Issue 114 Issue May114 2017 May 2017
From the Courtyard
From the Courtyard SAC SCOUTS NEWSLETTER
GSL’S NOTE In this issue Our GSL Tells us what’s on!
Cubs.. - High 5 JMC. - Camp Gadgetry in Practice.
As expected May is always a quiet month for the Group and its members. Due to the start of
Scouts..
able to enjoy summer.
- SAC First Aid Exercise.
Rovers.. - Warm Beverage Battle.
the exams period most members are studying and hoping to do well in order for them to be
Meanwhile, leaders and rovers are busy working on programmes and events for the coming weeks and months. This month, rovers and leaders also helped out at the annual SACFEST as first aiders. We were lucky because we did not have many patients and most of them only had superficial bumps and bruises. Thanks to all members that attended. The Rover Crew were also involved in a fundraising event for the group where cub leader, Ilaria Zammit, put us in touch with her school. As a group, we
Coming up
provided the equipment required
Annual Pasta Night— 29 July
for their raft building activity and
Summer Camp—31st August—6th September
logistic support necessary
September 3rd— Campfire Night
a first aid scenario event held for
a few of our rovers provided the
Some rovers were also involved in St
Aloysius
College
students
during their middy break. The purpose of the event was to teach first aid techniques to college students and provide exposure for GSL Edward Cassola and ASL Mark Borg filling in a First Aid slot during SAC Fest 2017
From the Courtyard
GSL’S NOTE
Issue 114 May 2017
the group with college students. This event was co-organised with the College Students Council were some of our own members are also contributing. The council president is now one of our own patrol leaders, Thomas Sciberras Herrera. In addition, other rovers have been busy helping out at HQ, refurbishing the kitchen equipment basement room. Some minor tasks are still to be completed and we apologise for the temporary mess in the former troop room. Some things take longer than expected and finding mutually convenient times to work together make it difficult to be able to work together. Hopefully all will be ready by the first week of June. June will also be a quiet as, once the O levels and A levels are done, the younger members have to face their end of year exams. Once over, the programme will kick off with a bang for all sections.
GSL’s Note
Our annual summer pasta night is fast approaching. We have targeted July 29th for the event and we hope all of you can make it. Further information will be provided in the coming weeks. Summer camp has been planned between August 31st and September 6th. Campfire night will be held on September 3rd and we kindly ask all members and parents to try and be there on the night for our usual fundraising BBQ. As usual, it will be held at Ghajn Tuffieha campsite. We also aim to participate in the the National Scout Camp which starts on September 7th and ends on September 10th. Everything depends on leader availability. It is possible that some scouts and ventures will stay over to join this camp which will be held at Ghajn Tuffieha camping site. We also understand that this is resit week and obviously members must give priority to their exams.
GSL Edward Cassola during SAC Fest 2017 with an SAC Football team composed mainly of SAC Scouts.
2
From the Courtyard
GSL’S NOTE
Issue 114 May 2017
SUMMER-TIME REMINDER!
GSL’s Note
ALL MEMBERS ARE REMINDED THAT FLIP FLOPS, SANDALS AND OTHER OPEN-TOED FOOTWEAR ARE NOT ALLOWED DURING WEEKLY MEETINGS OR ANY OTHER SUMMER TIME ACTIIVITY (EXCLUDING SWIMMING).
MEMBERS ATTENDING IN OPEN—TOED FOOTWEAR WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE, OR WILL BE SENT BACK HOME. MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR HIKING BOOTS OR RUNNING SHOES AS USUAL. WHY? WE WOULDN’T LIKE OUR MEMBERS, YOUR CHILDREN, TO SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES DUE TO INADEQUATE FOOTWEAR.
PLEASE ALSO WEAR YOUR SCARVES. 3
From the Courtyard
Issue 114 May 2017
HIGH 5 JMC One of our Cubs shares his experience participating in High 5 JMC— A nationwide Mathemathics challenge!
I have always been very interested in Mathematics and I just love figuring out things. I like Mathematics because it is fun and because it is not only for learning at school but for life. I like strategy games, word puzzles, number puzzles and board games. I enjoy beating my dad at Monopoly and my mum at Four-in-a -Row and UNO (although she usually beats me at Battleships and Boggle!). I have recently also started to learn about coding. I believe that being good at figuring things out is always an advantage! I’m really happy that I participated in the High 5 Junior Mathematicians Challenge (JMC). It all started when I was invited to sit for a qualifying test by my teachers at St Augustine College. Schools and teachers chose some children from Year 5 and Year 6 from Malta and Gozo to sit for this test. I was so joyful when I got to know that I was one of the lucky students who got a high mark and were chosen to attend a series of 5 workshops prepared by Education Officers and teachers of Mathematics. The workshops were held at different schools and once at the Museum of Archeology in Valletta. The
From the Pack
sessions were about different aspects of Maths like: creating a timeline, drawing a fun park to scale, finding dates at the Museum of Archeology and a lot more! It was really exciting and every time we worked together on different tasks in a different team. It was fun because the activities were different from the usual work we do at school. After each workshop we were given a paper with some take-home tasks to do to compile our portfolios. Some examples of what we did are: drawing a fun park with a fixed budget; a timeline of objects/ artifacts/historical sites in a town in Malta; and making block letters with the one-cut theorem. After the sessions came to an end all the children sat for a group exam and a final written exam. We didn’t get to know our results or anything but then at the Award Ceremony a few weeks ago my name was called out. I heard my name and then saw a photo of myself projected on the screen. My heart was beating so fast I could hardly think! I really couldn’t believe it! I had come first amongst all the Year 5 children who took part in the challenge – the Top Performing Year 5 Student.
I was
called out to be given a medal and to be congratulated by the organizers. I was also awarded a Heritage Malta Annual Family Membership and a Pro-Bot that is a sort of car which is a programmable car-shaped robot which can draw straight lines and can turn at 90 degree angles. It was a great experience and it was fun to meet up with so many other kids who love Mathematics. I am very proud of myself and I really hope to get the opportunity to do another High5 Challenge next year. Max Borg Milton Age 10 Yrs, Cub Scout at St Aloysius College
4
From the Courtyard
CAMP GADGETRY IN PRACTICE
Issue 114 May 2017
As mentioned in previous editions of this newsletter, the cub pack has been having more active, involving and interesting sessions during their weekly meetings. On Wednesday 3rd May 2017, Akela planned a lashings session for the cubs. The cubs were split into 4 sixes for the purpose of this activity and six was assigned to a number of leaders who started the session by showing the cubs how to do certain lashings such as the figure of 8 lashing, (tripod lashing), the square lashing and all the relevant knots and hitches required. The leaders then presented their six with a simple pioneering design to follow and everyone had to practice the knots and lashings they had just learnt by building some camp gadgetry. Amongst the gadgets built were a washing line, a makeshift picnic bench, a washing station and a number of tripods to suspend anything from a kettle to an oil lamp. This activity was very popular with the cubs, so much so that an excub scout who recently completed his link badge and moved to the troop section, came over and commented that cubs only started making‘cool’ stuff once he had gone up to scouts!! Goes to show that
From the Pack
the old scouting traditions of “Learning by doing” are still very valid today! The activity was one of the first times that the pack section undertook such complicated pioneering projects, and with the help and guidence of the leaders the cubs got to successfully build their respective projects and understand why knots and lashings are so useful. This is because they got to see that they themselves can build useful items with a little creativity and the right scouting skills!
Kaa and his six made a washing station
5
Quentin, one of our old cubs, helped this six make a tripod to suspend a cooking pot from.
From the Pack
From the Courtyard
CAMP GADGETRY IN PRACTICE
Akela and his six made a picnic bench and tables. They’re also now taking orders for garden furniture!
Issue 114 May 2017
Even with just two cubs, Blue Smoke helped this six make a great lamp stand!
Hathi and Bagheera, with their six, made a multi layer washing line!
David Pace, Akela
6
From the Courtyard
SAC FIRST AID EXERCISE
Issue 114 May 2017
The St Aloysius College Secondary School Students’ Council, together with The St Aloysius College Scout group organized a First Aid awareness exercise on 12th May. This purpose of this activity was to promote the importance of knowing the basics of First Aid. In this activity there were different scenarios including knowing when to apply the Recovery Position, R.I.C.E., the importance of using the Doctor A.B.C. procedure and how to deal with an asthma attack. These different scenarios were all divided in four different activities which were all very interactive. By choosing these scenarios both the students’ committee and the Rover crew hoped to makes students aware of the most common scenarios they may face. There were about thirty students who were interested in this activity and this was held in the inner ground during break time. Everyone enjoyed this activity so much that they didn’t even realise that an
From the Troop
hour had already passed.
SAC Rovers introducing scenarios to the students.
Secondary School students practicing part of the Dr. A. B. C. procedure
7
From the Courtyard
SAC FIRST AID EXERCISE
Issue 114 May 2017
From the Troop
Students presented with a very realistic moulage demonstration.
Akela demonstrates the correct method of bandaging a wrist. Scout leader Bernard Maniscalco assists the Recovery Position practice.
Thomas Sciberras Herrera Scout
8
From the Courtyard
WARM BEVERAGE BATTLE
Issue 114 May 2017
The Rover crew makes an effort to get creative al least once a month. To this end, David Pace tells us what his monthly activity was all about. The Rover section is composed of members over the age of 18 and, as a result, many end up having several other commitments such as work and university assignements amongst other things. Due to this, holding activities outside of Wednesday meetings on a regular basis was proving to be a challenge in terms of attendance. The crew thus decided to start holding short monthly activities in place of a Wednesday meeting, every second Wednesday of the month. For the month of May 2017, the activity involved the crew being split into two teams. Team one consisted of Matthew Zammit, Albert Galea, Piere Sant and Emma Gauci; while team two consisted of David Pace, George Zammit Montebello, Andrew Zammit Montebello and Jamie Maistre. Each team was given one of the logs left over from the old courtyard trees, (sob sob, we miss the courtyard trees terribly and all of us observed a brief moment of silence in remembrance of better times when these logs had once adorned our lovely HQ courtyard as trees). Once that was over each team was
From the Crew
to attempt to chop through the entire width of their log using an axe. Once having managed to do so each team had to use the pieces that had broken off whilst chopping through the log to build a small fire and boil enough water for each member of the team to have a hot drink. The team whose members had their hot drinks first wins! All members took interest in the activity and whilst some showed more enthusiasm then others, (to be read as The effects of University Stress), in the end it was team one that completed the task first and made sure to rub it in their opponents faces; errr.... I mean got to enjoy their hot chocolate first! On the whole everyone agreed that it was a good fun activity which promoted both good team work and a certain level of friendly competitiveness!!!
Top: A serene, post activity artistic shot. Left: Team One’s hot chocolate being made first. Not shown: Team two’s dejected faces, beneath a mask of stiff upper lipped bravery. David Pace. Akela/Rover
9