Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Hello Troop 648

We have a new Eagle Scout in the Troop 648 family…congratulations to Alex Demski, T648 Eagle Scout #50!

Alex passed his Eagle Board with flying colors on January 14th. We are very proud of Alex’s outstanding accomplishment and look forward to his continued participation and leadership in the troop. Among a million things, it takes perseverance, hard work, dedication and mostly desire to get to this point. All things I have personally seen Alex demonstrate over the years. It’s a tremendous accomplishment and we look forward to watching Alex do many more great things!

Watch for news about Alex’s Eagle Court of Honor coming soon. You won’t want to miss it!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

A reminder that we have our Winter Court of Honor on February 9th, 2016. We would like to have a selection of desserts, hot chocolate, water, fruit so if you are willing to bring something, please let me know.

If your Scout is close to finishing a Merit Badge or Rank Advancement, we are now setting aside 20 minutes at the beginning of each weekly meeting (right after uniform check) to help move their advancement forward. Please take advantage of this opportunity. A few minutes here and there and poof! your Scout has completed a MB or advanced in rank. And Mrs. Yu would LOVE to pick up lots of new MB and rank patches!

More info to come on some exciting upcoming meetings and other happenings around Troop 648!

See you soon,

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

From David Yu:

How would you like to help me help you?

Do you need service hours or just want to be helpful? I am looking for Scouts and Adults to sign up for Blessed Sacrament’s annual Rummage Sale this Saturday, January 16th. There are two time slots to choose from: 7:00am – 11:00am or in the afternoon from 1:00pm – 5:00pm. If you are there between 11:00am – 1:00pm a free hamburger/hot dog lunch will be supplied. If you can only work an hour or 2, let me know.

Also, there is also an opportunity to earn money for your Scout account! Need $s for the upcoming ski trip to Snow Bowl or Summer Camp in beautiful Emerald Bay, CA?  Bring in/collect/get donated —  clothes, shoes, hats, duffle bags, sheets, or sleeping bags in any size or color. It doesn’t matter if the items have holes in the clothes or only one shoe. All items will be donated to Planet Donate and the money raised will be portioned out to Scouts that bring in donated items. If you bring in a significant amount of clothes, you will receive money donated from your clothes only. Tell your friends and family you have a great opportunity for them to clear out all those clothes, shoes, etc. that don’t fit and help a great cause at the same time!

If you have any questions or if you would like to sign up, call or text David at (602) 750-8323, there will be a signup sheet on Tuesday night. Donated items can be brought in Tuesday night or dropped off on Saturday after 4:00pm.

Thank you!

Hello Troop 648

At last night’s PLC, there was an outing date change. Specifically:

• Ski Trip originally planned for February 5-7 and has now been RESCHEDULED for February 19-21. We are still planning to go to Snow Bowl with more details to follow.

Thanks!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

I can’t believe it’s 2016! I hope everyone enjoyed holiday time with family, friends and wish you a safe, healthy and prosperous 2016. And a year full of many Scouting adventures too…

A reminder that we have our January PLC meeting tomorrow night at 6:00pm. Our theme this month is ‘Environment’ and the following Scouts have volunteered/been assigned to lead a meeting:

• Jan 5th – Ryan (lead)/James (assistant)
• Jan 12th – David (lead)/Zane (assistant)
• Jan 19th – Alex (lead)/Eric (assistant)
• Jan 26th – Kevin (lead)/Aidan (assistant)

If your Scout needs any help or has questions, Jody Achor is the Adult Mentor. Thank you Jody.

Looking forward to another great year of Scouting with Troop 648. We have a full slate of activities and a number of great outings planned including the upcoming ‘Winter’ outing on Jan 22-24.

See you tomorrow night!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

We have a few adults happy to help with any scout looking to work on rank advancements. We will meet at Chaparral Christian Church in our regular meeting room, Tuesday, December 29th at 6:30pm.

Also, if there is a specific Merit Badge you are working on, please email me (dmcfetters@gmail.com) or call (602) 793-1058 and I will check to see if that MB counselor is available.

This is a great(!) opportunity to work on ranks up to and including First Class, so please join us Tuesday night.

See you there!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

For those Scouts working on the Auto Maintenance Merit Badge with Mr. Butler and would like to complete it after the first of the year, please email dean@arizonascoutingmuseum.org. Include the Scout’s name and you/your Scout’s email address.

Your Scout should have received an electronic copy of the MB booklet from Mr. Butler. Additional information from Mr. Butler:

• He will arrange for 2-4 meetings. One would be a Saturday morning to meet at an auto repair garage. The remaining will be at 6:00pm before our regularly scheduled Tuesday meetings. Dates and times are TBD.
• Scout should read the MB booklet prior to meeting in January

If you have any questions, please email Mr. Butler.

