Apple Day Wrap-Up

From L-R - Jonathan Boardman, Jahdai Jackson, Daniel Boardman and Nathan Morissette
gave out Apples at Sobeys in Alcona.

From L-R.  Scouter Brendan Greenbury with his son's
Aidan and Micah handed out Apples at No Frills in Alcona.

The 1st Alcona Scouting movement (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) were out in force from October 14-15th in Alcona and Lefroy, handing out Apples as part of their yearly fundraising efforts.  The Spartan apples were locally sourced from Carpe Diem in Stroud

All in told, the group raised $1626.42, of which 70% goes directly to youth programming, handling the costs of craft supplies and subsidizing outdoors activities like camps.  Of the other 30% raised, 10% goes into a Jamboree fund and the other 20% is used to provide Scouters with uniforms, pays for Police Reference Checks and covers other volunteer based expenses.

We at 1st Alcona wish to thank the communities of Alcona and Lefroy for giving so generously.  The pride in these youth's faces when they know they personally were responsible for collecting funds was tremendous to behold.  These are memories they will always carry forward.

Thought about enrolling your child in Scouts?  We still do have space in our sections and would be more than happy to accommodate you.  We are always looking for more Scouters as well.  If you enjoy working with youth and would be willing to donate some of your time to this cause we would love to hear from you.  For more information you can contact our Group Administrator, Tim Norton at tim@actingart.com or by phone at 416-871-5744.

Apple Day 2016

The 1st Alcona Scouting Group (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) will be out tonight, Friday the 14th from 6-8pm and tomorrow, Saturday the 15th from 10-2pm at multiple locations in Alcona and Lefroy handing out apples in support of our yearly Apple Day program. All apples are free, though we do accept donations on behalf of the Scouting program. All proceeds go towards our programming for the year - purchasing patches, crafts supplies, going on camping trips and other outdoor excursions.

It sounds like such a small thing, but every youth takes away the memories of the exchange you have with them, knowing that they are an important part of the community and in the Scouting movement as a whole. If you have some change you can donate, it would make such a large difference in these young kids lives.

Ringtail's Crafty Idea - 2016 edition

Looking for ideas to entice your kids to go for a hike.  Give them a digital camera and encourage them to take lots of pictures on your journey.  Then either use one of the freeware collage applications out to put them together or if you are slightly more artistically able use an application such as Photoshop to do it manually, as I have done here.  Your kids will cherish these little posters of their trip and will want to do more!

2016/2017 Year

Our new Beaver year will begin on Wednesday, September 14th at St. Francis of Assisi - 6:45pm. So far, we have only a handful of youth pre-registered, but as last year was any indication this does not mean much.

I need your help. Please let me know if your child will be returning ASAP so we can plan accordingly as to whether we need one colony or two this year. We have members of the Area willing to help out to make this a reality, but I need firm numbers to make them act.

Also, as our Group Administrator, it is my goal this year to try to bring more involvement from as many of the parents as possible. Wait...don't click away, keep reading...this does not mean necessarily as a scouter.

We could also use more people on group committee, and I would like to form smaller sub-comittees to help out in other ways. Crafts, Snacks, Fundraising, Outdoors, etc;. Basically create more brain trusts. Trust me, I could use them.

We are still looking for Scouters, so keep that in mind. If you can't do it yourself, but know that you have a neighbour, sibling or parent who enjoys working with children and would be able to pass a PRC then pass their names my way or to our Group Commissioner Wolfgang at w.lausch_2@sympatico.ca. The Cub pack may be looking for Scouters as well.

We are a community based organization, and I would love to see us be more involved together. Let's make this the best Scouting year in Alcona yet.

Fundraising for Fort McMurray

Many, if not all of you are likely aware of the horrible events that are taking place in Fort McMurray, Alberta.  The wildfires have caused substantial damage to the city and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated...which is the entire city. 

Can you imagine what it would be like for that to happen to our small town?  The worry we would face, with fear for our homes, our families, our pets, our very livelihoods?  I personally couldn't even begin to fathom it.  Not many of you likely could as well.

