Category: Dens

Welcome to the New Scouting Year

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.

Join the Lion Den!

Join the Lion Den!

So you successfully completed the first week of kindergarten and you are thinking you want to try out a fun, valuable, and rewarding after school program with your boy. Look no further; the Lion Den Program at Cub Scout Pack 279 has a program for you.

Last year, the Lion Den Pilot Program was offered to kindergarteners in Cub Scout Pack 279. We had 10 kindergarteners begin the program in September 2016 and 90% of them completed their Lion Rank, earned their Lion Badge, and advanced to become Tigers by June 2017.

The Lion program is back in 2017-18. It continues to be a Pilot Program and Cub Scout Pack 279 – a Gold Level Journey to Excellence Unit – was selected to offer the pilot for a second consecutive year. The Den will meet on the First and Third Sunday of every month beginning Sunday, September 17th.  If you want to learn more or want to enroll your scout, come to Parent Info Night or the First Pack Meeting.

So what is the Lion Rank and what will the boys do if they join?

Lion Rank Program Structure

Each Lion Scout attends a Den meeting twice a month. Meetings are no longer than 45 minutes total in length. Like Tigers (First Grade), the Lion Scouts complete their adventures and electives alongside their parent or guardian or participating adult (grandparents welcome!).  Adventures are completed at the Den meetings (no homework).

Lions is fundamentally an introduction to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Here are some of the fun activities we’ll do in 2017-18 as a Den:

  • Attend Pack Meetings together with the other dens
  • Earn Wampum Beads for being good scouts
  • Collect food for a local food bank
  • Go Christmas caroling at a Senior Living community
  • Explore a local zoo together
  • Meet a police officer
  • Explore the value of independence such as tying your own shoes and learning to dress yourself
  • Playing games with rules together
  • Taking turns
  • Being respectful
  • Exploring the outdoors
  • Attending family camp outs and outings with the rest of the Cub Scout Pack 279

Requirements for Lion Scouts in Cub Scout Pack 279

  1. Attend Den meetings September – May twice a month for 45 minutes with an adult partner
  2. Attend at least 3 pack meetings (held monthly)
  3. Wear the Pack 279 “Class B T-Shirt” to all events (The BSA Lion Scout T-Shirt and cap are not required)
  4. Do your best
  5. Have fun
  6. Complete 5 adventures and 1 elective. Last year the Den completed 5 adventures and 5 electives together.
  7. Complete the enrollment paperwork and pay the $55 dues. Lion Scouts are not required to sell popcorn.
  8. Lion scouts will be invited to try the Pinewood Derby for fun! (with fewer rules than other scouts)
  9. Lion scouts will be welcome at all Pack Family events and outings
  10. Lion scouts will complete one community service project with the Den.

Lion Program FAQ

Here is a helpful Lion Program FAQ prepared by the Boy Scouts of America. You’ll find it helpful as you explore whether or not to give Lion Scouts a try.

Here’s where to find the enrollment paperwork to join the Lion Den of Cub Scout Pack 279.

Welcome to Tigers!

Welcome to Tigers!

Hello Parents!

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. It is hard to believe school started this week. I hope all of the kids are having a great transition back into school and that you are ready to return to scouts. If you have questions about returning this year or know you have a conflict for our first Den meeting, please contact me via Scoutbook.

I am happy to announce that we have two assistant Den Leaders that will be helping to ensure our den has a fantastic year: Mr. Kris Clymans and Mr. Tim Pyle. I’d like to personally thank them both for stepping up to help out as we move forward as Tigers.

Here are some upcoming events you should save and plan to attend!

Parent Information Night
Where: St. James Presbyterian Church
When: Sep 7, 2017, 7pm – 8pm

On September 7, we will be holding a Parent Information Night to provide prospective Cub Scout parents with information about Pack 279 and the BSA scouting program. If you know of any boys in grades K-5 that are interested in scouting or any parents looking for a great activity for their sons, please share the following flyer.

Parent Information Night Flyer:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5f9erkbjcdirzpm/2017%20Parent%20Night%20CV%20Bulletin.pdf?dl=0

Parent Information Night is also open to all the current parents of Pack 279. There will be plenty to do for everyone.

First Tigers Den Meeting
Where: St. James Presbyterian Church
When: Sep 17, 2017, 2pm – 3pm

At this meeting we will be working on the following:
– Introductions/ Welcome back: I’d like each of the scouts to plan to introduce themselves and have one thing to share about what they did over the summer. For our scouts that attended the boy scouts summer camp, this is a great opportunity to talk about the activities they did there.