Thanks,

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

As a reminder, we will not be having our regularly scheduled Tuesday Scout meeting on Dec 22 and Dec 29. We will resume meeting on Jan 5.

However, if you are actively working on the Citizenship in the Community and/or Emergency Preparedness Merit Badges and would like to progress or finish them, Mr. Clapp (Cit in Com) and Mr. Conrad (Emer Prep) have graciously volunteered to be at Chaparral Christian Church in our meeting room next Tuesday, Dec 22 at 6:30pm to help.

To be better prepared and looking at the MB requirements for both, there may be a number of things your Scout can be working on (if they haven’t already) between now and Tuesday. Some highlights (NOT ALL REQUIREMENTS ARE LISTED AND THESE ARE NOT COMPLETE SO LOOK TO THE MERIT BADGE BOOK FOR COMPLETE INFO) include:

Citizenship in the Community – get the workbook here

• Know and be prepared to discuss what citizenship in the community means
• Locate some key government and local services on a map for your community
• Attend some type of city council or other governing body meeting. Normally this needs to be in person, but for a limited time only, Mr. Clapp is allowing Scouts to watch a city council or board meeting online. Go here for video info
• Choose an issue and do a number of things regarding this issue
• Watch a movie that shows how the actions of an individual(s) had a positive effect on the community – list of possible movies are here
• List and know services in your community
• Develop a public presentation about important and unique aspects of your community, present to counselor

Emergency Preparedness – get the workbook here

• Discuss various aspects of emergency preparedness
• Make a chart that demonstrates you understand emergency preparedness
• Teach your family emergency preparedness
• Show how to safely move someone during a variety of emergency situations
• Show ways to attract rescue planes/aircraft
• Understand and discuss how Scouts can help in a variety of emergency situations
• Identify some government and community emergency agencies
• Take part in an emergency drill (covered by those who recently attended the City of Scottsdale CERT drill)
• Prepare a written plan for mobilizing the troop
• Prepare a personal emergency service pack
• Create a home safety checklist or plan of escape

Again, please consult the Merit Badge books for a complete description of the above.

If there is any Scout working on a merit badge not listed above, please let me know. I have a number of other Merit Badge Counselors who have indicated their willingness to be there on the 22^nd to help. However, you/your Scout must email me by Monday noon (or sooner) to let me know so I can make the necessary arrangements with the applicable counselor. If you would like to work on rank advancement and on Tuesday, please let me know.

This is a great opportunity to progress or complete two Eagle Required MBs or others. I highly recommend you take full advantage.

Have a great weekend and hope to see you on Tuesday!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

From Mr. Parizek:

Orientation and Introduction

To The

Cooking Merit Badge

An Eagle Required MB

Who is eligible?                  All Scouts who have earned the rank of First Class or higher

When:                                    9:30 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, December 19, 2015

Where:                                   Mr. Parizek’s House 3103 East Claire Drive Phoenix

What will be covered:

1. Requirements and expectations
2. Procedures and forms
3. Kitchen safety
4. Using cooking utensils, knives, and pots and pans
5. Using stoves and heat sources
6. Cooking techniques

Pre-requirements:

1. Let Mr. Parizek know that you will be attending.
2. Obtain a blue card.
3. Obtain a Merit Badge Booklet 2014 or later printing.

To join the class or if you have any questions about the class, contact Mr. Parizek via text to 602-549-2996 or email to armar@cox.net

Directions to Mr. Parizek’s Home – From the North: Take SR 51 south to Greenway Parkway and exit westbound on Greenway Parkway to 32^nd Street (the first light). Turn left (southbound) on to 32nd Street and proceed south to the Acoma (second traffic signal).

From the South: Take SR 51 north to Thunderbird Road and exit westbound on Thunderbird Road to 32^nd Street (the first light). Turn right (northbound) on to 32^nd Street and proceed north to Acoma (first traffic signal).

From 32^nd Street & Acoma: Turn (west bound) on to Acoma. Acoma will curve around a hill. Take the first left off of Acoma. Claire Drive is a cul-de-sac that goes up the hill. There is no street sign on Claire Drive and the first mail box that you’ll see will say 3101 East Acoma. You’re in the right place; it is the mail box that is in the wrong place. Come to the top of the cul-de-sac. My driveway is the one between the two small fences that goes to the top of the hill. Come on up there is plenty of room to park and to turn around.

Thanks!

Greetings!

Emerald Bay is only about 6 months away; I am trying to get a headcount of who is planning to attend or not. We also have a deposit due this month; if you would like to utilize your scout account, please let me know. Here is a flyer with more information about summer camp:

Summer Camp should be an outstanding, unique experience this year and I hope everyone will consider attending.

Thanks!

Mr. Benyi