SEE ATTACHED REVISED FLYER!!!



UPDATE!

GO TO THE WEBSITE FOR THIS EVENT FOR DETAILS AND INFORMATION.

www.NAT-E-CON.info

The 2009 Council Camporee is named NAT-E-CON (NATure-Environment-CONservation) 2009. It will be held at Camp Reeves on the Occoneechee Scout Reservation (OSR) near Carthage, NC October 9th, 10th, and 11th, 2009. The Camporee is already well into the planning stage and has a host of fun activities for Cubs, Boy Scouts and Venturers planned. Numerous state and federal agencies have been asked to share their expertise with the attendees. BELT LOOPS, ACTIVITY BADGES, MERIT BADGES, LEAVE NO TRACE, even GEOCACHING - These are just a few of the planned activities!

Our intent is to put on a program over a Friday evening through Sunday morning Council-wide event that will be greater than any Council event that either Scout or Scouter has ever attended.

Leader Packets will be available in April.

For details as available, watch the Occoneechee Scout Sign
Contact: Chip Willey rfwilley3rd@gmail.com

May was our most active month of 2009 with ten, yes ten, successful Eagle Scout boards of review! As you can see, these young men have each demonstrated well-developed leadership skills that have made meaningful contributions to their units and to the community in which they live. For the year, 20 scouts have now advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout (up from 10 at the end of April) and 31 scouts have received district approval to begin Eagle Scout Leadership Service Projects (up from 26 at the end of April). See attachment for photos of the new Eagles and their projects.

On Tuesday, May 19, District Eagle Board Chair Pam Miller and District Advancement Chair Tim Taylor conducted a Life to Eagle seminar for the scouts and leaders of Troop 352 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. We understand that every Life Scout in the troop was in attendance, with great questions and discussions. Expect big things from these scouts!

If your troop or crew has not scheduled a seminar, we’d like to meet with you!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 3, 2009, the night of the Falls District Recognition Dinner. This year, we are recognizing our Eagle Scouts who have earned their Eagle in 2009, including a special recognition for those attending the dinner.

More details when we return from summer break.

YiS, Ed Miller

Get the latest edition of the “Falls in Focus” Newsletter.

I hate to keep repeating myself but we still need your input!

The newsletter staff is struggling for content.

What is your unit doing?

As Scouters we are all doing great things to enhance the lives of our units and Scouts. This is an opportunity to recognize Leaders, parents, individuals, Scouts, Units, events, and the interesting things that you do.
There are a lot of units out there that would be interested in what you are doing to enhance their program.

Do you have any Eagle Scouts that should be recognized??

Yes they all should!

Send us a paragraph with some interesting information on the Scout along with a photo if you have one.

Don’t wait to submit an article, do it while you are thinking about it. It only takes a few minutes to write a paragraph or 2. Do it now!

To subscribe and submit articles send an email to: fallsdistrict@hotmail.com

Only subscribers will get it emailed directly to them. Spread the word!

The Occoneechee Council Advancement Committee has prepared this Life to Eagle Guide to give guidance, consistency and confidence to our scouts and our volunteers. The following statement from the national publication Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures says it best:

… (A) Scout advances and grows in the Boy Scout program in the same way a plant grows by receiving nourishment in the right environment. The job of adults concerned with advancement is to provide the right environment. One of the greatest needs of young men is confidence. There are three kinds of confidence that young men need: in themselves, in peers, and in leaders… Self confidence is developed by measuring up to a challenge or a standard. Peer confidence develops when the same measuring system is used for everyone—when all must meet the same challenge to receive equal recognition. Confidence in leaders comes about when there is consistency in measuring—when leaders use a single standard of fairness. No council, district, unit, or individual has the authority to add to or subtract from any advancement requirement. A Boy Scout badge recognizes what a young man is able to do; it is not a reward for what he has done.
Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures, p. 23

Occoneechee Council provides this Life to Eagle Guide to its volunteers at no charge, and electronically attached here and at www.ocscouts.org. Please share this material with your unit. Comments or suggestions for future editions may be sent to me at EMillerBSA@aol.com.

Yours in Scouting Ed Miller, Chairman Occoneechee Council Advancement Committee

Please note my new email address: brandon.stokes@scouting.org

Thank you.

JAMBOREE INFORMATION Will you be one of those that attend?

WHO: Registered Boy Scouts who are First Class or above as of July 1, 2010 but who have not turned 18 by August 3, 2010. Each scout must be approved by his Scoutmaster. Webelos in their 2nd year may be old enough to attend in 2010.

WHAT: Once every four years Scouts and adults from across the country and visitors from other countries meet for a week of activities, action centers, challenges, shows and Scouting fun and spirit. Live Scouting at its BEST!

WHEN: The 2010 National Scout Jamboree is July 26, 2010 - August 4, 2010.

WHERE: Fort A.P. Hill, VA near the town of Bowling Green in Caroline County, Virginia

See attached flyer for details and information.

Occoneechee Council BSA National 2009 Tour Permit Changes
Beginning January 1, 2009 the Tour Permit requires that there is at least one leader attending the outing that has been certified in the new Boy Scouts of America Planning and Preparing for Hazardous Weather.
Currently this course is only offered on-line at the eLearning portal. The course takes approximately 1 hour to complete and it appears that you have to do it all at once - stopping part way through and returning will cause you to have to start over - so be prepared to set aside enough time when you begin to finish the entire course.
This course can be found on the "General" tab and it is listed as "Weather Hazards"
Note: If for some reason you do not see a certificate when you complete the course, go back to the menu page for training modules where you should see a link that says "view certificate". Click on that link, it will bring up your training card for that course which you can then print out. When I did the training, it was a few minutes before the link for my certificate actually showed up. You will eventually get credit.