Cub e-bulletin for Aug 2008

Welcome back to the new Scouting year! This is your monthly e-bulletin to top Cub leaders in the Golden Arrow District. Please delete or edit items not relevant to your Pack, then forward to all your volunteers.

*** To add a new recipient, please send me full contact information, volunteer position, and Pack #. ***

*** Please check that we have your Pack leadership info correctly listed at http://www.goldenarrow.org/packs.html ***

*** Please pick up the items in your Pack Mailbox each month at Roundtable ***

********** ROUNDTABLE, DISTRICT, AND COUNCIL MESSAGES **********

1) AUGUST ROUNDTABLE: This monthly meeting will be Thursday August 7 at 7:30 p.m. sharp. Roundtable is the "continuing education" vehicle for Scout leaders, and a place to learn new materials, receive mentoring, and get event information for the benefit of your Den and Pack. This month we will preview the September Pack theme in plenty of time for you to prepare and deliver an excellent program. Click here to download handouts: http://www.scoutingthenet.com/Training/Roundtable/Handouts/

REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR 2007-2008 ARROW BUCKS FOR THE ANNUAL PRIZE AUCTION!

If you haven't already emailed them to Jeff Hutchinson jeff.hutchinson@shac.org please bring with you a written list of the names and full contact information for these Pack volunteers: Pack Rally Day/ SNTJS Chair; Popcorn Kernel; and you get extra Brownie Points if you also provide your 2009 Friends of Scouting Unit Coordinator and 2009 Scout Fair Tickets Chair.

The Golden Arrow District Roundtable is held in the basement level of the St. John the Divine Parish Life Center, 2450 River Oaks Blvd. at Westheimer. There is a meeting every month EXCEPT JULY. All leaders are warmly invited. Your Pack mailbox is available in the foyer and contains hard copies of important information. Every Pack should be represented. What is Roundtable, and why should you attend? Click here: http://www.goldenarrow.org/training/roundtable-cub.html

2) YOUR PACK PLANNING MEETING: When you complete your Pack planning before school starts, you can distribute your calendar to members and to prospective members at fall rally/recruiting events. Fill the calendar with Council and District events first, then the remaining dates with your own individual events. To see the Council and District calendar, visit: www.goldenarrow.org/calendar.html

3) BACK-OFFICE JOBS: As you plan your 2008-2009 Scouting program, don't forget to name three volunteers for the fundraising jobs too: Popcorn in the fall, Friends of Scouting in the winter, and Scout Fair tickets in the spring. These are good roles for parents who do not want a full-year commitment but can do a diligent and organized job, maintain focused enthusiasm, and keep excellent financial records during a limited campaign.

4) SCHEDULE YOUR FALL MEMBERSHIP RALLY (SCHOOL NIGHT TO JOIN SCOUTING, SNTJS): Please turn in the date, time, and location of your two Rally events, the Pack contact information for prospective members, and how many flyers you want printed, by August 7 Roundtable. HISD guarantees your local school’s cooperation on Tuesday September 9 or another date if necessary. For Packs not strongly tied to an HISD school, you are invited to have your event(s) between September 4-18. Email jeff.hutchinson@shac.org if you need any help whatsoever in organizing this. Please turn in any new applications you already have at Roundtable on Thursday September 4. http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Events1/SchoolNighttoJoinScout/

5) SNTJS Training: School Night to Join Scouting (Rally) training is a must-attend. Your Pack will be able to pick up all the supplies and gifts you need for a smooth and successful event. Plan on bringing a big vehicle to the SNTJS training to haul off your loot! You will also get tips and tricks to hear what works and what doesn’t work.

ACTION: Please recruit your Pack Rally Chair(s), and have him/her/them attend whichever date is most convenient: August 11, 12, or 13 at 7 p.m., St. Paul Presbyterian Church, 7200 Bellaire Blvd at SW Freeway. Questions: Contact Carol Clarkston at 713 385 6535 or cclarkston_51@yahoo.com for additional information.

