Planning Ahead...

Esteemed Parents and Cubs,

As I've mentioned before, the Den will be attending the Youth Theater at the U 11:00 am showing of "Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates" Saturday, 11-22-08.

Think about it...A uniformed outing to a theatrical performance? This is going to be great!

Anyhow, in order to ensure that sufficient funding can be allocated for this trip, I ask that our Cubs RSVP me to confirm their attendance.
Sadly, stake funding will only cover Scouts and Leaders.
So any extra kids or parents shall have to cover their own admission.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

As usual, please contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

Wait, "Whatter?"...

Howdy, readers.
In an effort to streamline our correspondence and post announcements quickly and efficiently, I've set up a Twitter account for our Den Blog.

With this, I'll be able to shoot out quick announcements to the Den family without having to take up a whole blog post to do it.
How 'bout them apples?

"So where are these announcements," you ask?
On the blog, they'll be posted directly under the wolf/bear image under "Twitter Updates" in the upper right-hand corner. Easy-peasy.

With Twitter, I'll be posting announcements on our upcoming events, meetings and activities along with my usual e-mail regimen.

As always, feedback is solicited and welcomed to make sure I'm doing my part in making your boy's scouting experience the best it can be.
So drop me an e-mail if you've got something to say!

See you next meeting.
Tom Z.

Sept. Field Trip: Time to start planning ahead....

Esteemed Cubs and Parents,

For our September field trip, it is my plan to take our Den to the Salt Lake City Greek Festival on Saturday, September 6th.

Diversity is such a big part of scouting. And by giving them a chance to taste different foods, view folk dances and celebrate another culture's identity, I believe that our Cubs will have their horizons broadened as to just how big the world can be.

Needless to say, this is going to be a big undertaking for us. The festival may be congested and traffic will certainly be an obstacle due to a 10k run. Even so, I think we can pull this off with a little planning.

To beat the crowds, it is my plan to have the Den at the festival when it opens at 10:00 am.
As such, I'd like to assemble everyone at the LDS Church Building on Capecchi Drive at 9:00 am and then carpool to the site. Once there, we'll spend 1-2 hours taking in the fun and then return to the church for pick-ups. Nice and easy.

OK, here's the tricky part. To help keep track of our boys amidst the throng of folks, I'd like at least five adults to help act as chaperons.
For now, I'll accept volunteers. (Never fear, I'll start begging next week.)

Finally, every scout in attendance is going to need a completed consent form.
Sorry, no exceptions.

Guys, I really think we can make this work. Best of all, it might make a lasting impression on our boys and help them enjoy different world cultures.

We've got a whole week to plan. Please e-mail me with any questions, comments or concerns. And thank you so much for your continued support of Cub Scouting.

End of Summer BBQ!!!

Dear Parents and Cubs,

I had hoped to plan our "End of Summer" event for this weekend. But seeing that a plethora of pre-scheduled activities blocks our path, the Den Leadership and I have moved our Summer BBQ to this Wednesday (8-20-08) at 6:30 pm.

We will be meeting at the Medical Towers Playground for some fun, food and fellowship!
The meal will be a low-cost potluck style, so each family should bring:

- Their own meat,
- Their own plates, cups and flatware,
- A side dish to share,
- And a two-liter of whatever to share.

The W's have eagerly volunteered the use of their grill for the event.
(Maybe someone else could too?.......C's?.....Pretty please?)

In keeping with the fine traditions of the BSA, no Cub get-together is complete without some training!
The boys will prepare some tinfoil dinners, which will expose them to outdoor cooking and being safe around fire.
This will cover Wolf Requirement 8e and Bear Requirement 9g.

I hope this announcement isn't too late. It would make a great end to a fun Summer.
Be sure to bring the whole family!

No meeting (06-07-08)!!!

Attention Cubs and Families,

Due to a Stake Primary activity planned by our sponsor, there will be no Den Meeting scheduled for this coming Saturday.
Instead, our next get-together is scheduled for next Saturday (6-14-08) at 10 am.
I'll be sure to send out another e-mail reminder next week.

But just to make sure, please remember that we won't be meeting this Saturday. (06-07-08)

One note about the primary activity -- all cubs and their families, LDS or other faiths, are welcome to attend. The activity will be to develop Family Home Evening kits. Family Home Evening, usually held Monday evenings, is a family time where topics involving LDS gospel can be discussed in the home, games played, etc. Although this will involve LDS gospel topics, it could be an opportunity to get ideas about how to adapt concepts of your own faith for family teaching opportunities, or to just see what we do.

