Pack 3025 Parents Meeting

Monday, September 12, 2016

 

(Find your Pack 25 information at http://www.winnebagobsa.org/Pack-3025-Waterloo-IA/)

 

1) Meeting called to order by Chris Klaren

2) Attending:  David Arntz, Brian Klaren, Chris Klaren, Jeff Patrick, Andy Wolter

3) Approval of previous meeting minutes – August minutes reviewed and approved

4) Reports:

·         Cubmaster

·         Comments included in notes below

·         Secretary

·         The pack schedule was reviewed, noting that monthly parents meetings have been moved to the Monday following district roundtable.  Little Eagles on Sep 24 has been added to the calendar for our Cub Scouts 8 years and older that would like to attend.

·         Treasurer

·         Troop financial report – The pack has $1752.19 in the bank, split between the general fund with $1659.60 and Scout accounts with $92.59.

·         Outdoor/activities

·         Fall Frolic Day Camp Spooktacular, Oct 29, 1-9 PM.  Information will accompany the meeting minutes, and the pack will need to commit by October 15 to not incur a late fee.

·         Upcoming activities – Everyone brought 2 or more to this meeting to plan activities for the next 12 months, and to provide a pack plan to show to prospective new Cub Scouts and their parents what they can expect if they join.  Months from October through April were assigned activities, with May through August needing further work.  A table at the bottom of these notes

·         Advancement

·         Advancement activities – Andrew Wolter completed his Tiger badge and will receive it at the next pack meeting.

·         Webelos Activity Badge Fair, Nov 5, Hawkeye Community College – an opportunity for Webelos Scouts to earn activity badges needed for their advancement.  Cost is $10 per boy a$5 for adults (lunch and event patch included).  Registration closes Oct 28.

·         Chaplain

·         Religious awards are available for Catholic Cub Scouts.  The Light of Christ is Tiger and Wolf Scouts, and the  Parvuli Dei is for Bear and Webelos Scouts.  Both awards center around parents working with their boys through an emblem work book over a period of several weeks (actual work book time is 4-6 hours).  A workshop at Hiawatha, Iowa is scheduled for the morning of Oct 29 for participants that have essentially completed their workbooks (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-catholic-cub-scout-workshop-tickets-24786062781).  Participants have the option of attending the Archbishops mass on Sunday January 29, 2017 at St Raphael’s Cathedral in Dubuque 2:00 PM.  At this Mass the medals will be blessed and presented by Archbishop Jackels.  More information on the awards can be found at http://www.nccs-bsa.org/index.php/religious-emblems/light-of-christ and http://www.nccs-bsa.org/index.php/religious-emblems/parvuli-dei.  Scout families will be responsible for the cost of the workbook, and the pack will purchase the medals after they are earned.

·         Training

·         Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation training on Nov 19 at Tosanak Recreation Area, Marble Rock (previously Scout Camp WSR). Do we have any leaders or other adults interested in attending?

·         Leader Specific Training for adults, Oct 16, 4-6 PM, Trinity Episcopal Church, 4335 Kimball Ave, Waterloo (behind Lowes).  Training for Cubmaster, Den Leaders, and Pack Committee is available.

·         Equipment

·          

·         Fundraising

·         September 10 pop can drive, report – a fairly good collection of cans and bottles, 5 boys and accompanying adults participated.  The next can collection is scheduled for October 1.

·         Membership

·         Fall recruiting plans – Brian is working with Whitney and St. Eds to identify a 2 day recruiting timeframe in the next 2 weeks that works for the council and the school.

·         Round Table Update

·         Round table report from August 11 – no representation from our pack

·         Round table report from September 8 – a thick packet of information was received, and information on council activities and Scout Days at UNI and University of Iowa football can be found at http://troop1waterloo.org/1/pack25/pack25update.htm

5) Old Business

·          

6) New Business

·         Combined fundraiser and service event at the Knights of Columbus – Andy described an initiative to help boys and their families join and experience Scouting that would otherwise be unable to do so due to family finances.  A combination of philanthropic donations and fundraiser allocations could be used to help fund this initiative.  The selling point would be “Try Cub Scouting for $20”.  Eligible families would be those that qualify for free/reduced lunches at school.  The group encouraged Andy to get further definition around this so the entire package can be evaluated.

