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December 2019 Vol. 12, Issue 10
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While the end of the calendar year is near, the school year and Scouting year is in full swing! There are many activities coming up for both Scouts and adults.
We hope your December is peaceful and safe. At the Marin Council office, we are grateful for the many kind folks involved with us in Scouting. It is our privilege and joy to walk this adventurous path with you all!
Have a wonderful December!
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Please forward this monthly newsletter to other people in your unit that may not be receiving it. They can also
click here to subscribe if they are not on our mailing list.
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It's Roundtable Time
Thursday, December 5, Is Roundtable
Unit leaders, don't forget to send someone from your unit to the roundtable meetings. It's a great time to meet other leaders, share best practices, and ask questions. Roundtables are the first Thursday of every month (except July and August), starting at 7:30 p.m., 220 N. San Pedro Rd., San Rafael.
Journey to Excellence
Commissioners will be available before, during, or after roundtable to help you finish your Journey to Excellence forms. It's really important to finish these before the end of December, so please come prepared to meet with a commissioner if you have not completed your JTE form yet. JTE is an important diagnostic tool, and it's a fun opportunity to celebrate a job well done in running a strong unit. Scouts take great pride in knowing their unit is Gold, parents will too, and that recognition sets a standard that can help you in recruiting new leaders and succession planning.
Cub Scout Roundtable
Fun and fellowship begins at 7:30 pm at 220 N. San Pedro Rd., winding down at 8:30 pm.
Scouts BSA Roundtable
The Scouts BSA roundtable will begin at 7:30. On the agenda Unit Committee Training highlights and successes, Code Red information, how to have a winning team at Code Red, and Klondike information.
Venturing Rally
There will be a Venturing Rally starting at 7:30. Be sure to send a representative from your crew.
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Now Is the Time!
One of the favorite events of the year is the annual Marin Council Recognition Dinner in March. The reason it's so popular is that we recognize dozens of outstanding Scouts and leaders at that time. Scouts, Explorers, and leaders from all over the county attend this wonderful event.
If you have not already done so, please begin those nominations. On-time nominations are a must because Scouts will be interviewed by a panel of leaders on Thursday, January 23, at the council office. Late nominations for youth after
midnight January 7 will not be considered. Adults are not interviewed, and those nominations can be submitted by January 31, 2020.
Don't miss this opportunity. All Scouts and adults will be recognized at the Marin Council Recognition Dinner on March 9. This is a great opportunity to see all the width and breadth of what is going on throughout Marin County!
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Every Scout Deserves a Trained leader!
Are your unit's leaders trained?
Sign up for one or more of these great courses!
Merit Badge Counselor Training, 12/9: See article below.
Wilderness First Aid and CPR/AED Training, March 28-29, 2020: See article later in this newsletter.
Cub Leader Position Specific Training: Saturday, April 18 at 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Marin Community Foundation.
Scoutmaster/ASM Position Specific Training: Saturday, April 18 at 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Marin Community Foundation.
Venturing Crew Advisor Training: April 18, 9:00 a.m. at Marin Community Foundation.
Registration for the last 3 trainings will be available soon on the Marin Council web site.
Wood Badge training will take you on the same emotional roller coaster we put our Scouts on as they advance in the program. In other words, you might not leave Wood Badge feeling relaxed, but you're guaranteed to be recharged and ready to tackle any problem your Scouts throw your way. Dates: September 11-13 and 26-27, 2020. More information by
clicking this link.
BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) for Cub leaders: will be offered in the spring. The dates are TBD, so check next month's Dispatch and the Marin Council training web page.
Merit Badge Counselor Training
Have something you love to do? Have an expertise you'd love to share with an eager Scout? If so, then this class is for you! Come to Merit Badge Counselor Training to be held at Marin Council office on Monday, December 9, at 6:00 p.m. You'll learn the BSA methods for delivering the merit badge program to Scouts interested in your vocation or avocation. The training will last about one and a half hours and result in receiving a permanent certification to counsel Scouts on merit badges of your choosing.
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Cub Scout Camping 2020
Mark your calendar now for our 2020 events, which will include (all held at Camp Tamarancho, unless otherwise noted):
Family Fiesta (Bug Hunters)
May 15-17, 2020
Day Camp (Under the Sea)
June 22-26, July 6-10, and July 20-24, 2020
Webelos Woods (Back to Baden Powell)
(@ Marin Sierra) Sept 4-6, 2020
Cub Scout Adventure Weekend
(Cub Scout Games)
Sept 18-20, 2020
As we look forward to 2020, we could use your help. Please consider joining our committee. Contact
Ron Poggi or
Nancy Rozell at the council office.
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Code Red Is Back, and We Are on FIRE!
On January 25, Terra Linda Troop 76 will be conducting Code Red--California Prepared, which will be held at the LDS church in Santa Venetia, 220 N. San Pedro Road
Troops from throughout the Marin Council will be competing in 13 first aid disaster scenarios. Inspired by the recent California wildfires and the power blackouts,
Fire is this year's theme.
Troops will be challenged with a variety of realistic injuries in disaster-caused situations created by Marin troops, crews, and the OA and judged on their ability to evaluate and resolve an emergency as a team using every skill they have learned in Scouting. Does your troop have what it takes to win?
Also present will be emergency professionals from the fire department, Red Cross, Marin County Search and Rescue, and paramedics demonstrating their techniques used in situations like these.
Troops have the opportunity to design and run their own challenging disaster scenario! Be creative and show off your stuff! We only have 13 rooms available so hurry and register your troop's disaster scenario with us soon! To avoid duplicate scenarios, please provide an alternate as well.
