cont Pack 22 Homepage

Pack 22 in Natick, Massachusetts

Welcome!

This is the website for Pack 22, the Cub Scout Pack comprising boys mostly from Lilja elementary school in Natick, Massachusetts, but also other boys who live in Natick. The pack is in the Liberty District of the Knox Trail Council.

The purpose of the website is to provide information to cubs and their parents about what the pack is doing and has done, how to join, how to participate, how to help, and other information. If you have any questions or suggestions about the pack or the website, please contact us.

Contents

Other Information

Contact Information

The current leaders are:

The pack is run by a committee of volunteer parents. This is required by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in order for the pack to be chartered by the BSA. The current committee is listed in our page about Pack 22, but is led by two main contact people:

Committee Chair
Scott D. Anderson
chair@natickpack22.org
255 Bacon St, Natick, MA 01760
508-655-1820
Cubmaster
Jeff Eckelkamp
cubmaster@natickpack22.org
Pack Committee

natickpack22committee@googlegroups.com

This Google group is for the pack leadership to discuss and plan the running of the pack. You must be a member of the Google group in order to email it. This note is here primarily as a reminder for those on the committee! If you'd like to join the pack committee, email the Committee Chair.

The archives of Pack committee emails is at http://groups.google.com/group/natickpack22committee. I believe you will have to login with a Google account in order to view that page. Note that you can get a Google account for free, and it can be with any email account, not only with a Gmail account. So, I suggest every committee member get a Google account for this purpose.

Pack Parents

natickpack22parents@googlegroups.com

This Google group is for the pack parents to communicate among ourselves. Anyone who is in the group can email to the group, and only those who are in the group can email to it (this protects you from spam). To get an invitation, contact the pack chair.

The archives of Pack emails is at http://groups.google.com/group/natickpack22parents. I believe you will have to login with a Google account in order to view that page. Note that you can get a Google account for free, and it can be with any email account, not only with a Gmail account. So, I suggest every parents member get a Google account for this purpose.

Mailing Lists

Email is our primary way of contacting you, letting you know what the pack is doing and opportunities that are available to you. For that reason, we ask you to subscribe to our mailing list. It's not impossible to join the pack without subscribing to the mailing list, but it'll be much harder to find out what's going on. Please do subscribe. (We will never give away or sell your email address. Check out our privacy policy.)

In turn, we will try to be reasonable with emails. You'll probably get only a handful of emails a month, including a reminder before each pack event or outing and before the monthly pack meeting. (This is separate from any emails you'll get from your den leader.)

Here's how to join the mailing list. It only takes a few minutes, but it's a two step process:

  1. Give us your email address:
    Google Groups
    Subscribe to natickpack22parents
    Email:
    Visit this group

    Filling out this form results in a request for confirmation email being sent to the mailing list manager (a person).

  2. Later (usually within a day), we'll approve your request, and you'll be on the list.

If you're on our old list and you want to un-subscribe, click here:

Calendar

The following uses Google calendar Click on the week, month or agenda links to see the calendar in a different format. Agenda just lists the relevant events, so it's the most compact.

Parental Involvement

Cub Scouting encourages parent-son interaction, so a parent or guardian is expected to attend meetings and activities with their son. It's fun to go on a nature hike with your son, do a craft project during a den meeting, or even sing a song at a pack meeting. Activities such as Cub Day at Nobscot Scout Reservation or the Museum of Science Overnight are great opportunities to spend some quality and quantity time with your son.

The pack depends on volunteer parents for all its activities, and we will be calling on parents to help out. Our goal is to have a number of small, discrete tasks that need doing, so that you can volunteer to help out without worrying that it will become an open-ended commitment. We understand that your lives are busy (so are ours), but if we all work together, each burden can be relatively light.

Volunteer Signup

In light of the previous section, we've set up a Google Doc for parental volunteers. Please try to find a way to help out:

Here is a generic signup form (as a Google Form), suitable for adapting to different events. Generic Outing Signup

Dues and Costs

Although we try to keep costs as low as possible, cub scouting is not free. Costs include the following:

Almost all payments are made to the Pack, which then writes a single check to the BSA, the event host, or whatever. We take cash or check, though we prefer checks just to make record keeping more reliable. Please make checks payable to Cub Scout Pack 22.

