January 5 - Hockey Night

Hello everyone!  Welcome back.  I hope you had a great holiday break.

Our first night back is a tradition for A Colony - it is Hockey night. 

It has been hockey night the first night in January for as long as I can remember (this is my 6th year), and I imagine it will be hockey night for many more years to come!

Beavers should wear thier favourite hockey jersey.  DO NOT bring any hockey sticks or pucks.

December 15 - Christmas Movie

The school is unavailable to us tonight, so we will be joining C Colony at Tiny Hoppers for a movie.  Meet at the Tiny Hopper's Clubhouse - next to Broadways.  We will be watching "Charlie Brown's Chirstmas".  Timings remain the same - 6:15 pm.

Juice and Popcorn will be served.

This will be the last meeting before the Holidays.  Our first meeting after the break will be Jan 5.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukah!  Merry Kwanza!  Happy Holidays!

December 8 - Christmas Party

We will be celebrating Christmas this week.  Your child will make a Christmas ornament, and play some Christmas games etc.  We will be handing out a "loot bag" as a Christmas gift for your Beaver tonight.

December 5 - Christmas Parade

The theme for our Beaver's Christmas float this year will be a "Rock and Roll Christmas."  Beavers are asked to come with Santa hats and sunglasses.

The parade starts at 1:00 pm.  Meet at the Manotick Arena no later than 12:30 so we can have the kids organized on the float before we need to go.  If you can help decorate the floats, we will be there at 12:15.

Pick up your Beaver at the Manotick Arena after the parade (approximately 2:00 pm).

Dress warmly- it gets cold just sitting on a float for an hour!  (Boots and mitts recommended).

Popcorn delivery

The Scout Popcorn orders have arrived.  I will be picking them up on Monday night and bringing them to our meeting on Tuesday Dec 1.

If you have ordered popcorn, please pick it up from me this week.  I don't have enough space in my garage to stockpile this much popcorn!

December 1 - Music Night

Tonight we will learn about music and musical instruments.  Beavers will make one of three instruments:

1.  A shoe box guitar (brown tails)

2.  A finger piano (blue tails)

3.  A styrocello or tube guitar (white tails)

At the end we will all have a band practice!

Manotick Christmas Parade 5 Dec

November 24 - Flight Night

Tonight we will be learning about airplanes, balloons, blimps and anything that flies! 
It should be an uplifting experience!

Popcorn Fundraiser

WOW!  Thanks to all of your hard work, the Colony received a grand total of $1232.59 from the Popcorn fundraising campaign.  This is the best year we have had for this effort, and we were the top selling section within 1st Manotick Group!

This money will allow us to provide a quality program without worrying about funding.  We should be able to expand our planning to include some more ideas that were previously put aside due to cost.  Thanks again!

The popcorn orders should be delivered to me the first week of Dec.  I am hoping to have them ready for pickup at our meeting on Dec 8.

November 17 - Hand day

We will be doing lots of "hands on" activites this week!

White Tail Sleepover - Nov 13

Hi folks!

The white tails had a great time at the Science and Technology Museum at the annual White Tail Sleepover.  There were approximately 250 people there (including adults). 

We learned about electricity (a hair raising experience!), air, networking (although I think the tunnels were the highlight), space, cryogenics, trains, and lego!  And of course there was a campfire, snacks and crafts!

We slept with the boats!  The kids went to bed at 11:00pm and we woke up at 5:45am!

Here are some pictures.  I believe if you click the slideshow, it will take you to the web album where you can download any pictures you want to keep!

Voyager Council Award

1st Manotick A Colony has been awarded the Voyageur Council Commissioner's Quality Award (Gold Level) for the 2008-2009 year. 

