Welcome back, it's time to get back into Cub Scouting.  We will have our first Pack Event next Monday 9/24 at the North Pointe Gym.  Have your kids invite all their friends to this informational meeting.  We will run through a few of our standard events then have an activity for the scouts while we give the new parents a quick overview of the program.  I would also like to give each Den a few minutes to discuss plans for the year.

It would be great if the scouts could wear their class A uniform to school on Monday.  If you can't convince them, class B t-shirts would be okay too.

The Wolves are looking forward to hosting this weekend's rocket launch activity!  We'll keep an eye on the weather and let you know if there are any changes to the plan.  We have a couple of launch pads lined up for the event.  If you have one, please feel free to bring it.

 

When: This Saturday July 7 @ 8:30am

Where: Sylvan Rodriguez Park (we'll plan to use the open fields to the left when you pull in the driveway)

What to Bring:

- Your own rocket(s) -  For our new Scouts, you're welcome to bring your new rocket.

- Your own engines and parachute wadding (Available at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and the Scout Shop)

- Sunscreen

- Bug Spray

- Water

- Shoes that can get muddy

 

Yours in Scouting,

Stephen Zenter

281-433-5472

The Bears are hosting a hike for the pack this Saturday 6/16 at Armand Bayou (info below).  The plan is to meet at 9:30 at the visitor center then set off an adventure through the park.  Wear your class B T-shirt. Don't forget to bring some water for the hike.  Weather is a little iffy for this weekend, if it looks like heavy rain then we will cancel (check for an email by 8:30 Saturday morning).

Armand Bayou

8500 Bay Area Blvd

Pasadena, TX  77507

3 & Under Free

4-12 Years - $2.00

13-59 Years - $4.00

60 & Above - $2.00

The end of this scouting year is almost here!  A reminder that our rank advancement and bridging ceremony is planned for this Sunday evening (May 20^th), starting at 5pm.  This year we will be meeting at the Scout Hut at Bay Area Park.  (7500 Bay Area Park).  At this event we will recognize our scouts for all their hard work this year and award the rank patches that they have earned.  After this, each scout will cross over the bridge to start on the trail for next year’s rank, and will receive his new neckerchief and slide.  All new scouts joining the pack this spring are also encouraged to attend and bridge over with the pack as well!  Any new families who attended our rally night last month but did not turn in an application yet can do so on Sunday.    I will also share the schedule for the summer activities we have planned as a pack. 

 

Afterwards we will celebrate with a reception, with hot dogs provided to roast over the fire.  The pack will provide the dogs, buns, condiments & drinks, but sides and desserts will be potluck.  Bring whatever sides or desserts you would like to share, and fill in what you plan to bring at this google sheet link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BDtNPUlPn7Wx5jHGvspSH3OhFNK09lJXCTJdV4FSkXc/edit?usp=sharing .  We will have the fire going so bring your marshmallows to roast for s’mores!

 

Pack meeting roles:

Webelos I’s – Build/tend the fire, place neckerchiefs on bridging scouts

Wolves – Opening / closing flags

Everyone please arrive in time to start by 5:00pm

 

Each family to bring:

Camping chairs

Skewers for hot dogs, marshmallows, etc.

Side item or dessert

See you all on Sunday,

Troy McCracken 

Pack 958 Cubmaster

This Sunday is our Arrow of Light Ceremony at Bay Area Park where all of our graduating Webelos II scouts will be bridging over to their chosen Boy Scout Troops.  This is a very special event where we celebrate the accomplishments of these boys as they start their next adventure in scouting, so I encourage you to attend.  Near the end of the ceremony each scout will cross the bridge and be welcomed into their new Boy Scout Troop by representatives from their troop, followed by a reception with snacks/drinks at the Scout Hut.

Webelos I and Bear dens will attend as you have a role in the ceremony.  Wolf and Tiger scouts are welcome to attend as well but not required, we just ask that parents help keep your scouts sitting still and respectful of the ceremony.  All scouts wear class A uniform.