Annual Registration Fees/Dues

Several of the expenses listed in the last section are essentially annual dues. Since the costs are a little complicated, we've made a simple dues worksheet to help you compute what you owe.

Cub Scout Uniform

Uniforms help build cohesion and cameraderie among the scouts and give each scout a place to display his rank and achievements (badges, patches). For these reasons, every scout must have a uniform. A class A uniform minimally includes a Scout shirt, neckerchief and slide, and a hat. You can buy these at the Scout Shop (see below). Ideally, you should get the relevant insignia (den number, pack number, tiger badge, etc.) The staff at the Scout Shop can help you with this. Getting matching pants is nice, too, particularly in parades and such. A class B uniform is a Scout t-shirt. This is optional, but nice for less formal occasions.

A scout should wear his uniform for all den meetings, pack meetings, and outings. (It helps spot them on an outing!) For certain outings, a uniform is optional, or a class B might be appropriate, but usually he should wear his uniform.

The Scout Shop

The Scout shop is your place to buy all official scouting-related paraphernalia. The Southboro Scout Shop is located at 23 Turnpike Road (Rt. 9), Southboro, MA 01772, 508-229-2396. The shop is in the Brickyard Plaza which is just a little west (about 1.2 miles) of the MassPike 90 exit off of Rt. 9 (there’s a Sheraton at this exit). It’s on the right hand side – there’s a Subway in the plaza that’s a good landmark to look for. It has scouting handbooks, camping equipment, clothing, insignia, patches and more.

Pinewood Derby Rules and Info

Thanks to Rick Holihan for making up this succinct summary of Pack 22's Pinewood Derby Rules. These are the rules we'll be enforcing at our Pinewood Derby, Saturday, March 12th!

We also have Liberty District rules which will govern the district tournament. The top three cars from Pack 22's derby go on to compete at the district level in April.

Mailings, Handouts and Flyers

The following are handouts from pack meetings and emails, in case you missed one or lost it. It's in chronological order, so the latest stuff is at the bottom.

Tuesday, September 6th

I hope your first week of school went well, and I hope you and your son are excited to get started on another terrific year in scouting! The pack committee met a few weeks ago to start planning the year, and we think it'll be great.

This first email will cover quite a few items, but I'll try to keep it brief and follow up later with more details.

  • Pack meetings will again be the 1st Monday of each month, from 6:15-7:15 in the Lilja auditorium. One exception will be September, when we'll meet on the second month (the 12) because of Labor Day.
  • One thing that many packs do is hold an Open House so that parents of potential cubs can come and ask questions, fill out forms, and all that, without the chaos of lots of energetic boys around. Pack 22 is doing that again this year. We're holding our open house on Thursday, September 8th, at Lilja. Parents can stop by anytime between 7:30 and 8:30 to talk to me and any other leaders who have time to help with the open house. Your role in this is just to know about it and mention it to any parents of potential cubs. This is particularly important since Betty Aucoin forgot to include it in last Friday's email blast (though she added it to the virtual backpack today). So if you or your son know of a boy who might like cub scouts, please invite him to join. Remember, he doesn't have to start as a 1st grader; boys can start scouting anytime. He doesn't have to be a Lilja student, either. Please spread the word.
  • We and all the Natick packs will also be recruiting at Natick Days, Saturday September 10th. We'll be looking for volunteers to staff the table. No specialized knowledge is necessary; you'll just have to be enthusiastic about scouting and answer the sort of questions parents might ask. To help organize the volunteers, I've set up a Google doc for signing up:
    Natick Days Volunteer Signup form
  • Last year, the pack didn't go to the Museum of Science overnight, and many boys were disappointed, so we're doing it again this year. We've chosen the night of Friday, January 13th; put it on your calendar. The reason we're saying this now is that the MoS is very popular and so the council needs us to get our money in right away. We'll be collecting at the first pack meeting, so bring your checkbook. The cost is $50/person.
  • Our first pack outing will be a hike on Saturday, September 24th. Hopefully, the weather will be perfect. We still haven't chosen a location, so if you have a suggestion, please let us know.