Malek reached out to me today with a request that we kick off fundraising efforts to ask if every people could donate $5.00 each.  This money will be part of what we hope to be a much larger donation generated by all the different sections of 1st Alcona Scouting.  Through bottle drives, BBQ's and other methods we are doing what we can for our fellow citizens (which includes at least three Scout Groups, btw). 

For the Beavers, if you could bring your donation to your regular meeting on Wednesday we would greatly appreciate it.  Furthermore, Malek is reaching out to our local grocery stores to see if we could have a charity BBQ on their locations sometime within the next month, which we will need help with...most particularly our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to sell Burgers or Hot Dogs.  As these locations rarely donate the use of a BBQ we would be asking that if anyone out there has portable BBQ's that they would be willing to loan us for the cause.  Please let me know if you could help here (or in any other fundraising capacity for that matter), and I will keep you up to date on the particulars of when and where.

We at 1st Alcona thank you all in advance for any help you are able to provide in this.

Yours in Scouting,

Ringtail

May Schedule

Hey, almost forgot we had this thing.  Sorry, due to various reasons I had switched to using direct e-mail for communications over the dreaded Winter of 2016, of which Spring apparently could not escape until recently.

Hard to believe, we have only FIVE meetings left.  Let's use them well.

Here's our final agenda:

May 4 - Bird House Crafts.  St. Francis of Assisi 6:45pm.  Hawkeye is facilitating this one and has put a lot of special effort to make sure this runs well.  We offer parents the chance to help out with this one.  Beautiful bird houses make for really nice Mother's Day gifts (hint hint).  It would be great if people could bring some smaller hammers, giving the youth a chance to at least try to nail their own bird houses together.

Sunday, May 8th - Scout Trees.    I know, it's Mothers Day this year, but we welcome as many family volunteers as possible to plant trees just off of 10th Sideroad, south of the 7th Line. (Close to Centennial Park).   1 - 4pm.

There is a crest for Scout Trees, and I need to know beforehand who is available so that correct amounts can be offered.  I will have this listed in my sign-in list on Wednesday the 4th, but if you know you can come letting me know beforehand will help.

May 11 - Sports Night - St. Francis of Assisi 6:45pm.  Weather permitting this will be an outdoor meeting.  We did get a couple sports requests from our youth as per their Canadian path programming, so we will fit them in this night.


May 18 - Flight Night Part 1 - Indoors at St, Francis of Assisi We did this as part of last year and it was a smash success...so since we have so many Brown Tails we will repeat.  Paper Airplane heaven.  Get your hate on for me now...we'll teach your kids how to make cool paper airplanes.

Thursday, May 19 - Swim Up Ceremony @ Holy Cross - 7pm
                 Hosted by the Scouts
This meeting is specifically for the White Tails, but we offer the chance for all our youth to come on out and see what the ceremonies are like and support for fellow Beavers.  The White Tail Beavers will swim up to Cubs, the Senior Cubs will move up to Scouts and we may even have a ceremony for some Senior Scouts moving up to Venturers.
There will be cake. 

May 25 - Flight Night Part 2 - 6:45pm - Innisfil Beach Park (Meet at Playgrounds).  Again, another smash success last year.  We welcome families join in...and let's fly some kites!  We will supply a new kite to each Beaver.

June 1 - End of Year BBQ and Campfire.  7pm.  At this point, I have offered to hold this at my house in Belle Ewart.  But if someone is REALLY keen on being the host instead let me know.  We will supply the Burgs and Buns, etc; Can we do pot luck for everything else?

I promise to keep this updated with any changes or additions that may occur, and feedback is always welcome.

Ringtail.

First Meeting of 2016

Happy New Year to you all!

At this week we offer the opportunity to all our Beavers to bring their favourite toy from Christmas time to show to their colony mates.

I also need numbers for Winter Brr this week.   The event will be on Saturday, January 30th at the Thornton Arena from 1 - 4pm.  The price for the event is $5.00 per youth, and I will be collecting money at this meeting.

This year's Winter Brr is being organized a lot better than last year, and I anticipate it will be even more fun.  For the uninitiated, Winter Brr is our yearly Area event where the youth will have an opportunity to compete in a rotating sequence of fun activities with a bunch of other colonies within Simcoe Phoenix Area.  I know that Barrie, Painswick and Stroud among other groups will be there.  There there will be a warming station (likely inside the Arena), so even on a really cold day we won't keep them all outside for 3 hours.