Location:  Bay Area Park at 7500 Bay Area Blvd.  We will meet at the fire pit area next to the Scout Hut on the left side of the main road after you enter.  Map:  https://goo.gl/maps/txMknwHBpa72

Time:  Ceremony starts at 5:00pm, some of you will need to arrive early to help prepare (see below).  Please arrive at your prescribed time to allow us to start on time.

·         The graduating Webelos II scouts (Toxic Viper Patrol) should arrive by 4:00pm to start setting up the ceremony area with Class A uniforms.  After setup, be ready for a quick walk through of the ceremony by 4:30pm.  Scouts should know the Boy Scout Law, the Boy Scout Oath and how to tie a square knot.  All graduating scouts should have a length of rope looped onto their belts for the rope circle later in the ceremony (supplied by your den leaders).

·        The Webelos I scouts (Fierce Lion Patrol) should arrive by 4:30pm to set up the snacks for the reception.

·         The greeting den (Bear Den) should arrive by 4:45pm and be ready to hand out programs to the arrive guests.  Everyone else plan to arrive by 5:00pm.  Please bring your own camping chairs for seating.

Arrow of Light Ceremony Assignments 

Setup for Ceremony	Toxic Viper Patrol
Building of fire	Toxic Viper Patrol
Setup for Snacks/Reception	Fierce Lion Patrol
Ceremony Greeters (Handout programs)	Bear Den
Akela	Order of the Arrow
Medicine Man	Order of the Arrow
Four Winds (4 Webelos II parents)	Wesley Garland Ramon Gonzalez Viji Indrakumar John Thomas
Arrow Ceremony – Placing of arrows on Plaque	Kerry Neyland
Clean up	Everyone

The Bear Scouts of Pack958 would like to invite the entire Pack to our annual Blue & Gold Banquet & Carnival!

BLUE & GOLD BANQUET:

• When:  Saturday, 3/3, 5:00pm—6:30pm.
• Where:  Clear Lake United Methodist Church, Great Room (same place as Pinewood Derby). 
• Who:  The Bears are hosting!  Family & siblings welcome.
• What to wear:  Class-A uniforms
• Fun:  There will be several Carnival Games for the entire family to play, and to win tickets for raffle prizes. 
• Food:  Frito Pie and Hot Dogs.  There will be several Bear Den families each with a crock-pot full of their favorite chili recipe for Frito Pie.  There might event be an encore performance from the NPE chili cook-off winner!
• Cake Contest:  We will also have the annual cake decorating contest, so bring an already-decorated cake ready to be judged!  Categories are:  Best Scout Theme; Most Patriotic; and Most Creative.
• Drinks & Dessert:  The Bear Dens will be providing Water and Lemonade.  We are asking the rest of Pack958 to bring either: 

a) One dessert cake to share (also for the contest); or

b) One 2-L bottle of soda (feel free to bring a bottle from school fair)

• RSVP:  Go to Google Doc’s 2018 B&G List and RSVP (# Parents, Scouts, & Siblings) and indicate if you will bring either a dessert cake or one 2-L bottle of soda.  Deadline to RSVP is this Thursday, 3/1 (this way we will know how much chili to make).
• Photos:  Per my previous email, don’t forget to upload your pictures for the slideshow to the following Dropbox folder:  2018 B&G Pictures   Please self-edit and provide only your favorites.  Deadline for photos is Wednesday, 2/28.  Don’t be the only parent without a picture of YOUR SCOUT in the slideshow! 

Thanks for helping to make this year’s B&G Banquet a success!  As always, feel free to call me or Adam if you have any questions or comments.  Thanks!!

