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May 2020 Vol. 13, Issue 5.1
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Traditionally, the month of May is a time with lots of activity for our families and Scouting youth: schools getting ready to finish the year with graduation, sports leagues practicing for the summer schedule, and camping and outdoor programs helping everyone to get outside for the enjoyment of sunshine, fresh air and natural beauty at our parks and camps.
This year has been dramatically different as we all have been forced to look inward and rely on our families for support, and online resources for learning and entertainment. Council volunteers and staff have conducted significant unit leader and committee outreach during the past 7 weeks of sheltering-at-home. We continue to be impressed by your creativity and dedication with keeping our Scouts engaged in character-building programs during these challenging times. We hope you all stay healthy and remain positive until we can meet again in person and share in the ideals of the Scouting movement!
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Roundtable Meetings Thursday 05/07
The regular Council Roundtable meetings are held the first Thursday of every month, September through June. This month will be meeting online again through ZOOM.
The Roundtable will start at 7:30 with announcements and presentations until 8 pm, then your microphones will be unmuted to give everyone a chance to share ideas for keeping Scout meetings, activities, and advancement fun during these times of social distancing and Sheltering-at-Home. Please see specific log-in details below; we look forward to hearing from as many Scouters as possible from around Marin Council!
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Cub Scout Roundtable
with Roundtable Commissioner Nestor Schnasse:
Join Cub Scout Zoom
Meeting ID #: 891 5748 7418
Scouts BSA Roundtable
with Council Commissioner Sam Guyton:
VOA & Venturing Rally
The Venturing Officer's Association plan to hold their meeting through the regular Google Hangout call-in method for all the Presidents and VOA members from 7:30-8:30 pm this Thursday. There is no quarterly Venturing Rally currently scheduled.
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Marin Camping Programs Online Survey
The scale and form of summer camps this year is still fluid. We continue to work with local health departments in terms of if, and how, we might be able to operate summer camps. So we can be as prepared as possible, we would like to hear from our Scouting families regarding what they expect from our programs, and how comfortable they will be going to our properties this summer.
We invite you to complete the surveys below to help us meet your needs and make our camps as enriching for your Scouts and families as we can.
For families with Cub Scout age youth, please complete this survey.
For families with Scouts BSA or Venturing youth, please complete this survey.
You may submit both surveys if that is applicable to your family. Feel free to forward these links to other families so we can gain a broader response:
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Emergency Funding Campaign
The spring of 2020 is anything but typical. In addition to the medical suffering and loss of those afflicted with COVID-19, many individuals and businesses have also been impacted by crippling economic conditions. The Marin Council is not immune from this financial crisis. In the space of a few weeks, $250,000 in anticipated income was taken off the table as donations and camp revenue came to an abrupt halt when the shelter-in-place order took effect.
If nothing changes, we could experience a significant deficit which will hamper the reopening of our properties and severely damage Scouting in Marin. That would be a horrible blow to our community and we are working hard to try to shore up that loss. To that end we have kicked off an Emergency Relief Campaign and hope that through donations from our supporters we have the financial wherewithal to come out of this financial crisis in a position of strength, able to continue our mission to serve the youth and families of Marin. To donate to this campaign please click the link:
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BSA Kicks Off the 2020 Camping Season!
Did you remember to attend the fantastic online event by the BSA National Council posted on "Facebook Live!" last Saturday 05/02? We streamed this exciting program all afternoon through our own Marin Council, BSA Facebook page, and enjoyed all the fun activities and interesting speakers from around America.
Did you know they interviewed some Arctic explorers who are brothers from Truckee, CA and were Scouts at Camp Marin Sierra? For those that want to recognize their participation in this unique event, there is a patch that will be available soon, but you need to reserve yours online NOW by clicking here
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Cub Scout Weekly Speaker Series
This has been a very popular series for the past several weeks now. Every Wednesday we feature someone new from our local community such as a Chief of Police, Congressman, falcon enthusiast, parks coordinator, or medical staff. They do an online presentation and answer questions from our youth. Email
Nancy Rozell if you would like your Cub Scout to join in the fun! Some of these may qualify toward rank advancement!
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Virtual Merit Badge Midway
Announcing an easy way to begin working on Scouts BSA advancement requirements with the support of our own local Marin Merit Badge Counselors! We are developing a Sunday afternoon program online where our Scouts can team up virtually through ZOOM with a MB Counselor for the following subjects of interest:
American Business American Heritage
Citizenship in the Community Communication
Crime Prevention Environmental Science
Family Life Genealogy
Oceanography Personal Fitness
Personal Management Public Health
Scouting Heritage Sustainability
More details including a schedule and registration link will be posted shortly on the Council website homepage and at the Scouts BSA Roundtable!
