Dear Scouts, and Parents,

TROOP WEBSITE: http://troop147.net

Our meeting on Tuesday February 9, 2010 will take place from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00p.m. At the Northampton Fire station 50 Newtown-Richboro Rd Richboro, PA.

***Please note that the troop calendar lists a "Parent Meeting-Trail to Eagle" on February 4th. This meeting will NOT be held on February 4th and will be rescheduled for sometime in April. Sorry for any confusion this error may have caused.

COURT OF HONOR DINNER: Invitations were mailed last week. Please be sure and R.S.V.P. To Kristin Newman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

EXCLUSIVE 100th ANNIVERSARY MERIT BADGES:

In keeping with BSA’s 100th Anniversary theme, “Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey,” four retired badges will be brought back for the anniversary. These can ONLY be earned from January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010. They will go back into retirement at that point. The specially-issued badges will be bordered in gold thread. . They’re meant to tie the past and the future together. It’s a very exciting possibility to earn these badge IN the centennial year. They won’t be available again. The gold thread will designate them as 100th anniversary badges (and, yes, they count for your advancement). The four badges are Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signaling and Tracking. Currently, we have one badge planned and hope to offer more, if not all four.

Mr. Regosch and Mrs. Newman are offering Pathfinding on Saturday, April 24, 2010. The class will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. ALL SCOUTS (even our new Webelos II that will be newly crossed over) are encouraged to sign up. Sign ups started last night and will continue for the next several weeks. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity!

For more information about the four badges and their requirements, please visit http://kitsapscouts.com/merit-badges/exclusive-100th-anniversary-merit-badges/

SKI CAMPING TRIP: Sign ups will be on 2/16 from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. See Pricing below:

Weekend/Holiday

Open-to-Close Lift Ticket

$38.00

First-Timer Package*

(Restricted) - Lift, Lesson & Rentals

$55.00

All Area Package**

$70.00

1½ Hr. Group Lesson Any Level

10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.

$22.00

Rental Equipment - Ski/Snowboard

$28.00

If you have your own equipment then all you will need is a lift ticket for $38.00. If you need to rent ski's or snowboard you will need a lift ticket for $38.00 plus rental equipment $28.00 total $66.00.

Scouts cost for campsite and food will be an additional $25.00 . Adult drivers do not pay the camp fee.

RANK ADVANCEMENT CUT-OFF: Scouts, if you would like to advance your rank and be recognized at the February Court of Honor, you need to complete all rank requirements by FEBRUARY 9^th, in order to have a Board of Review prior to the COH. If you are not sure what requirements you have remaining for your next rank, please email Mr. Newman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

COOKING MERIT BADGE/PAMPERED CHEF DEMO: On March 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Church, you can come watch the scouts cook and see some exciting Pampered Chef products. Bring Friends and Family, 15% of product sales and $10 for each party booked will be donated to the Troop 147 Trailer Improvement Fund. See attached brochure for details. Any questions please contact Kim Hogan 215 497-5090.

EARN SERVICE HOURS: Service hours for scouts needing them for rank advancement are available as follows:

Pack 147 cub scout Pinewood derby Saturday February 6, 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The pack could use some help from scouts willing to man the refreshment tables, help with weigh-in table and general setup (setup from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.). Please contact Barry Bailey, if you would like to sign up to help out at this service project.

Fun Fair at Hillcrest Elementary Saturday March 13, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m.. Assist running games. You do not have to stay the entire event. Contact Kim Hogan at 215 497-5090 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Pack 147 cub scout Blue and Gold Banquet, March 7, 2010 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. The pack could use help from scouts (2 scouts to take pictures and 2 scouts to help hand out awards). Please contact Barry Bailey, if you would like to sign up to help out at this service project.

SUMMER CAMP PHYSICALS: Summer camp physicals are only good for one year. The form can be found on our website. Please have those forms completed and return to Mr. Gianni. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Gianni at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SIGN -UP SUMMER CAMP 2010: Curtis Read Scout Reservation, Brant Lake, NY from July 4 to July 10, 2010. The approximate cost is $400 includes all basic camp fees, round trip bus fare and troop tee shirt. Ockanickon Scout Reservation, Pipersville, PA from July 25 to July 31, 2010. The approximate cost is $365 includes all basic camp fees. All scouts registered in the troop are eligible to attend either or both camps. Camp reservations will be accepted starting Tuesday November 10, 2009, a $50 non-refundable deposit is required for each trip. Please make your check payable to “Troop 147”. Sign up with Mrs. Cohen. If you have any questions, please email Larry Regosch at eaglesam568@aol.