6) POPCORN CHAIR TRAINING: Your Popcorn Kernel’s training Orientation and Training is August 19, 7 p.m., at St. Mark’s Episcopal in Hauser Hall, 3836 Bellaire Blvd. (Southside Place). The 2008 Trail's End popcorn sale is just about to begin. It will again feature a simplified product-pricing plan, with a straight percentage of the gross sales going back to your unit. SHAC will continue to provide new and exciting prizes and performance incentives, giving your unit the opportunity to increase your percentage of profit. Questions: Dale Fitz, email fitzkuah@aol.com

New this year: Each scout who fills out the order form with 25 unique customers gets a marshmallow blaster; and customers can send Boy Scout popcorn to military troops.

7) FRIENDS OF SCOUTING FAMILY CAMPAIGN: We are done! UPDATED Click here to see your own Pack's statistics as of July 30: http://www.goldenarrow.org/news/fos-2008-packs.pdf If your FOS Chair is holding pledges, has leftover thank-you premiums, or needs more premiums, please immediately send an email to claudia.hackbarth@shell.com

8) TOP LEADERSHIP CHANGES: When you become the Committee Chair or Cubmaster, you MUST turn in a properly filled out and signed NEW adult leader application to the Scout Office. Until this happens, the old volunteer remains as the leader of record. No form = no official change. See below regarding criminal background checks.

9) ANY NEW LEADER: All new leaders must fill out a proper form and undergo a criminal background check. New forms are just now coming off the presses authorizing this – be sure you are using the brand new one, or else ask for the supplement sheet for this required authorization.

10) SUMMER MOVES OR PHONE NUMBER CHANGES: If you, your leaders, or your families move, remember to phone in any address and telephone updates to the Scout Office. If you phone in these changes as you learn about them, you save yourself a chore at rechartering time, and the families continue to get Boy’s Life without interruption. The direct phone of the Council registration desk is 713 756-3328.

11) TAX-FREE PURCHASES: The Scout Shops are required to check that each purchaser who claims tax-exempt status has a letter showing this on file. You are exempt from sales tax on your purchases only if you are chartered by an organization that is exempt from sales tax. (Think of it this way: your Pack, Troop, or Crew is "owned" by your Chartering organization. Their tax status = your tax status.)

To download a convenient letter you can give vendors, click here: http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/01-3392.pdf

To read the rules on what constitutes a tax-exempt Chartering Organization in the State of Texas, click here: http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/sales/faq_exempt.html#exempt

P.S. There is no such thing as a "Tax Exempt number" so don't drive yourself crazy trying to find one!

12) INSURANCE COVERAGE INFORMATION: The contact person for unit insurance, certificates of insurance, proof of insurance is Pearl Suggs. Her direct number is 713-865-9123. The fax number is 713-865-9199, and her email address is pearl.suggs@shac.org. Click here to read the exhaustive and clear info on this subject: http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/AboutSHAC/Resources/VolunteerInsurance/

13) RELIGION AND SCOUTING: The Boy Scouts of America is non-sectarian. P.R.A.Y. is an independent non-profit organization that encourages and supports all youth to learn about their personal religion and strengthen their faith. Their learning incentive programs lead to a medal plus the familiar "knot patch" for the boy's Scout uniform. The P.R.A.Y. e-newsletter will inform you about ways to promote religious emblems and how to use religious emblems as a membership tool to increase BSA membership in faith communities. To sign up click here:

http://www.praypub.org/working/emailrequest.asp?Flag=1

14) CHANGE IN DISTRICT LEADERSHIP: Our wonderful District Executive Shannon Harlan has elected to leave Scouts for personal reasons. Please wish her well in her future endeavors at this month’s Roundtable.

15) CUB LEADER POW-WOW IS RENAMED AKELA’S TRAIL: This mega-training event, for all Cub leaders and as many parents as possible, is held on a Saturday in early November.

16) TRAINER DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR: Every Unit is supposed to have trained Trainer(s), people who can onboard new Leaders. We would also love to have you join our District Training Team and teach BALOO, IOLS, whatever! On Saturday August 16 at the Cockrell Scout Center from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., all volunteers with any interest in learning how to be better teachers/ trainers are invited to the semi-annual Trainer Development Seminar. The cost of $11 includes lunch and materials, click here: http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/TrainerDevelopmentSemi/ Registration by August 13 is strongly encouraged.

