For anyone doing ROBOTICS MERIT BADGE, you can find a robotics work sheet at this URL: http://usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/Robotics.pdf Please look at requirements 2 & 3, which are “general knowledge” requirements. I would like to discuss these at the meeting Tuesday (Dec 7th) and sign off those who are ready. You can use the worksheet to take notes, if you like, but you will need to be able to discuss the topics. I recommend you read those parts of the MB book, if you have it, or simply do some research online. There should be plenty of information available. For anyone doing FAMILY LIFE MERIT BADGE: I would be happy to sign off any requirements you have completed as “homework,” such as your Family Meeting, Family Project, Personal Project, etc. If you have done any of these, be prepared to discuss them with me Tuesday (bring whatever notes and documentation you have).

—

Take care,

-Mike

Troop,

This week is the first week of the month, so that means Unifrom inspection and Rank Advancement!

SPL: Need to talk to you about themes for the future, pretty easy stuff.

Also, need to re-hash the information on this weekend’s lock-in on Saturday night. Need a couple of adults to sign up or it is a no-go. I will be out of town starting Friday and should be back on Tuesday next week.

Summer camp:

We have reservations at Summer camp and the information can be found at the link below. We currently have eight Scouts signed up (with money paid for their reservation), so if you want to go, make sure you sign up and get some money over to the Troop Treasurer so we can add your name to the roster. Link for the signup genius is below. Let me know if you need contact info for the Treasurer, or you can bring a check. Cost is $300/Scout until the end of Jan, then it goes up (if you pay a deposit now, you get locked into the lower cost bracket and are not subject to the increase in fees).

See you guys tomorrow night!

Dan

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4aada829a7fe3-sumer

Troop,

Here is the sign up for the lock in:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AADA829A7FE3-lockin

We need two adults to sign up to make this bad boy work, and I will be out of town that weekend, which came up after we scheduled this.

The SPL already threw down a schedule with you guys for the events and decided on a MB to start up, so we will work that in as well.

We really just need a headcount for food, generally pizza.

Bring your guys board games, game consoles, etc. and we can use the entrance room for board games and MB work, the sanctuary for Jack box like always, and the youth room for gaming systems. We are not permitted in any other room, so please do not go into them or anything like that.

More to follow on Tuesday night.

Dan

Troop,

Our troop is scheduled to attend a trek from 8-20 June 2022.

We have a reservation for a trek of 12 people.

Here are the folks currently signed up and paid in full:

1. Jack D.
2. Ignacio H.
3. Mark P.
4. Evan R.
5. Lance W.
6. Sean W.
7. Michael P.
8. Blake M.
9. Greg S. (to be replaced)
10.
11.
12.

If you desire to attend, please email me directly (I know Matt M. is interested). If you want to change your reservation, let me know that as well.

The current cost to reserve your slot is $1213. If the crew numbers get filled to 12, the trek cost will be reduced for each member. This does not include any travel costs or anything else like that.

There are currently four available slots.

To attend Philmont, you must be 14, or be 13 and completed 8th grade.

I thought I had a Sign up genius for this, but I don’t; so just email me and we will get you squared away.

Slots are a first come, first served. Slots can be reserved with a down payment of $200, and followed up with monthly payments. Please coordinate with the Troop Treasurer for payments.

Mr. Petree is putting together a “prep for Philmont” plan beginning in January, so be on the lookout for that.

I am sure there are things I forgot to add stuff, so if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to let me know.

Dan

Troop,

Tomorrow night we are going to have a nice relaxed administrative day. As we enter the end of the year I would like to see where everyone is in their rank progression and where they are as far as open/in progress merit badges.

Also, we need to plan the lock-in (timelines, activities, food, merit badge desire, etc.), so while the lock-in planning and all that is going on, I will go through each of your individual Scoutbook accounts and all that to see what is all happing in there and make sure Scoutbook reflects what your Scout handbook says.

So make sure you bring your handbooks and any open blue cards you might have (or a list of what you have open).

If that doesn’t make sense, it will tomorrow night.

See you all tomorrow night!

Dan

Have a Happy Thanksgiving this week and enjoy this time with your Families. No meeting this week. We will see you back at the church on November 30th for a merit badge “clean up” day. Also, we need to plan for the lock-in.

Take care, see you soon!