To be eligible for the Commissioner's Quality Award, a Colony must meet the following criteria (Our effort to meet the requirements for the 2009-2010 year are in blue!):

• The Colony maintains an average attendance of 80% at its weekly meetings.  (So far so good for this year!  We are avereaging 91% attendance.)
• The Colony attends at least one Area or Council-wide program activity during the year (eg. Beaveree, hike, camp, sleepover)  (Done! - All Sections Activity Day - but many more are planned!)
• The Colony participates in five field trips during the year, two of which must feature the outdoors.  (Our first feild trip to No'Chimik was cancelled due to weather.  We may need to make this up!)
• The Colony includes a spiritual element in at least 75% of its meetings. These activities may include an opening or closing prayer, use of the promise, law and motto, a Scouter's Five, Scouts Own or participation is a special service at their place of worship.  (Done at every meeting so far!)
• The Colony participates in Apple Day or Popcorn or Scoutrees with 75% attendance.  (50% praticipation on Apple Day - 89% particiation in Popcorn)
• At least one member of the Leadership Team holds current Standard First Aid accreditation. (We all have the necessary accreditation)
• The Colony maintains written, up-to-date records on attendance membership, dues and finances. (Yes we do!)
• Colony, as a whole, participates in at least one linking activity with a Cub Pack, and Senior Beavers to participate in at least 3 additional activities with a Cub Pack. (All Section Activity Day counts - but others are planned!)
• 50 % percent of all registered leaders have received their Wood Badge Part 1 recognition for Colony.  (7 of 8 leaders have WB1)
• A member of the Colony Leadership Team attends all Group Committee meetings.  (So far so good)
• The Leadership Team has a long-range (one year) program plan. A copy of the plan is presented to The Group Commissioner at the beginning of the scouting year and shall include: one fully-planned meeting, the total number of meetings and themes for the year, an indication of how responsibilities are shared at the planning meetings and methods used to ensure youth input in formulating the plan.  (Done!)

Thanks to all on the leadership team for your help and efforts in achieving this level of quality!  We are also well on our way to maintaining this level for the 2009-2010 year!

November 13 - White Tail Sleepover

For our White Tail beavers who have indicated they are going to the sleepover at the Science and Technology museum, here is what you need to know:

Beavers are required to bring: 

• Pajamas, Stuffed animal & Toiletry items
• Sleeping Bag, Pillow and Flashlight
• Pad to sleep on
• Clothing

Your Beaver is NOT allowed to bring any food into the museum, and heeleys are not allowed either.  Please also leave any electronics at home.

Food for the Sleepover is:

• Evening Snack: Rice Krispie Squares and Apple/Orange Juice
• Breakfast: Juice, Cereal, or Muffin, Fruit (Tea/Coffee for adults)

Please feed your Beaver supper before the event and have them in full uniform. 

Arrive at the museum by 6:00pm, and come to the Group entrance.  Pick up time Saturday morning is 8:45 am.

In case of emergency, you can reach me at 613-894-6276 or you can call the Museum Emergency Phone Number: 613-991-3100.



For all the other younger beavers, this is something you can look forward to when you become a white tail!  It happens every year early November.  Keep watching, I will post some photos afterwards to let you know how much fun we had!

November 10 - Remembrance Day

We will be doing lots of activities around the Remembrance Day theme this week.

Note:  Beavers are encouraged to wear their uniform to school on Wed, Nov 11.  Be sure to wear a poppy!

Looking for feedback

The organizing committee of the Rideau Area All Sections Activity day on Oct 24 are looking for some feedback from leaders, parents and the beavers themselves.

If you have any comments you want to make, good or bad, let us know and we will pass them on.  Tell us what your child's favourite activity was.  Tell us what his least favourite activity was.  What could be improved?  What went well?  Anything you want to say, we'll pass the word.

November 3 - "Hug a Bear!"

This week's theme revolves around bears.  We will sing bear songs, read bear stories, play bear games, and make bear crafts!  We will also eat some "bear claws!"

Bring your favourite teddy bear along to share the fun!

Halloween fun!

The kids seemed to have lots of fun during our Halloween night:

Fun at Baxter's

The kids certainly had a great time at Baxter's Conservation area at the Rideau Area All Sections Activity Day.  Here are some snap shots highlighting some of the activities we did:

Of course this is only a sample.  There were many other activities such as campfires, a man hunt with the Venturers, a scavenger hunt with the Scouts, catapults, mazes, and a lot more fun.

For those that took photos, if you don't mind sending them to me I would appreciate it.

October 27 - Halloween Party

Tonight we will have our Halloween Party!  Come dressed in your costume.  Please leave any "weapon" accessories home (such as swords or guns). 

A chocolate treat will be handed out.

