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Pack 454 Newsletter:

September 2006



If you are receiving this newsletter and are no longer in scouts please respond to this email so that I can take you out of the address book. 
 
For current scout parents-if you would prefer that I use a different or additional email address please let me know.
 
 Hello Scouts and Families -
 
Are you ready for another year of scouting fun with Pack 454?  We have a fantastic year planned with campouts at Possum Creek, the Central Florida Zoo, BUC TUOCS and Fort Clinch.  We will continue with the Pack 454 traditions of the Fall Carnival, Caroling at Sterling House and the Gator's Dockside Breakfast. There are also all of the Cub Scouting traditions of Popcorns Sales, Pinewood Derby, Blue and Gold, Scouting for Food.  I hope you are ready!!
 
We had 19 new scouts join our pack at Round up this year.  We have added a new Tiger den and a new Wolf den.  There are also several bears and Webelos that have joined.  Welcome to all of the new families, and thank you to the leaders who have volunteered to lead these new boys.
 
Please remember that Class A uniforms are the attire of choice for pack and den meetings.

Pack Meeting-
Our first pack meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 19 at 7 PM in the Talbot Cafeteria.  As this is the first pack meeting of the year there is a lot of paperwork, forms to be filled out and campouts to sign up for.  Please take a look at the list below to see what we need to complete at this meeting.

At this pack meeting you will be able to:

  • Pick up a copy of this year's Pack calendar
  • Fill out a release of information form - this not only ensures that the pack has your correct contact information, but also allows us to add your son into the pack phone book.   You can hand these forms into Chuck and/or Ann Dale (Den 5) Please remember email addresses are important as they are the main sources of our information     
  • Fill out a Class 1 and 2 medical form.  These forms are very important to keep with us at meetings and campouts.  Class two states that it should be filled out by a medical professional.  Please do not worry about having a medical professional filling it out, just fill out Class 1 completely and as much as you can on class two.        
  • Sign up if you are planning to attend the Possum Creek Campout (description below) 
  • Sign up for our November 18 and 19 at the Central Florida Zoo campout (description below)
  • Pick up this years Popcorn take order from.  (see below)
  • Order the 2006-2007 Pack 454 Class B T-shirt for your son and other family members. The pack provides these T-shirts for the scouts and leaders.  Additional T-shirts can be purchased for $8 each.  Many of you may have already done this through your den leader. 
Committee Meeting-
The next committee meeting will be held on Sunday, September 17, at Trinity United Methodist Church, in room 211 at 7:00 PM.  All leaders, assistant leaders, and parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend. We need your input. This is when we go over the upcoming events and make many decisions affecting our boys. Please come with suggestions, requests, etc.
 
Popcorn-
Popcorn sales start on September 23. Our current members should have received their order forms in the mail from council over the summer.  If you did not receive one you can pick one up at the September pack meeting. This is our biggest fundraiser, so we are hoping for a lot of sales. Our goal is to have each boy sell at least $50 in popcorn. All scouts that meet this goal, will receive this years Popcorn Pin.  

Dens will be taking turns doing show and sell popcorn sales at the Hunter's Crossing Publix.  Your den leaders will contact you about your den's specific date and time slot.

Each den should have their own den popcorn kernel (a volunteer parent) that will collect the order forms and money, and tally it. Please turn in your order forms and money to your den kernel or leader at your den meetings.

All completed den popcorn forms need to be turned in to Jen Davis, by the October Pack Meeting on October 17. Don't forget to pick a prize from your level of sales. Popcorn will be ready for pickup in mid November.  Prizes usually come in mid to late December.

Possum Creek Campout-
The Annual Possum Creek Campout is September 29- September 30 (Friday and Saturday.) This is truly an urban campout as it takes place in the big field behind the Hunter's Crossing Chevron Station. It is a great way to ease into camping for those that have never camped before. Campers may arrive at 5 PM to setup camp and can register when they get there. We will have a pizza dinner from 6:30- 7:30 PM for all pack 454 campers.  We want to have enough food for all, so please let me know if your family plans to attend.  You can do this by either signing up at the pack meeting or by email. The pack will cover the cost of our scouts for this years possum creek campout.  The cost for family members is $5. Fees include the campout activities and breakfast on Saturday morning.  On Friday night, the pack will join the rest of the district for a bonfire program featuring skits, songs, and lots of fun! On Saturday morning, there will be a variety of activities for the boys to participate in and then we will pack up and head home by 11 AM. If you are in need of a tent for this campout, please let me know as there are some available for use. This is an easy and fun campout and we hope you will join us!

Central Florida Zoo Campout Sign Up-    Pack 454 will be camping out at the Central Florida Zoo on Saturday, November 18 - Sunday, November 19.  Sign up for this campout will be held at the September Pack meeting. In the past years, sign up sheets for the fall campout have been filled to capacity at the September meeting so, Please plan to sign up at the September 19th  Pack meeting, if you wish to attend.  After the Tiger den signs up, it will be first come first serve. Once the sign up sheets are filled we will begin a waiting list. Payment will be due at the October 17th  Pack Meeting. There are two programs to choose from. The first is Zoo Wild Nights ($12 per person), a true campout for those who love camping under the stars. The second program is Snooze at the Zoo ($25 per person), which is an overnight inside the Discovery Center.  No tents will be needed for the Snooze at the zoo program.  Both programs include Animal Encounters, Twilight and Early Morning Zoo tours, Continental Breakfast, and a full day pass to the Zoo on Sunday! Snooze at the Zoo includes an evening snack. Pack 454 has reserved both programs at full capacity, however space is limited!  The Central Florida Zoo is located 2 hours SE of Gainesville in Sanford. Transportation is on your own.
 

Coming up in October-

Pack Meeting-
Our pack meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 17th at 7 PM in the Talbot Cafeteria.

Fall Carnival-
The Pack 454 Fall Carnival will be held on Saturday, October 28, from 11AM - 1 PM. It will be a morning full of games, prizes and fun. We will also be continuing a long standing Pack 454 tradition, the Halloween cake exchange.

Please contact me with any questions or comments regarding this newsletter or scouting in general and I will do my best to assist you. 

Yours in Scouting,                                                                            Tabitha Vought                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chair, Pack 454 Committee       

 

Update

Hello Scouts and Families-
 
I hope everyone had a great time at the pack meeting!!
 
Here are a few things that I forgot to include in the newsletter/announcements-
 
Popcorn order form-
Some of you requested that I send a link to the popcorn order form.  This form is in color as opposed to the one many current scouts may have received in the mail.  New scout members will not receive one in the mail this year so, I encourage you to print one and sell, sell, sell.  Each scout is asked to sell at least $50 worth of Popcorn.
 
Website-
Our Pack has a website, the address is http://www.afn.org/~pack454/ . On our website you can find the calendar, leader contacts and newsletters among other useful information. Due to the website being updated, some information is not current. Our webmaster's son will be graduating from scouts in February, so if anyone is interested in taking on this position please let me know.
 
Campouts-
If you were not at the Pack meeting or if you forgot to sign up for the Possum Creek or the Central Florida Zoo Campout please email me.  There is no limit on attendees for Possum Creek however, we would like an accurate head count so we can order the correct amount of food.  For the Zoo campout we have 14 spots left for the outside camping and 4 spots left for the inside camping.  Please remember at this time the zoo is not allowing children under 5.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

 

Yours in Scouting,                                                                            Tabitha Vought                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chair, Pack 454 Committee 

 cubscoutpack454@aol.com

Home Page for Pack 454, Gainesville, Florida