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CUBMASTER'S LETTER
Date: 9/1/08 - 6/30/08
Location: NO LOCATION
Letter from the Cubmaster
Greetings!
My name is David Akers and I am the current Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 556 - Los Gatos CA. As a boy I benefitted from participation in the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts. I had many valuable experiences and grew personally as a result. The value of this investment continues into my adult life. As the father of a Webelos Scout it is great to be able to "give back" to this organization. I hope to do what I can to give my son the best opportunities to succeed in life. I imagine I am not alone.
The Cub Scouts is one of the entry points into the Boy Scouts of America. Although the experience of Cub Scouts is not required for Boy Scouts, one of the purposes of the Cub Scouts is to prepare boys for the Boy Scouts when they graduate to the 6th grade.
This letter is intended as an introduction to the Cub Scouts and to our Pack and as a clarification of some significant points regarding the cub Scouts and our pack.
Cub Scouts gives parents of boys in grades 1-5 an opportunuity to come together ito Teach our boys respect for God, Country, Home and for other people. The ideals and activities of the Cub Scouts contribute to a better understanding of an appreciation for and participation in citizenship. Cub Scouts is parent-led all the way. I say parent but we all know that is not always possible. We have very active Aunts, Advocates, Uncles, Guardians and Grandparents.
The purposes of Cub Scouting are:
Character Development
Spiritual Growth
Good Citizenship
Sportsmanship
Family Understanding
Respectful Relationships
Personal Achievement
Friendly Service
Fun and Adventure
Preparation for Boy Scouts
Membership
Cub Scouts join a Cub Scout Pack. This is the complete group of Cub Scouts and their parents. Pack 556 has 50-100 boys in total. Cub Scouts are assigned to a Den, a group of Cub Scouts (ideally 8-10) organized by age.
Tiger Cubs (first-graders or age 7) and their adult partners. There are five Tiger Cub achievement areas. The Tiger Cub, working with his adult partner, completes 15 requirements within these areas to earn the Tiger Cub badge. These requirements consist of an exciting series of indoor and outdoor activities just right for a boy in the first grade.
Wolf Cub Scouts (second-graders or age 8) To earn the Wolf badge, a boy must pass 12 achievements involving simple physical and mental skills.
Bear Cub Scouts (third-graders or age 9) There are 24 Bear achievements in four categories. The Cub Scout must complete 12 of these to earn the Bear badge. These requirements are somewhat more difficult and challenging than those for Wolf rank.
Webelos Scouts (fourth and fifth-graders or age 10) A boy may begin working on the Webelos badge as soon as he joins a Webelos den. This is the first step in his transition from the Webelos den to the Boy Scout troop. As he completes the requirements found in the Webelos Handbook, he will work on activity badges, attend meetings led by adults, and become familiar with the Boy Scout requirements—all leading to the Arrow of Light Award.
All new Cub Scouts begin by earning their Bobcat badge which includes an excellent introduction to the cub Scouts.
Dens are led by two or more adults and meet every week or every other week at schools, at a home or another location that is agreeable to the parents of the Cub Scouts in the Den.
Each month, we have a meeting of the entire Pack (we typically meet at Blosson Hill School). Generally, our Pack Meetings are the last Friday of each month, although some variation happens related to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Check out the calendar at http://pack556.org - this schedule includes activities of the various Dens and needs to be consulted regularly as the source of information about "what is going-on".
The leadership of the Pack includes two groups:
The Den leaders
The Committee - general oversight and planning of all-pack activities such as campouts and participation in the Los Gatos Christmas Parade. Each Den needs to identify two adults to be part of the committee. Each family should find a role in the Pack, as Den leaders, Committee Members, event planners or helping out in some way. Our Pack works because we all work and the results are sure worth it.
Unlike some of the activities our boys may be in, Cub Scouts requires the activie participation of families. Busy schedules happen sometimes. When you cannot attend with your boy, make sure another adult is able to be responsible for him.
Activities
Cub Scouting means "doing." Everything in Cub Scouting is designed to have the boys doing things. Activities are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness. A lot of thes activities are age-oriented, but the Pack has a lot of fun together as well, from building and racing model cars to figuring out how to pull each other out of (simulated) difficult situations like being stuck down a hill. As much as we want the boys to learn and grow, we always try to make it fun.
Cub Scout Academics and Sports
The Cub Scout Academics and Sports program provides the opportunity for boys to learn new techniques, increase scholarship skills, develop sportsmanship and most of all, have fun. Participation in the program contributes to badge requirements and earning belt loops.
Camping
Our Pack goes on family campint trips (families attend as units) and during the summer months, age-organized day camps are available as well.
