Marksmanship Day
Date: Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
Time: 8:00AM - 1:00PM and/or 12:00PM - 5:00PM
Location: Camp Herms, 1100 James Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (map)
Registration deadline: Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program is an optional program for all Cub Scouts. Its purpose is to encourage the Scouts in learning new skills, or improving one they already posses. Cub Scouts can earn belt loops and pins in 25 academic areas and 28 different sports. Among them, the shooting sports loops and pins (Archery and BB-gun Shooting) can only be earned through Council-led events, under BSA trained supervision, and at a BSA facility range.
Marksmanship Day is one of such Council events and the next one is coming up on October 2nd. Registration can be made online at the Council website until September 26th (this Sunday). Go to the website for detail. Make sure to wear your Class A and fill out the authorization form before you go.
Note: Shooting sports belt loops can be used toward Wolf electives 20c and 20n.
An Eventful Day
This Saturday, September 25th, is the 17th National Public Lands Day. It is also the 26th California Coastal Cleanup Day! Traditionally, volunteers and conservationists get together on this day to improve the outdoors across the country. Our Pack has no servicing event scheduled on this day, but it doesn't mean you cannot go out and show some Scouting spirit! Look up the two websites and sign up to volunteer in an event. Besides making a difference in the environment, your contribution will also satisfy one of the requirements for the Cub Scout World Conservation Award and Year of Celebration Award.
Not ready for such heavy duty work? How about taking a leisure hike (hiking belt loop, Year of Celebration Award) at one of the nearby national parks and historic sites? On Saturday, National Park Service will be offering free admission to all national park lands. It is a great time to go on a hike, practice leave no trace (Leave No Trace Award), and earn the Scout Ranger patch!
Having one of the rare weekends that you would rather be indoor instead? You are in luck! Smithsonian Museum Day also falls on the same day. A printable ticket entitles you and a guest free admission to one participating museum (Collecting belt loop). There are many museums to choose from, but if you are working on this Museum Tour patch, you may want to consider visiting Hiller Aviation Museum, which is one of the required museums, and check out the Scouting in Aviation display.
With so much going on this Saturday, where should I start?
Fall Camping
Some people think Scouting means camping. While Scouting is not just camping, it never seems complete without it. If you have never been camping before you may want to know "what do you need to take camping?", well fear not, you can find all you need to by looking on websites such as activeprod.net, so you are prepared to take on the outdoors. As the best season for camping starts, there is camping ALMOST every weekend! (woo-hoo!) So it is well worth looking at somewhere like outdoorcommand.com to stock up on your camping essentials for the season! One night or two nights, near or far, causal or structured, you are guaranteed to find something that suits you. So get your pen or PDA or phone out and start marking your calendar!
Oct 9-10: A Pack overnighter at Bort Meadow, Castro Valley - It's a Pack meeting in the outdoors! Besides the usual ceremonies and skits, there will be campfire, smores, flag retirement, and group games. Your boys are gonna like it, so are you. Stay tuned for more detail.
Oct 16-17: MDSC Webeloree at Camp Herms - Exclusive to the Webelos and their parents, this overnighter is a lot of fun and the Scouts will earn 4 pins in one weekend! It is so popular that the event is already full. Still interested? Check with the Council on waiting list.
Oct 22-24: MDSC Cub Family Camp at Camp Lindblad - It won't be fair if only the Webelos have fun, will it? This camp is open to all Cub Scouts and family. Activities are pre-planned, and the boys will learn something new while having tons of fun. Find detail in this booklet and go here for registration. Besides fun, participation in this camp fulfill requirements of Outdoor Activity Award, Year of Celebration Award, requirements of various belt loops and achievements/electives of your rank. Why would you think twice?!
Nov 5-7: Pack camping at Mt. Diablo State Park - It's our annual Fall camping trip, and this time it is so conveniently located at our own backyard! You got to meet friends, have fun, and enjoy the great outdoors. Can you really say no to it? More detail to come.
Happy first day of Fall!
Sunol Regional Wilderness Hike Wrap-up
I want to recognize and congratulate the following scouts:
* Jack P
* Jacob K
* Ethan M
* Jared O
for finishing a very arduous four mile hike. The hike took more than 3 hours to complete. We climbed to an altitude of 1360 feet and had to go down on relatively steep slopes.
Special thanks for all the parents who participated in this hike and assisted me in finding our way down.
Bernard Kiriakos
Hiking Chair
Magic of the Den Box
Message from Meridian District ...
Magic of the Den Box
Presented by Julie Graham
Are you a new Den Leader?
Want to learn some tricks for getting your Den off to a good start?
Are you a returning Den Leader?
Not sure why it's not going how you would like with your Den?
Join us for some tips to using a Den Box to help you build a better Den!
Topics covered
1. Being an effective Leader
2. The importance of building your Den's identity with your den box
3. Rewards and Consequences
4. How to plan a Den Meeting
Date, time, & Location:
September 23rd - 8 pm - 8:45 pm
Crow Canyon LDS Church
5025 Crow Canyon Rd, San Ramon, CA 94582-5547 (map)
This is a training not to be missed!
RSVP to [email protected]
Recruiter Strip
It was great seeing returning families and meeting new faces at the Cub Scout Welcome Kickoff on Sunday. Did your Scout recruit anyone to join our Pack? If he did, he can wear this Recruiter strip below the right pocket of his uniform. Don't worry if you haven't. Your Scout can still get his friends, classmates, and relatives to sign up at the Pack meeting on Thursday. See you in two more days.
September Hike – Sunol
Date: Sunday, September 19, 2010
Time: 1:45pm - 4:15pm
Location: Sunol Regional Wilderness (map)
This 4 mile loop hike is moderately easy, although there are a few steep stretches. Trailhead elevation is about 410 feet. The park's highest trail reaches about 2300 feet. The featured hike climbs to about 1360 feet, then descends back to the trailhead. Total elevation change is about 1000 feet.