Leaders, I will also need to know how many of you can attend.

There is a Scouters Club meeting this Sunday the 10th of January at Trinity Anglican Church on Collier Street in Barrie where the planning for this event will be completed.  I will be aiming to be there but if any of the other leaders have the time to join in I would appreciate it.

Next, we have some movement on the colony split.  I searched for a good location that would have a meeting at the same time as our current colony to not success...we have the opportunity however to start our new time on Thursdays.  Take a look at your own schedules and let me know if this date would still work for any of you.  This will help us put the numbers together as to who could potentially move over.

We have a problem though.  Currently there is nobody who is chomping at the bit to be the section leader for Colony B.  Whether due to confidence or due to available time I can't judge but I'd like everyone to give it some thought and let me know if you'd care to give it a thought.  Obviously availability on Thursdays is a key.  I'm still willing to help with programming but I can't devote another night out all the time myself.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions of thoughts.

Finally, for those who may be interested - there is a Canadian Path Workshop happening on January 16 at St. George's Anglican Church in Barrie (9 Granville Street).

All participants are asked to arrive at 8:00 AM, and the workshop will finish at 4:30 pm.

The fee is $15 per participant, and the registration deadline is January 8.  Payment must accompany the registration form (which I have).  Leaders will be reimbursed for this cost.

This workshop is for scouters as well as Venturer-aged youth.

Ringtail

Meeting Cancelled Tonight

Hey everyone.  Unfortunately due to the school being unavailable this evening we are needing to cancel the meeting.

Our next meeting will be on January 6th.  More information coming.

Ringtail

Final meeting of 2015

The 1st Alcona Beavers will meet one more time before Christmas this coming Wednesday the 16th of December.  At this meeting we intend to build some tree ornaments, play a few games and have our usual amount of fun.

During the Christmas Break, before we return on January 6th I will be working with the rest of the leaders, both veteran and new to solidify the rest of the year schedule and hopefully put the stages together for the group split.  I have some leads on new meeting places for colony "B" which I am following up on this week.
Part of me is sad to split the group but it is essential for the growth of the Beavers in the program and establishes a good foundation for the group going forward.

We are definitely looking for more external activities...and since this Winter season has kind of crept up on us like a whining lamb rather than a lion we need a good assortment of choices that are both indoors and outdoors in nature.  If you have an idea yourself or know someone who has some kind of business or skill that we could utilize, please forward them to me.  There are times when I realize that even though I've lived in the neighborhood for five years and had grandparents who lived in Sandy Cove acres for years beforehand, I really don't always know all of the cool opportunities that exist here.  I'd love to be educated so that I may educate others.

As always, never hesitate to contact me if you have concerns or comments.  I believe strongly in community and together we make this program run more efficiently.

Yours in Scouting,

Ringtail

Christmas Party and Section Update

The 1st Alcona group as a whole will be having our Christmas Party on Thursday, December 10th.  As a result, the regular meeting on Wednesday the 10th is cancelled (we don't have the school that night anyway).  Due to issues that occurred last year where the balance of Chips & Desserts far outweighed regular dinner dishes I am asking if everyone could consult the list I will be sending out via e-mail and sign up with me as to which dish you could provide.
If you could RSVP with me as well as to whether you can attend, that would be appreciated.

Also, I just wanted to open the curtain for a second and let you in on what is happening with the colony.  With 28 youth we have surpassed maximum capacity and it is beginning to become difficult to plan activities that will keep all of the youth properly motivated and entertained throughout the rest of the year.  Furthermore, we have a waiting list of other youth who want to join - which our area governance is frowning upon (they don't want anybody turned away).  So, I have begun discussions with our Group Commissioner and Area support staff to assist me with creating a second colony...whom we hope will meet at the same time in a different location.
Step One will be determining this new location, which we have begun.
Step Two will be working out the new leadership team, including a new section leader.
Step Three will be determining which youth move from colony A into B.  Your own input will be taken into account.

