Monday, June 28, 2010

Upcoming Summertime Pack Events

In addition to our June events which are the pack picnic and day camp and Camp Snyder in August, the pack will be enjoying a night at the Walkersville Carnival on Thursday, July 8. Meet at 6:30 pm. at the food pavilion and then enjoy the rides on a pay-one-price night. The Walkersville Fire Department sells tickets prior to the carnival for ½ price so be sure to pick up your tickets in advance to save.

On Saturday, July 24, we will have special scavenger hunt in downtown Frederick. Time and meeting place are to be determined.

On Saturday, August 21, the pack will visit the “tank farm” near Nokesville, VA which houses a privately owned collection of armored vehicles. See http://nmaw.org/registration/2010openhouse.php for more information. Details will be forthcoming as the date approaches.

If your scout participates in at least one event in June, July and August, he will receive a special summer activity participation award. Which we will award him at either the September or October Pack meeting.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Cubmaster Minute

We hear a lot of talk about being a good sport, but just what does it mean? A good sport learns the rules so he will not violate them. He competes with all his heart striving to outclass his competitors. If he wins, he doesn't act smug but instead compliments the losers for the fine showing they made. If he loses, he should accept the fact and find out why. Maybe he can win the next time.

A sportsman accepts defeat, congratulates the winners, studies how to improve, and determines to do better the next time.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

June Coming to a Close...July Right Around the Corner

Based upon our participation level, both June events were hits all around! First we had our June Picnic and Bridging Ceremony where we advanced ALL of our Scouts onto their next rank. Congratulations to all of our boys, and especially our adult volunteers, without you our Pack would not be the success it is.

Our other event was Day Camp! What a time that was, with so much going on everyday, it's no wonder that my Scouts were tired by the time they got home in the evening. I did make it to Day Camp a couple of days in time for the Closing and Flag ceremony and I was able to see our Webelos do the Flag Ceremony one day! I'm so glad I happened to show up in uniform.

I want to express my gratitude to every adult from our Pack that volunteered to walk with our Scouts and provide that much needed leadership that is needed. I also want to tell our Scouts how proud I am of their participation at Day Camp. I was there in the crowd on the last day and was very impressed with our Scouts, Webelos and some of our new Tigers as they performed their skits. Great job guys!

If anyone has pictures of our Scouts at Day Camp, please share them with me and I'll post them here for all to see.

Don't forget we have two events planned for July
July 8 - Pack 195 goes to the Walkersville VFD Carnival
July 24 - Pack 195 will go on a scavenger hunt in Frederick

I hope you all have a wonderful, productive and safe summer, and I'll see you next month.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Day Camp Orientation - Sunday, June 13

There will be a Day Camp Orientation held at Woodsboro Town Park on JUNE 13 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. This orientation is optional. There will be other groups using the park that evening and our gathering will be informal. Look for our “Pack Rat” POD in the main parking area.

At the orientation, we will be distributing Camp T-shirts and offering some Day Camp tips. If you cannot attend the orientation, you may pick up T-shirts on the first day of camp. T-shirts will not be given out at the orientation to anyone other than the scout’s family. The orientation is an excellent opportunity for your family to come explore the park and meet the Camp Staff. It is especially helpful for boys who are anxious about coming to Camp or who have not attended Cub Scout Day Camp before. It makes the boys feel a little better on the first day of camp if they have at least been to the location before with their parents.

Hope to see you there!

Day Camp Starts Monday, June 14!

Basic Information
This year’s day camp will be held at Woodsboro Town Park. The park is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Rt. 194 and Rt. 550. Camp will begin with a Flag Ceremony each day at 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 12 p.m. on Friday. Boys must be checked in with the staff member at the curbside drop off or their Unit den walker each day by the parent bringing them to Camp. Boys may be dropped off up to 15 minutes prior to the Flag Ceremony. Camp will end at 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Parents should arrive to pick up their child by 4:00 p.m. Boys must be picked up from their Unit den walkers on the Flag Field (near the front of the park this year). On Friday we have a special program planned. The actual camp session will end Friday at 4 p.m. but special activities are planned until around 6:30 p.m. The boys staying on Friday for the Program will remain with their Unit den walker until the conclusion of the Program, at which time they will be released to their parents.

If for some reason you must pick your camper up early during the week, you must first come to Headquarters to receive a Checkout Slip. No camper will be released from his Unit den walker without a Checkout Slip!

You may visit the camp anytime during the week. We just ask that you first sign-in on the visitors log at Headquarters and receive a Visitors Badge to wear while in camp! This helps us know who is in camp both for the safety of our campers and our Staff.

Our Friday evening is full of activities.

Drop Off
This year due to the number of scouts attending camp and the limited parking we will have curbside drop off in the main parking lot. There will be day camp staff checking in scouts as they get out of their cars in the curbside drop off. We would like to empty 6 cars at a time to keep the line moving. We can not have cars backing up onto Rt. 550 for safety reasons. If you need to park please park in the grass area. There will be no parking on the flat part of the main parking lot so we can move the curbside drop off through that area.