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Camp Staff
Join the best summer experience a young person can have!
Presently, we have numerous applications coming in for next summer, so now is a great time to apply to insure you get a place on staff and perhaps even the job you desire. There are positions open at both camps.
Marin Sierra
You can download the application for the 2020 Marin Sierra staff by
clicking this link. Important positions we are seeking at this time are program director, food services director, waterfront director, shooting sports director, shotgun director and many more!
Tamarancho
If you have questions or need information, you can email
Nancy Rozell about Cub Scout camp or
Tim Wells about Scouts BSA camp.
These camps our your camps!
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Talako Lodge News
Banquet
Coming up on December 8 at St. Stephens Church in Belvedere is our annual end-of-year banquet. This is a very fun event where we celebrate the year and induct our new youth officers. We will have a raffle, an auction, and will serve Sol Food for dinner. You can register here by
clicking this link. Registration is open until Wednesday, 12/4, so please sign up today! We hope to see all Arrowmen and their families there!
Lodge Meeting
As our banquet is in December, we will have no formal December lodge meeting. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 14, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge. This is the first meeting of the 2020 year with our new LEC, so be sure to attend.
Dues
It is almost the beginning of a new year, so membership dues are here. To pay your dues, you can
click this link. If you are not attending the banquet, you can select the "no banquet option" to pay only your dues, which are $15.
See you at the banquet!
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Pinewood Derby Workshop
Mark your calendar for a fun day at Camp Tamarancho, Saturday, February 8. It's the annual Pinewood Derby Workshop, where we ask Cub Scouts, "What do you want your car to be?" The Order of the Arrow will be cutting out cars, providing lots of racing accessories, putting on a hotdog lunch, and running the BB gun shoot!
We sell lots of PW derby accessories.
We cut nearly 120 cars last year.
All of the hotdogs were sold out!
Lastly, the BB gun shoot is always a big success!
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Wilderness First Aid Training
Going to Philmont? Going on a 50 miler? Doing some righteous backpacking with your troop? If you have ever suffered an injury or seen an injury on the trail--deep cuts, some unfortunate sprains--you are keenly aware of what happens when someone gets hurt far from help. You deal with it yourself.
It only takes a little knowledge to make the difference between panicked helplessness and confidently treating the injury. You've likely spent plenty of time learning how to navigate, how to pitch a perfect camp, and how to cook great food in the Great Scoutdoors. Now, make sure your wilderness first-aid skills match.
Marin Council will once again offer the Wilderness First Aid training required for Philmont trips (2 people trained, in fact!), and a great idea for anyone going deep into the wilds like Scouts BSA do! The course being offered is also inexpensive compared to REI, NOLS, and other offerings!
Join me, Jesse Barnett, and Bobbie Foster of Foster Calm as we study and Be Prepared for all sorts of Wilderness 1st Aid events. The class will be held on March 28-29, along with the option to earn a CPR certificate (also required by Philmont). Go to the council web site, and sign up today!
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thanks to everyone for your max effort at Scouting for Food. The council gathered a bit more than last year, with the total being over 24,000 lbs of food! If you would like to know how much your unit gathered, email Tim.
Patches have been ordered, and they should be in by the end of the year. We will distribute them at roundtable.
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What's Tradin' at the Tradin' Post
The Tradin' Post will be closed from December 16 thru
January 1 for inventory.
The Marin Council offices will be closed on the following dates:
December 20, 24, 31 -- Closing at Noon
December 25 and January 1 -- Closed
Come on in to The Tradin' Post to get your holiday gifts such as flashlights, water bottles, and pocket knives.
Click this link.
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San Rafael Elks Lodge Essay Contest
San Rafael Elks Lodge 1108 is pleased to announce that we are again sponsoring the Americanism Essay Contest this year for all Marin County 5th-8th graders.
The new theme is "What Does Freedom of Speech Mean to Me?" This national Elks program, organized locally by the San Rafael Elks Lodge 1108, encourages students to submit original essays that will be judged on the basis of originality, development of theme, mechanics, and neatness. There are two divisions: Division 1: 5th or 6th Grade, and Division 2: 7th or 8th Grade
The deadline has been extended to January 15, 2020, by which all essays along with the Essay Contest Cover Sheet (see link below) must be received at: San Rafael Elks Lodge 1108, 1312 Mission Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901.
All students who enter will receive Certificates of Participation, and there will be monetary awards of $25-$100 depending on place and division (1st, 2nd, 3rd & two Honorable Mentions in each of the 2 Divisions) There is also a special Youth Awards Dinner at the Elks Lodge planned for the coming spring (date to be announced) to honor the essay contest winners along with Elks scholarship recipients.
For any questions, contact: Stewart Munson, Americanism/Essay Contest Chairman, cell: (415) 419-4967; Elks office: (415) 454-8835.
We hope students can participate in this very educational and worthwhile program!
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Lion's Club Student Speakers Contest
The California Lion's Clubs are conducting a Student Speaker Contest. Scout that may be working on their Communications or Public Speaking merit badges can use this opportunity for those as well as to earn significant scholarships.
Here are some links to find out how you can enter. However, act quickly because the entry deadline is approaching quickly.
Marin Clubs are:
Briones Lions Club, Bolinas; Corte Madera Lions Club; Novato Lions Club; San Geronimo Lions Club; San Rafael Host Lions Club; San Rafael Las Gallinas Lions Club; Sausalito Lions Club; West Marin Lions Club, Pt. Reyes Station.
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