NEWSLETTER

TUESDAY, December 13th

7:30PM TROOP MEETING IN SCOUT HALL


NO ASM ROUNDTABLE THIS WEEK.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL ASSISTANT SCOUTMASTERS!

From the SPL


Hey Troop 77,


I hope y'all have had a great week. This week will be our last meeting and will be our Christmas party, too. This year we will not be hosting a white elephant for various reasons. Instead we will be watching a movie and having a small campfire program, completed with smores and hot cocoa.


It's been a great year with y'all, happy holidays!



Yours in Scouting,

Alex King

akingt77@gmail.com

(404)-679-8724

from THE SCOUTMASTER


Wow, the end of another calendar year is upon us as we head into our last meeting of 2022 this week. While not our official Scout Year, it’s still a great time to reflect on all that you and the Troop have accomplished in 2022. 


A special thanks from all of us to our 3 SPLs that served all or part of their term in 2022:  David Anderson, Cadhan Cole, and Alex King. I hope the rest of you who are eligible will all run for SPL in February because it is one of the best experiences you can have in Scouting and your young lives. Few opportunities exist that equal being SPL of a Scout Troop, so don’t miss the chance to be the ultimate servant leader. 


I also want to thank Mrs. Henderson again for all the work she has done for Troop 77 in 2022, especially standing in for me as Scoutmaster during Cadhan’s SPL term and other times I could not be at meetings, campouts, etc. 


Unfortunately, I will miss the meeting this week again due to personal reasons, but you will again be in Mrs. Henderson’s more than capable hands.  


I also want to give a quick shoutout and my love to my Mom, who helped mold and make me into the Scout and person that I am.   And, I ask all of us to keep her in our thoughts and prayers as she has a tough mountain to climb in January and the months after. 


I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, remains safe in their travels, enjoys all their time with family (and being off school!), does a little Scouting, and is joyous and thankful for all the opportunities Scouting and Life has given us 2022 and will hopefully give us in 2023!



Yours in Scouting,

Mr. Clinton Cole

Troop 77 Scoutmaster


december 2022 DETAILEd cALENDAR

Note: The majority of the dates in this section are on the Troop Calendar.  If you have not done so already, please subscribe to the Troop's calendar by following the instructions on the Calendar page of the Troop’s website.

In addition, on the Calendar page of the Troop’s website (underneath the calendar itself), you will find the latest released update to the Annual Planning Meeting Summary, which will give you an idea of what we will be doing for the next 10 months (the AMPS is subject to change, but it should not change too much).


DECEMBER 






CAMPING

Remaining 2022-2023 Campouts

February 17-20: Cumberland Island Service 

March 24-26: Camporee at Bert Adams

April 21-23: Survivalist Extreme

May 12-14: Backpacking

Attention all Adults - many hands make light work!


Troop 77 operations are 100% supported by Adult volunteers that donate time to support all the planning and management of our monthly campouts, summer camp, community service, high adventure trips, merit badge classes, advancement tracking, and other special events like Courts of Honor.


With approximately 120 Scouts in Troop 77 and several of our Adult Volunteers transitioning out of Scouting, we need more Adult Volunteers of both returning and new Scout parents to actively support Troop 77 so that our youth members have a fun and rewarding experience.


Although we can use additional support for most functional areas, our most URGENT NEED to have someone serve as our registered TREASURER.  Hamilton will no longer be able to support our banking relationship with UCBI and OGUMC after June 2023.  It’s critical that get another Registered Adult Leader to fill that role with the support of others that assist with invoicing and expense reimbursements.


We also need several Adults to assist with our 2023 Summer Camp Planning and Execution and other advancement activities and campouts. 


