Friday, November 8, 2013

Pack News

Greetings Pack 914,
No School, No Scouts
We will NOT have den meetings on Monday Nov. 11 due to the Veteran's Day holiday.
Please note that we have permission from the council to combine the Wolf and Bear (2nd & 3rd grade) dens and they will be working through requirements (and massive fun) together.

Popcorn Pickup - *need a volunteer*
Our popcorn order has been placed - thank you all for your efforts at this fundraising event for our scouts.  These funds keep our costs down and pay for awards for the boys and events.

We need to pick up our popcorn order in Sylva on either the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 14 or anytime during the day Friday, Nov. 15. I'm having a colonoscopy on that Friday (fun!) so I'm not available.  We need someone with a minivan, truck, or good sized SUV to pick up this order.  It's about 15 medium sized boxes and they will help you pack your vehicle.  Let me know if you can as I need to give the council a 30 minute window in which we'll send someone.  Call or text: 828.399.1657.  I'll coordinate with you about getting it to our scout closet at Cullowhee UMC.
We will distribute popcorn orders to each scout at our den meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.

Rechartering
Every calendar year we must "recharter" as a pack.  Your Pack Committee completes the paperwork necessary to show that we're keeping BSA policies and actually have scouts.  We just turned that in for 2014 and I want to thank Eric Hester, our Pack Committee Chair and Roy Osborn, our Chartered Organization Representative (from Cullowhee UMC) for their work on that.
Thank you all,
-Lee Nickles, Cubmaster

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Pack News

Some reminders:
Oct. 21 - next Den Meeting
Oct. 23 - Bojangles Scout Night - a percentage of sales on this day at Bojangles is donated to our council
Oct 25 - possible Pumpkin Patch recruitment event.
Oct. 28 - October Pack Meeting and School Uniform Day (scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to school)
Nov. 1 - Pack popcorn sales end, all order forms and money are due at noon on this day.

Den Leaders
We currently have two Tiger den leaders, one Wolf leader, and one Webelos leader.  Over the past few weeks, you've seen the den meetings and how they can run.  My prep time for those was about 1-3 hours per den meeting, not counting a trip to Walmart for supplies.  We have resources for you that script the meetings if you would like that much detail.  I will help you get going.  

Now is the time: we need you as parents to step up and commit to being a den leader or assistant den leader.  We need one more wolf leader (2nd graders), two bear leaders (3rd graders), and one more Webelos leader (4th and 5th graders).  I can't sustain this on my own and we must be in compliance with the BSA two-deep leadership policy.  Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, whoever is willing can be a den leader.  If we do not get leaders we will have to consider options such as suspending or disbanding dens without leaders or asking boys to transfer to the Sylva pack.  

Being a den leader is fun.  If you are thinking about it, feel free to contact me and/or go to myscouting.org, create an account, and take the Youth Protection Training and the Leader Position Specific training for your boy's den.  That will give you a better idea of what is involved.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Pack 914 News

Thank you to everyone who helped in various ways for our recruitment.  We have 23 new boys signed up!  On that note - welcome new scouting families!

Den Leaders Needed
We still need several den leaders:
Tigers (1st grade): one leader
Wolves (2nd grade): two leaders
Bears (3rd grade): two leaders
Webelos (4th & 5th grades): one leader (if we get three more we can separate them into two grades)
Please contact me (lee.nickles@gmail.com or cell: 828.399.1657) if you would be able to serve or would like to learn more.  We must have den leaders lined up by the end of our pack meeting on Monday so we're ready for the coming week.
Upcoming events:
First Pack Meeting - Monday, Sept. 23rd, 6:00 pm
Cullowhee United Methodist Church (on WCU's campus, behind Subway, Rolling Stone Burrito, etc.)
We will have registration for events below AND will kick off Popcorn Fundraising sales.

Tiger Fun Day (Tigers Only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 9 am until 3:30 pm
This is for all Tiger scouts and will be held at Camp Daniel Boone (Canton, NC, about 1 hour drive).  Cost is $8 and includes patch, program, and lunch.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.  Each Tiger cub must be accompanied by one adult partner.  Sorry, no siblings or other family members.

Cataloochee District Cuboree (Wolves, Bears, and Webelos only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, camp until Sunday morning, Sept. 29.  Camp Daniel Boone (Canton, NC, about 1 hour drive)
Registration opens at 9 am and the program starts Saturday at 12:15.  We should wrap up by Sunday morning after breakfast.  Cost is $15 per person - families welcome.  Lunch on Saturday is NOT included so bring a bag lunch.  You must bring a tent and equipment as we will be camping at the campground.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.

Pack Committee Meeting Sunday, Sept. 29, 4 pm, Cullowhee UMC
This meeting is for the pack committee to make decisions about the direction of the pack.  Any leaders and interested parents are welcome to attend.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Rally Night TONIGHT!

Come out this evening (Thursday, Sept. 19) to the Jackson County Rec Center at 6 pm for our Rally Night.  Learn more about Cub Scouts and take the opportunity to sign up.  See you there!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Pack News

Cub Scouting only exists because of folks that volunteer to help run the program and see our boys succeed in it.  Please consider (very soon) if you are willing to be a den leader this coming year.  We are short den leaders for 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.  Scouting provides many resources to help you as a den leader, including scripted den meetings, training, and support from me locally.  I did it for the first time last year and had a blast.  Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and friends in the community are all welcome to volunteer.  Contact me if you would like to learn more.