Publications and Communication
Our Web site http://pack556.org maintains our pack calendar and we use email as a primary communications vehicle. It is very important to make sure your email address is correct and that our email can get through your SPAM filtering. We sure don't want anyone missing out.
Volunteers are informed of national news and events through Scouting magazine (circulation 900,000). Boys may subscribe to Boys' Life magazine (circulation 1.3 million). Both are published by the Boy Scouts of America. Also available are a number of youth and leader publications, including the Tiger Cub Handbook, Wolf Handbook, Bear Handbook, Webelos Handbook, Cub Scout Leader Book, Cub Scout Leader How-to Book, Cub Scout Program Helps, and Webelos Leader Guide.
Character Development
Since its origin, the Scouting program has been an educational experience concerned with values. In 1910, the first activities for Scouts were designed to build character, physical fitness, practical skills, and service. These elements were part of the original Cub Scout program and continue to be part of Cub Scouting today. Character can be defined as the collection of core values possessed by an individual that leads to moral commitment and action. Core values are the basis of good character development. In helping boys develop character, Cub Scouting promotes the following 12 core values.
Cub Scouting's 12 Core Values
Citizenship (your boy will learn respect for and care of the American flag as an example)
Compassion (we help our community and give the Scouts a chance to make a difference)
Cooperation (The boys often work in teams and have to learn to work together)
Courage (We challenge boys to do things like participate in skits)
Faith (We support your family in your pursuit of your faith)
Health and fitness (We do running, hiking and swimming)
Honesty (We model and expect honest behavior)
Perseverance (It takes work to earn badges and belt loops)
Positive attitude (Sometimes it is challenging, and we challenge our boys to maintain a positive, supportive attitude)
Resourcefulness (Many of our activities encourage the boys to use resources - including time well)
Respect (Boys learn to follow leaders and as they progress they become leaders. The Boy Scouts of America trains some of the best leaders in our Nation)
Responsibility (Care of his uniform, care of his book, understanding and doing what is expected)
Character is "values in action" and a critical component of the Boy Scouts is the concept that leaders consistently model the character we expect our boys to develop. We model following and leading.
Cub Scouting Ideals
Apart from the fun and excitement of Cub Scout activities, the Cub Scout Promise, the Law of the Pack, and the Cub Scout sign, handshake, motto, and salute all teach good citizenship and contribute to a boy's sense of belonging.
The Cub Scout Promise
I, (name), promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.
Cub Scout Motto
Do Your Best.
Tiger Cub Motto
Search, Discover, Share.
Law of the Pack
The Cub Scout follows Akela.
The Cub Scout helps the pack go.
The Pack helps the Cub Scout grow.
The Cub Scout gives goodwill.
Akela
Akela (pronounced Ah Kay La) a symbol of wisdom, authority, and leadership. Akela is anyone who acts as a leader to the Scout. Akela can be a Cubmaster, Den Leader, parent or teacher depending on where the guidance takes place. In den meetings, it is the Den Leader who is Akela. During pack meetings it is the Cubmaster. At home, the parents fill this role. Baden-Powell chose Kipling's Jungle Book as a source of symbolism and allegorical framework for the youngest members of the Scouting movement.
Colors
The Cub Scouting colors are blue and gold. They have special meaning, which will help boys see beyond the fun of Cub Scouting to its ultimate goals.
The blue stands for truth and spirituality, steadfast loyalty, and the sky above.
The gold stands for warm sunlight, good cheer, and happiness.
A few Frequently asked questions:
My Son is a fourth-grader and it is nearly June, can he still join Cub Scouts? Absolutely, we have Cub Scouts start with our pack at every age, and at every time during the year
What do I need to do to "get into" Cub Scouts? Start at the Scout Office with a uniform. Boys in First through Third Grade wear the blue shirts, Webelos have the option of wearing an existing blue shirt or wearing a Khaki shirt. Get a Cub Scout book for the rank your boy will be working on.
What are some of the activities? In December, we try to do something for our community. In January we have our pinewood derby (the boys build, style, paint and race cars. In February we celebrate the Birthday of Cub Scouts with the Blue and Gold Dinner.
Where do I get the uniform and book? The Santa Clara County Scout ioffice is located at 970 West Julian Street San Jose, California 95126 Phone: 408.279.2086 Fax: 408.279.0659 Scout Shop Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm Saturday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
What is expected of Parents? We expect someone from each family to voluteer in some capacity in the Pack, either as Den leadership (it is fine to have multiple families leading a Den) or on the Pack Committee. The intent is for everyone to do something so nobody has to do everything.
Boy Scouts of America
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http://67.100.77.199/bsa.nsf/a/cubmastersletter
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