Don't forget your popcorn orders!  The child with the most sales handed in tonight will receive a Lego prize.

Popcorn reminder

How are the popcorn sales going?  We are about half way through the sale period.  Don't forget I need your order forms and money collected and turned in no later than our meeting on Oct 27. 

If you don't sell anything, that is fine, but I need to know so that I don't try and track you down when I don't get an order form back from you.

Reminder - the Beaver that has the highest amount of sales on Oct 27 will win an instant prize - a Lego set!

Keep selling - just over one week to go!

October 24 - All Sections Activity Day

Don't forget I need your $10 (Beavers and parents attending) for our meeting on Oct 20.
I also need your permission form filled out.  Get it here:

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9uhZqbiJgARNmYzOTdkMmItM2Y2MC00NGUxLTliMDEtMjYzODA1ZWM3NjUz&hl=en



Important Points to remember:

1.  Dress for the weather!  This is a rain or shine event.
2.  Bring a bottle of water.
3.  Bring your lunch (snacks and supper are provided)
4.  Wear comfortable shoes
5.  If you are arriving late (or picking your son up early) go to the registration booth to get information on our whereabouts.
6.  Wear your beaver hat and necker (vest is not required - wear a jacket instead!)
7.  Bring a pair of small mittens if it is cold.
8.  When you sign in your child, ensure I have a phone number so I can contact you.  This is especially important if you are not going to be at home.  Mobile phone numbers are preferrable.
9.  Parking is limited, so carpool if possible.
10.  Have fun!

October 20 - Visually Imparied Awareness

Tonight we will learn some important information about the visually imparied.  We will do this in a fun and educational way including games such as blind man's relay, etc.

We are also hoping to have a visit by the Canadian Guide Dogs!

Apple Day Results

Great Job everyone!

The 1st Manotick Group collected approximately $2200 from our Apple Day efforts! Outstanding! This includes the money rasied here in Riverside South as well as in the Manotick area.

After expenses and a contribution upward to the Rideau Area, our profits will be approximately $1750. This is money that will be used for leader training, group supplies, and other group sponsored events (Baden Powell Celebrations, Swim Up, Camps etc).

Keep up the good work! Don't forget Popcorm orders are due back this month!

October 13 - Change of Plans!

Due to the weather forecast (very wet!), it is expected that Camp No'Chimik will be very muddy and cold. As such, I decided that we will move our meeting this week back inside the school. Therefore, do not go to Camp No'Chimik, go to St Jerome's as usual!

We will still have a "camp fire" of sorts, with songs and games, but there will be no fire. Just fun!

C Colony will still join us, so there will be lots of Beavers to share in the adventure.

See you at the school at our normal time - 6:15!

October 24 - All Section Activity Day

Hello all!

The first Beaveree type activity of the year is scheduled for Oct 24. This is different than a normal Beaveree, as it is an Area All Section event. That means that there will be Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Rovers at the event from all over the Rideau Area.

Where: Baxter Conservation Area, 7498 Carter Rd. Kars, ON

When: Saturday, October 24th, 2009 – Rain or Shine

Timeline:

Group Registration: 8:00am – 9:00am
All Sections, All Groups Opening: 9:00am
All Sections, All Groups Campfire & Closing: 7:05pm – 8:00pm

For Who:

All Rideau Area Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, Rovers, Leaders, Advisors and Group Committee Members

Activities:

Games, Crafts, Catapults, Pioneering Challenge, Orienteering Challenge, Rescue Challenge, Nature Trail Activities, Scavenger Hunt, Maze, Spider Web, Linking Activities, All sections, all Groups Campfire in evening and more.

Cost:

$10.00 per participant which includes registration, program activities, snacks, BBQ supper (1 hamburger or 2 hotdogs, chips and drink) and crest. Note: Does not include lunch. Sections or individuals are responsible to bring their own lunch.

Clothing:

Please make sure to wear your group necker. Dress for the weather, this will be a rain or shine event.

Important things to remember:

- Bring a lunch, but remember that this is a nut free event.
- Bring a camera to take lots of pictures. We will be making a memorable CD of the day that will be distributed to all sections after the event.
- Cameras will be required for the Scout/Beaver Joint Activity.
- Make plans to carpool since parking is limited on site.
- Last, but not least HAVE FUN

I sent a seperate e-mail asking for your intentions to participate.