Please take note of the following coming up on our calendar

Rally Night - This Thursday, Sept. 19, 6:00 pm
Jackson County Rec Center in Cullowhee
Please invite other families that have 1st through 5th grade boys that may be interested.  If possible, please come yourself with your son in uniform so he can interact with our recruits.

First Pack Meeting - Monday, Sept. 23rd, 6:00 pm
Cullowhee UMC
Come with your son in uniform.  We will have registration for events below AND will kick off Popcorn sales.

Tiger Fun Day (Tigers Only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 9 am until 3:30 pm
This is for all Tiger scouts and will be held at Camp Daniel Boone.  Cost is $8 and includes patch, program, and lunch.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.  Each Tiger cub must be accompanied by one adult partner.  Sorry, no siblings or other family members.

Cataloochee District Cuboree (Wolves, Bears, and Webelos only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, until Sunday morning, Sept. 29.  Camp Daniel Boone
Registration opens at 9 am and the program starts Saturday at 12:15.  We should wrap up by Sunday morning after breakfast.  Cost is $15 per person - families welcome.  Lunch on Saturday is NOT included so bring a bag lunch.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.

Pack Committee MeetingSunday, Sept. 29, 4 pm, Cullowhee UMC
This meeting is for the pack committee to make decisions about the direction of the pack.  Any leaders and interested parents are welcome to attend.

Thank you and I'm looking forward to kicking off a great year with our scouts.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

-Lee Nickles, Cubmaster

Monday, September 9, 2013

Pack News

Please note several upcoming events

Recruitment Planning
TODAY: Sept. 9, 7 pm, Cullowhee UMC
Parents - we will plan out the several activities we need to accomplish for our recruitment night on Sept. 19.

Rally Night
Thursday, Sept. 19, 6-8 pm, Cullowhee Rec Center
We will have our big recruitment drive this evening.  Though returning boys don't need to sign up or pay that night, please come with them in uniform so they can interact with the boys we're recruiting.
First Pack Meeting
Come to our first Pack Meeting on Monday, Sept. 23rd, at 6:00 pm. 

Tiger Fun Day (Tigers Only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 9 am until 3:30 pm
This is for all Tiger scouts and will be held at Camp Daniel Boone.  Cost is $8 and includes patch, program, and lunch.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.  Each Tiger cub must be accompanied by one adult partner.  Sorry, no siblings or other family members.
Cataloochee District Cuboree (Wolves, Bears, and Webelos only)
Saturday, Sept. 28, until Sunday morning, Sept. 29.  Camp Daniel Boone
Registration opens at 9 am and the program starts Saturday at 12:15.  We should wrap up by Sunday morning after breakfast.  Cost is $15 per person - families welcome.  Lunch on Saturday is NOT included so bring a bag lunch.  Registration forms and payment are due the evening of our first pack meeting, Sept. 23rd.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Pack Planning Meeting & Recruitment

Greetings to Pack 914 Leaders and Parents,

You are invited to the Pack Program Planning meeting on Thursday, August 22nd, at 7:00 pm.  We will meet in the library of Cullowhee UMC.  I strongly encourage those who are returning leaders or are considering leadership for this fall to come.  We will plan out our activities for the coming year and prepare for fall recruitment.

Speaking of recruitment, our pack's recruitment night will be September 19.  We will need help putting up flyers, road signs, and helping families sign up that evening.  I'll send out more details once we have them set.

Please mark both those dates on your calendar.

Thank you,
Lee Nickles, Cubmaster

Friday, June 7, 2013

Parents & Friends Message

Greetings to Pack 914 parents, leaders and friends,

I want to thank everyone who came to our end of the year picnic on May 28th.  We had some great pizza and the boys had a great time of playing with each other before the school year ended.

I also want to thank Troy for all his time and effort serving us this past year as Cubmaster. I have him on speed-dial.

Upcoming events:

June 17-21 Day Camp - Natl. Guard Armory in Sylva, 9am-3 pm
This is a fun experience for the boys and keeps them active in the summer.  I'm told that less boys have signed up than they expected so they are still accepting campers.  Go here for the official information:
If you want to sign up, contact Karen Holshue (828-400-1553karenholshue@aol.com) right away and talk with her about registration.

June 29 - Cubmobile Derby - Cullowhee Baptist Church, 9 am-10 am
This is like a soapbox car race.  Our pack has at least one car and any of our scouts that would like to race in it can do so.  Registration is $5 per scout.  You just need to show up with your scout(s), we'll bring the car(s).

Communication
My intention is to do a great deal of communication through the internet.  To that end, I'm starting an email list.  Contact me if you wish to be added: lee.nickles@gmail.com.  I've also started this pack website.

There is very little there now, but I'll work to keep the calendar up to date.

Also coming up will be our pack Program Planning meeting.  This is where our leaders and all interested parents get together to plan out our events over the course of this coming year.  I don't have a date yet but please watch for that and consider coming.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Pack Meeting on May 6th

Our next pack meeting will be on May 6th at 6 pm.  We will have a special "Crossover" program for our Webelos 2's.