Remember that all of the dates mentioned above can always be found on the pack calendar, a Google calendar displayed on the pack website. Here's a direct link to the calendar: Pack 22 Calendar

A note about pack communications. We've decided to switch to using a Google group, which will offer several advantages over this email list: (1) Anyone on the list can send to the list, (2) emails can have attachments, and (3) there's an automatic archive of all posts, so you don't have to worry about saving the emails or losing one. As with the current list, you'll be able to opt out at any time. I'll soon be creating the group and sending out an invitation to each email address on the current list. Please watch for that invitation, which will have a confirmation link in it that you'll have to click on in order to join the list.

Finally, we'll be looking for volunteers to help with the running of the pack. We know you're busy; we're busy too, and many hands make light work.

Thanks. See you all on Monday, September 12th!

Scott

Sunday, September 11th

We hope to see you all at the pack meeting tomorrow (Monday) night, 6:15-7:15 in the Lilja auditorium. A few reminders:

  • Scouts should wear their uniforms.
  • If you'd like to go to the Museum of Science overnight, please bring a check for $58 per person (so $116 for you and your son) to the meeting. Make the check payable to Cub Scout Pack 22. This outing is a lot of fun, albeit expensive.
  • The Google group for pack communications is being set up very soon; please look for that.
May 10, 2012

It's time to sign up for the 2012 Blue and Gold Picnic! Please sign up at the link below by Wednesday May 16th if you are planning to come to the Blue and Gold picnic, Sunday, May 20th, 1-5 in the afternoon. Please let us know the number of people attending as well. Thanks to our successful fund-raising this year, there is no charge for the Blue and Gold picnic. The pack will buy burgers, dogs and other grill items, and buns and stuff. We always appreciate families bringing other picnic food to share (potato salad, cookies, brownies, etc.). Also, it’s important for us to get a good head count so that we buy the appropriate amount of food. Picnic Signup

DIRECTIONS and additional information:

The Picnic will again be at the Trustees of Reservations Rocky Woods pavilion in Medfield. Upon arrival, let the ranger at the entrance know you are with the Cub Scouts and s/he will let you in through the front gate straight down the road (don't pull into the regular visitor's parking area to the left). Drive down the road a short distance until you notice the open grass area and pavilion on the left. You can park in the parking lot on the right. All vehicles must be moved outside of the gate by 5:00 (before the gates are locked).

Scouts should wear comfortable play clothes (uniforms are not expected, but scouting t-shirts are encouraged).

There is a nearby lake that we can fish in so bring your gear and some bait. The ranger says, "Bring live bait. The fish are quite spoiled".

The pavilion is set on a large green so there’s plenty of room to play. We’ll play some fun group games – sack races, three-legged races, etc. There is a volley ball court by the pavilion and a horseshoe area, as well.

Directions to Rocky Woods, Medfield

  1. From the main intersection (Rt. 16 / Union Street) at the light in South Natick, take Pleasant St. (south).
  2. Take Pleasant St. for 1.7 miles to Haven St. (into Dover) (Note: Pleasant St. becomes Main St. after 1.5 miles)
  3. Turn left onto Haven St.
  4. Take Haven St. for 0.7 miles
  5. Take gentle right curve onto Church St.
  6. Take Church St. for 0.3 miles
  7. Turn left onto Springdale Ave.
  8. Take Springdale Ave. for 0.2 miles to the light
  9. Go straight at light onto Walpole St.
  10. Take Walpole St. for 2.6 miles to 4-way STOP
  11. Turn right onto Hartford St.
  12. Take Hartford St. for 0.75 miles.
  13. Entrance to Rocky Woods will be on the right. (look for a small green hanging sign up high)

General routes provided by Rocky Woods (see their website):

From I-95, take exit 16B and follow Route 109 west for 5.7 mi. through Westwood and into Medfield. Take right hairpin turn onto Hartford Street in Medfield. Follow for 0.6 mi. to entrance and parking area on left.

From intersection of Routes 27 and 109 in Medfield, take Route 109 east. Bear left onto Hartford Street and follow for 0.6 mi. to entrance and parking area (100 cars) on right.

For historical interest, we also have mailings from the 2010-2011 year of Scouting and the 2009-2010 year of Scouting