2015 Scout Sunday Pancake Brunch and Bake Sale

Scout Sunday 2015 PatchNext Sunday, March 22nd, is our Scout Sunday Pancake Brunch and Bake Sale.  Scout Sunday is an annual event meant to mark the founding of Scouts in the United States. While the Boy Scouts of America has designated the Sunday preceding February 8th, or February 8th if it is a Sunday, as Scout Sunday; observance varies by unit and locale.  On this day scouts go to their places of worship or chartering organization, if it is a religious institution, in uniform and represent scouting at the service.

It is also a day in which scouts of all faiths recognize the good work done by scouts in their religious communities and through the religious communities that sponsor their unit. For many religious organizations Scouting is the community outreach program of choice for youth and Scout Sunday is a day to give back and allow the members of the institution to meet the scouts and their leaders and allow the parents of the scouts to meet the community and members of the organization that allows us to meet.

Pancake BreakfastThis Scout Sunday, not only will our attendance and participation be a great showing for the Saints United Lutheran Church, our chartering organization — The organization has allowed us to use the opportunity as a fundraiser.  We ask that all scouts, regardless of faith, participate in this event by coming out to represent your unit, in full uniform, as well as helping out at the fundraiser.

Additionally we ask that you spread the word to all your friends and family to come on out and attend the fundraiser (flier attached below).

The schedule of events is as follows:

  • 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Service at Saints United Lutheran Church
  • 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM — Pancake Brunch and Bake Sale

Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, and coffee or juice for $5.00 per person.  Pancakes are all you can eat!!!

Note: For those of you bringing baked goods, please bring the baked goods to the gym prior to the service or the day of the Pinewood Derby (March 21st). There will be signups at the table tomorrow night for those who have not yet signed up.

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Pancake Breakfast & Bake Sale Flier

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2015 Pinewood Derby

Let's Get Down and DerbyLast month we held our held our fourth annual Pinewood Derby Workshop. It went really smooth and we had a great turn out this year. Several boys and their parents took advantage of the opportunity to get some pinewood derby tips, choose a design, get their cars cut out and sanded down.  Afterwards they had the remainder of the month to get their cars painted, add the wheels and get ready to race.

This year’s Pinewood Derby is next Saturday, March 21st.  Vehicle registration and weigh in will start at 10:00 AM and end promptly at 11:00 AM.  The Pinewood Derby itself will begin at 11:00 AM with the first heat running at 11:15 AM.

REMEMBER, ALL CARS MUST BE REGISTERED AND WEIGHED IN BY 11:00 AM — NO EXCEPTIONS.

Once the race begins new cars will not be accepted under any circumstance.  The software we use to generate the race schedule uses an algorithm that guarantees each car runs on each track at least once and races against different cars each race.  It is impossible, once the first race begins, to add new vehicles to the lineup without starting all over and invalidating the results of any races that already had taken place.   We do not have the time to start over nor is it fair to the scouts who were on time. Therefore we will not be doing so.

SCOUTS MUST BE IN UNIFORM: This is a pack event, and the scouts should be in full uniform.  This will make for much better photos of the scout with his car, which most parents love to take.

Lunch

Lunch will be provided at no cost for the participating scouts. Any parent, sibling or friends may purchase something to eat and drink at a nominal cost, after lunch is served to the scouts.

Good Sportsmanship

This is already in the rules and you would expect that this should never be required to be part of the rules, but it is.  The Pinewood Derby is for the scouts and it is meant to be a fun time for the scout. Sometimes scouts and even parents can take things a bit too far which not only ruins it for the scout, but for other scouts as well. A visibly upset parent will make their child upset and that change in mood will spread to others.

Good sportsmanship is one of the things we teach our Cub Scouts and must be shown at all times.  Bad sportsmanship, regardless of whether it is from a scout or an adult is absolutely forbidden. A scout and his car will be disqualified if the scout, his parents, their guests, or leaders display unsportsmanlike conduct before, during, or after the derby.