Dan

Troop,

Remember to sign up for the COH tomorrow night at the link below, if you haven’t already. We have a pretty good menu so far, but if there is something specific you want, make sure you sign up to bring it. The meats are taken care of, and we currently have five sides. With a total of 24 attendees signed up, I think we will be alright. However, I did not hear back from any of the Cub packs I emailed, or Troop 187. It is possible they will show up (a couple of our boys said they heard T187 boys talking about coming while they were at school).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4aada829a7fe3-30th1

See you all tomorrow!

Dan

Troop,

Here is the link to sign up for the COH. Please RSVP as an attendee if you are planning on being there. Also, if you are planning on bringing something to support the food effort, sign up there as well.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AADA829A7FE3-30th1

Anyway, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out. I am inviting a couple of Cub Scout Pack WEBELOS as well, and Troop 187, since they came from us back in the day.

Talk to you soon,

Dan

SPL, you are off the hook for game night.

I totally forgot there are like four boards of review scheduled for tomorrow night, plus the committee meeting. So, we will try and finish up some Merit Badge stuff. We currently have a few open in the troop-led department: Indian Lore, Family Life, Cycling, Orienteering, just to name a few, I am sure there are others I am forgetting.

So, that being said, we will be at the church tomorrow. If you have any MB requirements to show to your counselor, please be prepared to do so. Also, if you are attending a BOR, you need to be in Class A uniform, all nice and neat!

Sorry about the confusion, I got excited and was set straight by some level headed parents!

See you tomorrow night.

Dan

Troop,

We had a great ride yesterday from Palmer Lake to Goose Gossage Park. We did it in just under three hours and only had two crashes and two break-downs (same bike).

Since we had an outing, we should be having a game night tomorrow night, but we did not plan anything. So, SPL: what are we doing?!?! We can hit up Summit and bowl, play laser tag, whatever, or the mini-golf place, or maybe even just get some pizza and chill. It is up to you guys, so let me know. Sorry about the last minute game night ideas, I forgot to ask again before we broke from the ride.

Anyway, SPL, let me know what you think and I will throw a post out there.

Also, remember to check the Flags sign up and get that all done up, make some money for summer camp.

Lastly, if you received a message about dues, please make sure you are ready to write a check or Zelle the cash over!

Dan

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AADA829A7FE3-20miler

Troop,

The above sign up is for a 20 mile long bike ride from Palmer Lake down the Santa Fe Trail to Goose Gossage Park. Please sign up if you are interested. We are looking at starting out at 10am, and it should take us no longer than three hours to complete. Why 10am you ask? Because it will have warmed up by then!

This ride will fulfill the Cycling MB requirement for the 20 miler. No worries if you do not have the other rides in yet, they are a separate requirement.

Sunday, November 7 at 10am. Palmer Lake (104 Oakdale Dr, Palmer Lake, CO) at the Santa Fe Trail.

I forgot to talk about this last night, my bad! We had a lot going on!

Please coordinate with friends and such to transport your bikes (MTB) up there. If needed, let me know and we can work something out. Or, if you are really motivated: ride your bike up there in the morning and wait for us.

Remember, no motors electric or gas powered, just you and your legs!

See you there,

Dan

The first meeting of each month is Rank advancement and uniform inspection! Don’t forget to wear your uniform and bring your book!

See you tonight!

Troop,

I would like to have you focus on First Aid tonight during rank advancement. There are several Scouts who need only to demonstrate their skills before completing rank requirements. Afterwards, we will knock out a few SM conferences and get BORs scheduled (committee members needed for that!)

See you all tonight!

Dan

Renee posted another update to the flags signup, lets have a bunch of folks earn some cash for their Scout accounts! It is about $60-65 each time a Scout does flags. That money can be used for anything Scouting related, tuition to camp, annual dues, equipment, etc. You name it and can attribute it to a Scouting requirement, then that money can be used for it.

Summer camp is slotted for Jul 10-16 at San Isabelle Scout Ranch. Cost is $300/Scout until 1 Feb, then it increases to $335. Chris Gilkes and I are planning on attending again this year as adult leaders (more are welcome to join us). Please sign up on the sign up genius so we can get that reservation made and the ball rolling on financing.

Next and VERY important: We are very fast approaching our recharter. This is where we re-register everyone in the troop whether a Scout, Adult Leader, or Committee Member. This being said, there are a couple of committee members who have been in their positions for quite some time and it is time for them to be relieved of their duties.

Lisa Durrenberger has been our Committee Chair for the past five+ years. She has done an outstanding job at holding our troop and committee together and keeping the Scoutmasters in line.

Well, Lisa has DRAWN THE LINE. She has made the decision (a tough one) to not renew herself in the Committee Chair Position, which means we will be out of luck during recharter if someone doesn’t step up and take those reins.