What I need to know from you now is whether or not you are planning to attend, and your food choice for dinner. The food choices are chips and drink plus 1 x hamburger or 2 x hot dogs. Extra hamburgers are available at $2 additional cost, and extra hot dogs are available at $1 each additional cost.

I need to register our numbers to help with planning by Oct 16. So, can you please reply to this e-mail indicating if your child is planning to attend, and if you are planning to attend with your child. Depending on the number of leaders we have available that day, we may need some parent volunteers to assist.

Please let me know your intentions by Oct 15 so I can pre-register our numbers. I will collect the money and do the paperwork later.

Neckers

I have enough neckers for all our Beavers. Therefore, everyone will be invested this week (Oct 6) and receive their necker and woggle.

If you didn't make it to the Scout Shop yet to buy a necker, no need to rush out there before Tuesday, you can buy it from me directly. ($5 necker, $7 necker and woggle including taxes).

October 3 - Apple Day

See poster below for detailed info. Here are the main points in a nutshell:

- Meet at the Rideauview Community Centre by 9:00 am

- Dress for the weather
- Bring your apple baskets and a small container to collect money in
- bring an extra bag to carry additional apples if necessary

- You will be grouped together (maybe with a cub) and assigned an area to canvass
- Return to the community centre with your money no later than 11:30

- Have a BBQ at Claudette Cain park afterward

- Benefit from your hard work all year as the funds you raise support scouting activities in the 1st Manotick group!

October 6 - Investiture Night

This evening we will be investing our new Beavers!

The following Beavers will be formally welcomed into the colony:

Evan Baxter

Cameron Boese

Brendan Brophy

Roy Coleman

Patrick L'Anglais

Curtis Leahy

Tommy MacDonald

Ryan Mortimer

Harrison O'Reilly

Noah Royz

Joeseph Sreih

Alexander St Pierre

Mason Theriault

Benjamin Tibbo

During the investiture ceremony, your beaver will be asked to recite the Beaver Law, Promise and Motto:

Law: A Beaver has fun, works hard, and helps his family and friends.

Promise: I promise to love God and help take care of the world.

Motto: Sharing, sharing, sharing

You can help your child prepare by going over these with them at home, but not to worry, we will be on hand to help them through it all. The do not need to have them memorized, but they usually feel a little more relaxed if they know what they will be asked.

During the investiture your child will be presented with their necker and woggle. Thanks to everyone who has brought a necker in. Unfortunately it seems the Scout Shop ran out of neckers. This is not overly surprising as we are the only Group in the area that still uses the traditional blue Beaver necker. All the other groups have custom made neckers in the Group colours. (I will bring this up at the next Group meeting to see if we should also move away from the blue neckers to the Group one in the future. The problem is finding someone who can sew them together for us - anyone interested?) I will try to scrounge enough neckers together in order for everyone to have a necker at investiture night. If I can't, your child will still be invested, but we will wait to present the neckers until we have enough for everyone.

Feel free to stay and take pictures. This is a big event in your child's time at Beavers.

Returning Beavers will also receive their new tail tonight. You can replace the existing tail on their hat with the new one, and the old tail can be sewn on their campfire blanket.

Of course, there will also be lots of games, perhaps some songs ...

October 3 - Apple Day

September 29 - Apples, Apples, Apples!

In preparation for Apple Day on Oct 3rd, we will be having a night themed around Apples!

Equipment Needed - Your child will need to bring a fruit basket to decorate.

H1N1 Information

There may be many questions concerning H1N1 flu this season. Scouts Canada is monitoring the situation, and details will be promulgated as requried.

The best defence is common sense. We ask that you keep your child at home if they are not feeling well. In addition, we will have some hand sanitizer available at our meetings.

For more information, you can read the letter from the Executive Commissioner here:
http://www.scouts.ca/dnn/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=oIlVb%2fEWIp4%3d&tabid=36

Popcorn Campaign has started!

Our main fundraiser of the year has started!

Beavers will receive their popcorn sales package on Sep 22 to start selling.

This is the main fundraiser that directly benefits your child. Approximately 50% of your sales are returned directly to our colony. Therefore, it is the one opportunity for us to collect the necessary funds to have a quality program. Your help and encouragement is appreciated.

