Marengo Cub Scouts Pack 163
Important Terms to Know
CUB SCOUTS: Boys, ages 6 through 11, or first through fifth grade.
DEN: A group of Cub Scouts of the same rank that meet on a regular basis, usually bi-weekly or monthly.
PACK: A group of dens that meets once a month.
CUBMASTER: The VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for the planning of the Pack meeting and the Master of Ceremonies at all pack events. Pack 163’s Cubmaster is Bob Ray.
ASSISTANT CUBMASTER: The VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for assisting in planning of the Pack meetings and assisting the Cubmaster at the Pack meetings and other pack events. Pack 163 is currently in need of a few Assistant Cubmasters.
PACK COMMITTEE: The VOLUNTEER GROUP of adults assigned various duties to formulate and conduct a well-rounded, exciting scouting program.
PACK COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON: The VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for all aspects of the Pack operations and the person who is in charge of the Pack Committee. Pack 163’s Committee Chairperson is Rick Bergbreiter.
EVENT CHAIRPERSON: Any VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for coordinating, planning and organizing a particular pack event. Pack 163's Event Chairperson is Eileen Solis.
PACK TREASURER: The VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for all aspects of the Pack finances. Pack 163’s Treasurer is Pamela Lampe.
PACK POPCORN KERNEL/FUNRAISING CZAR: The VOLUNTEER ADULT who is responsible for all our fundraising efforts and helps generate funds for the pack. Pack 163's Popcorn Kernel is Lisa Bergbreiter.
PACK CHARTER ORGANIZATION: A religious, civic, fraternal, educational or other group that has applied for and received a charter to operate a Scouting unit. Pack 163’s Charter Organization is American Legion Post 192 of Marengo.
PACK CHARTER ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE: The
VOLUNTEER ADULT responsible for maintaining a healthy relationship between the pack and its Charter organization. Pack 163’s Charter Organization Representative is Gene Boxleitner.
DISTRICT: A geographical administrative unit of a council. Pack 163 is a member of the Sycamore District.
COUNCIL: A charter body of representatives from organizations operating Scouting units and members at large responsible for Scouting in a designated geographical area. Pack 163 is a member of the Blackhawk Area Council.
DEN CHIEF: An older Boy Scout, who is appointed by his Boy Scout Troop and the Cub Scout Pack to assist the leaders of a Cub Scout den with den activities. Typically, Den Chiefs have been Cub Scouts in the same Pack as the Den they assist.
DEN LEADERS and ASSISTANT DEN LEADERS: The VOLUNTEER ADULTS responsible for conducting den meetings.
Pack 163’s Den Leaders and Assistant Den Leaders are:
Den 6- (Tiger, 1st grade) - Dan Marcus
Den 5 – (Wolf, 2nd grade) – Eileen Solis
Den 4- (Bear, 3rd grade) - Don Rhode
Den 1– (Webelos, 4th grade) - Rick Bergbreiter
Den 8- (Webelos II's,5th grade) - Scott Colella
AKELA: A term of endearment given to any parent, leader, or role model who does their best to help make the pack go. (In “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling, AKELA is the leader of the wolf pack who adopts and raises Mowgli, a human boy who he finds lost in the jungle.)
PARENTS: THE PEOPLE THAT HELP MAKE IT ALL COME TOGETHER.
Welcome to Marengo Pack 163
2016 Pack Policy
Meetings
The regular monthly Pack meetings will be held at The First Presbytarian Church in Marengo unless listed different in the Pack News letter or on the Web site.
Parents are expected to accompany their son to the Pack Meeting and siblings are welcome and encouraged to attend. Parents are responsible for the conduct of their children at the meeting and are expected to set an example for them for the duration of the meeting.
Joining
A Cub Scout Application form must be completed in order to join Pack 163. Boys who are eligible to join Cub Scouts are:
• 6 years old and in the first grade – TIGERS
• 7 years old and in the second grade – WOLVES
• 8 years old and in the third grade – BEARS
• 9 years old and in the fourth grade – 1st Year WEBELOS
• 10 years old and in the fifth grade – 2nd Year WEBELOS
Attendance
Cubs and their parents are expected to attend all Pack Meetings and Den Meetings. If a pack meeting must be missed, the Cub or his parent should contact the Den Leader so he/she can obtain any awards that would be presented to the Cub at that month’s pack meeting.