In order to have a troop, there are three KEY PERSONNEL required. If any one of those three are absent in the position, we will not have a troop. Those key three are the Committee Chair (Lisa until Dec 31), the Scoutmaster (me for now), and the Charter Organization Representative (which has recently been filled by Janelle Anderson-THANK YOU!!)

The other position that comes to mind is a direct circle back to the opening line of this post. The Flags coordinator position. Renee has been doing this job for the past 3+ seasons and had done a great job! We are looking for someone to step into her role as the Flags coordinator and as the overall Fund Raising Chairperson. Basically, that means Popcorn (which is an individual effort), Camp Cards (individual) and any other fund raising opportunities we may need (possibly for our high adventure Scouts-Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier, which cost over $1k plus travel expenses). It isn’t a tough gig, but all the coordinating scares folks away – especially if you did popcorn in Cub Scouts-It is way different here in our troop.

Anyway, enough rambling for now. If you are interested in eith the Committee Chair position or the Fund Raiser Chair, please send me a note and we can discuss it.

Lastly, RSVP for the COH on 16 Nov. It is our 30th anniversary!

Talk to you soon,
Dan

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AADA829A7FE3-sumer

Troop, Please sign up for Summer Camp at the link above.

We will be attending San Isabel Scout Ranch from 10-16 July 2022.

The cost is $300/Scout until January 31, then it increases to $335/Scout.

There will be a payment schedule put out in the next couple of weeks, or you can make arrangements to pay with Mrs. McGuire (Troop Treasurer). A commitment contract will also be produced and distributed in the coming weeks.

More information will follow.

See you soon,

Dan

Troop, Families, Friends, Scouters,

Sign up here so we can have an accurate headcount for the COH (food and all that).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AADA829A7FE3-30th

So here is the deal: We are celebrating the 30th year of the troop this year and are inviting everyone who has been part of this troop since it was created.

We have had 70 Scouts attain the Rank of Eagle in the past 30 years! We also have had in the past a Venturing Crew which made tons of trips, including earning several 50 miler awards right here in the Pikes Peak region.

At one point Troop 287 got so big that it had to break into two troops (Troop 187 started this way). We have also invited them to join us in this celebration because they used to be part of our troop.

So, come one, come all, out and help us celebrate three decades of Scouting.

If you have any history with our troop, and are receiving this message, please feel free to respond and send your wishes, or if you are in the area, come on out and hang with the Troop for the evening.

See you soon,

Dan
bsatroop287@gmail.com

Troop, We had Rank ADV, then Camp Prep and Game Night, now it is time for MB work! We will continue our work on the Orienteering MB by planning a course around the neighborhood. It will have us traveling at least 2000 meters.

Also, I want to let everyone know that next month’s COH is super important since it it the Troop’s 30th anniversary celebration as well. I will post a sign up genius open to all who are active or were active in our troop over the last 30 years. So, if you are an inactive Scouter who still subscribes to this posting system, please com on out and celebrate the 30th year of this troop!

See you soon,

Dan

We figured out that if you want to get the BOGO, you’ll have to call the place, that is, if you have trouble when trying to apply the BOGO in your cart. Here is the number: 719-653-3182., option 7.

Dan

Troop,

Air City 360 is open until 8pm, which means we would only have an hour to play. Given the fact our last game night everyone wanted to go longer, I propose moving out lilnk-up time to 6pm instead of 7pm. This will give us 2hrs to play and we will also be able to capitalize on the BOGO offer and play time

Time Change: please meet at the Air City location at 6pm, not 7!

Also, please try and register on-line to ensure you have a spot. If you have issues, we have Mrs. Anderson calling them at 3 when they open to get clairification on the BOGO and reservations.

See you all tonight!

Dan

https://www.aircity360.com/

Troop,

You all voted to head over to Air City 360 for game night. Above is the link to their website so you can fill out the wiaver before heading out there. Tuesday is BOGO night so this is a good opportunity to buddy up with another Scout to basically get half price admission. We are going to meet up out front a few minutes before 7 so we can organize and get in there together.

5w’s:
Who: All Scouts in Troop 287 and friends, siblings, family, etc.
What: Game night after Sand Dunes Family Camping
Where: Air City 360, 225 Spectrum Loop (near Top Golf)
When: Tonight, 19 October, 6:50pm
Why: To have a great amount of fun and blow off some steam.

Alrighty, then! See you guys tonight!

Dan