·         Health Forms – Parts A & B are to filled out for overnight activities, and also part C (requiring a doctor’s evaluation) for activities greater than 72 hours.  We discussed developing a central repository so leaders can access them quickly for events requiring them.  Chris will contact the cub scout round table commissioner to see how other packs manage their health forms.

·         Parents Guide – the group discussed a need to document some of our processes, such as scout accounts, so everyone has the same understandings and expectations.  There are a number of Pack Parents Guides on the internet, and many of them range from 8-12 pages in length.  They typically describe Cub Scouting, pack annual plans, costs, and the roles of each of leaders and committee positions.  They typically do not get into the “nuts and bolts” of how scout accounts work.  After some discussion, the group thought that during the next school year we could develop a parents guide, as well as a separate FAQ to describe the details that do not get into a parents guide.  After the planning activity schedule below are some excerpts from the Troop 1 parents guide that have been modified for the pack for as an example and for possible consideration.

7) Announcements

·         Next parents meeting Monday, October 17, 2016 at The O.P. (on Ridgeway Ave across from West High), meeting starts at 7:30 PM.

8) Adjournment - Upon having completed the evening’s business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Klaren

September 13, 2016

 

 

Pack 25 Pack Planning Activity Schedule

Month

Activity

September

Sep 24, Little Eagles flights at Waterloo Airport, 8 to noon

October

Oct 8 New Cub Scout Preview; Oct 29 Cub Scout Day Camp Spooktacular

November

Hike or cabin camp (TBD)

December

Sledding, or UNI climbing wall, and/or Food Bank service project

January

Fire Station visit

February

Scout Sunday; Klondike Derby if Cub Scouts are allowed

March

Pinewood Derby, Blue/Gold banquet

April

Apr 22-23 Cub Camping Conservation weekend

May

TBD

June

Cub Scout Day camp (one of the 3 months)

Pack campout

A third activity TBD

July

August

Other activities considered:  compass/orienteering; lazer tag; Ninja Gym (Jesup); Police Station visit (did last year, do again next year); helping needy at church with fall (or spring) yard work – leaves, cutting branches, etc.; bike safety and a bike ride; shooting BB guns at Black Hawk Park; frsibee golf; ice skating; visit petting zoo at Cattle Congress grounds; John Deere museum visit; a fall hike at a local part, Hartman reserve or Green Belt for leaf identification and geocaching.

 

 

 


EXAMPLES FROM TROOP 1 PARENTS GUIDE:

 

Scout Accounts

Each Scout has an account that is maintained with the Pack.  (Please note that the terms Scout accounts, pack accounts, and individual accounts are used interchangeably and refer to funds retained by the Pack for use by the Scout to fund his scouting activities.)  A Scout’s share of the profits from a fundraiser is transferred into the Scout Accounts by the Pack Treasurer after a fund raiser is completed.  A Scout may request funds from his account at any time to pay only for scout-related expenses such as outings (including summer camp and the high adventure trip) and the purchase of clothing and equipment from the Scout office.  Parents may also make a deposit to their son’s account at any time for the same uses.

Any remaining balance in a boy’s account is forfeited to the Pack if a Scout becomes inactive or otherwise quits Scouting for more than one continuous year.  Scouts transferring to another unit should have their new unit contact our Treasurer to make a transfer of their account funds.

Campership Fund

The Pack may establish and maintain a fund to help Scouts with financial hardships participate in summer camp or Pack activities that they otherwise would not be able to attend.  The fund is intended to provide “seed money” to supplement money earned by the Scout, Flapjacker camperships, and Council camperships.

Requests for access to the campership fund should be directed to the Pack Cubmaster, Committee Chairman, and/or Treasurer.  That group will consider the requests and allocate funds based on fund balance and availability of other funds from the Flapjackers and the Council.

A summary of the funds expended will be provided as part of the Treasurer’s report to the Pack Committee.  The names and/or number of Scouts receiving funds will not be disclosed to preserve confidentiality.

The Campership Fund will be replenished with special designated fundraisers throughout the year or other means as the Pack Committee sees fit.