Important Dates at a Glance
- Breakfast with Santa Pack 281.........................December 1
- District Holiday Party.......................................December 2
- Scout Camp-In.................................................December 6
- Wilderness Remote First Aid...........................December 6-8
- Citizenship in Community...............................December 7
- STEM University UMSL.................................December 14
- OA Banquet......................................................December 15
- District award nominations due........................December 16
- Eagle Board of Review......................................December 17
- Roundtable........................................................January 6
- Citizenship in the Nation..................................January 11
- Commissioner/Committee Mtng......................January 13
- Eagle Board of Review......................................January 21
- District Dinner..................................................January 24
- Roundtable........................................................February 3
District News:
William Humphrey Retiring
William is the Thunderbird District Director and is retiring effective on December 31st. We want to thank William for always pushing us to achieve high standards in Thunderbird and helping to keep Thunderbird a strong district. We wish you the best in retirement!
Next Roundtable - Monday, December 2nd
This is the District Holiday Party and will be held at St. John the Baptist on Delor starting at 7:00 pm. It is a non-uniform event since there will be adult beverages. Fall Camporee patches will be distributed. This will also be William's last event with Thunderbird, so come join in Christmas cheer and wish William well in his retirement.
District Award Nominations
It is time to identify, nominate and recognize those Scouters that are making a huge difference in the program and program delivery to the youth in the Thunderbird District.
Attached are the nomination forms for the District Award of Merit and the Spark Plug award. The district is able to nominated 2 individuals for the District Award based on the number of active programs in the district. It is the highest award a district can bestow on a volunteer.
The Spark Plug is a unit level recognition, to give a shout out to that volunteer that bring energy and vitality to your unit program delivery.
The deadline for submission is Monday, December 16, 2019. Submit nominations to Bob Malon, anthorobert@hotmail.com or William Humphrey, William.humphrey@Scouting.org.
To nominate for one of these awards, please go to the Thunderbird website by clicking on the link below:
Want to get more involved in scouting?
We are looking for 7 different chair positions: Roundtable chair, Membership chair, Vice chair for Cub Scouts, District Chair and several others. Thunderbird needs to fill the positions to stay strong. If you would like to volunteer, know someone who would like to get involved, or want to inquire into the different positions available, please contact WilliamHumphrey: William.Humphrey@scouting.org
We are also looking for a site to host the District Pinewood Derby in March. If you can help, please contact Tim Wiese: tjwiese1949@msn.com
Breakfast with Santa - Pack 281
Activities and Camping
Scouting for Food
What a great day, 1.9 Million Donations were collected by our amazing Scouts and Scouters. We thank each and everyone that donated today this is not possible without you (the public). Thank you to MERS Missouri Goodwill, 2019 Scouting For Food title sponsor, also sponsored by Great Clips, Raising Cane’s, and MedExpress. And Saint Louis FoodBank and Sunset Transportation. Thanks to William, Pack 51, Crew 2179, Crew 4, pack 4, Troop 179 and pack 108 for the pictures.
2019 Scouting for Food Patch Orders! Be sure to get yours before they are gone! To order visit https://scoutingevent.com/312-31261-76666
Scout Camp In, December 6th
Scouts are invited to troop over to The Magic House for their next camping adventure! For Cub Scouts, December 6th they can camp in the great indoors and have The Magic House all to themselves as they explore the Museum after dark, take part in fun activities, sleep “under the exhibits” and more! Many badge opportunities for all ages of Cub Scouts.
Participants will enjoy an evening snack, a light breakfast and receive a special Magic House Camp-In patch. Check-in is at 7:30 pm, check-out is at 8:00 am. Cost: $35 per person (adults and children) - 1 adult is required for every 5 children. A $100 nonrefundable deposit is due when making reservations. Balance due two weeks prior to camp-in.
For registration, go to https://magichouse.doubleknot.com/event/cub-scout-camp-in/2518989 For badge information, go to https://www.magichouse.org/events-programs/programs/
Advancement and Recognition
New Eagle Scouts
We made two new Eagles last month – Matt McBride from Troop 4 and Thomas Welick from Troop 181. Matt McBride’s project was to put up mile markers around Francis Park and Thomas put up fencing around another park. Matt is the son of long-time scout leader Betsy .
