Upcoming Weekly Meetings
Tuesday, November 24th - Patrol Leaders Council Meeting, meeting virtually at 7:00 p.m.
Only scouts in leadership positions, uniformed leaders and parent volunteers for December need to attend.

Wreath Sales Distribution, November 28th
We will arrange this event by time slot to minimize contact. More details to come.

To join the meeting virtually, log on to the Zoom call using this info every Tuesday.  Additional log-in information is available in the weekly newsletter that's e-mailed.
 

Troop 76 Congratulates its new Eagle Scout
Pictured with his parents, Ellory H. recently passed the Eagle Board of Review thereby earning the highest rank in scouting.  He becomes the Troop's 118th Eagle Scout.  A wonderful milestone, Ellory.  We salute your achievement.






Message from Scoutmaster Trotman
Troop Committee Chair Mrs. Carlson and I decided the troop must move back to a virtual format for meetings and events for the time being.  This change is being made in the interest of everyone's health and safety, and was driven by the following:
1. Spiking Covid-19 cases in Fairfield County
2. The return to remote schooling for the High School and Middle Schools
3. Positive cases, tracing and quarantining activation at RHS and FES (these are now regularly occurring multiple times a week)
4. A new confirmed case within the troop family

While public health measures are being followed and contact tracing seems to be helping, out of an abundance of caution, we are pausing in person activities and will continue to monitor the situation.

We are all familiar with the drawbacks of meeting virtually, but I encourage all of you to attend meetings and events and help us make them fun and engaging.  We will continue to work on advancement and Merit Badges while we wait for the Covid-19 situation to improve.

Please do continue to report to Mrs Carlson and me, scouts who either test positive for Covid-19 or who must quarantine due to direct exposure to a positive case .  We will not personally identify the scout or the family by name, but we will be using this information to understand how the public health situation is progressing in coming days.

I appreciate your understanding and patience.  Please be safe and well.

Scoutmaster Trotman

Covid-19 and the Troop
In addition to state guidelines, the troop leadership developed a set of guidelines for us to follow which allow our scouts and parents to stay safe during our camping and service events.  Please review the troop guidelines by clicking on the link near the top of the left column.

The Troop wants everyone to understand that participation in these in-person activities is completely voluntary and scouts are not required to attend any in-person events.  This is a personal family decision which Troop 76 respects.  We will continue offering virtual gatherings for those scouts who are more comfortable with limited social interaction.

We are hoping these options offer our scouts ways to remain engaged with one another.  Troop 76 leadership is incredibly proud of the work our troop has done during these last three months, we have still been able to come together and offer a scouting program that encourages personal growth and advancement.  BSA and Troop 76 are dedicated to giving Scouts a strong and meaningful program during a pandemic. 

Troop Family Registration for the Scouting Year 2020-2021
Please complete the Troop 76 Family Registration Form as soon as possible. Adults are required to volunteer to help support the troop.  An important part of scouting is Youth Protection. At least one adult family member must complete Youth Protection Training to participate in any scouting activity. Date of completion is a required field on this form.

Parents: Please help the Troop
Our Troop is strong because of active parent participation in campouts, organizing special meeting activities, Merit Badge counselors or volunteering on the Troop Committee.  Scoutmaster Trotman requests that parents sign up for a month to help facilitate the activities that the scouts plan.  The Carlsons kindly volunteered for the month of September.  Please help the troop in October by sending an e-mail to scoutmaster@troop76.org and attend the 9/29 PLC meeting.

We also need parents for November and December as we need to start the planning for those campouts soon rather than later.  Scouts are counting on parents to keep our troop the best in town.

Searching for a place to Meet every Week
The troop is looking for a weekly indoor meeting space.  Soon, it will be too dark and cold to meet outside.  Our sponsor, Jesse Lee Church, adopted pandemic guidelines prohibiting the use of the Carriage House at this time.  And all school facilities are closed to outside groups.  The Boys & Girls Club and town facilities are being contacted.  If you have other ideas, please reach out to Troop Committee Chair Tiffany Carlson.  We'll continue offering the hybrid option for meetings - in person and virtually via Zoom.

Sign up for Community Service projects on the activities page

Financial Assistance
If a scout family is in need of financial assistance at any time, please contact Troop Committee Chair Tiffany Carlson.  All financial assistance requests are kept strictly confidential.

 

 
Merit Badge Counselors Needed
Our troop needs parents to become Merit Badge Counselors. We need counselors for the following Merit Badges: Citizenship in the Community, Nation, World, Environmental Science, Cooking, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness to just name a few.  There are many many other badges as well.  If you have any interest in becoming a Merit Badge Counselor, please reach out to Scoutmaster Trotman.