No matter what happens, I will continue to assist with planning for both sections, so it's not like the new section would be left high and dry.  This is for the good of all youth and is taking into account the tremendous amount of growth that has taken place in and around Alcona...and more is yet to come.

As always, I value your input here, and more information will be provided each step of the way.


Finally, I want to thank all of you who were able to attend the Santa Claus Parade, and most particularly a big thank you to Kole Hicks, who designed and built our new float, and Dan Ritchie for driving the truck.  Every person we have spoken to is incredibly impressed with the float, and we've even just received new sign-up requests as a result (going back to the last point). We've had some nice floats in the past, but none with the full billboard quality that this one presents.  We should have this for many more Santa Claus Parades to come.
The youth all seemed to have a good time and even received some treats to take home.





Yours in Scouting,

Ringtail

Remembrance Day

Ethan Bruder represented us at
the Legion on Sunday.

This week we will discuss Remembrance Day and do a craft.  I have a very simple craft that looks complicated at first but I was able to put one together in less than 5 minutes.  It's a neat little paper lantern that the boys and girls can take home.

I will bring the glue, crayons and some pairs of scissors but if I could ask for some extra pairs of scissors to be brought it will make the activity go much faster.  I have two templates...one with poppies pre-printed and one that is blank that the kids can draw on themselves.

Sorry for the delay in getting this post out but I've been under the weather...hoping to be back to at least partial strength by tomorrow evening.

Contact me if you have questions

Ringtail

Investiture and Remembrance Day

This week we will be investing our new youth into the program...providing
them with their neckerchiefs, woggles, tails and badges.  Due to the amount of youth in the colony this could potentially take up the entire meeting...some extra patience for the youngest ones especially may be necessary.  :)  Full uniform is requested.

During the ceremony each Beaver in turn will be asked to place one hand on our flag and raise the other in a Beaver salute.  They then will be asked to repeat after the officiating leader (likely Malek or myself) our Beaver promise:

"I promise to love god and help take care of the world".

We invite everyone to attend and take lots of pictures!

On Sunday the 8th of November we will be taking part in the Belle Ewart Legion Remembrance day ceremony.  We ask that the Beavers arrive by 10:30 at the latest to the Legion at the corner of Robinson St. and Ewart St.  The parade typically starts on Arnold St...we will walk together up there.  If you don't see us there...pop just up Emily St. or Goldie St where the line up begins.
Following the parade we are asking that the Beavers all stay together with the rest of the Scouts for the ceremony that follows.  Following the ceremony they will have snacks inside the Legion (normally hot dogs, juice and cookies).

Any questions, just reach out!

Ringtail

Warning about potential school job actions

As many of you may be aware, the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, which is the governance body over St. Francis of Assisi has been involved with job action for a good part of this year.

As a result, we have been warned that the availability of the school could change at any time...possibly even with very little notice.

I will be watching the website and following their twitter account as often as possible so that if a cancellation does occur I can give you as much warning as possible...but I welcome you to do so yourselves as well.

The noted letter is here .

Their twitter account is at: @smcdsb

Depending on the weather, if a cancellation to the school does occur, we will do our best to replace our indoor activity with an outdoor one.  So, it will always be a good idea to bring along suitable clothing for outdoor wear...just in case.  As we say in Scouts...Be Prepared.

Ringtail

End of October Updates

Popcorn orders.  If you have any and have not provided your forms and money to me, please reach out ASAP.  The rest of the group leaders and myself will be aiming to put all of our orders together tomorrow night.

For our Halloween meeting this coming week we invite all the Beavers to dress up in their favourite costume for the meeting.  We ask though that if the costume involves a mask or a weapon to please leave those at home.  We are going to enjoy a family friendly movie together at the school, projected on the wall.  If you would like to bring some treats for the kids please be aware that we do have an egg and nut allergy in the group.  Going with wrapped products instead of fresh ones is likely safest if you are not certain of the contents...as that will allow Malek to inspect...but if you know how to make a fresh egg-free treat we would not turn it away!

Our investiture is planned for the following week.  Due to the large amount of youth (and hopefully some leaders!) we expect this will likely take the entire meeting.  We invite all parents to attend to cheer their youth on and take lots of pictures!

Apple Day - October 16-17th

Apple Day

Apple Day is a fundraising tradition that started right here in Canada.