Your child will being home the package which will have all the details explained. There are prizes for obtaining certain amounts of sales. In addition, the Beaver in the Colony that brings in the most sales will also receive a Lego robot toy.

Completed sales forms and money will be due back to the Colony NO LATER THAN October 27.

September 22 - Lodges

Lodge night will be centered around splitting the kids into "Lodges", or smaller groups within the colony. Many activities we do (i.e. crafts) are better managed in smaller groups. Your child will be assigned to a lodge and receive their lodge badge (which is sewn on the pocket of the Beaver vest).

Typically we have an activity where they create a lodge flag and some games to work together with their new lodge buddies.

We will also be working on the Beaver law, motto and promise, which your child needs to know to be invested into the colony. (Don't worry too much, we typically help them out with this. They don't need to have it memorized!).

Note - For our Apple Day meeting on Sept 29, your child will need a fruit basket. This is in preparation for Apple Day on Oct 3rd.

Apple Day - Oct 3rd

Our first fundraiser of the year, Apple Day, will be held on October 3rd. This is the first Saturday of Oct. This is one of our major fundraisers, and funds raised from this effort are typically spent on leader training, group equipment and other adminstrative expenses.

Typically, Apple Day consists of the Beavers canvassing the neighbourhood for support for our program. We typically canvass in the morning, and have a BBQ lunch afterwards.

More details will be coming, but please mark your calendar now!

First night - September 15 - Get to Know You

Hello everyone!

Welcome (or welcome back) to A Colony!

Our first regular meeting night will be September 15. As always, we will be meeting at St Jerome School from 6:!5 - 7:15 pm.

You can use the front door to the school, and proceed to the gym, which is just off the main foyer to the left. During wet weather or winter meetings, please leave your wet footwear and jackets in the foyer and not in the gym. However, if you are changing footwear, make sure you bring something to put on your feet in the gym!

Our first night will be themed around "Get to Know You". We will be playing some ice-breaker type games, and get the kids interacting so the new Beavers feel welcome.

For safety reasons, it is necessary that you check your child in and out with a leader. Therefore, as you come in, please look for the leader with the binder to check in. Also, on the way out, please check out with the leader with the binder to ensure we know your child is leaving. If someone other that the parents of the child are picking them up, please ensure we know ahead of time.

Keep watching our blog for up-to-date info on what is happening at Beavers each week. Information will be posted here as a central location for information. If you have any questions, look here for the answers. If the answers are not here, send me an e-mail to beavers_colony_a@rogers.com and I will post the answer here.

Thanks and see you at the Beaver Dam!

Nick Torrington-Smith
"Chatter"

Stuff to get for new Beavers

Hello All! Welcome to A Colony!

If you are new to our colony this year, this is what you need to know to start the year off right!

Uniform
Beaver uniforms are available at the Scout shop on Baseline Road. Your Beaver will need a vest, hat, necker (scarf) and woggle (the little clip that holds the necker on). There are t-shirts and long sleeve t-shirts for sale as well, but these are not mandatory uniform items.

Beavers will not wear their necker or woggle until they are invested into the group formally. During this ceremony, we will present the necker and woggle to your child. Therefore, when you purchase these items, you can bring them the first night and hand them to a leader and we will keep them until we present them to your child on investiture night (currently schedule for the first week of Oct).

We will provide all the badges requried and the tail for the hat.

Scout Blanket
In the past we have been lucky enough to have corporate sponsorship to provice scout blankets for all our Beavers. Uunfortunately this is no longer the case. This year we are investigating some options, but it may not be possible to provide a scout blanket for all our new Beavers. I will let you know conclusively later (our first camp fire will be in Oct). if we are unable to get sponsorship, scout blankets are also available at the Scout Shop. This is not a mandatory item to have, but most Beavers will have one and they are typically used on our camp fire evenings.

That's it! Everything else will be provided throughout the year, or you will be told if there is something special requried for any of our activities.

Have a great year at Beavers!

Registration Night

We will be holding our Fall Registration night at the RideauView Community Centre on September 8th, from 7-8 pm.

Cost for registation is $200 for the year.

Pass the word! Hope to see you there!