On August 23rd, the Patrol Leader Council (PLC) got together to plan the calendar for the new school year. They put together a combination of traditional activities like skiing and caving along with some new ones like river tubing. I am sure that all of you will enjoy the activities selected for the 2008-2009 school year.

Troop 1970 will hold elections on the second troop meeting of the year. That will be September 15th. We will be electing a Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and four Patrol Leaders for a six month term. These elected leaders will appoint the rest of the staff. Please think about which scouts you want to lead the troop and your patrol.

At the end of last school year, we were not successful with our Adopt-A-Highway cleanup commitment. We need to do better this year. Troop 1970 has committed to cleanup our stretch of North Shore Drive four times a year. The first cleanup will take place on September 20th. Please help.

The Troop 1970 mail list is one of most important tools for getting the word out. You need to be on the mail list to get the latest news. Please keep up with the troop mail list.

During the crossover season, Troop 1970 grew. As a result, we needed to make a few adjustments in patrol assignments. The new patrol rosters were announced in May, and the list was also sent to the troop mail list. Paper copies of the troop roster, with patrol assignments and phone numbers, are available upon request. Please pick up a copy while you help honor the recent achievements of the scouts.

Speaking of the mail list, it is probably the most important tools that we use to make sure that everyone gets the word. If you do not check your mail regularly, then you are probably not fully informed. Please keep up with the troop mail list.

We are not being successful with out Adopt-A-Highway cleanup commitment. Troop 1970 has committed to clean up our stretch of North Shore Drive four times a year. We failed to do it on May 10th – only one scout showed up. We failed on the rescheduled date on June 14th – only one scout showed up on time. We need to get it done before the troop shuts down for the summer. It takes twelve people about 90 minutes. When the new date is announced, please make every effort to help out.

We continue to need help from every family. As we transition to our new Committee Chair over this summer, there are still many jobs in the troop committee that are not filled. Please find a job that suits your skills and schedule. Some jobs involve working with the boys, but most do not.

Many behind the scene tasks need to be done to make the whole program work smoothly. Our goal is to have two people doing every job. This way, everyone has a backup. The ideal situation is for an “old hand” to work with a “newbie” in each position to allow an experienced mentor to train a replacement. This scheme allows for a very smooth transition as scouts graduate from high school and their whole family leaves the troop.

Please volunteer so that all positions have two deep” staffing. Many hands make light work for all.