– Review the requirements for the Bobcat Badge. This is the first rank all of the scouts will earn. You can find all of the requirements outlined in the Tiger handbook, but we will plan to cover them together as a group. If you are able, it would be great if you reviewed the scout oath, scout law and scout sign with your son before the first meeting. I know we worked on learning these last year, but many scouts may need a refresher from the summer.

– Begin work on our first Tiger Rank requirement:
Backyard Jungle. I will have the materials for requirement 4 for the Tigers to work on building their very own birdhouses out of empty milk cartons. We will be painting, so you can have your scout wear an old T-Shirt under their Class A.

– Cheer for upcoming pack meeting. Tigers have the responsibility for performing a cheer at our first pack meeting on September 21st. We will work together to learn a simple cheer.

– Closing and upcoming announcements.

PARENTS:
– A parent partner should plan to attend all meetings and participate with their scouts at events very much like we did last year.
– Scouts should plan to wear their blue Class A uniforms to every den meeting unless advised otherwise. If you have not yet purchased, you can get everything you need from the scout shop.
– Scouts should purchase a Tiger handbook and plan to bring it with them to all meetings.
– If you have not completed the registration materials for your scout, you can fill out the paperwork prior to the meeting and bring it with you. All the forms you need are linked on the website here: https://www.pack279.us/join-scouts/ If you are not able to complete before the meeting, that is ok. You can turn in everything at our first pack meeting on September 21st.

If any parent has concerns about participating in scouts due to affordability, please send me an email. We have many forms of assistance available.

3. First Pack Meeting
Where: St. James Presbyterian Church
When: Sep 21, 2017, 7pm – 8:30pm

You won’t want to miss the first pack meeting to kick-off the scouting year. We have some very exciting special guests that will be there. As Tigers we will also play a role in each of the pack meetings. For the September meeting, we are responsible for a cheer, which we will practice at our first den meeting.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, September 17th.

Hooked on Scouting

Hooked on Scouting

Do you have a boy in grades K-5 in Cumberland Valley, East Pennsboro, Mechanicsburg, West Shore, Camp Hill, or even the Carlisle School Districts of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania? Ever consider getting him hooked on scouting?

Are you looking for a program in the 2017-18 school year that will give him positive relationships with peers, exposure to strong role models, and opportunities to earn awards and recognition to build positive self esteem?

Are you looking for a fun activity you can do together on a weekly or monthly basis to get out of the house?

Are you looking to learn new skills as a parent and meet new friends and families from your area?

Does your boy love adventure and to try new things?

Does he have friends participating in scouts?

Did you or a spouse or partner participate in scouts when you were young?

Then scouting may be just the program you are looking for. Join us for a Parent Information and Sign up Night on Thursday, September 7, 2017. You will have an opportunity to meet the parents who lead the pack, ask questions about time commitments and cost, understand the diverse opportunities we offer throughout the program year (community service, hiking, camping, competitions, sports and games, family friendly events, field trips just to name a few).

Get Hooked

As a special incentive, every new scout who completes enrollment paperwork and is fully paid in dues by September 30 will receive a free rod and reel fishing combo courtesy of Bass Pro Shops and the New Birth of Freedom Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Help your son discover new abilities, make new friends, and explore new worlds. Build an Adventure with Cub Scouts.

 

Lion Den Recruiting for 2017-18

Lion Den Recruiting for 2017-18

The Lion Den application is in, and upon approval by the New Birth of Freedom Council, Pack 279 will begin recruiting kindergarten age boys to be part of our Lion Den in the 2017-18 scouting year. Last year, Pack 279 successfully advanced 9 Lion Scouts to become Tigers in the inaugural class of Lions. Serena Fedor served as our Lion Guide last year and has moved on to serve as the Lion Den Leader.

Michael Fedor – Assistant Cub Master and last year’s Assistant Lion Guide – is back this year to help get the program off the ground again. He will be helping to recruit our next Lion Guide and providing the den with the support and guidance we found worked so well in 2016-17. He has also spoken with Packs across the Council, bringing some of their ideas and successes to our own program this school year.

If you are a parent or guardian of a kindergarten age student in the Easter Cumberland County area and want to know more about Cub Scouting in Pack 279, plan to attend a Parents Information Night at St. James Church on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 7 PM.