DUES: Each scout must pay $30 for dues for 2009/2010 year. You can pay by check made out to “Troop 147” or the scout can pay $1 weekly.

FAMILY LIFE MERIT BADGE: This is an Eagle required badge, open to first class scouts and above. The first meeting will be on Thursday, January 21 from 7:30 pm- 8:30 pm at the church. The other classes will be on February 4, March 11, April 8, and May 13. If you have signed up for this badge please come to the meeting with requirement #3 - "list of chores" for approval. Contact Barry Bailey ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Marc Carr ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) with questions. You can download the requirements and a worksheet from http://usscouts.org/usscouts/meritbadges.asp and click on Family Life Merit Badge #129.

FIRST AID MERIT BADGE: First Aid merit badge will be held at the Church on Thursday February 11, and February 18, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

COMMUNICATIONS MERIT BADGE: We will be in touch with those scouts that signed up. The classes will be held at the church (pending approval) tentatively on March 15, April 12, April 26, and May 10 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. You must be able to attend all four classes to earn this badge.

SEWING SERVICE FOR TROOP 147 BADGES: Troop 147 has found a year round fundraiser, sewing badges on sashes and uniforms. Our seamstress is Christine Doyle, who has very graciously offered to provide this service for the troop. It is a minimal charge competitive with your local tailor. The money collected for the service will be given to our Troop. Forms can be obtained from the Troop 147 website at Troop 147 Website Documents.

UNIFORM DONATION/SWAP: Troop 147 has a uniform bin. If you have any uniforms that your scout has outgrown please drop-off in our bin. Like wise, if your scout is in need of a uniform, please checkout our bin.

DRIVER'S PLEDGE: This form is on the website, under documents on the left hand side menu. Any parent transporting scouts needs to sign this pledge. The troop needs to have these on file for our Quality Award.

PARENT ATTENDANCE ON CAMPING TRIPS: Effective January 16, 2009, Troop 147 will require that EVERY adult who goes on a camping trip must complete two BSA online training courses. This means that if you are not an Assistant Scoutmaster or a registered committee member, you must complete the training courses prior to attending any camping trips. These courses are designed to help adults deliver quality Scouting Experiences to the youth.

**Please Note**: We have added a new course, “THIS IS SCOUTING”. This is Scouting is an introductory session that hightlights the values, aims, history, funding, and methods of scouting. It addresses how these aims and methods are reached in an age appropriate style. We feel it is important that every adult who goes on a camping trip understands the fundamentals of scouting. The three required courses are “This is Scouting”, "Youth Protection Training" and "Boy Scout Leader Fast Start". Each course should take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete.

To complete the online training, visit the BSA Online Learning Center at http://www.olc.scouting.org/ click on "Youth Protection Training". You will be re-directed to the E-Learning Portal. Click "connect".

Follow the instructions to register and create a new account. You DO NOT need a BSA Member ID# to register. In the drop down menu for Council Number, please select "Bucks County Council – Doylestown, PA – 777". Once registered, choose "E-Learning" to display the training courses. Under the "General" tab, click "Take Course" next to "Youth Protection Training". Take the training and print your completion certificate when you are done. (You might have to exit the training and go back to the list of courses and refresh the screen before you can print your certificate. "View Certificate" should appear next to "Youth Protection Training"). The Fast Start training course is listed under the "Boy Scout" tab. Take the training and print you completion certificate when you are done.

Please give your certificates to John Gianni, Outdoor Program Chair. He will make sure that every adult who signs up for a camping trip is properly trained.

We encourage all parents to take the online training, whether you go on camping trips or not. You will find that the training will give you a better understanding of Boy Scouting and our Scouts will benefit from having trained parents.

If you have any questions or need help completing the online training, please contact Bill Smith, Training Coordinator, at 215 968-3463 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .