2024-25 Welcome Email and Info

Hello Pack 3904, welcome to the 2024-2025 Scouting Year!

This is going to be a long email with a lot of information, so if you don’t read the entire thing, please at least read this summary in detail:

SUMMARY OF THIS EMAIL / KEY DATES

·  Scouts registered with the pack before August 1, 2024 will be selling popcorn. You will receive an email to sign your scout up for online popcorn sales. Please take a few minutes to sign him / her up as soon as you receive the email. Scouts that sold last year will be using the same online profile and may not get a new email regarding sign up. 

·  Thursday, September 12: Popcorn Kickoff Pack Meeting in Unity Hall at 7:00 p.m.

·  Saturday, September 14: Last day to buy tickets to the Chicago Fire Scout night game on 10/19. Scouting America Pathway to Adventure Council (fevo-enterprise.com)

·  Sunday, September 15: Hospitality Sunday. All Scout Mass at 9:30. Sign up here to sell popcorn after each of the morning masses (Masses are 8:00 to 9:00, 9:30 to 10:30, and 11:00 to 12:00): Cub Scout Pack 3904: After-Mass Popcorn Sales (signupgenius.com) 

·  Friday, September 20: Recruitment Night / Pack Meeting – Lego Pinewood Derby 

·  Friday-Sunday, September 20-22: Webelos/AOL event - Pathway to Adventure Council - Bridge into Scouts BSA Adventure (scoutingevent.com)

·  Saturday-Sunday, September 28-29: PTAC Cuboree - Pathway to Adventure Council - Council Cub-O-Ree at Camp Betz (scoutingevent.com)

·  Check out our Pack website: Pack 3904 - Chicago IL

·  Add our Pack calendar using gmail: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=c3QuZWRzLnBhY2suMzkwNEBnbWFpbC5jb20 or Follow/Subscribe to our calendar using this link:  https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/st.eds.pack.3904%40gmail.com/private-e66d948a8c1975af83bdfdc5c6f36c6c/basic.ics

·  Follow our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cubscoutden3904/

POPCORN / FUNDRAISING

Pack 3904 will be selling scout popcorn again this year. We sold popcorn last year for the first time and it was a great success! Selling popcorn accomplishes the following goals: 1) gives scouts an opportunity to learn responsibility; 2) lessens the burden of parents to pay scout dues; 3) raises funds for the pack; and 4) raises funds for the council.

All scouts that were registered with our pack as of August 1, 2024 will be asked to sell a minimum of $200 worth of popcorn. This will cover the expenses our pack has throughout the year to pay for things like belt loops, patches, pins, snacks, crafts, etc. Scouts can also earn prizes through the council and through Pecatonica River Popcorn based on how much they sell.

Every scout in the Pack needs to have an online selling profile. These are very easy to set up, and instructions on how to set them up will be sent to the parents’ email address. Please look out for those emails in the next day or two. Once you receive the email, set up the profile right away. We can always modify it later, but we need to have all scouts set up by September 15. If your scout sold last year, he / she will use the same online profile and may or may not receive an email about it. 

On Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., we will be holding a “Popcorn Kickoff” in the basement of the church (Unity Hall). At the Kickoff, the scouts and parents will have an opportunity to taste some of the popcorn we will be selling, and we will be able to provide parents with some information and answer some questions you might have about selling. 

Here are some helpful links:

Popcorn - Pathway To Adventure Council – Main site with links to all the information

Helpful Tips (pecatonicariverpopcorn.com) – some helpful tutorials on how to sell popcorn

Popcorn_Leader-Guide_2024.pdf (pathwaytoadventure.org) – a guide with all the information you need, including the different types of popcorn, tips on selling, a breakdown of where the money goes, and the prize sheets.

CHICAGO FIRE TICKETS PURCHASE DEADLINE

The Chicago Fire are hosting a 2nd Scout Day on Saturday 10/19. The deadline to purchase tickets is next Saturday, September 14, 2024. Tickets are between $25 and $33.