If you are not already a registered leader with Troop 77, then please complete the following form:   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdP1jPVk0cI7amqKz2O4pjdm-e8wqmIl6EYn6z_Xu8KTvoArw/viewform?usp=share_link 


 

Alternatively, if you would like to register as an official adult leader/volunteer with Troop 77 then please complete this form:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7uuWrIadGojW-Y5YUWNvJcY6oNZ806_9HAa5gYl55rnrZfw/viewform?usp=share_link 


Please note that Adult volunteers for most support functions are NOT required to be a registered member of Scouts BSA.


Given the size and robustness of our Troop 77 Adventures and Advancement opportunities, we expect at least one Adult member from each Scout family to assist with at least one event/activity each Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer.  This could be as simple as serving on a Board of Review, leading a Merit Badge class, serving in a committee role, or helping with summer camp. 


Yours in Scouting,


Bruce King

Troop 77 Committee Chair

commchair@troop77bsa.org 

holiday Cooking Assignment for scouts


Scouts! You have a troop cooking assignment over the holidays. This is going to be great practice for our January and February campouts.



Post pictures of your meals on the troop Facebook page (@troopseventy-sevenbsa) and on the troop Instagram page (@troop77bsa). Mr. Leff will recognize the meals at our first January Troop meeting and the winner will get a special new cooking tool for their Patrol Box!



advancement



Congratulations to T77’s newest Eagle Scout, Wynn Keith!



Board of Review (BOR) - Scouts - If you are ready for your Board of Review, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44AEAD29A7FF2-troop 


advancement OPPORTUNITIES

merit badge minute


DUTY TO GOD: RELIGIOUS EMBLEM AWARD

Hey guys, this is Zander Parris the Chaplain’s Aide for the troop. One of the main things that I do as Chaplain’s Aide is help you earn the Religious emblem for your faith. Religious Emblems are awards you can get for learning more about your religion and growing stronger in your faith. Please fill out the survey below so that we can recognize your religious beliefs and help you earn the religious emblem for your faith.

https://qfreeaccountssjc1.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBjpz5FeOrsG0jc 

Jamboree band

Attention all Band folks - here is a great opportunity with the Jamboree Band!

If you play a musical instrument in your high school or college band or even just for fun and will be at least 16 on or before July 19, 2023, the Jamboree Band is a great way to experience a National Scout Jamboree at a lot less cost than it is to go with a contingent.

Scouts and young adults who are interested should contact the Jamboree Band Director, George Pinchock at pinchock@aol.com and let him know you are interested. Mr. Pinchock is the Associate Director of Music at Villanova University in Pennsylvania where he works with the concert, marching and pep bands, and advises student performing groups. He served as director of the Jamboree Band in 2013 and 2017 and is the Scoutmaster of Troop 50 in Schwenksville, PA.

Band members get to do just about everything participants do plus play concerts for thousands of Scouts and Scouters.

georgia Swarm Scout night - january 7 at 7pm

Our Scout Night with the Georgia Swarm is just over a month away on January 7! The Swarm is Georgia's very own box lacrosse team. Box lacrosse is a fast-paced, thrilling spectator sport. Check out this video  to learn more about the fastest game on two feet!

Grab Your Seats Today Here!

 

Visit https://www.georgiaswarm.com/ScoutNight/  and enter promo code SCOUTNIGHT to access your discounted tickets. Everyone in attendance will receive a Scout Night patch and those in uniform can take part in a special on-field experience!

ORder of the Arrow


Hello everyone, this is Ryan Shimabukuro, your Order of the Arrow (OA) Troop Representative. This newsletter contains important information about current and upcoming OA events, and more.

Events and Registration

The link to our Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge website is https://aacegwa.org. It has a calendar of upcoming events and information on how to register for the events. 

Dues

Yes, there are dues in the OA. This year, and every year, dues are $25. They are due NOW! In some situations, if you did not pay dues last year, then you will need to pay those in order to pay your dues for this year and stay current. HOWEVER, this is important, if you attend OA events in which you pay a fee, the fee should cover your dues.

