Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Who? Pack 603 is located in San Lorenzo, CA and is sponsored/chartered by the San Lorenzo Community Church. The members are families in the San Lorenzo community with the boys typically attending Bay, Del Rey or Grant schools.
A Charter Organization is the sponsor of a Cub Scout pack. San Lorenzo Community Church has been the charter organization for a Cub Scout Pack since the 1940s. The primary responsibilities of the Charter Organization are to approve the leadership of the Pack and provide a meeting place. San Lorenzo Community Church provides meeting facilities for many Pack and Den meetings as well as fund raisers. Each year, our Pack must renew our Charter with the Boy Scouts of America. The Pack is run entirely by unpaid volunteers (parents of the Scouts in the Pack). The Committee Chairman, Cubmaster, Assistant Cubmasters, Secretary, Treasurer, and Den Leaders develop budgets, approve expenses, arrange for facilities and conduct overall planning. We are a non-profit organization.
The Parent/Leaders of the Pack meet monthly, typically on the Wednesday of week prior to the Pack Meeting at 7:00PM to plan upcoming events, including the monthly Pack Meeting. All parents/adults associated with the Pack are invited and encouraged to attend. The Committee is always looking for input from the families in our Pack. An adult member of each Cub Scout household should participate in a volunteer position or serve on a committee. In addition to Den Leader positions, volunteers are needed for the various fund-raisers and Pack events/activities held throughout the year.
What? What?
A Cub Scout Pack is a group of boys in 1st through 5th grade. The adult leaders and parents belong to the same Cub Scout unit. We are Pack 603 of San Lorenzo, Tres Ranchos District, San Francisco Bay Area Council. A Pack generally draws its membership primarily from elementary schools in the local area. Each Pack is made up of Tiger Cub, Wolf, Bear and Webelos Dens . A boy’s rank depends on his age or grade in school as follows:
A Den is a small group of boys (ideally 6-8) of the same grade level (age). Each Den meets usually on a weekly basis for about an hour to work on achievements and other activities. Note: The Tiger Cub program differs slightly from this format.
Click here for additional information on the Cub Scout program An adult Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader(s) are responsible for planning and conducting the activities at each Den meeting and lead the Den. Each rank has its own "Scout Book" that the boys use during the school year to complete the requirements/achievements needed to earn their rank. Parents are expected to participate and assist the Den Leader in delivering a quality program for our sons. Cub Scout families are responsible for purchasing the basic uniform shirt, Scout Book and cap. The Pack may have a supply of used shirts available for purchase. The Pack presents each new Scout with the neckerchief for their rank when they join the Pack. Most awards, patches and pins are purchased from Pack funds and presented to the Scouts at the Pack or Den Meetings. In addition to the achievements and electives outlined in each Rank’s Scout Book, there are numerous optional awards the Scouts can earn. There are a lot of choices to help find something that appeals to your son and ways in which he can be recognized. The Cub Scout program is strongly family-based so your son will need your help. If your son works on different awards on his own it is his responsibility (with your help, of course) to make sure the Den Leader gets the information before the next Parent-Leader's meeting. (Leader's meetings are held on the Wednesday night of the week prior to the next scheduled Pack Meeting). Below is a listing of some of the more popular optional award:
When? Pack Meetings are held monthly throughout the school year (September through May). Pack meetings are held on the last Friday of the month, unless otherwise specified (date changed due to a Holiday), at San Lorenzo Community Church in the Social Hall. Please check our Pack Calendar for specific dates. The monthly Pack Newsletters, available at the Pack Meetings, provide dates, places and times of all Pack Meetings and Pack events. Summer Pack activities, instead of formal Pack Meetings, take place in June, July and August. Most Pack Meetings will include advancements/awards/recognition, songs, skits, games, raffles, announcements, refreshments, and other activities. The master of ceremonies is the Cubmaster. All Cub Scouts and at least one parent are expected to attend. Cub Scouting is a family activity and all family members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Den meetings are usually held once a week, although it is up to the individual Den leadership and parents to decide how often and at what time meetings will be held. Den meetings usually start with a short opening ceremony (e.g. Pledge of Allegiance) and announcements. Then the boys begin working on the project of the day, frequently from their Cub Scout book. In Den meetings, boys work on a wide variety of projects, with the development of a particular skill in mind. As the boys progress through the ranks (Wolf, Bear, Webelos) they will be introduced to subjects such as; building, fixing, cooking, camping, hiking, arts & crafts, music, games, environment, leadership, fitness, science, and communication. Den meetings usually end with a short closing ceremony (e.g. recite the Cub Scout Promise). Although the purpose of the den meeting is to develop skills and learn, the emphasis is always on having fun. Additional Den activities may involve weekend events (e.g. hiking, sports) or field trips (e.g. library, fire station). A typical Pack yearly calendar includes events such as: September – Coastal Clean-up. The Pack has historically participated in this Statewide community service event at a location hosted by the East Bay Regional Park District (in the past we have picked up trash and recyclables along the Hayward Shoreline). September & October – Popcorn Sales fundraiser. A key product sales opportunity to provide funds the Pack uses throughout the year to purchase awards and recognitions for the Scouts. October Pack Meeting is a Halloween Party! Carnival games are hosted by each Den. Scouts and adults come in costume and have fun winning small prizes. Goodie bags are handed out at the end! November - Scouting for Food Canned Food Drive. Each Den receives a map of a San Lorenzo neighborhood and on one weekend delivers empty plastic grocery bags door to door. On the Saturday morning of the following weekend, the Scouts return to collect non-perishable food items. The collected food is donated to the Alameda County Food Bank. December - Christmas Tree Pick-up. This event has evolved from a Community Service event (prior to the green recycle bins) to a combined service event/fundraiser for the Pack. The Boy Scout Troop and other local Packs participate in this event the same weekend we do, with each entity covering a designated area. In mid-December, flyers are delivered door-to-door advising our neighbors that on the first Saturday after the New Year, Scouts will be collecting old Christmas trees. In January we go back through the neighborhoods and collect trees and donations. Trees are gathered in a central location and ultimately shredded by CalTrans for mulch. Lunch is served at the Church following collection of the trees. December – Pinewood Derby Kit Distribution. Each Scout will receive an official Pinewood Derby car kit (a block of wood, 4 nails for axles and 4 wheels) from the Pack. The Scouts and their adult partners have 2 months to design and build a car that will race down a wooden racetrack at our Annual Pinewood Derby (see March below). Basic hand tools and some paint are all that are needed to create a car. However, a Pack Pinewood Derby Tune-up is generally held in January to assist the Scouts in building their car.
