CUB SCOUT PACK 107 PARENT ORIENTATION PACKET

Transcription

1 CUB SCOUT PACK 107 PARENT ORIENTATION PACKET

2 Important Information Regarding Your Scout s New Pack Pack number: Pack 107 Pack website Cubmaster: Assistance Cubmaster: Pack Committee Chairman: Pack107 meets: Brian Wojtowicz (bwojtowicz@bellsouth.net) Joey Supple (jsupple@bellsouth.net) Craig Troy (craigtroy@bellsouth.net) 2 nd or 3 rd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM 1 st meeting of 2014 September 15 th Pack 107 meets at: Vickery Creek Elementary (cafeteria) Charter organization is: Boy Scouts of America District: Boy Scouts of America Council: Grace Chapel Church of Christ Etowah ( Northeast Georgia ( Den Leader name: Phone: 2

3 Your Son, Cub Scouting & You As a parent, you want your son to group up to be a person of worth, a self-reliant, dependable and caring individual. Scouting has these same goals in mind for him. Since 1910, Scouting has been weaving lifetime values into fun and educational activities designed to assist parents in strengthening character, developing good citizenship, enhancing physical fitness, building self-esteem and ethical values in youth. What does your son learn in Scouting? Well, a lot more than crafts, games and outdoor skills. All of the Cub Scout programs in which you and your son will participate are carefully designed to teach your son something he will use throughout his life. Here are just a few of the things your son will gain through Cub Scouting: A feeling of belonging to a positive and fun group of boys and caring adults New social skills that will help him get along with others Development of new mental skills, from boosting reading and writing to planning and organizing A greater understanding of other people and the world around him Systems of values that will help him grow and make good decisions A concern and caring for people, with opportunities to help others Self-confidence and stronger self-esteem Cub Scouting is fun! More importantly, it is fun with a purpose. Woven through all the fun is an inspired program that really works. Proven methods are used that transfer traditional values, build character, and develop leadership skills...all in the context of fun and family togetherness. 3

4 The Basics of the Cub Scouting Program For 1 st grade boys Tiger Cub motto: Search, Discover, Share Tiger Cubs is a one-year program for first-grade boys. Each boy participates with a parent (or another adult family member) in family-oriented activities. These include things from family camping to preparing for emergencies. The time you and your scout spend in Tiger Cubs is meant to be fun, a chance to get to know one another better and do things with your family as well as with other members of your Tiger den whom you see at regular meetings. Tiger Cubs and their adult partners also participate in the Cub Scout pack meetings and activities together. For 2 nd 5 th grade boys Cub Scout motto: Do Your Best Cub Scouting is a home- and neighborhood-centered program designed to support family life for boys in 2 nd through 5 th grades. Each Cub Scout learns to respect his home, country, God and other people. The program also helps boys this age to: Learn new physical skills through sports, crafts and games Learn how to get along with others through group activities Develop new mental skills such as writing and calculating Develop personal independence In a society where your son is often taught that winning is everything, Cub Scouting teaches him to do his best and be helpful to others as expressed in the Cub Scout Promise. A Cub Scout den provides your son with a smaller group of boys his own age in which he can earn status and recognition. In the den, he will also gain a sense of personal achievement for the new skills he learns. A new scout can start at any grade level! 4

5 The Advancement Plan The responsibility of a boy s advancement in Cub Scouting lies with the family and not with the pack. Some advancement requirements are done at den meetings, but some are done at home with the family. The Cub Scout Advancement program is an excellent way for you to spend quality time with your son. For each special skill or activity your son completes with you, you can sign off on one of the requirements he needs to earn his next award. As a result, the awards he earns increase his knowledge, skills, self-esteem and confidence. You can be a part of it by participating in the Cub Scout program with him. The rank awards he earns are listed below: BOBCAT (Earned by ALL new Cub Scouts): All boys earn the Bobcat badge first by learning things such as the Cub Scout Promise, Law of the Pack, handshake, salute, sign, motto and the meaning of Webelos. After receiving the Bobcat badge, the boy works on requirements based on his grade or age. TIGER CUB (1st Graders): 1st-graders will earn the Tiger Cub badge by completing five achievements in three areas: den activities, family activities and Go- See-Its (similar to school field trips). After completing the rank of Tiger, a boy may earn one Tiger Track bead to display on his shirt each time he completes 10 electives. WOLF (2nd Graders): A Cub Scout in the 2nd grade works on 12 achievements to earn the Wolf badge. Each achievement is designed to teach simple skills and initiate family discussion on values, drug awareness, health, etc. 5

