Announcements

15 Sep 2020

This week's announcements are very long and contain a lot of information. Please make sure to read all the information so not to miss out on anything!

ANNUAL CEREMONIAL REVIEW 2020
We had hoped and planned to have the ACR that was scheduled in June, to be conducted in October. However, due to the current limitations for in-person limits, we will not be holding the ACR in person.

Instead we will be holding a Virtual ACR this coming Friday!
We will be going over all the promotions that have happened since March and also announce the 2019-2020 ACR award winners.

Please join the parade at 1900 hrs using the following meeting link:
https://meetingsamer34.webex.com/meetingsamer34/j.php?MTID=mf487ac585e5266a230cc136b40300bdf

You will be able to start logging in at 1845 hrs - we will promptly start at 1900 hrs.

ADMINISTRATION
For returning Cadets, the Annual Verification Forms are being emailed to parents.

Please review all the information on the form, and make any corrections to addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
Please ensure there is an email address for your Cadet
Make sure you complete Section 5 regarding the medical changes (Answer Yes or No).
Sign and date, and send back via email to:
- Subject Line: Annual Verification - Cadet Full Name
- email: 177Air@cadets.gc.ca
If you are not returning please email the Squadron and let us know.

Reminder that if you are not coming to Cadets (for an in-person parade night OR attending an virtual parade night, you still need to complete the Absence Request Form on the website in order to be marked excused.
To be considered excused, it must be received by the Thursday evening prior.
Link to Absence Form:  https://177rcacs.ca/cadet-absence-form/

TRAINING
Training will be conducted both in-person and virtually. Cadets will rotate by level for in-person parade nights. If your level is not having an in-person parade night, you will have a virtual parade night instead.

VIRTUAL PARADE NIGHTS
Virtual parade nights will begin Friday, Sep 18th.
Meeting links will be posted on the website calendar as they are created.
You will be able to log into the meeting starting ~15 minutes before the parade meeting start time.

Things to remember when logging in:

Enter your LAST NAME, FIRST NAME when logging in - this is to ensure that your are noted for attendance.
- If more than 1 cadet is logged in together, enter your LAST NAME, FIRST NAME & FIRST NAME
- **Do not use nicknames or shot form names**
Uniforms should be worn for parade nights (unless they do not fit)
If you have a camera on your device, please activate it once logged in

MANDATORY - COVID-19 AWARENESS COURSE
All Cadets MUST complete the COVID-19 Awareness course prior to any in-person activities. A copy of the completed certificate is to be emailed to the Squadron email address so that we can track who has completed it. You will not be allowed to enter Minto or do any in-person activities without this completed and confirmed by the office.
**Make sure the certificate has your FULL NAME and Date Completed. If these are missing they will not be accepted.

When submitting your certificate enter the following in the subject line: COVID-19 Certificate_Cadet Rank & Full Name
Link to training: https://portal-portail.cadets.gc.ca/_layouts/login-connexion.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fen%2f_layouts%2fAuthenticate.aspx%3fSource%3d%252Fen&Source=%2fen&lang=en

A "How to Access the COVID-19 Training" instruction is posted on the website under 'Weekly Announcements'.

IN-PERSON PARADE NIGHTS
Cadets and Parents will need to follow these guidelines when coming to Minto Armoury:

We have a limit of 50 persons, including staff
Cadets are to remain AT HOME if you experiencing ANY symptoms of illness.
Cadets will be issued a reusable face masks to be worn at all times.
Cadets will need to sign in and use sanitizer and will have their temperature taken (using a non-contact thermometer) upon entering Minto.
Parents will not be allowed to enter Minot due to the in-person limits in the building.
Doors will be locked at 1900 hrs
It will be imperative that parents are on time to drop off and pick up their cadets.

SENIOR CADET INSTRUCTORS
Senior Cadets are expected to participate in Virtual Parades and attend mandatory training meeting with Lt R Chennells.

WARRANT OFFICER BOARDS
Warrant Officers Boards will be held in November 2020. Date to be confirmed.
The Flight Sergeants that completed the Boards last year, do not have to repeat it unless you want to.
A list of eligible FSgts that can participate will be provided in early October, so that you can prepare.

OPTIONAL TRAINING:
Optional Training such as pipe band, drill team, marksmanship, effective speaking are currently on-hold until approval from the Cadet Command is issued.

ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION
Although this year will be a different type of training year, Cadets will still tracked for attendance, participation, uniform inspections and completion of assessments (both in-person and virtually. These will be taken into account for rank promotions, level promotions and next year's ACR awards.

SUPPLY
UNIFORMS & FTUs:
Cadets that have not completed the uniform survey sent our the last couple of weeks, can still do so.
Please use the following link:   https://forms.gle/e23pG6F19PTWES4y5

If you need assistance on how to measure your cadet for uniforms, please review the following guideline document posted on the website:  How to Measure Your Cadet at Home

PARENT COMMITTEE
PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
All Parent Committee Executive members will need to complete the COVID-19 course, prior to entering Minto, if you are planning on conducting any Executive Meetings. Access to the course is in the same manner as the Cadets.
Certificates should be sent to the office at 177Air@cadets.gc.ca

PARENT MEETINGS
Parent meetings will be held virtually by the Parent Committee until further notice. Stay tuned for more information in the next few weeks.

VIRTUAL PARADE NIGHT!
When: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8pm – 8:50pm (CDT)
Where: https://meetingsamer23.webex.com/meetingsamer23/j.php?MTID=m8a1331f8646827011344a15f2c84c3ef
(COPY THIS ADDRESS INTO YOUR BROWSER BAR)

YOU WILL NEED TO DOWNLOAD "WEBEX" PROGRAM ON YOUR DEVICE FIRST (IT'S FREE).

CHALLENGE 1: For the virtual parade make a sign to hold up that shows us 1 physical activity you have done over the break!

CHALLENGE 2: Post your photo on FB or Instagram showing us what you are doing on Canada Day! Make sure you use @177rcacs so that we can see the photos!

MEETING NOTES FROM LAST VIRTUAL PARADE NIGHT (11 JUN 2020)

Due to COVID-19 and the cancellation of the Cadet Training Year, please be advised that all Cadets have been marked as completed their current level and will move into their next level when we resume in the fall. Congratulations to all Cadets!
Promotions will be reviewed in the fall, and will follow the standard process.
Mark your calendar! The 2019 - 2020 ACR which would have taken place ion 06-Jun-2020 will now take place on 23-Oct-2020. Details will follow.
CI Woodland is our Squadron Representative with the Regional Cadet Support Unit (NW) this summer, and will be working with them and others to look at the training year. He may be reaching out to you over the summer to get feedback, therefore we would appreciate your participation if you receive something from him or RCSU (NW).