 

This is annual event provides our Scouting youth with an opportunity to show their appreciation to the general public for their support throughout the year. Our youth distribute apples as a way of saying “Thank You” to the community. Donations are accepted in exchange, but apples are not sold.

 

Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by provided more outdoor Adventures for youth, camping equipment, training and many other endeavours.

 

Each Group has a designated area to canvass including neighbourhood stores and other public areas. This year 1st Alcona's Apple Day weekend is happening from October 16-17, 2015.

 

Please talk to your youths Section leader to sign up for a spot.

 

Ringtail

Kids making you climb walls?

At the Scouters club last night, a leader from 1st Alliston approached the other scouters with an amazing opportunity.  Rock and Chalk in Newmarket is offering a special price of $20.00 for 3 hours of Indoor Rock Climbing on February 20th, 2016.  They have wall sizes for all ages...even Beavers!  This price includes all rental supplies.  Normally they apparently charge $20/hour.
They are anticipating running two sessions during that day, with 150 people total per session (it's a large facility).  Even family members are welcome (though they will need to sign a separate waiver - all Scouting youth are covered).

Even at 300 maximum, I have a feeling that spacing will go fast.  Please let me know if you are interested.

Ringtail

WoodBadge 1

Woodbadge 1 Top Up on November 7th 9am-9pm at St. Georges Anglican Church, 9 Granville St, Barrie, ON   $30.00
Pre-Requisite is module 1 & 2 online

For our new leaders, though only module 1 is a requirement before you can be counted as ratio, the entire WoodBadge is required within one year to remain as a leader.  This is a wonderful opportunity to network with other leaders and really get the gist of what being a Scout Leader is all about.

This course is a hybrid.  Our trainers have recognized the advantages and disadvantages of online and in-person training.  In short, on line training is very helpful in covering the drier subjects, however it fails to adequately build the skill base of our scouters so that they can support a strong program.  Traditional residential, in-person training helps scouters develop the network of relationships in scouting, provide them with hands-on, practical skills they can bring back to the group, and increases retention of scouters (a.k.a. less likely to leave scouting!).  However the drier content limits the time available to do the more program-related training.  So, by relying on the online training to deliver modules 1 & 2, and focusing our in-person training to those aspects that will build their skills as scouters and make them want to stay in scouting, the trainers have come up with a great model for WB1 training!
With respect to the program itself, the training will have a strong emphasis on the Canadian Path; as we have to all adapt to it this year, this training is very timely and the more scouters you have trained on the Canadian Path, the easier it will be for your group to make the transition.
One of the fringe benefits of this is that the time required for the training is less than before (one day), and accordingly, the cost is much less as well.  Scouters who take this training will greatly benefit your group!  This applies to new scouters to a section, as well as scouters who completed their online training previously but do not have residential WB1 training.

Ringtail

Popcorn All Around

Since 1989, Canadian Scouts from all across the country have sold over $100 million of Scout Popcorn, with 60% of funds raised have gone directly back to local Scouting activities such as: summer camps, Jamborees, canoe trips, group excursions, and to help subsidize registration fees. Since the inception of the program, local Scouts have raised nearly $60 million dollars in support of their local activities making the Scouts Popcorn program one of the top fundraisers in Canada.

The fundraiser has a high return rate with 60% going back to support local Scouting. That translates to $60 million raised since the program's inception.
In 2013, Scouts Canada had sales of nearly $9.5 Million dollars that returned over $5.7 million dollars to local Scouting.

Local Scout groups decide how they will allocate their funds raised, such as supporting camping and international trips or purchasing camping equipment.

The 2011 top seller was an 11-year-old girl from British Columbia who sold $17,038, raising $10,223 for her Group and earning herself $1,022 in scholarship funds towards her post-secondary education.

Rewards can be seen at: http://www.scouts.ca/popcorn/rewards.html

Post-Secondary Scholarship Program

Through Scout Popcorn sales, Scouting youth have the opportunity to participate in a scholarship program and raise money for their post-secondary educations.

Scouts who sell $2,500 of popcorn in a single year will receive six per cent of their total sales for that year and each year going forward, to be invested into an account to be applied to future education expenses, including tuition, books, housing and other fees.