6 BEAR (3rd Graders): A Cub Scout in the 3 rd grade works to complete 12 of 24 achievements to earn the Bear badge. For the Wolf and Bear Scouts: after the scout has earned his rank, he can work on earning arrow points electives that the scout and parent choose that interest the scout. WEBELOS (4 th and 5 th Graders): 4 th and 5-grade scouts are in Webelos dens, led by a Webelos leader (parent) and Assistant Leader. The boy works on requirements for the Webelos badge activity pins in many different areas of academics, sports, outdoor skills and citizenship. As he completes additional activity pins, he earns the Arrow of Light award the highest award in Cub Scouting. This program is designed to prepare him for Boy Scouting. BEYOND CUB SCOUTING: When a boy earns the Arrow of Light, reaches the age of 11 or completes the fifth grade, he crosses over from Cub Scouting to Boy Scouting. It is our goal to graduate every Cub Scout into Boy Scouting. Generally, your son will be prepared to join a Boy Scout troop in early spring of his fifth-grade year. 6

7 Cub Scout Pack 107 Activities Community Service - Pack 107 works with various civic entities throughout the year, to encourage the boys to give back to the community. Camping - the entire family is welcome for great outdoor adventures, a campfire, s mores and more! Pinewood Derby usually held in January or February, parent and son work together to build a gravity-powered miniature race car from an official kit. Blue and Gold Celebration the annual rank advancement party Holiday Events such as the Cumming Christmas Parade Model Rocket Launch the boys build and launch a Estes model rocket Raingutter Regatta the boys build and race a model sailboat from a kit Gwinnett Gladiators Game - we schedule an outing to a Gwinnett Gladiators game where the top popcorn sellers in the Pack go onto the ice for the Presentation of the Colors. Popcorn Trip - we plan an overnight trip that is funded by the popcorn sale. The Pack has gone to: Georgia Aquarium and slept with the fishes Space Camp and learned how the US space program came about DeSoto Caverns and spent overnight in a cave Patriots Point and spent the night on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown Atlanta Zoo and toured the zoo in the dark! 7

8 Family Camp Cub Scout District & Council Activities Here s an opportunity for the scout s ENTIRE family to camp together over a weekend. Family camping is scheduled twice each year once in the fall and once in the spring. Popcorn Sale The Cub Scout popcorn sale is the only major fundraiser for the pack during the year. Product selling teaches your son people skills and selling skills. Great prizes are awarded for outstanding efforts. Cubmobile Dens work as a team to make a Cubmobile large enough for one scout at a time to ride and steer to be raced down a hill against other dens in the district. Cub Scout Day Camp Day camp is an exciting local summertime activity that includes crafts, games, skits, songs and sports. It s an excellent way to introduce youth to the outdoors and to teach them new skills in the process. It also helps to strengthen the pack s summer program. Adventure Camp Adventure camp is held at the Scoutland facility on Lake Lanier. It is a council event designed to give the scout an extended campout and work on some rank requirements for the next year. Camp Card Sale Camp cards feature discounts and B1G1 for local businesses. The camp cards are sold for $10 with the boys earning a $4 commission for every card sold. The is created to the boys accounts to be used to pay for day camp or other activities for the coming year. Other Events The Council and District also hold other events, such as Loop-a-Rama (a focused way to earn belt loop rank achievements) and Bowl-a-Rama. There are also Scout Days at Atlanta Braves and Gwinnett Gladiators games. 8

9 Cub Scout Pack 107 Pack Dues for $50.00 per scout (this does not include the BSA fees or Boys Life) Pack dues provide: Pack T-shirt (the official Class B uniform) Meals at campout Advancement awards throughout the year Rank badges and arrow point patches Belt loops (metal badges that are displayed on the scout belt) Special awards and patches Pinewood Derby car kit Community service supplies Blue & Gold Banquet Miscellaneous pack expenses New Parent To Do List - Within the next few days: Purchase a Cub Scout uniform (hat, shirt and belt) for your son to wear to the den and pack meetings. Be sure to get a size large enough to last several years as your son grows. The Scout Store staff is very helpful and willing to answer questions regarding your son s uniform. For the shirt, you will need the red pack numerals (107), the Northeast Georgia Council Patch, the den number and the purple World Scout Crest. You can find the insignia guide here Purchase a Cub Scout handbook (Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos each have their own handbook) and skim the contents so you will be familiar with the requirements, etc. to be covered in your scout s den meetings. Begin doing the activities in it with your scout, especially those related to the outdoors. Incorporate the pack calendar into your personal calendar(s). Find out what kind of activities your Cub Scout Pack is doing in the next few months, and put them on your calendar so you can participate and do not miss an important date. Scouting is more fun with friends! Every boy can be a Cub Scout at any time, not just on Roundup night. Talk with other parents and boys and have them join your son s den now to make the experience even more fun! 9