of 5th graders or anyone who has not previously attended a summer camp).

Selections of merit badge classes should be turned in by next Thursday, at the Court of Honor.

Attention Scouts – We have changed venues for the Spring Camp-o-ree. We are no longer attending the Voyageur Trace Spring Camp-o-ree but rather the Twin Lakes Spring Camp-o-ree. Same dates, same cost, new venue, better program!

When: Depart RPC at 5:00 PM Friday, April 20 and will return to RPC around Noon Sunday, April 22.
Where: Scout Adventure Camp, Rochelle Illinois

In addition to basic camping skills (ideal for our newest scouts), the program will allow for scouts of all ranks to also work on 1-2 Merit Badges. Choices include:
Astronomy
Weather
Geocaching
Fishing/Fly Fishing
Nature
Soil and Water Conservation

Tentative Agenda:
Friday, April 20
– Check in 7:00 pm
– In Troop Cracker Barrel
– Astronomy starts at 9:00pm
Saturday, April 21
– Morning Activities start 9:00 am
– Afternoon Activities start 2:00 pm
– All Camp Campfire 8:00 pm (each Troop to provide song & skit)
Sunday, April 22 9:00 am Camp Sunday Service

The cost for this outing is $45. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Sunday, April 15 at noon. Please fill out a form for each scout.

If your scout plans to attend our summer camp at Camp Tesomas (July 15-21), he should attend at least one weekend camp-out before attempting a week away from home & family. This camp-out is one opportunity. We will have one other camp-out before summer, on May 18-20, at Kankakee River State Park.

Contact Susan Lynch with questions.

At the Troop meeting on April 12, we will discuss with the scouts their options for Merit Badge classes at Camp Tesomas. In preparation for that meeting, please review the class choices with your scout. The Merit Badge schedule can be seen here: http://clsr.samoset.org/resources/TSCAdvancement.pdf. After the April 12 meeting, scouts will have an additional week to make their selections, and they can turn in their class requests on April 19 at our Court of Honor.

More information about summer camp can be found on our website at Latest News.

More help is needed for Book Drive 2012! Joe Rogers’ Eagle Service Project needs volunteers – at least one scout and adult for every shift (4 adults and 4 scouts)! Shifts are on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. both days. Please contact Joe at rogersj17@gmail.com to volunteer.

Also, donations of boxes are still needed. Thank you to Mr. Potamianos and Mr. Klotz for your donations!