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Continuing with Scouting @ Home . . .
In response to the extended "Stay-at-Home" order and "Social Distanc
ing" concerns now in place through Sunday, May 31, we are pleased to continue offering "Scouting@Home" programs geared toward fun, learning and advancement. Click here
for exciting details and resources in addition to these activities below!
Getting Children Out in Nature
The children and nature movement works to connect kids and families to the benefits of experiencing nature, and supports this important goal of Scouting.
With each passing day of the CoViD-19 crisis, it becomes more clear that too many children are lacking access to nature and the outdoors.
Each week, they'll be posting new resources from incredible partners, tips, tools, blogs and webinars, along with the best and brightest ideas from the field. This website is your virtual gathering place and a platform for sharing and connecting with nature.
Virtual Field Trips to places of interest
There are many interesting web resources available for easy access including museums, the National Parks, and more.
We found a great collection conveniently located all at one site; click here!
BSA National Council resources
This
web link continues to be updated with some of our favorite Scouting activities for each age group that can be done at home. Please check back regularly, and let your friends know that these activities are a great option for at-home fun and learning for Scouting families and non-Scouting families alike!
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Important Adult Leader Training
The Marin County Stay-at-Home order has been extended through Sunday, May 31. What a great opportunity to update your training record NOW! Access
the many programs offered through the BSA National Council's "my.Scouting" website.
Youth Protection Training, Cub Leader Position Training, Scoutmaster/ASM Position Training, and Venturing Advisor Position Training
: all are available online for free! This is where you can register for those you need to take:
- Create or log into your personal account at this my.scouting.org link;
- To renew your Youth Protection training (YPT) click on the YPT logo at the upper right side of the screen, or
- Click on the "BSA Learning Center" to find the online version of the Leader Specific training courses noted.
Hazardous Weather
training is also required to be considered a trained leader and wear the "Trained" patch on your uniform. It's only 30-40 minutes online and you will learn some great information! Just click on the title and the link will take you there!
BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation)
for Cub Scout leaders:
It is required that an adult who has completed the BALOO training must be present for all Pack overnight camping events. Every pack should have at least two adults who have completed this training.
The outdoor portion is postponed until further notice, but the
online portion of BALOO is available 24/7
at the BSA Learning Center. Just log in to "m
y.Scouting.org"
to begin. The goal of the online portion is to make the best use of time to allow leaders to experience as much as possible during the practical hands-on training held outdoors at a future date.
Wood Badge 2020: Are you tired of being stuck inside? Eager to spend a weekend in the beautiful hills of Marin? Sign-up for Wood Badge NOW! You'll learn about leadership, planning, team-building, Scout skills, and Scouting's history. The Wood Badge staff does a great job to make it fun, educational, and memorable.
This newly-updated course is shortened to just 5 days spread over two weekends. If you're a registered Scout leader and have completed Youth Protection Training, then you're eligible to participate! Session dates are September 11-13 and 26-27 at Camp Tamarancho in Fairfax. For m
ore information or to register NOW, please click here!
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National Youth Leadership Training
June 14-20, 2020 at Camp Tamarancho
The NYLT staff remains enthusiastic about offering the best
possible course session, and we look forward to teaching
leadership methods and teamwork skills to this year's class of
Scouts in a beautiful outdoor setting in the Marin hills. We will comply with all
state requirements for health and safety of staff and
participants. For that reason, the number of Scouts on course will be limited this year, so
you are encouraged to register your Scouts NOW to ensure their attendance.
If you have any questions or concerns about your Scout's attendance at this course, please
email NYLT Course Director
Beth Bailey-Gates
or
Senior District Executive
Nancy Rozell
.
Should the current public health situation change
and we are forced to cancel the course, all
participants will receive a full refund.
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Summer Camping Programs
Be Prepared!
It's a motto we do our best to live by, even in uncertain times. Here
at the Marin Council, we are preparing for camp this summer --- all camps. We are
recruiting and hiring staff; we are planning our programs; we are making camp
improvements. We are also preparing for heightened health screenings, reviewing
accommodations for social distancing, and increasing hygiene stations and
sanitizing.
While we don't know what the future will bring,
or what restrictions might be placed on
organizations with outdoor operations like
ours, we will (as we always have) coordinate
with our local health officials and follow
their lead in delivering a safe camping program
for your children, our Scouts.
We want to see your Scouts at our summer camp programs; that's what we are
preparing for. Click here for important details.
