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

A reminder that our next pack meeting is this Monday (Nov 13), at 7:00 pm in the North Pointe gym.  In addition to jokes and awards, we will have a guest speaker presentation from Texas Snakes (back by popular demand!).  They always put on a great program for our scouts, with information about how to identify venomous vs. nonvenomous snakes and safety in the wild, plus an interactive demo with some real live snakes (nonvenomous species of course).

Setup – Bear Den

Opening / Closing Flags – Fierce Lion Patrol

Cleanup – everyone

Hello Pack958,

Here is a reminder email about our upcoming Campout at the USS Lexington.  As I mentioned before, our Pack camps overnight on the USS Lexington only once every two years.  This year is one of those years!  The registration & payment deadline is at this Monday’s Pack Meeting on 10/9/2017. 

 The Pack has reservations for a total of 55-people, and 31 have signed up so far.  This means there is room for 24 more, so sign up quick!

The Details:

• WHAT:  Pack958 Campout!
• WHERE:  USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier, Corpus Christi, TX
• WHEN:  Saturday, Dec 2, through Sunday, Dec 3.  Arrive promptly on the pier by 12:00 noon on Saturday, as the entire group will register & enter the ship together. 
• WHO:  Parents, Scouts, Siblings, and their Friends & Family Members (so yeah, just about anyone).  Refer to paperwork/forms requirements below.
• LEXINGTON WEBSITE
• General Info, including driving directions:  https://www.usslexington.com/
• Overnight Camping Program details:  https://www.usslexington.com/programs/overnight-camping-2/
• REGISTRATION & PAYMENT DEADLINE:  Midnight, 10/9.  To register, simply reply to this email with who from your family will be attending the campout.  We will also take registration & payment at the 10/9 Pack Meeting.
• COST:   $45 per person (Scout or Adult).  This is $10 off of the normal $55 per person fee.  The Pack has decided to subsidize $10 per person, based on last year’s fundraising efforts.  The $45 price includes the overnight stay, unlimited self-guided tours of the ship, a movie in the 3D MEGA Theater, two trips through the chow line (dinner/breakfast), bunking in original crew quarters, a flag ceremony, and more.  If you plan to attend, bring a check made out to ‘Pack 958’ for $45 per person to the 10/9 Pack meeting.  You can also pay using the Pack’s PayPal account at: https://www.paypal.me/Pack958
• FORMS:  Everyone in attendance (adults & scouts) will need UPDATED FOR 2017 Medical A&B forms and copies of their insurance cards.  All adults must also complete Youth Protection Training (YPT) within the past 2-years.  Email signed copies of the Medical A&B and insurance cards to Ronny Baccus, and copies of YPT to Bruce Blazine.
• MEALS:  The Lexington will provide Dinner on Saturday and Breakfast on Sunday in the ship’s galley.  All other meals are your own responsibility. 
• ITEMS TO BRING: Sleeping bag, blanket and pillow; toiletries (e.g., shampoo, toothbrush, deodorant); water bottle; towel/wash cloth; Class A Scout uniform; closed toed shoes (tennis shoes) flashlight; personal medication; first aid kit; snacks; money for snack bar & gift shop. 

 

Tentative Schedule:

SATURDAY, 12/2

• 0730—1130:  Drive to Corpus Christi, eat breakfast/lunch on your own as needed.
• 1200—1300:  Arrival at pier & Check-In
• 1645:  Quarters – Main Stage Hangar Bay II
• 1700:  Dinner
• 1800:  MEGA Movie
• 1930:  Flag Ceremony – Main Stage
• 2000—2200:  Self-Guided Tours/Scavenger Hunt
• 2215:  Ghost Stories
• 2245:  Tattoo (Lights out in 15 minutes)
• 2300:  Taps (Lights Out)

SUNDAY, 12/3

• 0645: Reveille
• 0700—0730:  Move Out
• 0745:  Breakfast
• 0830:  Morning Colors/Final Quarters/Patches Awarded
• 0900:  Departures/Disembark
• 1000—1400:  Drive back to Houston

That should do it for now.  I will send out additional details as the date gets closer.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

YIS,

Bruce “Camping Chair” Blazine

brucekristi@gmail.com

832-671-3885

Our first pack meeting of the school year is this Monday evening, 7:00pm in the North Pointe Elementary gym.  Come join the fun with jokes and skits and help us welcome our new scouts to the pack when we award their neckerchiefs and slides (and model rocket!).  At the end of the meeting we will head outside for some racing fun with the pushmobile cars!

A few reminders:

·         Please pay annual dues at the meeting if you haven’t already - $85 per scout ($60 for each additional scout per family).  Pay with cash or check made out to “Pack 958”, or using the paypal link (https://www.paypal.me/Pack958).  

·         The Oct 9^th meeting is the deadline to sign up for the USS Lexington campout in early December (see Bruce Blazine’s separate email with those details).  There are still plenty of slots left, so sign up!

·         If your scout would like to share a joke in the meeting, please have him write it down on a slip of paper and put in the joke bucket at the front table when you arrive.

·         We will also have a raffle drawing for prizes at the end.  You can purchase raffle tickets when you arrive for 25 cents each, or 5 for $1.

·         Pack 958 class-B T-shirts will be available at the meeting as well, so you can pick one up for your scout if you don’t have one yet ($10 each).

 

Setup – Toxic Viper Patrol

Flags – Wolf Den

Raffle – Webelos I Patrol

Clean up – Everyone

See you all on Monday!

Our leadership committee met earlier this week to discuss updated pack plans and schedule changes in light of the recent storm and recovery efforts.  Separate emails will be coming out soon about each of these events, but wanted to get this out there now for you to include on your family schedule.

Sept 25 (Monday):  Fall Rally Night at 7pm – This is the new date for our fall information and sign-up night to be held in the North Pointe Elementary gym.  This is will be an opportunity for our pack to get back together and host fun activities for new scouts as well as share information about our program with new parents / families who want to join.

Oct 9 (Monday):  1^st Pack Meeting at 7pm, NPE gym – New date for the first pack meeting (originally planned for 9/25).  Will welcome everyone back with jokes, skits, and other fun, and will also award new scouts with their neckerchief and slides.  Note that we still need to confirm that the school is available for us on that date, but assume this location unless you hear otherwise.

Oct 21-22 (Sat/Sun):  Pack Fall Campout – One night campout at local city park (likely Bay Area Park).  This was originally planned for earlier in the month at a state park (Lake Somerville), however this park as well as other nearby state parks are closed for the next few months due to the excessive rain and flooding.  So our plan B is a fun one-night campout at a park near our neighborhood to include games, scout activities, and a campfire program.

Oct 28 (Saturday):  District Rocket Launch – This is a district-wide event for new scouts only (including scouts who joined at the beginning of this past summer).

At this point we will be back on track with our regular schedule, starting with our second pack meeting on Oct 30 (Bobcat Ceremony).  Note that you can find the full calendar of pack activities on our pack website at www.pack958.org.