The Rules

It is important to make sure that your car adheres to the rules. The rules are attached below.  The rules for our pack are in line with the district rules and strict adherence will be enforced.  If your car does not adhere to the rules it will be unable to race. It is also important to remember that the decisions of the judges are final.

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Pinewood Derby Rules

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Webelos update 3-9-15

Webelos BadgeTonight, a number of boys passed their Webelos badge or their Arrow of Light award. Congratulations! A few boys still have to visit a Boy Scout troop to earn their Arrow of Light. That is scheduled for next week.
After the review for their ranks, all Webelos worked on the Heritages belt loop. They may need help with some of their family members’ names and their countries of origin. Completing the Heritages belt loop is the last requirement for the Family member activity that they started last week.
Next week, the first year Webelos and Jared will be working on their Scientist Activity. All other Webelos will be sitting in on Troop 155’s meeting.

Tiger Parents (3/9/15)

Hello Tiger Cub Parents, tomorrow evening (Mon. 3/9/15) since weather will be a little nicer, the Tigers will be taking a “hike” around the church. Tigers will need to be in weather appropriate clothes and coats as well as sneakers or boots. Parent/Adult partners are urged to come with us. We prefer if you all walk with us, but we will need some of you to. We won’t be walking the entire hour, probably more like 30-40 minutes. See you all tomorrow!

Webelos update 2-28

Webelos BadgeThis week, we will begin working on our Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light award. Im asking that the parents of the first year Webelos please read the Webelos badge requirements and sign off on Requirements 1 and 8 in the handbook. The boys need to bring their books in with them on Monday. The second year Webelos do not need to get anything signed but they should bring in their books to help prepare for the Arrow of Light.

Camp Cards, Camperships, and Friends of Scouting Oh My!

We just would like to follow up on a few things from Monday’s pack meeting…

Friends of Scouting

Friends of Scouting: Lighting The Way We would like to thank all those who have participated in Friends of Scouting so far.  As we mentioned participation is far more important than amount collected and no contribution is too small. The goal is to show our support for scouting and the scouting program in whatever way we can and $5 is just as valuable as $500.  If contributing right now is an issue you can simply commit to an amount and be billed. You could also spread your payments out monthly or quarterly to make things easier; $5/mth is $60 so it adds up quickly that way too.

What does Friends of Scouting (FoS) pay for? For starters it is the program from where all camperships come from. The average campership value was $80 (some more/some less depending on the camp program) meaning is you were able to donate $80, you’ve covered the cost of a campership for someone who otherwise may not be able to attend camp. It helps provide for our community based Cub Scout Day Camp programs throughout the council. Additionally it provides all of the support to make the program your scout is part of a success. Some examples are:

  • Provide program resources used to plan and coordinate local unit programs.
  • Provide basic leader training courses for adult leaders.
  • Purchase audio-visual equipment and supplies to support training and program in local communities.
  • Help pay liability insurance for registered adult leaders, chartered partners, youth members and the council.
  • Offset the cost of background checks for all leaders.
  • Pay for the cost of district professionals, who work with local leaders and communities to support and grow the Scouting program. These professionals recruit, train and support local volunteers who, in turn, work directly with youth to provide the Scouting program.
  • Support local weekend programs, activities and the overall camping programs of the council.
  • Support the maintenance and upkeep of council camping facilities including Musser and Resica Falls Scout Reservations.

Please bring your contribution form to the next scout meeting and remember Participation > Amount. Every donation will receive a flashlight for your scout, and every donation of $150 or more will receive a glow in the dark council shoulder patch and be invited to attend a special event.

