Good morning.
We’ve had nine (9) cadets reply back with their sizes for the upcoming field training uniform, which is a just around the 40% mark. Initial orders are being placed today with the rest being entered as we get the information. If you have already submitted your measurements, thank you. If not, please refer to the original post and submit your information as soon as you can.
J Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Good evening.
We’re on the verge of September, where we would normally be going into full swing with respect to starting our 2020/2021 training year. As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted us significantly but it’s not going to stop us. We’re not sure how long this virus is going to be a going concern in our society, but we’re assuming that it could be 18 months or longer. Our first priorities are always the safety and security of those who participate in our program, so we’re going to do this properly and define a new “normal” for our operations.
With that in mind, the Commander of the National Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers Support Group has made the decision to delay the start-up of limited in-person cadet activities until at least 1 Oct 2020. This was not an easy decision, nor was it made in isolation. It ensures that we have proper measures in place for the safety and security of everyone who participates in our programs and will ensure that the Cadet and JCR programs do not become a vector to spread the COVID-19 virus.
In the month of September, you can expect that we will reach out to you with information about the fall. We are expecting virtual activities to resume in September until such time that limited in-person training can be authorized.
Although the fall of 2020 will not roll out the same way it has in years before, we remain committed to ensuring that the cadet program continues to provide unique experiences for youth within our community. Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me via email at co@809cadets.ca or the squadron mobile phone at (905) 468-7584.
We’ll have more details coming out in the next few days, so stay tuned.
J Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal
Here we are almost halfway through our semi-isolated summer and it’s time to start considering our new training year. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have full details on what things are going to look like when we start things up again, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we do.
One thing we do have is an update to our cadet uniforms. You have probably noticed that the Air Cadets are the only one of Canada’s DND-sponsored youth programs without a standard field training uniform. We do almost everything in our blues. This leads to a lot of uniform upkeep and a lack of identity when we’re doing out-of-uniform activities. This is about to change.
This training year, Air Cadets will be issued field training uniforms (FTUs) in which to do most of our day-to-day training. However, while public health measures remain to combat the spread and transmission of the COVID-19 virus, we are requesting your help to provide us with the measurements required to place the orders. In order to do that, we are asking you to consult the attached measuring instructions fill out the linked form as soon as possible.
Please contact our Supply Officer, CV Dau, at supo@809cadets.ca if you have any questions.
Please note that you need to be logged into the site in order to access the form.
J Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Good afternoon.
I’ve been looking at course registrations from out cadets and haven’t found any as of yet. These courses are being run on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t put off registering if you’re interested in participating. If there’s anything stopping you from being involved, get in touch with me and let me know. The squadron has resources that we can call upon to help you out.
For those who missed the original post, it can be found here: Virtual Summer Training Courses
If you have any questions, contact me at co@809cadets.ca and I’ll do my best to answer them. If you’re not planning on registering, contact me and let me know why. Virtual Summer Training is a really new concept and the organizers want to hear feedback so that we can improve the offering.
J Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Good evening.
For the last several weeks, the National Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers Support Group Headquarters has been conducting development teams to put together exciting virtual engagement activities for cadets to participate in throughout the summer and the list of available activities is now available for cadets to review. Activities range from self-guided online activities to live, facilitated skill challenges that cadets can participate from their homes using personal communication devices.
The courses include:
Further information can be found in the Virtual CTC brochure, which can be found here: Virtual CTC 2020
Registration for these activities is now open and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To register for these activities, cadets will need to send an email to rcsucentral@cadets.gc.ca with the following information:
Cadets’ email must be sent from their personal email address or an email that they can access. A parent’s email that the cadet cannot access directly should not be used.)
Cadets will be contacted once they are loaded on an activity, and provided instructions on how to log in to the learning tools required to participate in the activity.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark Squadron
Immortal!
Date
31 May 2020
RO Number
2020-22
CO’s Message
There are a few things to keep your interest this week.
First, thanks to 2Lt Nicolescu for her continued education on the capitals of the world. We can’t do much in the way of travel right now, but building interest for the day we can will never hurt.
For those who want to try it out, a cadet from 23 Squadron is about to run an on-line Dungeons and Dragons campaign. If you’re a veteran player or a curious newbie, give it a whirl. I got my introduction to Dungeons and Dragons during my own time as a cadet back in the 1980s. Here’s the message:
“Do you love Dungeons & Dragons? Did you participate last summer at one of the Training Centres? Can’t meet up with your friends because of the COVID-19 shutdown? Join us online, Friday’s at 1530hrs, for Waterdeep Dragon Heist Campaign. “A splendid treasure trove is yours for the taking, underneath Waterdeep” D&D 5E. Some previous experience required. We will begin with character creation, then move on to game play. Cadets only, parent permission to participate is required. All participants will be verified before beginning.”
If you’re interested, let me know at co@809cadets.ca and I’ll verify with your parents and provide the Zoom link.