Through the scholarship program, $54,000 has been given out to 77 youth across Canada for their post-secondary education expenses.

There are currently 915 Scouts in the program.

Canadian Forces

Customers can also choose to send a gift of popcorn to Canadian Forces bases in Canada and overseas.

Gifts come in denominations of $30 and $50 and are delivered in bulk in the New Year.

Occasionally, people may wish to pay by cheque.  If so, please have them make those out to Scouts Canada.

Safety Information

• NEVER enter anyone's home
• NEVER sell after dark unless you are with an adult
• NEVER carry large amounts of cash with you
• NEVER give personal information
• NEVER sell in front of stores or malls without permission. A responsible adult must be present
• NEVER sell at stop lights or street corners
• NEVER go to dimly lit areas or places where you are not clearly visible
• ALWAYS walk on the sidewalk and driveway
• ALWAYS sell with another Scout or with an adult you know
• ALWAYS notify your parent or group leader of any strange activity immediately
• ALWAYS walk away from any dangerous or uncomfortable situations
• ALWAYS fundraise in areas you know
• Make a list of friends, family, relatives, and neighbors to contact instead of selling door-to-door.

Benefits

Popcorn sales have other life learning benefits too. In addition to raising money, youth develop valuable business skills and learn about financial responsibility, marketing strategy development and time management while also increasing their self-esteem and confidence in the process.

Youth also have fun as they engage in friendly competition, vying for the coveted top seller spots and the fantastic prizes.

Any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

Ringtail

Food Drive - Success!

This week, the 1st Alcona Scouting group worked together to raise food for the Innisfil Food Bank and are very pleased to report that between the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts we collected 850lb of food which was dropped off to the Innisfil Community Church on Thursday evening.  We want to thank all of the homeowners who graciously opened their doors and cupboards to us over the nights of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Overall it was a very positive experience for the boys and girls of the group who learned that much more about the importance of community involvement and how they can make a difference.

From l-r: Dylan Slade, James Austen and Riley McMullen from 1st Alcona Scouts sit with the pile of food the group has collected.

This meeting: Food Drive and more...

As we do not have access to the school this week, we will be out collecting food for the local food bank.  With Thanksgiving coming up we are aware that there are many families in the area who could use as much assistance as possible, so we will be going door to door collecting non-perishable food items.
As parking at St. Francis of Assisi may be at a premium, we will meet at the South East corner of the Nantyr Shores parking lot to set up teams, and head out from there.  I have been recommended to target MacLean Street, but if anybody who lives in the area has another recommendation please send it my way.  If every child in the group (pending 28) show up we should be able to do very well by dividing into 7 groups of four.  To this point, as our new leaders are not able to be counted as part of ratio I am asking if as many parents as possible will be available to walk with their children it would be greatly appreciated.  Please supply your child with a strong shopping bag - preferably not a plastic one - to collect the food stuffs.  Also, if anybody has any boxes to hold the food items I would appreciate it.  Finally, if I could get some volunteers to follow along the kids in their vehicles to collect the items I'd appreciate it.  One vehicle per team would be perfect.
The food will be delivered to the Innisfil Community Church along with the Cubs and Scouts collected food.  We raised 500lb of food last year with the Cubs alone...I see no reason why we shouldn't able to double that this year.

Popcorn paperwork is in, and I will be handing out the forms and envelopes.at the end of the meeting.  We have two wonderful parents who have stepped up to assist with coordinating the collection of money (thank you Mandy and Lori!).  We have a fairly short window to do the sales this year...it's looking like money will need to be collected on October 21th, and the products should be available by the first week of December.

For those of you who have already received their PRC forms from me, can you please let me know if you've gotten them into South Simcoe Police?  I have more now for those who have asked...please approach me so I can get them into your hands.  I need to ensure that the plans I have for the rest of the fall and winter will work with available leaders...and I need to know how many sets of badges, scarves and neckers I need to order for investiture in October (that's right, leaders need to be invested too!).  I will have a new leader discussion either prior/post the following meeting so that everybody understands what they still need to do and/or what is expected of them as leaders in 1st Alcona Beavers.

Any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.

Ringtail