From the website: "Chicago Fire FC is excited to extend this exclusive offer to all friends, families, and supporters of Scouting America Pathway to Adventure Council. Join us on October 19th as the Chicago Fire FC take on Nashville SC at Soldier Field!

Each ticket purchased will include a Scouts Night patch and a $5 donation to Scouting America Pathway to Adventure Council!" Scouting America Pathway to Adventure Council (fevo-enterprise.com)

SCOUT MASS / HOSPITALITY SUNDAY / SHOW-AND-SELL POPCORN OPPORTUNITY

On September 15, 2024, there is an all-scout mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. Edward Parish. I highly encourage everyone to come in uniform to that mass where we will be joined by the Scouts BSA Troop 904 and the St. Edward Girl Scout Troop. Scouts will all walk up in a procession at the beginning of mass, so please try to come a little early to get ready for that procession (Around 9:15 to 9:20).

That day, Scouts BSA Troop 904 (which is separate and apart from our Cub Scout Pack 3904, although we are affiliated), will be hosting hospitality Sunday after each of the masses. They will have an area set up in the parking lot next to the school where they will be making and giving away breakfast food to the parishioners. We will also be participating in that event by bringing some breakfast items, but more importantly, we will be using the opportunity to sell our popcorn! Please sign up for times after each of the masses here: Cub Scout Pack 3904: After-Mass Popcorn Sales (signupgenius.com)

Each scout's time commitment is 45 minutes. Each adult Den Leader's time commitment is about an hour and forty-five minutes. Adults who are not den leaders are more than welcome to help out, and do not need to sign up ahead of time to help while their scout is there. 

Scouts that participate in the popcorn sales will all split evenly the total amount that we sell that day toward their popcorn sales goals. Scouts need to be in full Class A uniform when selling. 

SEPTEMBER PACK MEETING / RECRUITMENT NIGHT (LEGO Pinewood Derby)

We are having our first pack meeting of the year on Friday, September 20, 2024, in the basement of St. Edward church (Unity Hall) at 7:00. Please have your scouts spread the word to anyone that might be interested in joining scouts. We are going to have the Pinewood Derby track set up and have Lego car chassis that the scouts and prospective scouts can take turns building cars on and sending down the track (and crashing!).

WEBELOS/AOL EVENT (Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls, 40W095 Freeman Rd, Gilberts, Illinois 60136 Friday 09-20-2024 6:00 PM to Sunday 09-22-2024 12:00 PM)

I will not be attending this event, but any scouts in 4th or 5th grade are encouraged to attend. 

From the Council: "Calling all Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts!! Join us for the inaugural Bridge into Scouts BSA event on September 20-22nd, 2024. This fun adventure will provide Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts the opportunity to camp, work on advancement, and learn about the Scouts BSA program from local Scouts BSA units. Bridge into Scouts BSA is a joint event among the North Area districts (Checaugau, Five Creeks, Trailblazer, and TriStar) and combines the legacy events of Webelos Unplugged and Webelos Outdoor Weekend (WOW). Registration is now open for Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts and parents/leaders. Registration Closes: 09-13-2024 11:59 PM" Pathway to Adventure Council - Bridge into Scouts BSA Adventure (scoutingevent.com)

CUBOREE (Camp Betz 3858 E. Snow Rd., Berrien Springs MI, Saturday 09-28-2024 9:00 AM to Sunday 09-29-2024 12:00 PM)

I plan to attend this event with Aidan (Bear Den) and his 5-year-old brother. We've gone camping in late September/early October for the past couple years at events like this and the kids love it. You can go just for the day on Saturday, or stay overnight to Sunday. There is also an optional Friday night add-on for an extra $5.00 per person if you want to head up the night before. That Friday is Aidan's birthday, so we are planning to leave early on Saturday morning. It looks to be about 2 hours from Chicago. 