Camp Cards

Camp CardsIf anyone has money for camp cards, needs more, or wishes to get in on the fundraiser which helps your scout pay for summer camp please be sure to see Tim O’Keefe on Monday evening.  How do the camp cards help you? Well for each $5 card you sell, up to half will be held in a ‘camp savings plan’ of sorts in order to assist your son with attending Summer Camp. Yes there are restrictions on how that can be used outlined in the attachment below

Camperships

The deadline to submit your application for a Campership is Sunday March 1st.  What exactly is a campership? Think of it as a scholarship or financial aid for Summer Camp valued up to 50% of the cost of camp.  Get those applications in, because even if you do not plan on sending your son to camp, the camperships are transferable within the pack and you can help another scout get there.  The form is attached below.

Resources

If asked for a password enter Pack155

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Camp Financial Aid Application

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Camp Allowance Policy

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Pack Meeting Tonight

Happy Cub

Just a friendly reminder to let you know that all scouts should be in their full uniform tonight for the pack meeting.

2015 Pinewood Derby Workshop

Pinewood DerbyTomorrow we will have a pinewood derby workshop starting at 12:00 PM.  We will go over the basics of how to turn your block of wood into a pinewood derby car as well as provide cutting services for those who need them.

This is a service for parent and scout, you must be present with your scout to work on his pinewood derby car.  It is also important that you bring your Pinewood Derby Kit, we do not have extras to give away so if you do not have yours any longer, we may have a few extras to sell.

We also ask that anyone with a scroll saw, coping saws, dremel tools (with cutting attachments) or other smaller woodworking tools to please bring them in and assist with cutting.  It would be a huge help.

The Webelos who participated in the Webelos Sleepover will have lunch provided.  Other scouts attending can buy a hotdog lunch for $2-3 which will include a drink and possibly a snack.

Webelos Sleepover 2-20

Webelos Badge
Our sleepover is this Friday. Please remember to send your son with the following:
His model rocket (if he didn’t turn it in yet)
Warm clothes-We will be hiking around Pennypack Saturday
His Pinewood Derby car if he is staying for the workshop
An extra Blanket. The gym is a little chilly

I will be at the hall by 6 PM. please be there by 6:30. I have a lot planned for the boys. Make sure your son eats dinner on Friday before coming to the hall. We will have snacks on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday. As long as the weather cooperates, we will launch the rockets Saturday morning after the hike. Above the freezing mark and no precipitation would be fantastic! City rules state that in order to launch a model rocket, the winds can’t be over 20 MPH. If you want to see the rockets fly, I can text you when we are close to launch time.

One last reminder: Monday night is our pack meeting. The boys will be getting all the awards they earned up until last Monday.

Bears & Webelos Progress Report – Feb 16, 2015

Whittling Chip CardOn Monday, February 16th, the Bears and Webelos completed their Knife Safety training. This class was designed to teach knife safety and additional rules that must be followed.  While this is a requirement for Bears, the pack required Webelos scouts to re-certify their training each year.

ALL PREVIOUSLY ISSUED WHITTLING CHIPS HAVE EXPIRED AND ARE NO LONGER VALID

Our program took 2 den meetings and started last week with an introduction to various bladed items, their differences, and the validity of their use. We then covered a series of safety requirements and sent home a permissions slip and some home work which had to have been turned back in.

Last night we collected the permission slips (we do not award a whittling chip without parent/guardian permission), went over the homework assignment, and went into more detail about the safety circle. We then broke up into small groups of 3 scouts and practiced everything learned, including whittling a bar of soap.

Whittling ChipFor the bears, who attended both sessions, this completed Bear Achievement 19: Shavings and Chips and your Bear had earned his Whittling Chip and will receive a Whitlin’Chip Patch. This is a temporary patch which can be centered on the wearer’s right pocket (not the pocket flap).

For the Webelos, who attended both sessions, this renewed your Whittling Chip and you will receive a new dated card. We will note on the card the previous dates you earned it as well, if you’d like.

We may or may not have activities that allow the use of a pocketknife and having an up to date whittling chip card is a requirement to participate in such activities. Without said card, the scout is not permitted to have a pocketknife nor use a pocketknife at scout functions.