This last Wednesday, we had two very cool and memorable things happen:
NASA and SpaceX launched the first ever crewed Dragon capsule, sending Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on the first US-launched mission to the International Space Station since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. Check out the full coverage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=xY96v0OIcK4
The world’s largest cargo aircraft, the Antonov AN-225, made a landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport delivering medical supplies. A local gaming vlogger captured the whole thing with some good commentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnbyrt5WYng
If those aren’t enough, here are a few very cool aviation and aerospace virtual tours worth checking out.
Adler Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array), Atacama, Chile
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, USA
NASA Langley Research Center, Virginia, USA
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Palomar Observatory, California, USA
Mr. Abt has indicated that he may have some volunteer opportunities coming up in the near future for cadets. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know as we find out more.
For those of you working on the 50th anniversary pin competition, I’ve put together some source graphics for you to work with.
Remember, we’re interested in ideas more than final products. If you’re not very skilled at putting something like this together, that’s fine. Give us an outline of the idea and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
If anyone needs anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Stay safe.
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Date
20 May 2020
RO Number
2020-20
CO’s Message
The experiment appears to be a success! Between the various resources of Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Street View and Wikipedia, we’ve managed to produce a virtual re-creation of our Vimy 100 Trip for those cadets who are interested in re-living or trying that experience for the first time. Check it out at the following link:
Last week we posted about the Canadian Armed Forces’ learning portal for cadets. If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s the link again.
If you have any input on either of the above activities, feel free to email me with your thoughts.
We’re still waiting on submissions for a 50th anniversary pin. I’m even sweetening the deal with a $25 Amazon Gift Card for the winner of the competition. That and bragging rights? What more could you ask for?
Look for more activities from the staff and your fellow cadets over the next little bit. There’s more to come.
Stay safe.
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Date
11 May 2020
RO Number
2020-19
CO’s Message
Between paper airplanes and geography lessons, OCdt Couroux and 2Lt Nicolescu have covered some interesting activities over the last couple of weeks. Thanks to both of you for giving us all something to work with while we’re stuck at home.
This week, we’re experimenting with Google Earth to see if we can produce a virtual re-creation of our 2017 Vimy Ridge trip for those cadets who are interested in re-living (or trying) that experience. We’ll let you know how that turns out.
As OCdt Couroux posted earlier this week, the Canadian Armed Forces has created an interesting learning portal for cadets. For those of you who missed it, it can be found at the following link:
The quest for a 50th anniversary pin is still on and can be found at the link below. We’re still looking for submissions:
Over the next week, we’ll be reaching out to you and your families individually to see how everything is going and if there’s anything we can do to help your isolated cadet experience be better.
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Date
4 Apr 2020
RO Number
2020-18
CO’s Message
Participation in last week’s L3/L4 Aviation Combined Subjects exam appears to have been good. If those cadets who sat the exam can provide any feedback, please let OCdt Couroux or myself know. We’re always looking for ways to improve.
This week’s virtual activity is the Paper Airplane Contest that was announced last week. OCdt Couroux will be putting out the link information for the Hangouts Meet on Wednesday at 1900 (7:00pm) so that everyone can demonstrate their planes and judge winners in the various categories.
The Anniversary Pin competition is still running and we’re still accepting submissions. Here’s a link to the original post:
We’ll have more activities posted over the coming weeks and are already preparing for the 2020/2021 training year this fall.
Stay committed and stay safe. This too shall pass.
Upcoming Activities
| Date | Day | Activity | Location | Dress | OIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 May 2020 1900 | Wednesday | Paper Airplane Competition | Classroom / Hangouts Meet | N/A | OCdt Couroux |
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!
Date
28 Apr 2020
RO Number
2020-17
CO’s Message
Last week’s L3/L4 Aviation Combined Subjects review appeared to have gone well. Thanks to WO2 Gowans, WO1 Lett and OCdt Couroux for facilitating that. I was only able to look in on it occasionally as I was involved in another meeting at the time, but I liked what I saw. If those cadets who participated can provide any feedback on how they thought the session went, please let me know. This is a new platform and we’re looking for any opportunity to make it better.
Following up on the review, we have the exam this Wednesday night. As I mentioned before, this is optional and is being offered as an opportunity for cadets to challenge their knowledge. It does not affect training results.
The links to the review material were in WRO two weeks ago and can also be found in the Classroom resources. The exam will be held at 1900 (7:00pm) on Wednesday night. For those of you taking part, best of luck!
Remember that we still have the Anniversary Pin competition running. If you’ve got a vision, some time, and wouldn’t mind a little bit of squadron fame, we would love to see your ideas for celebrating our unit’s 50th anniversary next year. Here’s a link to the original post:
OCdt Couroux has already posted the information on our Paper Airplane Contest and 2Lt Nicolescu has put out some Aviation Humour this week. I’m hoping to have a global scavenger hunt ready for next week, so stay tuned.
We’re still looking for more ideas, so if you have an idea for something you’d like to run for your fellow cadets, let me know.
Upcoming Activities
| Date | Day | Activity | Location | Dress | OIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 2020 1900 | Wednesday | L3/L4 Combined Aviation Subjects Exam | Classroom / Hangouts Meet | N/A | OCdt Couroux |
J. Lemoine
Captain
Commanding Officer
809 Newark RCACS
Immortal!