The Troop does NOT reimburse for payment of Adult or Youth OA dues, unless the Adult or Scout is actively involved in OA (e.g., attends monthly meetings, Chapter and Lodge events, Conclaves, Fellowship Events, Service Events, etc.), in which case you need to talk to me or Dr. Gilbert.

The link for paying dues is: https://www.atlantabsa.org/OAMemberRenewal

What is the Order of the Arrow?

According to the Order of the Arrow’s website (https://oa-bsa.org/), the Order of the Arrow is an honor organization that recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.

Etowah Chapter:

The following are the elected officials (and advisor) in our Chapter:

Chapter Chief: RJ Holloway rj@rj-holloway.com

Vice Chapter Chief: Violet Todd violet.todd.7@gmail.com

Etowah Chapter Advisor: Ramus Caribbean EtowahAdviser@aacegwa.org

If you have any questions about the events, you can contact me or RJ, the current Etowah Chapter Chief at rj@rj-holloway.com.

Thanks!

Ryan

Summer Camp     June 18-24, 2023


Summer Camp is the week of June 18-24 at Camp Sequoyah in Delta Alabama. This is a different week and location than our original plan for summer camp in 2023. July ended up not being an option due to the timing of our Philmont crews and Woodruff (and most camps) not having an 8th week of summer camp. 

Financial Management Support LInks


Attention Parents!

There's a new Financial Management Tab on the Scout/Parent Portal to assist with tracking and management of expense reimbursement and escrow accounts.  

Please use the links on this webpage to submit expense reimbursement requests or for campout/other payments that you'd like to pay using your Scout's escrow balance.

Escrow Accounts


Expense Reimbursement Requests

SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCES


Scoutmaster Conferences for Scout, Star, Life and Eagle are conducted by Mr. Cole.  You can sign-up for Scoutmaster Conference for Scout, Star and Life by using the SignUp Genius on the Troop's Website under Scoutmaster Conferences (https://sites.google.com/troop77bsa.com/scout-parent/scoutmaster-conferences?authuser=0) and following the instructions on that webpage.   Scoutmaster Conferences for Eagle can be arranged by emailing Mr. Cole at ctcole0308@gmail.com.  IF YOUR SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCE IS BEFORE 7P, ONE OF YOUR PARENTS MUST BE PREPARED TO STAY FOR THE CONFERENCE (SO THAT WE HAVE TWO ADULTS PRESENT AND NO ONE-ON-ONE CONTACT) SO THAT WE CAN REMAIN YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING COMPLIANT.

Scoutmaster Conferences for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class are completed by an Assistant Scoutmaster and should be arranged through the ASM Helpdesk or by contacting Mr. Jensen at garyljensen@gmail.com.

EAGLE COURTS OF HONOR HELP 


For anyone (Scouts or Parents) who can volunteer some time to help organize a few things, get things setup, or help take things down at the end of Eagle Courts of Honor, Mrs. Cole could certainly use the help.  It’s not an overwhelming amount of stuff to get done by a team, but it starts to get overwhelming if you are having to do it all by yourself. If you’re interested in helping with the Eagle Courts of Honor please contact Holly Cole (hpcole77@gmail.com or (770) 401-4992) and let her know.  With a big backlog from COVID and being fortunate to have 1-2 Scouts earning Eagle a month, this is a great way to give some time to the Troop on a night other than Tuesdays and a great place to start volunteering.

UPCOMING COUNCIL/DISTRICT EVENTS


See below links for activities:


Atlanta Area Council Calendar


Hightower Trail District Website


community service opportunities

Click the link below to see all of the community service opportunities available now.

https://sites.google.com/troop77bsa.com/scout-parent/service

Communication     


Remind Application

Troop 77 Parents –

Troop 77 Scouts

Troop 177 Parents –

Troop 177 Scouts

Scoutbook

Other Announcements

Troop 77 Calendar: Use the following address to access the Troop 77 calendar from other applications. You can copy and paste this into any calendar product that supports the iCal format.

https://www.scoutbook.com/ics/17077.45861.ics