Bobcat Ceremony - Pack 281
Upcoming Badge Workshops:
Workshops for Eagle Required Badges
The following workshops will be held at South St. Louis Catholic Academy (Formerly Joan of Arc School) at 5821 Pernod Ave. St. Louis, MO 63109. These will run from 8am until noon with registration starting at 7:30am. Pre-registration is recommended. Please email Mr. Volansky at alexvolansky@yahoo.com. Put the title of the workshop in the subject line. You may register more than 1 scout in an email but be sure to list the names of all the scouts to be registered. Scouts should be in uniform and are allowed to bring a snack and drink to the workshop. This is limited to 75 scouts so register as soon as possible! Mention that you are in Thunderbird district.
- Citizenship in the Community -Saturday, December 7th. $10 per scout - 100% will be donated to Friends of Scouting. Requirements: must be 12 years or older and First Class Rank. Bring a signed Merit Badge card from your scoutmaster. You must have the Merit Badge book, and if you want to complete it that day, pre-work requirements should be brought with you: #2A, #3A,B, #4A,B,C, #7A,B,C, and #8 from the Workbook.
- Citizenship in the Nation - Saturday, January 11th. Bring a signed Merit Badge card from your scoutmaster. If you want to complete it that day, pre-work requirements should be brought with you: #2, #6 and #8.
Merit Badge Skill Centers
- Climbing - Saturdays and Sundays at Upper Limits
- Chess – Dec 7
- Citizenship in the Community – Dec 7
- Citizenship in the Nation – Jan 11
- Go to the Merit Badge Skills Center page for full listings and to register: https://stlbsa.org/achievement/advancement/merit-badge-skill-centers/
The Missouri Botanical Garden is offering a series of Merit Badge workshops over the year. Go to mobot.org\scouts
The Salesmanship Merit badge has several workshops coming up. Find out more: https://scoutingevent.com/312-25882
Upcoming Moviemaking Merit Badge Workshops: https://scoutingevent.com/312-25880
Webolos Game Design Adventure has several upcoming workshops: https://scoutingevent.com/312-25883
Digital Technology Merit Badge workshop dates: https://scoutingevent.com/312-25885
OA
Climbing Tower Event
The Shawnee Lodge Order of the Arrow had a climbing tower event at Beaumont on Tuesday, November 5th. 15 Thunderbird scouters attended and enjoyed hotdogs and climbing (hopefully not at the same time) It appears to have been a success!
OA Winter Banquet - Dec. 15th
The 2019 Shawnee Lodge Winter Fellowship Banquet will take place on Sunday, December 15th at the Hilton Frontenac. Doors will open at 4pm and the program will begin at 5pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Tickets are $20 if purchased before 11/24 at 11:59 PM. After that deadline tickets will be $25 until 12/9 when they will increase to $30. Ticket Sales will end on 12/14. No tickets will be available at the door. For more information and to register go to:
https://scoutingevent.com/312-2019winterbanquet
Venturing
The Thunderbird VSOA hosted an "After Party" for all those helping with Scouting for food bag pick-up on Saturday, November 16th. About 15 scouts attended and played games, had lots of food, and enjoyed watching a movie. Thanks to Sarah Buck for coordinating!
STEM
STEM Universities
12/14/2019 UMSL (University of Missouri--St. Louis)
This year Cub Scouts will be completing the NEW Cub Scouts Can Code NOVA (see requirements here: https://i9peu1ikn3a16vg4e45rqi17-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CubsCanCode2019.pdf).
Registration Deadline: Sunday, December 8th or when capacity reached. Earlybird pricing by December 1st. NO late registrations or walk-ins. Out of Council Scouts are welcome to enroll.
1/4/2020 - SEMO Cub Scout College (Southeast Missouri State University)
This year Cub Scouts will be working on the Uncovering the Past Nova! The activities will involve archeology, artifacts, fossils, and more!
Registration Deadline: Monday, December 29th. Earlybird pricing until December 22nd. NO late registrations or walk-ins. For more information and registration: https://scoutingevent.com/312-stemu19SEMOcubs
2/22/2020 - SIUC Cub Scout College (Southern Illinois University - Carbondale)
This year Cub Scouts will be working on the Cub Scouts Can Code Nova
Registration Deadline: Sunday, Feb. 16. Early bird pricing until February 9th. NO late registrations or walk-ins. For more information and registration: https://scoutingevent.com/312-stemu19SIUCcubs
Training
Looking for Trainers!
Tim Redmond is looking for 3 cub scout trainers and 6 boy scout trainers. If interested, please contact Tim: timredmond3@aol.com
2019-2020 Wilderness Remote First Aid
- December 6-8, Camp Warren Levis
- January 10-12, Beaumont Scout Reservation
For more information and registration: https://scoutingevent.com/312-WRFA
Honoring Veterans
Thank you to all who contributed!
No December Newsletter - see you in January!