17) ONLINE WATER SAFETY TRAINING: Click here to take Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat: http://olc.scouting.org/

19) HOW DO I GET MY PERSONAL ID NUMBER? When registering for online training classes, if you put in your leader ID#, the system should automatically record your achievement. This number is found on the annual ID cards you are issued at recharter time. (Hint: The Committee Chair should photocopy the sheet of cards before tearing them apart and distributing them, then you have a back-up paper record.) However your Advancement Chair can look up your Unit's list of personal ID numbers anytime, if your Unit is registered for Internet Advancement.

20) EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING AWARD: In our drive towards 100% trained leaders, SHAC has established a new award your Unit can earn. A ribbon streamer will be awarded once during the calendar year to units achieving the goal of 75% direct contact leaders trained in their registered position. At the 100% level, you will further be awarded a plaque. Cub Scout leaders are considered trained when they have completed Fast Start Training, New Leader Essentials, and the Cub Scout Leader Specific training for their position. Read about it and download an application: http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/ExcellenceinTrainingAw/

followed by live training "New Leader Essentials" and "Cub Leader Specific" lectures. Finally, outdoor skills are taught at BALOO / OWL, and IOLS. See below for the specific opportunities. To read the Grand Unified Explanation of Scout Training, click here: http://www.goldenarrow.org/training/training-overview.html

22) NEW LEADER ESSENTIALS and CUB LEADER SPECIFIC : The next date for this efficient combo training in our District will be Saturday August 23 at location <TBA>, and another opportunity on September 20 at location <TBA>. Brand new leaders should come at 8 a.m. for "New Leader Essentials". At about 10:00 a.m., the course will continue on to Cub-specific and position-specific training. So, if you are a returning trained leader but NEW to your position (for example, new Cubmaster, new Webelos leader, etc.) you should plan to attend from 10:00-noon. If you are a brand new leader, you should plan to attend from 8 a.m. through noon, and then noon to 1 p.m. to complete Youth Protection Training. The cost is $16 at the door and includes a copy of the Cub Scout Leader Book (an $8 value). www.goldenarrow.org/training/adult-pack.html Contact Mary Farley, mfarley@hbu.edu

23) BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) and OWL (Outdoor Webelos Leader training): The next date for this training in our District will be <TBA>.Designed for leaders who are in charge of Pack and Webelos overnight activities, this combined course covers the rules, guidelines, skills, and safety considerations for "Pack family camping" and Webelos campouts. Trained adults, who will receive both BALOO and OWL credit, can deliver the outdoor portion of the Cub scouting and Webelos programs. (Local Tour Permits require that a BALOO-certified registered adult leader attend Cub Scout Campouts and overnight activities.) You can read more about it at http://www.goldenarrow.org/training/baloo.html .

24) IOLS (Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills): Second-year Webelos leaders are invited to take IOLS, one of the modules leading to full training in the Boy Scout Leader sequence. Learn what you need to successfully transition your boys into Scouting! This class consists of an evening orientation followed by a weekend campout. See District website for details - no advance registration is required and cost is usually about $35 including shared food costs. www.goldenarrow.org/training/outdoorskills.html The next upcoming dates are an orientation on October 1 at location <TBA>, with the weekend campout on October 10-12.

25) WOOD BADGE: Wood Badge is a mentally-intense 6-day leadership course designed for all adult Scouters. It is hoped that every Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturing leader, as well as Council and District leaders and professionals, will take it to help you focus on your responsibilities, identify a goal, help you work toward that goal -- and give you the personal tools to reach it. For more information see: http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/WoodBadge/

SR-921 September 26-28 & October 10-12, 2008 (begins Friday at 7:30 AM, ends Sunday at 5:00 PM)

SR-922 October 9-11 & November 13-15, 2008 (begins Thursday at 7:30 AM, ends Saturday at 5:00 PM)

26) WIN A BACKPACK: The Osprey Pack Co. is running a monthly contest open to kids ages six to 16. In 250-500 words, contestants are asked to tell about a place they have hiked or backpacked that was especially memorable. Why is it special? Was there a special encounter with an animal? Mother Nature? Was the area threatened? Was it well taken care of? Last but NOT least, contestants should pick one of the Leave No Trace principles and tell how it applied to the adventure. Entrants are also welcome (but not required) to include a photo. For more information and contest rules, please visit the Osprey website at http://www.ospreypacks.com/OspreyLifestyle/KidsEssayContest/

