Welcome to the New Scouting Year
First, the Bear Den mtgs will be held at St James Church for the 2017-2018 Scouting year. The mtgs will be held the 3rd Sunday of each month from 3:15pm to 5:15pm. The format for Den Mtgs will stay consistent from last year and at times the Bears will work in separate Dens during the Den Mtgs. Please mark your calendars for the change in venue and time the Bears will meet this year.
There are 6 Requirement/Belt Loops this year, plus one elective requirement/loop. The Cyber Chip is also required too.
I will outline the months we are going to work on the 6 requirements and leave 1 month open for the elective we decide on at a future date.
One very important change/note for this year. Each Scout and their Parents are going to be required to update Scout Book when a requirement has been completed, whether the requirement has been completed at the Den Mtg, the Pack Mtg, at Camp or at home. This will give Scouts the flexibility to complete tasks at home if they are unable to attend a Dn Mtg and for the Leaders to be able to track the completion of the activity prior to the Pack Mtg. This will also ensure that requirements are being properly tracked and completed, by all Scouts. We always want the Scouts to receive credit for their good work. So please don’t forget to perform this important task…because when I go to approve awards…it will be essential for the requirement and all the tasks of each requirement to be completed so the Scout earns their award.
September Den Mtg. Bear Claws. I will add the requirements for Scouts prior to and at the Sept Den Mtg later in this email.
October Den Mtg : Bear Necessities
November Den Mtg: Fur, Feathers and Ferns. One requirement is to visit a zoo or wildlife refuge. Zoo America is open on 11/12 the day of our Den Mtg. So we can decide as a group if we use that Den Mtg to go to Zoo America or a wildlife refuge. Some of the other requirements can be worked on by Scouts in Sept, Oct or Nov at home if they are unable to attend Den Mtgs, Fall Camp or Pack Hike on 9/23/17 at Kings Gap.
December: Fellowship and Duty to God
January: Grin and Bear It. I believe the January Pack Mtg is the Scout Carnival that is held during the Pack mtg. The Bears, the Leaders and the Bears Parents will run the event.
February: Paws for Action. This could also stretch into March. TBD
March and April: Elective Loop and Cyber Chip
May: Another fun event off site, like this past year.
We will have Den 1 and Den 2 again this year. I will assign each Scout a Den and Denner responsibilities after I hear from 2 Scouts that are still deciding if they are going to return and if we have any new Bears that sign up on Parent Night on 9/7/17.
We will replant our tree in late Sept or early Oct and even though it’s sad the first tree died…when we take down our tree…we will be completed a project during this Scouting year to carve the main trunk of that tree into a walking stick, that will always be a symbol of or Scouts and Parents doing our best and remembering our fallen friend. Each scout can sign the walking stick and maybe we can apply a coat of finish to it too. We will discuss more during brief Parents Mtg on cost of new tree (approx $10 from each Family) and a day to plant. Goods Tree Care are certified tree experts and I’m confident that their help this time will lead to success.
Safety will be a major theme this year. Scouts will be working with knives, hiking and some have already been using air guns and bow and arrows at summer camp. The Leaders will be asking that Parents take a very active role at Camps and at Mtgs to ensure the safety of th3 Scouts.
Please let your leaders know in advance of scheduling issues if your Scout cannot make a Den mtg, Pack Mtg or event that you have signed up for. This helps with planning and other tasks.
September Den Mtg Schedule:
305-315pm Sign in
315-325pm. Pledge, Star Spangled Banner, Scout Oath and Scout Law.
325-335pm Announcements
335pm – 4pm Requirement 1 and 2 of Bear Claws. All scouts will be together as a group for this.
4pm – 405pm Snack/Parents Mtg
405pm-450pm. Requirement # 3 of Bear Claws. Scouts will work in their respective Den with their Parents.
450pm to 515pm Game outside or inside. Depending on weather.
PLEASE read all the requirements of Bear Claws asap and have your Scout bring the items needed that are listed in Requirement # 3 of Bear Claws to the Den Mtg on 9/17, including his or your own pocetknife. The Den will have a first aid kit, but will not have supplies for the Scouts to complete Req #3.
As always….I understand this is a lot of information, but please read thru and retain this post for the year and don’t feel like you have to digest it all at once.
Please email me or the other Leaders, Mr. Rodrigo, Mr. Kunkle or Mrs McKee with questions, suggestions or concerns.
I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone at St James Church on 9/17.