Bruce Blazine

brucekristi@gmail.com

832-671-3885

Adam Faust

adam.m.faust@nasa.gov

720-635-9429

Pinewood Derby Details

Where:                 Clear Lake United Methodist Church (Great Hall) – 16335 El Camino Real

Day:                       Saturday, Jan 27^th, 2018

Times:                  

·       Setup starts at 1:00pm

·       Pit row opens at 2:00pm

·       Check-in starts at 2:00pm, closes at 3:30pm

·       Racing starts at 4:00pm

·       Finals winners and awards presented at Jan 29^th pack meeting

Format:

·       Each car must meet the requirements described in the rules (exceptions in the Open Class).  Cars will be inspected upon registration and will be in the custody of the race committee until the completion of the races.

·       Each Scout and Sibling car must be made new, they may not be from past years.  There will be a pit area for preliminary check of the weight and space to make final adjustments.  Each car will race in four heats, running once in each lane.  The cars are electronically timed, and the final results are obtained by averaging the four measured times.

Speed Awards:

·       Ribbons awarded to all participating scouts

·       Ribbons for 1^st through 3^rd place awarded in each Den.

·       Trophies awarded to scouts for 1^st through 3^rd overall (i.e. entire Pack)

·       Ribbons for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place in sibling class

·       Awards for appearance (see categories below)

·       Awards will be presented at the Pack meeting on January 29^th

Sibling Class:  Siblings of scouts may enter the derby and race in the sibling class.  All rules apply.

Open Class:  In this class, the cars must adhere to the weight and size limitations and may not have external power, springs, etc. but anything else goes!  PARENTS – this is the one for those of you who want to show off your own car making skills!

Appearance Awards:

·       Most Creative

·       Best Cub Scout Theme

·       Fastest Looking

·       Best Vehicle Not a Car

·       Best Use of Color

·       Judges Choice / Hard Luck

Happy 2018 everyone, hope you all had a wonderful break.  Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things by preparing your car for some Pinewood Derby racing action!  You should all have picked up you pinewood derby kit at the December holiday party.  If you were not at the party then please contact your den leader to obtain your kit (they picked up extras for anyone who was not there).

If you would like some help designing and building your car (especially if this is your first time, or need to borrow tools), we will be hosting our Pinewood Derby Build Day this coming Saturday.  Here are the details:

Pinewood Derby Build Day

Where:  Gilruth Live Oak Pavilion at Johnson Space Center (map attached below)

Day:      Saturday, Jan. 13, 2017

Times:   10am to noon

Tools available:  one band saw, one belt sander, one drill press, and pit tools.  We will also have a few extra kits and parts available if needed.

The Live Oak Pavilion is located on the south side of the Gilruth Center gym near the small jogging track.  We will be outside so dress appropriately if the weather is cold.  Please have your design drawn on your car before you arrive to help save time with the tools!  Draw the outline on one side and on the bottom (the side with the axle grooves).

The car construction and race rules are included in the second attachment below.  You can also find lots of great tips and design ideas on the internet.  Remember, you want the car to be as close to 5.0 oz as possible without going over, so you will need to pick up some weights that you can add.  Hobby Lobby and Michael's both typically have weights, decals, graphite lube, and other accessories.  The scout shop at Bay Area and Saturn (inside the United Way building) also has a pinewood derby section with additional supplies and tools.

Our last pack meeting of the year is Monday (Dec 18) at 7pm, meeting in the North Pointe Cafeteria.  This is our annual pack holiday party with Christmas carols, jokes and snacks hosted by the Fierce Lion Patrol.  We will be handing out pinewood derby kits, and will also include a service project activity where the scouts will assemble gift boxes for children at Texas Children’s Hospital and Memorial Herman Hospital this holiday.

Setup (cafeteria) – Fierce Lion Patrol

Opening / Closing Flags – Tigers

Raffle – Toxic Viper Patrol

Cleanup – Everyone

See you all on Monday!

It looks like the District plan is still on for the rescheduled Rocket Day this Saturday.  More information about this event, what to bring, schedule etc. can be found at the district site here:

http://san-jacinto.shac.org/rocket-day

New scouts should make sure to RSVP at link on the page above to ensure that they will have a rocket engine for you (the event is free).  Returning scouts can also attend but will need to bring your own engine.

Ronny