January 2003 ScoutTracks
Welcome to 2003!!
Join us and leaders from the
entire district as we begin another great year of Scouting! The
Roundtable is our monthly "recharge" where we share
great ideas
and learn "what's happening" with the District.
Roundtable time:
- Thursday, January 2nd, 2003
- Gathering at 7:00
PM for Great Fellowship;
-
Meeting begins promptly at: 7:30
PM.
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Questions? Contact Sara,
(our District Scout Mom;
bring Pickles! )
at:
samberg@bsamail.org
Council Website:
http://www.scoutingbsa.org
District Website: http://www.scoutingbsa.org/Districts/LakeMinnetonka
Congratulations on Achieving Quality District 2002!
Almost 70% of the units in the Lake Minnetonka District achieved "Quality
Unit 2002" status and many of the Packs and Troops grew their membership
for the year! Overall, the District achieved a 2% growth in
membership numbers, including increases in ALL areas of Scouting
membership
(Including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturing)
Thank you to everyone for giving their time and energy to support Scouting
in the Lake Minnetonka District!!!
A special "Thank You" to all of the Den
Leaders and Units that sent in their rosters!! That was the extra
boost we needed to make it over the top!
Learn more about being a Quality Unit! Forms are in
Re-charter Packets
Check the
Viking Council Website!
Remember When a Den Leader
Was Called a "Den Mother?"
OK,
so it was a long time ago. Our Fearless District Executive Sara,
will be trying her skills at being a "Scout Mom" beginning from about
February 1st until May 1st. Congratulations, Sara!! Field
Director Mike McCarthy will be stepping in to help out during her
absence.
Cub
Scout Items:
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Roundtable Info!
At the January 2nd
roundtable we are going to have a speaker for special needs. Our
guest speaker gives talks all around the area and is well known and
respected for her skills. If any one is interested in attending for
this portion of the meeting, we will be looking at about 20-25 minutes.
Bring friends, family and etc. And as always, we are always
looking for volunteers for staff...
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Roundtable Announcements!
By
popular demand, the Lake Minnetonka District ScoutTracks
will be used to help cut down on the time needed for announcements at
our meetings. Roundtable Commissioner,
Richard LaFountain, can take requests by email or there will be a
short sign-up at the meeting for announcements that are two minutes or
less! The audience will be encouraged to keep the "announcers" in
line!
(Sara will still be lobbying for the most beautiful Scout Baby Award)
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When
is your Pack Blue and Gold Banquet?
Please
Contact
Sara Amberg
with your Blue and Gold
date so that we can plan ahead for your event. Look into the
future and find your date! District representatives will attend
your Blue and Gold Event for FOS Presentations.
Viking Council relies heavily on
the annual FOS campaign to help fund its many programs. If you can
spare an hour out of 1 or 2 evenings between now and April 2003,
please drop by one of the training sessions to learn more about the
campaign, or call
Dave Smith
at 612-671-7147 (W) or 763-475-0544 (H).
-
2003 Unit Recharter Package.
Most of the Lake Minnetonka District re-charters in February,
a few in March. These packages are being distributed by the
Commissioners. The February Re-charter Packages
should already be in the hands of each Pack and are due back on 2/11/2003 at the Re-charter Turn-in
night
from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Note: Please do NOT let 2nd
year Webelos drop from registration if they are planning to join a
Troop. Contact the Troop to make sure that they are included on
their rosters when re-chartering. A Scout that does not appear on
a Pack or Troop roster is NOT insured in the event of an accident.
They can always transfer from the Pack to a Troop later if the Troop
does not re-charter in the same month. We really want everyone
help the Webelos make the transition to Boy Scouts!!
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Theme and Activities:
Theme |
Webelos Activity Pins |
Uncle Sam Depends On
You |
Fitness,
Readyman |
Looking for a great site
that is devoted to the Monthly themes?
Check here. Please note that the
Themes for Viking Council are
used in this Lake Minnetonka
District ScoutTracks.
Note: The
themes on other Scout sites may or may not match ours
(sometimes off by a month or occasional
different theme) but there is still
a wealth of information available for anyone to use!
Being a Scout helps
prepare boys to take care of themselves in situations
where they must decide what is right. It's easy when an adult or
Parent is
there to guide them, but our goal is to give them the tools to do what is
right
based on the character that is developed within each Scout.
Boy Scout
Items:
The
Roundtable for January will have you staring aimlessly into the sky
as a couple of our "out of this world" District volunteers try to
explain it all. Bring some warm clothes in case Herb and
Stuart can see their shadows by starlight. In the event of
clouds, they will do their best with light pens and a dark
ceiling... |
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The Winter 2003 Lake Minnetonka District Camporee
The 2003 Lake Minnetonka District Winter Camporee
will be held January 24-26 at
Rum River
Scout Reservation. The theme will be based on Scouting Strategy.
Information packets with registration forms are available on the
District Web Site. Webelos are invited, at no charge, as guests
of the district but they must pre-register for attendance and planning
purposes. They will also be responsible for coordinating with a troop
for food, camping, etc. If there are any questions please contact Steve
Fuchs at 763-591-9049 or at
stevefuchs@msn.com
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From the District Camping Chair:
Many units are planning
winter camping this year.
Don't forget about the new
Zero Hero
Award.
The only two requirements are:
1. Attend a cold weather camping
training session
(can be run by troop).
2. Sleep outdoors for a night
when the temperature reaches zero degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Programs like
North Wind
or
Okpik
are excellent ways to learn cold
weather camping.
Mark Ferguson
Lake Minnetonka District
Camping Chair
Editor's Note: Ask
Mark about the
National Camping Award
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Troops: We
still need your Court of Honor Dates
Please bring this information to Roundtable and let
us know when the next Court of Honor is between January and May 2003.
This is for F.O.S. planning...
Viking Council relies heavily on
the annual FOS campaign to help fund its many programs. If you can
spare an hour out of 1 or 2 evenings between now and April 2003,
please drop by one of the training sessions to learn more about the
campaign, or call
Dave Smith
at 612-671-7147 (W) or 763-475-0544 (H).
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Upcoming Roundtable Topics: