Ensure you check here - the front page of our website - for any cancellations and activity updates.

Weekly Message for 1 December 2021 (12 points of information)

1.    IN-PERSON Training Level 1 and Level 2 Cadets – Please ensure you check the Squadron’s website for updates with regards if we will be training in-person or virtual this Wednesday. Please ensure that you read the emails that were sent to you and your parents. You will need to have the following in order to gain entry into the training facility (see email for training location): 

• your health card (actual health card, not a photocopy),

• proof of your favourable COVID-19 screening result (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/), this may be either printed hard copy or electronically by showing your screen, and

• proof of your full COVID-19 vaccinated status (either electronically via QR code on a device, or both printed out vaccination receipts/passport).

NOTES: 
     1)      Without these pieces of documentation, you will not be permitted entry to our training site.
     2)      Dress –
             a)   Level 1:  Recruit Uniform – pressed collared white dress shirt, black tie (tied in a Windsor knot), black pants and black shoes. Additionally, you must wear a non-medical mask.
             b)   Level 2:  Issued Field Training Uniform (FTUs). Remember to wear your Squadron red t-shirt with your FTUs.  If you were issued a blue uniform along with your FTUs, you are to wear the wedge with your FTUs until we receive the berets. If you have not been issued your FTU, you are to wear your red Squadron T-shirt and comfortable pants (no offensive graphics or slogans) and a non-medical face mask (your plain black Cadet-issued one, if you have been issued one) that must be correctly worn at all times (completely covering your mouth, nose, and chin) except briefly while drinking water.
    3)      Bring along a personal water bottle, notebook and pen/pencil, and a towel/blanket upon which to sit.
    4)      Parents are to drop you off at the school for 18:30 hours, but wait on-site until they receive a ‘thumbs up’ that you’ve been cleared for entry.
    5)      Parents and visitors are not permitted inside the facility.
    6)      Pick-up time is 21:00 hours.

2.      VIRTUAL Training Level 1 and Level 2 - For those who will not be joining in-person training, you are to log in to MS Teams for Opening Parade NLT 18:45 hours as usual. Dress is either Recruit uniform [pressed collared white dress shirt, black tie (tied in a Windsor knot), black pants] OR Squadron red t-shirt.

3.      VIRTUAL Training Level 3 and 4 Cadets - All cadets should make sure that they can sign on to our Squadron MS Teams (2vandenbos.onmicrosoft.com) PRIOR to this Wednesday at noon.  If you have issues, please contact helpdesk@2vandenbos.org.  We trust that you have all remembered your passwords.  As a reminder, the helpdesk will not be able to respond to messages sent after 17:00 hours on Wednesday as we are planning for Parade night. Dress is Squadron red t-shirt.

4.      Attention all Cadet Instructors: lesson plans and links are due to be uploaded to your respective Level file folder within the Instructors Teams channel by Sunday NLT 23:59 hrs. Ensure you’re checking the calendar and your Cadet email inbox and personal Commitments (both on your My Squadron page – scroll down below the activity calendar) regularly so that you don’t miss seeing any of your Cadet-related commitments, including your Level-specific Instructional Team Meetings. Should you not be able to make your Level’s Instructional Team weekly meeting, you must alert your Level Officer *before* the event start time via email. Should you not be able to attend the Wednesday night, you both need to correctly report your absence ahead of time *and* have already supplied all of your assigned lesson content the Sunday night.

5.      Congratulations to the cadets selected as members of our 2021/2022 Competition Air Rifle Team:  WO2 Wu, Sgt DeGeer, Sgt Fournier, Sgt Fox, Sgt GanesanKannan, Sgt Mah, Sgt L. Smith, FCpl Nichols, Cpl My Pennant, Cpl SuhailKhan, LAC Szabo and AC Bhagwat!

6.      Supply Officer is looking to outfit our cadets with Field Training Uniforms (FTUs).  In order to receive your FTUs, you are to ensure you have updated your measurements. Only cadets with all of their measures will be issued their FTUs. Where do I go to input or update my measurements?:
         a.      Click on the red ‘Supply Request’ button at the top right of website;
         b.      click on the blue ‘Update Measurements’ button; a pop-up box will appear allowing you to update your measurement; and
         c.       once you have entered ALL your measures in, click on the ‘Save’ button. 
 
There is no need to request your FTUs, as the Supply Team will pull your order from your measurements you have entered into our website.
 
7.      Cadets who have received new Ontario Health Card revision codes are to email Capt Hutchuk at admin@2vandenbos.org with their new health card number.
 
8.      Interested in developing your public speaking skills or want to improve your conversational skills?  Join our guest ToastMaster for this 6-week course, which starts in December.  Sign-ups are open and closes 29 November 2021.
 
9.      Earn High School credits through the cadet program.  Check out our Ready Room – Opportunities for more information.
 
10.    Mark your calendars for 2 Squadron’s 1st Virtual Fitness Assessment of the Training Year on 19 January 2022! To prepare to be at your best physical fitness by that time (2 months from now), include some consistent fitness within your daily routine. Watch the demonstration videos on the Squadron website to understand which 4 exercises we’ll be expecting you to perform and for which we’ll be evaluating your form and results: Dept/Teams Pages -> Teams -> Sports -> Videos 1-4. Know what equipment you’ll need to prepare and set-up in advance for your participation in this mandatory fitness assessment. Every Cadet *must* participate in order to achieve/complete their current Cadet training level! Should you have a medical reason why you cannot participate, you must contact the Major Blight by email NLT 9 January 2022 and earn her excusal from this assessment. Even if you have a part-time job, it is expected that you attend this mandatory training night, as it only occurs once or twice per year and you have 2 months of advance notice to make alternate arrangements.
 
11.    Our 27 November Checkpoint ‘Just Dance’ party to celebrate the Recruits of intake 1 completing their Recruit Course and our Sgts’ opportunity to complete their in-person leadership tasking was pretty epic! Let’s keep the celebration going by sharing our 2021 in review with one another this Saturday, 4 December 2021. Cadets of all levels and ranks are welcome at all times. Come get to know your peers while socialising and maybe even learning something new. Laughter and friendship, plus a healthy side of friendly competition and banter are always on the Checkpoint menu. Come and have your voice heard without fear of judgment. Checkpoint is a more casual, inclusive environment welcoming all VandenBos Cadets. Come to just one session, or sign up to attend them all! Checkpoint sessions throughout the first month of 2022 are available for sign up via the Squadron website. Read through the topics and sign up to join us for those that suit, intrigue, and/or inspire you!
 
12.    We’re looking to share some of these awesome things we do regarding 2 Squadron’s Families’ holidays, traditions, and celebrations with our external Whitby community members and our Sponsors. Please see The Ready Room for our call to action to create and submit holiday greetings videos (as early as today!). We’re looking for continuous content to share throughout the entire month of December until we welcome the New Year. Please join in the fun and share with your Squadron and your community how your family celebrates holidays throughout the year (not just during this season, but all seasons of the calendar).