If a den meeting is missed, the Cub or his parent should contact the Den Leader to find out what badge requirements were covered during the meeting so that the Cub can complete those requirements with their parent.
Uniforms
New Cubs in Pack 163 who are 8 years old or younger or not yet in 4rd grade are required to purchase the official navy blue Cub Scout shirt, neckerchief and slide. New Cubs who are 9 years old or older, or in 4th grade may purchase the official tan Cub Scout shirt and blue shoulder loops in place of the navy blue shirt.
Pack activity shirts are to be worn at the discretion of the Den Leader or Pack Leadership.
Blue jeans (blue jean shorts) can be worn in place of regulation pants, (not sweat pants /athletic pants); and sneakers, without wheels, are appropriate footwear. Cubs are expected to wear their uniform to all den and pack meetings and on all outings, unless otherwise announced or arranged.
New leaders are required to purchase the tan leader shirt and navy blue shoulder loops.
Additionally parents and leaders will need to buy the following uniform items:
• The Blackhawk Area Council emblem – A multi-colored patch sewn directly below the left shoulder seam.
• The Pack numerals – Several white numerals embroidered or a red background sewn directly below the council emblem. Our pack numerals are 163
• The Den numerals – The word DEN followed by one or more numerals embroidered in gold on a navy blue background sewn centered and touching the bottom of the U. S. flag on the right uniform sleeve. Your den leader can tell you what your son’s den numerals are.
• The appropriate Cub Scout Tiger, Wolf, Bear or Webelos Handbook for their cub depending on his age or grade level.
The official uniform shirt should be worn tucked in at all times.
The neckerchief and slide should be worn according to the steps below. The official neckerchief slides tend to slide off unexpectedly. To prevent this, press the two metal tabs on the back of the slide into the folded neckerchief fabric after the neckerchief is fed through the slide. The neckerchief should only be worn with the official navy blue Cub Scout shirt.
How to Wear the Neckerchief
1. Fold the long edge over several small flat folds to about 6 inches from the tip of the neckerchief. A tight fold prevents gathering around the neck and is more efficient than rolling or twirling.
2. Place around the neck over turned-under collar of uniform shirt. Or, wear under shirt collar if desired.
3. Draw neckerchief slide over ends and adjust to fit snugly. Let neckerchief ends hang loose.
4. The portion of the neckerchief showing below the back of the neck should measure no more than 6 inches.
Parent Participation
When a boy joins Cub Scouting, his parents obligate themselves to help with the following:
1) Help their son’s progress in Cub Scout achievements and electives by working with the Den Leader and signing his book when he completes activities.
2) Assist den and pack leaders by volunteering to help with activities, serve on special committees, or take leadership positions within the pack. Each family is expected to assist the den in its responsibilities for pack meetings during the year.
3) Attend monthly pack meetings and take part in ceremonies when appropriate. One adult guardian should accompany each cub to the Pack Meeting. Scouting promotes family togetherness. Each family should be actively involved in their son’s scouting program. This Pack belongs to all the boys and their families, not just a few select volunteer leaders. Constructive suggestions are always welcome. Please ask if your help is needed, get involved, and help make this program successful, exciting and fun for your son and his peers!
Training
New Tiger Den leaders will need to complete and file a Volunteer Leader Application with the Blackhawk Area Council.
New Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos Den leaders will need to attend the following training courses to be considered fully trained:
• Youth Protection
• New Leader Essentials
• Den Leader Specific Training for your rank
Pack Committee members will need to attend the following training courses to be considered trained:
• Youth Protection
• New Leader Essentials
• Pack Committee Specific
Cubmaster & Asst. Cubmasters will need to attend the following training courses to be considered trained:
• Youth Protection
• New Leader Essentials
• Cubmaster Specific
Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation, (BALOO) Training
At least one BALOO trained leader must attend every outdoor pack camping activity.
