10/22/23 - Cubmaster Biweekly: Webelos-O-Ree wrap up, Bobcat Ceremony, November Activities

Good evening Pack 333 families.

It's been a busy October with the start of Den meetings and Webelos-O-Ree. While the weather was less than cooperative, our Webelos and AOLs had a great time participating in some fun activities, including shelter building, archeological forensics, and time on the BB range. We're working through updating Advancements for the attending Cubs as well as some of our camping needs.

On Friday 27 October 2023, please join the Pack for initiation of our Tiger Cubs, new Cubs, and new Leaders at the Shrine at St. Anthony's (12290 Folly Quarter Rd. Ellicott City, MD - just follow the road around to the parking lot at the Shrine). We will be using water based paints to mark our new members and our AOLs will be leading our flag ceremony. We will also have a campfire with Smores and pretzels. This event has been moved to 7:30pm due to the Manor Woods Trunk or Treat conflicting with our earlier time. Please bring a camp chair or blanket and flashlight and warm clothing. If you have any flags (American, State, other) that need retiring, please bring them with you. If Cubs have a uniform, they should wear it.

Part of the Pack camping events involves having at least one Basic Adult Leadership Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) trained adult present. National Pike District is offering this training 3-4 November 2023 in Mt. Airy, MD. The class covers camping and outdoor activities from a Leader perspective to ensure that Cubs have a fun and safe time. The check-in for class starts at 5:00 pm on Friday night with participants camping overnight and continuing through ~6pm on Saturday. There is some easy online course pre-work and a zoom safety briefing on Thursday 2 November 2023. The course cost is $55 and is Pack re-imburseable. If you are interested, please reach out ASAP. More information can be found at https://scoutingevent.com/220-74916

We tentatively have camping at Poplar Grove (Mt. Catocin in Thurmont, MD) set for 10 - 12 November 2023. I have camped at Poplar Grove before and really enjoyed the site, access, and the beautiful sky. However, this conflicts with the Veteran's Day parade and will definitely be cooler weather camping. There are no cabins available in this part of the season and I have received several requests to move this to either spring when the cabins are available OR to a site with cabins available rather than simply cancelling. I have created a sign-up genius for those interested in camping with 3 choices: keep as is, move to spring, or find another winter cabin camping site. With our reservation, I need to make changes prior to 26 October; so please make your choices by Wednesday at 9pm. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044AABAA2CA5FB6-45496162-poplar

Our November Pack meeting features Echoes of Nature with Animal Ambassadors to talk about our Maryland ecology and native animals, avians, and amphibian habitats. Our meeting will be Tuesday, November 14th at 6:30pm at St. James indoors.

Lastly, we are looking for a volunteer to lead the Cubs in the Veteran's Day Parade on Sunday 12 November 2023 at 9:30am. The coordinator will need to assemble the Cubs, guide them in the parade, and return the flags to the shed. If you are interested, please reach out to Becky Ciecka. More information can be found below.https://www.howardcountyveterans.org/parade/

As always, any questions, suggestions, or comments are welcome.

Respectfully,

Tara Lydick, Cubmaster Pack 333

WFVFD Open House!

Hi, Pack 333 families! West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, is holding their annual Open House on Sunday, October 15 from Noon to 4 pm at 12535 Old Frederick Road - the intersection of Old Frederick Road and Route 32.

WFVFD President Stan Kitzinger invites all of our Scouts, their siblings and parents to come meet members of the WFVD and enjoy activities for all ages. Members will be available to answer kids' questions about equipment and being a firefighter. Scouts can also check out some of the equipment firsthand and maybe even go up a short distance in the bucket of Tower 3 (that's one of the ladder trucks)!

Highlights of the Open House include:

Fire Apparatus Displays Sparky the Fire Dog Recruitment / Volunteer Opportunities Demonstrations Station Tours

Pack 333 is proudly chartered by West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department.

Cubmaster Bi-weekly Update and Welcome 9/28/2023

Good afternoon Pack 333 families. We've had an excellent start to this school year and Scouting year. I'd like to welcome everyone returning and our new Cub families as well. If you have friends or family that are still interested in Cub Scouts, please reach out and we can invite them to our first Den meeting. You should be receiving emails from Jason Pointe regarding this years registration as well as ScoutBook connection requests for new members. If you are not receiving emails, reach out to Jason (jpointe@verizon.net) and check to make sure you have enabled emails in ScoutBook (returning and registered Scouts) or have accepted the connection request (new families). We use ScoutBook (https://scoutbook.scouting.org/) for Den and Pack mailings as well as keeping track of Advancements, posting any activities on the calendar, and general coordination. Our website ( https://cubpack333.wixsite.com/home ) reflects changes made in ScoutBook, but is updated second.

The next couple weeks are looking a bit busy, but fun for our Cubs. You should be receiving emails from your Den Leader or Coordinating Parent regarding the first Den (grade level) Meeting this year. Like our Pack meetings, most Den Meetings will be scheduled at St. James unless arranged in advance. If you haven't received a message, please reach out and we'll make sure you make contact. Our Webelos and Wolf Dens do not currently have a Den Leader or Assistant Den Leader; Tara Lydick and Vickie Kessler are filing in temporarily respectively as Coordinating Parents. If you have any interest in being a Den Leader, Assistant Den Leader, or any particular activity that you would love to do with our Cubs or are just curious, please reach out and we can work with you.

We are also preparing our Webelos and AOL Dens for Webelos-O-Ree, a weekend overnight camping event which introduces our Cubs to the Scouts BSA Patrol method used in the older Scout program. In this model, the Scouts are the leaders of their Patrols rather than adult lead Dens with the adults acting as Advisors and mentors. It's a lot of fun as the Cubs get to do camping as a group (family camping is usually done for Cubs), do a variety of activities, including firebuilding, ropes, orienteering, and shooting sports, as smaller Patrol groups. They'll also get to develop a Patrol Cheer and Yell, Skits, and Flags, as well as determine which activities in which they want to participate, downtime activities, and cook for themselves (and the other Pack representatives). This requires some advanced coordination, so Webelos and AOLs may participate in a couple of Zoom calls to work out their roles, menu, and other activities.

To allow plenty of time for construction before our Pinewood Derby in January, we will also be ordering our cars and distributing them at our October Bobcat ceremony and campfire (27 October 2023 at the Shrine at St. Anthony's). The BobCat Ceremony initiates our new Cubs and Tigers into the Pack with face painting, a flag ceremony, and smores. Parents and siblings will paint their Cubs and our Lion Cubs will paint any new Adult Leaders. If you have any flags that are ready for destruction, please reach out so we can respectfully retire the flag as part of our event. This is not limited to US flags. This is a family event, so all are welcome.

Speaking for the Pack and Den Leadership, we are looking forward to a fun and exciting year for our Cubs. As always, any questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome.

Respectfully,

Tara Lydick, Cubmaster Pack 333

302-275-9478

tmlydick@gmail.com