Family Fiesta at Camp Tamarancho
Postponed from May to the September
This popular annual spring campout will be combined with
our autumn Cub Scout Adventure Weekend; more
details to follow. Put this fun event on your
family calendar for the weekend of September 18-
20, 2020.
Cub Scout Day Camp Weeks
(
Under the Sea
theme)
Day Camp is the highlight of a Cub Scout's year! However, boys and girls who are not currently in Cub Scouts are welcome to attend also. Day Camp is open to youth who will be entering the second through fifth grades in the fall of 2020.
- Day Camp Session 1: week of June 22-26
- Day Camp Session 2: week of July 6-10
- Day Camp Session 3: week of July 20-24
Day Camp fees are $295, with a $20 discount for currently-registered Cub Scouts.
Bus service is available from several Marin locations, if desired, for an
additional $50 per camp week.
Click here to reserve a spot NOW!
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Summer Camp Staff
Perhaps the best seasonal experience a young person can have!
At the present time, we are accepting
applications for the summer camp
season. NOW is a great time to
apply for a key position on our camp
staff teams, even the job
you desire together with some good
old camp fun! There are still
openings at both camp operations for
this summer.
Marin Sierra Scouts BSA Summer Camp
You can download an application for the 2020 Marin Sierra staff by
clicking here. Important positions we are seeking at this time are Aquatics Director, Waterfront Staff, Climbing Director, Shooting Sports Staff, Nature/Ecology Director, Food
Services Director and several more!
Tamarancho Cub Scout Day Camp
If you have questions or need further information, please email
Nancy Rozell about Cub Scout day camp or
MJ Andrews about Scouts BSA resident camp.
These fabulous camps are your Marin Council heritage!
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Scouting Around the Council . . .
Pack 50 Bridges Webelos Scouts for their Arrow of Light!
To honor our Webelos II for their Arrow of Light achievement, our committee
decided to put funds toward a Pack gift of a hydration pack and pocket knife for each graduating Webelos Scout, then put together a few new ideas for the "Blue & Gold".
- We started by arranging a virtual Bridging ceremony: drive-by's were organized by assigning each den two of the Webelos' homes to drive by, and there was another group going to the homes to deliver the gifts mentioned above.
- Following the drive-by's we held a ZOOM meeting and showed a "look back" video of their time with Pack 50 which was incredible!
- After that we did a short but very important volunteer recognition and verbal congratulations for awards where the Webelos were able to speak about their memories with the Pack.
- After we had said our thank-you's, we had the troops there to bridge. Troop 15 joined us on our ZOOM meeting to receive the new Scouts and welcome them! Troop 50 Scouts actually went to the Webelos' homes and dropped off a packet and neckerchief to welcome them!
During these trying times, it was really great to see the joy in all our Scouts faces, and you knowl they felt special! We're d
oing our best, thanks to everyone who participated. - - -
Donny Sellenriek, P50 Cubmaster
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Talako Lodge News --- Order of the Arrow
We hope that our Scouting families are staying safe!
In keeping with the continuing social-distancing precautions, our monthly Talako Lodge meeting at 7pm Tuesday, May 12 will be held via ZOOM. Meeting details will be sent out to all Arrowmen.
Due to ongoing uncertainty with the CoronaVirus pandemic, the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) scheduled for August 3-8 at Michigan State University
has been cancelled. All staff and participants will receive full refunds for the registration fees; y
ou can read more
here
. The OA National leadership is hoping to organize a virtual experience instead with more information to be released soon.
We've been refining an online elections process for OA candidates. If your troop would like to hold a virtual election, please let us know via the email contact below. Candidates who were elected any time in 2019 will be able to participate in the next Fall Ordeal in October, as well as any candidates elected in-person or virtually this year.
For any other questions about the OA Lodge, please contact us
here.
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What's Happening at the Marin Council offices?
As a reminder, under the "Stay-at-Home" directive, only essential businesses are to remain open. That means that the Marin Council office and Trading Post (as well as both camps) are closed until the order is lifted.
The Executive Staff is working remotely and can be reached conveniently via email:
Our office staff are available on a limited basis to assist with minimum basic operations. K
eep in mind that with the current restrictions it may take a few days for response to inquiries. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding in this regard. Please e
mail Michael Dybeck with any questions or concerns.
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Keep on Scouting . . .
At the Marin Council, we will continue to do our best to keep you informed of
changes in our program calendar as the weeks pass. We will also strive to
highlight new ways for your family to continue to enjoy and benefit from
Scouting-at-home under these unique circumstances.
Please check our website regularly for the most current information, and note the frequent social media activity with posts on Instagram and our individual Facebook pages for the Council  , Tamarancho and Marin Sierra .
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