The activity starts at 9:30 a.m. at the LDS chapel on Cappechi Dr (formerly Wasatch Dr.) and is scheduled to go until 11 a.m. Questions can be directed to Amber Takemori or Sherri Crawford (see the email list above for their addresses).

Enjoy the day off, guys. See you next week.

Tom Z.

Day Camp 2008!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

The time has come. The time is now!
The Pack Leadership is looking to reserve our slots for Cub Scout Day Camp 2008.
(The dates have been set for June 20th and 21st.)

In the upcoming days, I will be contacting the Den Parents to inquire whether or not their son will be attending Day Camp.

We're on a tight schedule for reservations. So if you already know, please e-mail me immediately.
There are no costs for Cubs to attend.

This is a great opportunity, so be sure to take advantage of it!

Thanks!

Next Pack Meeting!!!

Hello to all!

Our next Pack Meeting will be this Friday (1-18-2008) at 6:30 pm.
We will be meeting at the LDS church building on Wasatch Drive.

Be ready for a great time, because our guys have been very busy working on their badges and belt loops!

I hope to see everybody there!

Next Den Meeting

Hello All,

Our next Den Meeting is going to be this Saturday, December 8th at the LDS building on Wasatch Drive. The time will be 10:00 am.

We will be focusing on Wolf Achievement #12, "Making Choices."

I hope to see all our boys there.

Tom

Our New Year's Resolution for 2008...

Memorandum

To: All East Village Cub Scouts and Parents

From: Tom C. Zumbado (Den Leader) and the Den Leadership Team

Re: 2008 New Year’s Resolution

With the new year coming quick, the Den has decided to embrace a New Year’s Resolution for 2008! Starting our first January meeting (1-5-08), the boys are resolved to have clean, complete and correctly patched uniforms in hopes of improving Den esprit d’corps and looking their best. What this means for Parents is that the time has come to update their son’s uniform by sewing (or gluing) on the correct council patches, pack numbers and awards. (I have great tips on how to do this without sewing! E-mail me!)

Naturally, this may prove to be a daunting task for some. But as the Den Leader, I might be able to use some of our Den Funds to help alleviate patch costs. Just e-mail me with any of the patches your boy might need and I’ll do my best to get them to you. In other words, I’ll pick up the tab if you sew (or glue) the patches on! Fair deal, no?

More details will be available on the blog!

In exchange for the efforts of Cubs and Parents, we the leaders resolve to create a dynamite program that they’ll never forget! One field trip per month and plenty of opportunities for awards!

On top of that, a new merit system is going to be instituted to urge the boys to keep up the good work. It’s called C.U.B.S. and it uses a Den Doodle to let the boys display their good Cub Scout habits. In a nutshell, the boys get beads for being prepared for meetings. As they collect beads, they can exchange them for better tokens that they can display on the Den Doodle. It gives them plenty of incentive to do their best and be recognized among their peers.

Come to meeting, Wear your Uniform, Bring your Book, Tuck in your Shirt…

Be recognized for excellence!

Next Den Meeting!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

The next Den Meeting will be this Saturday, December 1st at 10:00 am.
We will be meeting at the LDS Ward building on Wasatch Drive (Please call me if you need directions).

We will be discussing some new Den policies, brushing up on our Bobcat Basics and wrapping it up with a good ol' snowball fight in the yard! (Provided the snow's still around.)

Please be sure to wear your uniform (with neckerchief) and bring your handbook.

I hope to see everyone there!

Schedule Change!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the Pack Meeting for this Friday has been canceled.

Instead, our Cubs will be meeting with the West Village Den at the LDS Stake Center on Sunnyside this Friday at 3:00 pm.

We will be knocking out the requirements for the Citizenship Belt Loop as well as building inter-pack relations!

It's sure to be a good time.
I hope to see all our boys there.

Thanks a bunch.

Badge Recall

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

As of today, the Boy Scouts of America are recalling the Immediate Recognition badges and beads due to a high content of lead. (Read the article here.)



For our Den, I'd like for every parent to collect the IR Placard from their Cub and turn it over to a Cub Scout Leader as soon as possible. (Tonight's meeting would be a great opportunity.) From here, the Den leaders will hang on to them until we receive instructions from the Great Salt Lake Council on what steps to take next.

If there are any questions, please contact a leader.

Thank you in advance for your compliance.

T.Z.