Winter Break Pack Event – in the past we have gone Ice Skating one evening over the Winter Break from school. January-Pancake Breakfast. This fundraiser is held at San Lorenzo Community Church on a Sunday morning in mid-January. Scouts will sell tickets in advance and then assist at the Breakfast by serving guests, clearing tables, etc. Adults help in the kitchen and in gathering food donations.
February-Blue and Gold Potluck Dinner. Is a celebration of Scouting's Birthday and is a very special evening. Our Second-year Webelos are presented with the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting. In the past, we have held the dinner at Arroyo High School and have held a family potluck by Den. Typically each Den also constructs a centerpiece and decorations for the event. Scouts bake and decorate a cake for the "Fellar’s Cake Bake" with a male friend or family member. The cake theme is "Blue and Gold" and Cub Scouting! Scouts have the option of entering their cakes into the silent auction held at that night or serving their cake for dessert, unless the boy wants to take it home. March – Pinewood Derby. An excitement-filled event. Scouts race in Divisions based on their Rank. An Open Division is available to Adults and Siblings wishing to purchase a kit and create a car. Races are run in a competitive elimination format. Though the top racers in each Division are awarded trophies, every Scout will receive recognition for the work they did to create a car. In the past, awards have also been presented on car design, not just speed, in categories such as Most Creative, Pack’s Favorite, etc. March - Scout Sunday. This is the opportunity for the Pack to show off for our sponsoring organization and show our appreciation for all San Lorenzo Community Church does for our Pack. Pack families attend services with the congregation of the Church. Following services, the Pack hosts a social hour in the Fireside Room with the Scouts serving cookies, coffee and punch. March – Boy Scout Troop Cross-over. At the March Pack Meeting, our 2nd-year Webelos join Boy Scout Troops of their choice. A "cross-over" ceremony is held as the boys and their families leave the Pack and move on Boy Scouting. Summertime. While we don't hold Pack Meetings during the Summer, but we do schedule between 3 and 5 summertime events. These have included: a Pack Picnic, a Pack Bike Ride, Trail Trekker Hikes, Swim Parties, Scout Day at the Oakland A’s baseball game, Pee Wee Golfing, Roller Skating, etc. A Pack Summertime Activity pin is available to each Scout who attends at least three events. The pins are typically awarded at the first Pack Meeting in September. Plus, the San Francisco Bay Area Council sponsors a range of camping opportunities: Day Camp, overnight camping with a family-member at a Council camp, one-day Fun Fests, etc. that allow the Scouts to have fun and earn achievements. The Council mails this information to each family in January and sign-ups occur through April. OK the really important part of this:
We need your help to make the Pack GO! None of these activities happen by themselves. Each event requires adult assistance! The Pack Committee always needs more members. Each of these events can occur and succeed only with your involvement. Some of the events require only a couple of hours of your time to coordinate. Unfortunately, failure to gather support from the adults will cause some of these events not to occur as planned! Where? Pack meetings are held monthly at the San Lorenzo Community Church in the Social Hall on a designated Friday at 7:00PM. The Church is located at 945 Paseo Grande, just east of Via Alamitos. Specific dates are noted in the Newsletter. A Den meeting can be held almost anywhere the Den parents agree upon. Most den meetings will be held at San Lorenzo Community Church, a local school or in the leader's or assistant leader’s home. The day of the week, meeting time, frequency and duration of the meetings are decided by the Den’s members. The San Francisco Bay Area Council office is located at 1001 Davis Street, San Leandro. There is a Scout Shop at this location also! Uniforms, Scout Books and other resources are available for purchase.
Why? Cub Scouting has nine purposes:
How? Boys can join the Pack at the beginning of each school year, during our annual "Round-up" membership drive by completing an Application to Join a Pack and paying the membership/registration fee to the Pack. As of 2003, this cost is $40 which covers the Scout for the entire time they are in Pack, as long as they actively participate in our fund-raisers. We provide information (flyers sent home with the students) to the local elementary schools about how to join Pack 603. However, new boys are welcome to join our Pack at any time during the year. All boys in grades 1st through 5th are eligible to join. For more information, visit our web site at www.cubpack603.com To learn more you can contact a Pack Adult Leader or talk to a friend/neighbor who has a son in Pack 603. You are always welcome to visit a Den or attend a Pack Meeting! Feel free to email us using the link below for more information. 
1st Grade – Tiger Cubs
Note: all ranks above Tiger Cubs must first complete the Bobcat rank.
2nd Grade – Wolf
3rd Grade – Bear
4th Grade – Webelos (first year)
5th Grade – Webelos (second year)
View the 2003-2004 Pack Calendar
Note: The information contained here is solely based on my interpretation of the Scouting Program, and is not an official communication of the Boy Scouts of America, or any other official scouting entity.
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