Greetings All,
Thank you to everyone who participated in Scout Sunday today. We truly appreciate your presence and involvement. During the church services we took the time to engage with the congregation and afterward we hosted a heartfelt thank you luncheon for all church members. This event was our meaningful way of demonstrating our Duty to God emphasizing the importance of faith and community in our scouting journey. We also seized this opportunity to express our gratitude to the church for its unwavering support of Troop 380- A special thanks goes to Paul Babby and Nathan Ko for their exceptional leadership and dedication in organizing our annual observance of Scout Sunday.
- Troop Meeting: Monday February 10, 2025: Please remember to wear your Class A uniform. During the meeting we will be hosting the elections for our next quarter’s Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL) and Patrol Leaders so your participation is crucial. Additionally we will finalize preparations for the upcoming Klondike Derby campout ensuring that everyone is well-informed and ready for an exciting adventure in the great outdoors. Don’t miss it!
- No meeting: Please note that there will be no meeting scheduled for February 17th 2025- In observance of Presidents Day which honors the contributions of our nation’s leaders we will not hold our regular meeting on this day. We appreciate your understanding and encourage everyone to take this time to reflect and celebrate.
- Pack 305 Blue and Gold Ceremony: On Wednesday February 19 2025 we will proudly be bridging 2-3 scouts into our troop at 6:30 PM. The event will take place at McGarvey Elementary School located at 4350 Sophistry Drive Rancho Cordova CA 95742- This special occasion marks an important milestone for both the bridging scouts and our troop. We are kindly requesting a few scouts to join us in welcoming these new members into our community. Your presence and support will help create a warm and inviting atmosphere for them as they embark on this exciting new journey. Please see Nate Roth for further information.
- Klondike Derby: February 21-23 2025 – we are now less than two weeks away from what promises to be an exhilarating camporee set against a beautiful snowy backdrop! As the excitement builds we are diligently finalizing our preparations to ensure that everything runs smoothly during this thrilling event. As always we are particularly thrilled about the opportunity to compete against other troops from the Three Rivers District as well as various council units that will be participating. Please note that the last chance to sign up will be at the troop meeting on 2/10/2025 so be sure to secure your spot before it’s too late! If you have any questions or need any further details regarding the event please do not hesitate to reach out to Nate Roth at nathanielroth@gmail. com. We truly can’t wait to see you there and share in the excitement of the Derby! Additionally we are still in need of a female leader to join us so if you are interested please let us know as soon as possible.
- Eagle Scout Projects: We are excited to announce that we have two dedicated scouts working diligently on their Eagle Scout projects which are an essential part of their journey towards achieving the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. Jullian Buell will be conducting his project on February 15th and again on March 8th while Ethan Hammond has scheduled his project for February 22nd, March 15th and March 29th. These projects are not only significant milestones for Jullian and Ethan but also provide valuable contributions to our community. Support and assistance from fellow scouts, family members and community volunteers are greatly appreciated in helping these two scouts accomplish their meaningful projects. Your involvement can make a real difference in the successful completion of their endeavors. If you have any queries or require additional information about the projects please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jullian or Ethan during our troop meeting. Both scouts will have sign-up sheets available on the front table where you can express your interest in lending a helping hand. Thank you for your support and encouragement!
- Scouting for Food: Saturday, March 1st, 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM. Scouting for Food is our annual project that will help those less fortunate. We will collect food in the Rosemont neighborhood and donate the food to the Rancho Cordova Food Closet. Troop 380 annually collects well over two tons of food during the project. Our expectation is that all Scouts participate in this project. We need 100% participation so we can cover our area. Please see Kiah McDowell or Katy Hammond if you would like to assist with the project. Sign up at the troop meeting. Don’t forget two bring canned foods to the troop meetings on February 10th and 24th. The patrol that collects the most will receive a prize.
- Spring Project: When the troop was at Camp Hi Sierra last summer, several scouts and leaders did a tie-dye project. The t-shirts were a big hit. I am proposing we make tie-dye shirt for our summer of 2025 shirts this year. I am looking for t-shirt screening materials. If you have an old screening kit laying around or tie-dye materials, please let me know. I would like the scouts and leaders who wish to make a tie-dye t-shirt to be part of a project this spring. It would be a three step process. The first step would be to screen a Troop 380 logo on the front of the shirt. The second step would be to tie-dye shirts in the parking lot. The final step is to take the t-shirts home and dry them. Obviously the shirt should be washed by itself after the process is complete. So, if you have a screening kit, or tie-dye materials give Dave Ishikawa a shout at sm-380@comcast.net or (916) 217-1367. Thank you in advance. This should be a lot of fun.
- Are you working on becoming an Eagle? – The Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council is offering an Eagle Achievement Camp during the summer of 2025. This may serve as an alternative to our visit to Camp Marin Sierra for our older Scouts. The camp will take place at Camp High Sierra on Sunday, July 29 thru Thursday July 3, 2025. The cost is $650.00. Many Eagle required Merit Badges will be offered. The program claims a scout should be able to earn 4 to 5 merit badges during the stay at camp. Please let Dave Ishikawa sm380@comcast.net know if you would be interested in participating. Registration is filling very fast. Scouts must be First Class or above to participate. The following Merit Badges will be offered:
- Archery
- Astronomy
- Camping
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the Society
- Citizenship in the World
- Climbing
- Communications
- Cycling
- Emergency Preparedness
- Environmental Science
- Family Life
- First Aid
- Hiking & Backpacking
- Lifesaving
- Metalwork
- Personal Fitness
- Personal Management
- Rifle Shooting
- Shotgun Shooting
- Sustainability
- Swimming
- Welding
- National Jamboree 2026: The Golden Empire Council is planning to send a contingent of Scouts to the National Jamboree in West Virginia in 2026. We will tour the Washington DC area, with a possible visit to Philadelphia (250th Anniversary of the USA!) and on to the Jamboree. The touring will be 4-6 days. The National Jamboree is 10 days total, so the trip will be about 2 weeks in length. I will be hosting a meeting at the New Golden Empire Council Service Center, 3851 North Freeway Blvd, Sacramento, on Saturday, February 15, 2025, 10:00 AM. During the meeting we will discuss, touring, itinerary, Jamboree, uniforms, cost, insurance and much more. Let me know if you are interested in participating in the Jamboree. I will add you to the email list. Dave Ishikawa sm-380@comcast.net or (916) 2171367.
Yours in Scouting,
Michael Speer
Scoutmaster T-380