27) GEOLOGIST WEBELOS PIN : Activities leading to partial completion will be offered at the Houston Gem, Jewelry, Mineral, and Fossil Show on the weekend of September 27-28 at the Humble Civic Center, on an advance sign-up basis. The class is free with $4 student admission. Navigate to the flyer from this home page: http://www.hgms.org/

28) WEBELOS WOODS: Hold the date for this parent-son Webelos-only campout to preview Boy Scouts and help you choose a Troop: October 4-5 at Challenger 7 Park in Webster, near NASA. Forms will be available on the Golden Arrow District website in mid-August with registration required by about mid-September. At this campout, area Troops each put on a 30-miknute activity for you and give handouts for parents on their particulars.

29) CUB SCOUT FUN DAY: Save the date- Saturday October 11, for fun activities for all your Cubs.

30) DEN CHIEF TRAINING: Do you have Boy Scouts working with your Cub patrols as Den Chiefs? If so, and you would like to have them even better prepared to assist you and keep up enthusiasm and discipline at your events, alert the Scouts to an upcoming training opportunity: Saturday August 23 at St. John the Divine, River Oaks Blvd at Westheimer. See http://www.goldenarrow.org/training/den-chief-training-2008.html

31) ONLINE VIDEOS FOR WEBELOS BADGES: Check out these camping, hiking, and fire starting video lessons:

Outdoorsman http://meritbadge.org/index.php?title=Image:Outdoorsman.pdf

Readyman first aid lessons http://meritbadge.org/index.php?title=Image:Readyman.pdf.

Artist http://meritbadge.org/index.php?title=Image:Artist.pdf,

Craftsman http://meritbadge.org/index.php?title=Image:Craftsman.pdf

Aquanaut http://meritbadge.org/index.php?title=Image:Aquanaut.pdf

33) Thanks to the Webmaster James Cauble, our Golden Arrow District website has a wealth of information: www.goldenarrow.org

"The information presented here is not an official document of the Boy Scouts of America, but is solely my volunteer work and responsibility."

Activities Around Houston
Cub Activities - Houston	www.shac.org/Home/AboutBSA/CubScouting/Activities1/
American Indian Weekend
American Red Cross	www.shac.org/Home/Camping/Training1/RedCross/	Basic Aid Training (BAT); Webelos Readyman
Armand Bayou	www.abnc.org/education/scouting.php	Cub/Webelos classes, Eagle Projects, badge classes, unit camping, canoeing, fishing
Bechtel Engineering Day	www.bechtelengineeringday.org/	Merit Badge Fair in Feb for sci & engineering badges
Bovay Fishing Day	www.shac.org/Home/Camping/Camps4/Bovay/	Texas Parks & Wildlife Junior Angler Program
Brazos Bend State Park	www.bbspvo.org
ECO-DOINS		Conservation programs held at Camp Strake
Fort Bend Museum	www.fortbendmuseum.org/education/scout/	Texas Badge for Cub Scouts
Gem & Mineral Show	www.hgms.org/client_show/Show_Scout_Badges2.pdf	Belt loop, Webelos badge, Merit Badge
Houston Arboretum	www.houstonarboretum.org/	Free Sunday afternoons nature programs
Houston Zoo	www.houstonzoo.org/Community_Groups/Index.aqf	Webelos Naturalist badge; Cub Scout classes; overnights
McNair Adventure Camp	www.shac.org/Home/Camping/Camps4/Bovay/	Weekend cub camping; summer camps
Museum of Hlth & Medical Sci	www.mhms.org	Webelos Fitness & Readyman activity badge, Merit Badges
Museum of Natural Science	www.hmns.org/education/scouts.asp	Cub Scout, Webelos, Merit Badge classes
Ocean Star Museum	www.oceanstaroec.com/education/bscouts.htm	Belt loops, Webelos badges, Merit Badges
Space Center Houston	www.spacecenter.org/scoutcampin.html	Cub, Webelos, Boy Scout overnighters