[stextbox id="info" caption="Hike Statistics" align="center"]Distance: 4 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Trail surfaces: Dirt trails and fire roads.
Be sure to read: Hike info and map[/stextbox] [stextbox id="info" caption="Directions" align="center"]From Interstate 680 in Alameda County, exit Calaveras (exit 21a). Follow the brown "parks" signs. (If you've exited southbound, stay in the left lane of the exit ramp, turn left, drive under the freeway and then stay in the left lane through a stop sign, to remain on Calaveras.) Drive south on Calaveras about 4 miles to the junction with Geary, and turn left. Continue on Geary almost 2 miles to the park entrance kiosk, then continue past the visitor center to an unmarked dirt lot on the left. Park at Visitor Center.[/stextbox] [stextbox id="info" caption="What to Bring" align="center"]Water, snack (granola bars, trail mix, fruit), sun screen, entrance fees.
Binoculars, camera, layer your clothes.[/stextbox] [stextbox id="alert" caption="Note" align="center"]Please arrive at 1:45 PM as the hike starts promptly at 2 PM![/stextbox]
More on training …
Every Scout deserves a trained leader. And it is why we come back to training again after we have already covered this a few times. This time, a message from our Training Chair of the Meridian district:
To Meridian Scouters,
I hope all of you are enjoying your Labor Day Weekend!!! -- May you all take a break with your families and have a wonderful weekend full of rest and fun with those you love...
Training for the Cub Scout program has changed in terms of accessibility. Starting this month (September) all Cub Scout Position Specific training is NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!!!
So, a quick refresher -- To be considered TRAINED in Cub Scouts you need the following:
1. Youth Protection (YPT) - Online
2. Fast Start (Den Leader, Cubmaster, or Committee) (FS) - Online
3. This is Scouting (TIS) - Online
4. Position Specific (PS) - ONLINE starting September 1st, 2010
The new ONLINE Cub Scout Position Specific training is broken out in SEVEN tracks:
1. PS - Specific Tiger
2. PS - Specific Wolf Cub
3. PS - Specific Bear Cub
4. PS - Specific Webelos
5. PS - Specific Cubmaster
6. PS - Specific Pack Trainer
7. PS - Specific Pack Committee
Each track will have 15 minutes of Introduction to Cub Scouting (this will be a repeat for most of you). After the 15 minutes, you will then spend 10-15 minutes on the Position Specific area (e.g. Tiger or Wolf, or Bear, or Webelos etc.). The total online training time is around 30 minutes.
To access this, please login to www.Myscouting.org --> Click on Training --> E-Learning --> Cub Scout tab -- Leader Position - Specific Training.
So starting this FALL, if you have CHANGED positions (i.e. Tiger to Wolf den leader), you will need to take the Online PS course. You DO NOT need to retake past positions (i.e. PS Tiger Online) if you have already taken, for example, Tiger PS LIVE training last year. This rule holds true for all positions. You only need to take the new online PS course if you are taking on a new position or are brand new to Cub Scouting.
Once you have completed the online training, your training records on Myscouting.org is updated. You will be prompted to print out a training card at the end of the course. Please follow the instructions and print the training card and keep that for your records.
WHAT ABOUT LIVE TRAINING?
We will continue to offer LIVE Position Specific Training for all tracks (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, Cubmaster, Pack Trainer, and Pack Committee). We have live training sessions on September 18th, October 2nd, and November 8th. You are encouraged to attend LIVE training, if time permits, because it offer more interactive discussions and Q&A verses the online training. At this point, it is your choice - it is VERY important that your leaders are trained (LIVE or Online -- they're BOTH GOOD!!!) You just need to take one OR the other.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Yours In Scouting,
--
Ray Chan
Training Chair
Meridian District
925-548-6179 - Cell
September Reading
It is the beginning of another Scouting year and there is a slew of reading material to get you prepared for all the fun ahead! Among everything, here's a couple that worth mentioning ...
- Den & Pack Meeting Resource Guide - New for 2010-2011. A MUST-READ for all leaders and parents who want to understand the meeting and advancement schedule, and expectations of the new program.
- Baloo's Bugle - Published monthly by the US Scouting Service Project, it is loaded with tips, games, and skits etc, all surrounding the Core Value of the month. It is issued a month in advance (ie. The September issue covers October's value), allowing ample time for leaders to incorporate ideas into planning. This is an invaluable reference for Den and Pack leaders.
- Smoke Signals - A monthly newsletter from the Council and District, with information of upcoming events and training opportunities. The September issue is now available.
- Scouting Magazine - Published 5 times a year, covering the coolest and latest news of Scouting. The September/October issue has just come out, and you can read it cover-to-cover online here.
- CubCast - Not exactly "reading material," these are podcast that you can download or listen online. Each monthly cubcast is divided into 2 parts: one on the Core Value of the following month, another on a timely topic. You should find the Cubcast widget on the right sidebar of our website under the title "Cubcast." Feel free to click around it to see the menus and listen to a couple cubcasts. A couple minutes a month, they are the power boost to keep you on top of the most important topic at the time!
Happy Reading (and Listening)!
National Summertime Pack Award
School has started and summer is almost over. Has your scout participated in 3 or more Pack events this summer? If he has, he may qualify for the National Summertime Pack Award pin! Qualifying events include
- USS Pampanito Overnighter
- Cub Scout Day Camp
- Danville 4th of July Parade
- Tahoe Camping
- Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Email CC Scott asap with your scout's name, current rank, and den number to secure the award!
USS Pampanito Overnighter