From the Council: "All Cub Scouts, family, and friends are invited to join us for an unforgettable overnight camping experience at our council-wide Superhero Cub-o-ree! Expect many exciting activities like target & range sports, STEM activities, games and crafts! Camp Betz features on-site parking, facilities, dining hall, and beautiful wooded campgrounds. Fun for the whole family!" Pathway to Adventure Council - Council Cub-O-Ree at Camp Betz (scoutingevent.com)

See the official flyer here: Cuboree_Flyer_2024_V4 (scoutingevent.com)

See the adult leader and parent guide here: Leader_and_Parent_Guide.pdf (scoutingevent.com)

UNIFORM 

All scouts should have a full uniform that consists of the following items:

1)      A scout shirt with these patches
        a.       3904 red numerals
        b.       World crest emblem
        c.       1910 crest ring
        d.       Pathway to Adventure Council Patch
        e.       Earned rank(s) patches (Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos)
2)      Scout pants or shorts
3)      A scout belt and belt buckle
4)      Neckerchief for the den they are going into this year
5)      Neckerchief slide for the den they are going into this year
6)      Hat for the den they are going into this year
7)      Handbook for the den they are going into this year (all handbooks are new this year, so make sure not to buy any used handbooks - they are obsolete)

You can purchase any of the above items at the scout store in Arlington Heights Arlington Heights Scout Shop or online at Official BSA® Scout Shop | Boy Scouts of America®

PACK WEBSITE

Pack 3904 has a website thanks to our new Assistant Cubmaster, Kurt Paradis! Please check it out here: Pack 3904 - Chicago IL

It is a new site with limited information on it right now, but as time goes on we plan to expand it to include a lot more! 

PACK MEETING CALENDAR

Please subscribe to the Pack 3904 Google Calendar to stay updated on all upcoming meetings and scout events for the year. All the den leaders will have permission to modify this calendar so they can add Den Meetings and any other outings to it. There are two ways to subscribe to the calendar:

If you have gmail, just click this link and it will take you to your gmail calendar and will ask if you want to add this one: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=c3QuZWRzLnBhY2suMzkwNEBnbWFpbC5jb20

If you do not have gmail, you need to open your e-calendar and choose “add calendar.” You then need to choose the option that says “subscribe from web” or “follow calendar” or something of that nature. Then paste this link there and click “import” or “add” or “save”: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/st.eds.pack.3904%40gmail.com/private-e66d948a8c1975af83bdfdc5c6f36c6c/basic.ics

FACEBOOK PAGE

Here is our Pack 3904 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cubscoutden3904/

If you have Facebook, please join the group. I tried to keep it updated regularly last year with information about events and photos of what we did in scouts and I was mostly successful. I will try to keep it updated this year as well. 

REGISTER FOR SCOUTS

If you are not yet registered and would like to register your son/daughter for scouts, please do so here: Youth Info - My Scouting

PACK 3904 LEADERSHIP

Cubmaster - Andrew Yassan (St.Eds.Pack.3904@gmail.com)
Assistant Cubmaster - Kurt Paradis (kurtpara@gmail.com)
Den Leaders
Lion (Kindergarten) -
1.
2.  
Tiger (1st Grade)-
1. Timothy Duboff (timothy.duboff@gmail.com)
2.  
Wolf (2nd Grade)-
1. Kurt Paradis (kurtpara@gmail.com)
2.  
Bear (3rd Grade) -
1. Andrew Yassan (St.Eds.Pack.3904@gmail.com)
2. Matthew Wolf (mwolf@hfsmaterials.com)
3. Stephanie Abudayeh (abudayeh8@gmail.com)
Webelos (4th Grade) -
1. Eirik Agustsson (e.agustsson@gmail.com)
2.  
Arrow of Light (5th Grade)-
1. Joe Troutman (jktrout@gmail.com)
2.

We are looking for leaders! We currently only have 1 registered leader for the Tiger Den (1st grade), Wolf Den (2nd grade), Webelos Den (4th grade), and AOL Den (5th grade). We don't have any leaders yet for the Lion Den (Kindergarten). If your son or daughter is in any of these levels, please consider stepping up and becoming a leader. The time commitment is minimal (especially if there are more than two leaders at any level), and leading can be very rewarding. You do not have to have been a scout or have any leadership experience in order to be a leader. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, or would like to discuss / get more information, please reach out to me or any of the current den leaders.