What is "BALOO" training?
If you ask a boy why he wants to be a Cub Scout, nine times out of ten he will answer, "To go camping"! That's why BALOO training was created, so boys, along with an adult partner, can participate in a safe, successful and fun overnight camping experience. A pack campout is a great way for families to have fun and build confidence in outdoor skills. This kind of camping is not the rugged high adventure outing geared toward older Boy Scouts. It is what you might call "soft camping", where families can simply drive up to a campsite and pitch a tent within a few feet of their vehicle's rear bumper. The emphasis is on family fun activities that don't require a lot of advanced outdoor skills and only basic equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, duffels and cooking gear.
How do you get started?
BALOO is one day training session that will give your pack's outdoor activity leader(s) the tools to conduct a safe and successful overnight camping experience.
After completing BALOO Training you will be able to:
• Apply the six steps of planning a pack campout.
• Understand the camping equipment needs of an individual and a group of Cub Scouts.
• Demonstrate the proper ingredients of a successful campfire program.
• Describe applicable safety standards for fire, water, and weather considerations.
• Explain how the outdoor program runs progressively through different age levels of Scouting.
• Demonstrate knowledge of foil cooking practices.
• Understand the focus of Cub Scout level outdoor cooking.
• Describe health, safety and sanitation procedures for outdoor activities.
• Organize and lead different types of nature hikes with confidence.
• Demonstrate and supervise the lighting and operation of different styles of camp stoves and lanterns.
• Describe the advantages of using stoves over campfire style cooking.
• Have fun on a campout.
Finances
All pack families are responsible to help “Make the pack go”. In order to pay for cub awards and programs, fundraising is necessary. Pack 163 Cub Scouts sell popcorn as their fundraiser. Each Cub Scout is greatly encouraged to sell a minimum of $250.00 worth of popcorn. Without your contribution to “make the pack go”, the pack will be unable to pay for your child’s achievement awards and fund pack outings.
Financial Hardship
In the event that your family is experiencing financial hardship and you need financial assistance with pack registration, please speak to Mike Langel, Doug Sekulic or your Den Leader. All inquiries will be held in the strictest of confidence and every effort will be made to assist you and your Cub Scout.
Discipline
It is not the job of any leader to tolerate conduct of any boy that is detrimental to our main function of providing a healthy, safe and fun Cub Scout program to all boys in our pack and dens. Den and Pack Leaders have the option of requesting that a parent take his or her son home for disruptive behavior. Behavior problems that cannot be reconciled by parent and the pack leaders working together will result in a request for resignation from the Pack.
Den Meetings
Den meetings are generally held more frequently than pack meetings at the discretion of the Den Leader who establishes the time and place for the den to meet.
Each Scout is a guest and participant at the Den Meetings. You are asked to accompany your child to these meetings. If there is a problem with your child’s behavior the Den Leader has the right to request your child not be present at the Den meetings.
Parents are to be punctual. Remember that your Den Leader is a VOLUNTEER. Encourage your son to participate and work towards his badges at Den meetings and as a family. Certain requirements cannot always be completed at Den Meetings.
Each Scout should bring his handbook to every den meeting so that the Den Leader can certify and initial completed activities and progress toward rank.
Pack Meetings
Pack meetings are usually held on the Third Monday of each month. Pack 163 meets at Locust Elementary school in Marengo at 6:30 p.m. Meetings last approximately 1 hour. Each Pack meeting has a theme and an activity. The primary purpose of a pack meeting is to present awards and achievements to your Cub Scout and his peers. Therefore, it is important to participate in pack meeting as an entire family.
Volunteer Committees
Throughout the year we have Parents and Leaders meetings. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend and participate. If you have questions or ideas or concerns please feel free to attend and share them with us.
Some of the opportunities for your participation:
Fund Raising, Scout membership, Community Involvement, Advancement, Pinewood Derby, Family Camping, Blue and Gold Banquet Planning, Day Camp Coordinator, Den Leader.
Pack Leaders or Committee Members
Everyone will be asked to participate. If you have a particular talent, skill or think of something special you would like to do with the pack, please let us know.