There is also some parking available at the second entrance to the park near the archery range.

Pick Up
There is no easy way to do curbside pick up. We recommend that packs carpool to decrease the number of cars parking to pick up at the end of the day. Again parking is available across the creek at the second entrance to the park and since we have moved the Opening and Closing Ceremonies to the front field in the park, it will not be so far to walk from that parking lot. All scouts must be signed out with the unit leader.

Adult Volunteers
If you are an Adult Volunteer, you need to check-in at Headquarters each morning that you volunteer. You will receive a wrist band and your assignment for the day. If you must leave the camp for any reason, you need to checkout before leaving, even if it is just to run to the local store for that forgotten lunch or drink! It is very important in case of an emergency that we know exactly how many adults and children are in camp at all times! There will be a training session for Adult Volunteers each day during the first rotation. All Adult Volunteers are required to attend this training. Once you have completed the training, you will not have to repeat the training the rest of the week.

Medical Forms
All scouts, Staff Members, Parent Volunteers, Junior Staff Members, Program Assistants, and children attending the Sibling Camp must have a Medical Form on file with the Camp Health Officer before the first day of Camp! If you have not already turned one in, please see your Pack Day Camp Coordinator. Please carefully complete the form in its entirety. Every question on there is required to be answered by Maryland State Law. One common mistake is that people are missing the question in the middle section about Allergies. Don’t forget to check Yes or No! Also, many people have been writing “Up To Date” for the date of the last tetanus shot. This is not acceptable! You must write in the month and year of the last tetanus shot. Your physician’s office should be able to give you the date over the telephone.

If you have already turned in your Medical Form and you now know you need to add or change information, please e-mail the information to the Camp Director at becky@stalnakersolutions.com

Day Camp Orientation
There will be a Day Camp Orientation held at Woodsboro Town Park on JUNE 13 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. This orientation is optional. There will be other groups using the park that evening and our gathering will be informal. Look for our “Pack Rat” POD in the main parking area.

At the orientation, we will be distributing Camp T-shirts and offering some Day Camp tips. If you cannot attend the orientation, you may pick up T-shirts on the first day of camp. T-shirts will not be given out at the orientation to anyone other than the scout’s family. The orientation is an excellent opportunity for your family to come explore the park and meet the Camp Staff. It is especially helpful for boys who are anxious about coming to Camp or who have not attended Cub Scout Day Camp before. It makes the boys feel a little better on the first day of camp if they have at least been to the location before with their parents. Hope to see you there!

What to Wear to Camp
Day Camp runs rain or shine! Please dress all campers according to the weather. Cub Scouts and Staff Members must wear their Camp T-shirt everyday. The camp t-shirt is the campers security identification.

Boys must bring some type of hat (a baseball cap, Cub Scout cap, or other) from home to wear throughout the day. Make sure the hat is labeled with your son’s name! Most likely, we will be experiencing warm weather and campers should be dressed in shorts. Everyone (including Adult Volunteers and Sibling Campers) must have socks and closed toe shoes, such as sneakers. Flip-flops and sandals are not acceptable footwear at Day Camp! On rainy days, everyone should bring a rain poncho. We will continue even in the rain!

Sunscreen and bug spray should be applied prior to coming to camp. Adults are not allowed to apply any sunscreen or bug spray to your child once they arrive at camp due to allergies. Also, once the boys get there and they begin to sweat, it is very easy for them to get it in their eyes. So please apply these before they come to camp! If you want your son to reapply to himself midway through the day, please send the sunscreen in a Ziploc bag clearly marked with your son’s name and Unit number.

What to Bring to Camp
Boys will need to bring a lunch with them each day. Their lunch should include a drink. Lunches should be packed in a gallon size Ziploc bag with their name, pack number and unit number clearly marked on the front. All lunches will be placed in the unit’s ice chest when the boys arrive at camp. Please do not pack lunches in brown paper bags, lunch boxes or insulated lunch bags. Brown paper bags tear once they get wet from the ice inside the ice chest. We have a limited number of ice chests, and lunch boxes and insulated bags take up a lot of room. If you send your sons’ lunch in a lunch box or insulated bag, it will not be put in the ice chest! It will have to sit out in order to make room for boys’ lunches that were packed in a Ziploc bag. Scouts with food allergies may bring their lunches to headquarters / first aid to be kept in a separate cooler or the scout may bring their own insulated bag.

If your son does not eat all of his lunch, you may instruct him to place it back in the cooler if you would like him to bring it home. However, any lunches left after all boys have gone will be thrown out. We will not save lunches from one day to the next. So if you want him to bring it home, you and your son must remember to get it out of the cooler at the end of the day.

Other things your camper may want to bring are a personal fan, a personal spray bottle, and quiet games for the lunch hour such as cards. If your child decides to bring a fan or spray bottle, please instruct your child to use it for himself and not to “play” with it. The Unit Leader may take the item if it is causing a disturbance and return it at the end of the day. Boys will have to carry their own items all day long, so they should pack lightly or not bring anything at all!

Boys will be given a plastic water bottle with their name on it the first day of camp. There will be water coolers at every station for the boys to get drinks. The Unit Leader will be responsible for taking the water bottles home for washing at the end of the day and bringing them back the next day. Encourage your boys to drink water!

Sibling Care Pavilion
Children attending the Sibling Care Pavilion may be dropped off at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The fee for sibling care is $10.00 per day per sibling staying in sibling care. Parents must check their child in at the Sibling Care Pavilion each day. You will be asked to sign them in and write down any important information such as allergies or helpful tips. Once checked in, the child will receive a colored band to place around his/her ankle. Please explain to the child the importance of keeping this band on their ankle. Since the Sibling Care attendees do not wear camp t-shirts, this is the only way we can tell these kids apart from other children who may come to the park with their parents! Parents with children in sibling care may not leave the park and leave the child in sibling camp.

Kids attending Sibling Care should have their own lunch packed separately from their parents. Lunches should be packed in the same manner as the Cub Scouts lunches (in a Ziploc bag) and will be placed in an ice chest at the Sibling Care Pavilion. Sibling Care attendees will be required to stay in the Sibling Care Pavilion for lunch. They will not be allowed to leave and go to another area to eat lunch. If you would like to have lunch with your child in Sibling Care, simply let your Unit Leader know that you will not be eating with the group and you may join your child in the Sibling Care Pavilion. If for some reason you must leave early, you must check your Sibling Care Attendee out both at the Sibling Care Pavilion and at Headquarters.

Camp Rules and Responsibilities
Important: Please review these rules with your children before arriving at camp, as they will be strictly enforced!

All campers and staff shall follow the following rules, as well as parent volunteers while they are in camp.

1. Parents must remain with their boys until they are checked in.
2. Camp T-shirts, hats and nametags (totems) are to be worn daily. This also includes staff.
3. The Buddy System is in effect at all times. No Cub Scout, Sibling Camper. Or Sibling Care Attendee should go anywhere in camp without his or her Buddy!!!
4. Rocks and sticks are to remain on the ground – a stick or rock that is not picked up or kicked is less likely to be a danger to another camper or you.
5. Knives and flammable objects are forbidden, except for use by leaders.
6. No running in camp, except in designated areas for games and sports.
7. There is absolutely no smoking in camp, parking lots, etc.
8. There is absolutely no alcohol allowed in camp or in the parking lot. If a person arrives drunk they will be asked to leave campgrounds immediately even if they are a leader.
9. Report all cases of child abuse to the Camp Director.
10. No abusive language or inappropriate language should ever be directed towards any camper, staff member or parent volunteer. Inappropriate language includes the phrase, “shut up.”
11. Each area will be run with safety in mind.
12. Unit den walkers will remain with boys till all boys have left, unless other arrangements have been made with the camp director.
13. Parents will pick up boys from the Unit den walkers.

Monthly Theme - Hoop-De-Do

While most Pack's close down for the summer Pack 195 does offer a summertime program. This month's them is Hoop-De-Do!

Jump ball! Free throw! This month, Cub Scouts will have opportunities to play basketball and learn about sportsmanship. Invite a Boy Scout who is a member of his school's basketball team to teach the boys the rules of the game. Hold a pack basketball tournament, making sure to balance out the teams with older and younger boys. It's a good time to start working on the Basketball belt loop and pin. Play other games with hoops.

Some of the purposes of Cub Scouting developed throughthis month’s theme are:
Sportsmanship & Fitness, Cub Scouts will develop better sportsmanship while playing games with others in the den and pack.
Personal Achievement, Cub Scouts will feel a sense of accomplishment as they demonstrate their new skills on the court.
Respectful Relationships, Through interactive games, Cub Scouts' ability to get along and play with others will be strengthened.
The core value highlighted this month is:
Health & Fitness, Boys will learn the benefits of being fit and healthy when playing on a sports team.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

New Youth Protection Rules Take Effect

Recently, the Boy Scouts of America announced important changes to its Youth Protection policies. The purpose of these changes is to increase awareness of this societal problem and to create even greater barriers to abuse than already exist today in Scouting.

Effective June 1, 2010:
Youth Protection training is required for all BSA registered volunteers, regardless of their position.

New leaders are required to take Youth Protection training before submitting an application for registration. The certificate of completion for this training must be submitted at the time the application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins.

Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer's Youth Protection training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.

To find out more about the Youth Protection policies of the Boy Scouts of America and how to help Scouting keep your family safe, see the Parent's Guide in any of the Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting handbooks, or go to http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx .

Youth Protection training can be taken by going to the My Scouting website and creating an account, or by logging in with your current account information.