Cubmaster Corner - October 2025 Edition
- joshuaasawyer
- Oct 19
- 8 min read
Happy Halloween Pack 442! We are just about a quarter of the way through the school year and we've had a busy scouting year to so far! I know we've been super busy with Fundraising and it has been very successful to date, so thank you to everyone who has helped! Please read this Cubmaster Corner as it has several updates on many upcoming events: Sea World Overnight (next weekend), Fall Family Campout sign-ups (4 weeks away), Brown Santa, Rocket Day, and more!
Remember that any scout recruiting someone into the pack receives the recruiter patch. Please let Josh know if you should be credited with a recruiting effort.
Fundraising & Dues
We are nearing the end of the fundraising, so time is running out to raise funds for your scouts other half of the dues. As a reminder dues are $350 per year, and fundraising can cover any portion of this. We will be sending out emails on your scouts current status, so please take time to help us close out the finances before the end of November.
Also please refer to the email sent on September 30th for details on fundraising. We are doing storefronts with popcorn and still selling individually for coffee. We have products that have to be sold, so please consider putting in an order with Alyssa so we are not committed to keeping the product and paying for it.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Pack Overnight - Saturday, October 25-26 5:00pm - 10:00am @ Sea World San Antonio
Registration is now closed.
What should I bring:
Water bottle or Hydro Flask, Comfortable walking shoes (sandals/flipflops not recommended, Change of clothes, Overnight necessities (chargers, portable battery), Pillow, Sleeping bag, Medication
What not to bring:
Air mattresses and cots will NOT be permitted, iPad, Any electronics not absolutely needed, Weapons
*All bags and guests are subject to a security search*
Dinner: Hamburger Hotdogs , Vegetarian -Beyond Patties, Fries/Chips, Corn on Cob, Assorted Cookies
Breakfast options: Taco-Bean and cheese , Potato/eggs, Bacon/egg Chorizo/egg; Croissant sandwiches-Sausage/egg, Bacon/egg, Cheese/egg; Varity cereals, Muffins , Danish , Asst. Fruit. oatmeal with toppings :granola, almonds, craisins, cinnamon
Medical Forms for any Overnight activity
Scouting America requires that we collect medical forms for any scout (and all family members attending with them) attending an event in which there is an overnight component. These forms are used in case of an emergency and kept with the Pack Committee Chair or Cubmaster at all scouting overnight events.
Please fill out the Medical Forms and submit them to Josh Sawyer via email or by hand for them to be recorded with our records. These need to be filled out every year, so make sure you are up to date.
Pack Parent Meeting - Monday, October 27th 6:30am - 8:00pm @ Lakeway Church Rm 205 (Building C)
All parents are welcome to join us for our monthly Pack Committee Meeting, where we will discuss and plan out details for any of the upcoming pack events and activities. This is the last one before the Fall Family Campout, so we'll have a lot to discuss.
Please RSVP through Scoutbook.
Fall Family Campout - Friday, November 14th - 16th @ Lake Somerville State Park, 14222 Park Rd 57, Somerville, TX 77879
Spend a weekend exploring Lake Somerville State Park - Fishing, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding, hiking – whatever your outdoor passion, you can pursue it. Join Pack 442 for our fall weekend of camping (Arrive Friday afternoon/evening and leave mid-day Sunday). Even if this will be your first time camping, please plan on coming and the Pack can help you get ready.
Camping Fee ($50) can be paid through Website (or via Venmo). Instructions are available there. Registration closes on Wednesday, November 12th.
Schedule:
The Pack trailer arrives on Friday ~2:00pm, to setup to cook/serve dinner on Friday
evening and will leave Sunday morning after breakfast/cleanup. All scouts and families can attend for
both nights! We'll send a full itinerary for the weekend in case you need work around some conflicts. We always need a lot of helping hands to have a successful campout. If you would like to
volunteer to help plan/run some activities during the campout please let Josh/I know....or better yet,
join us at Pack Committee Meeting on 10/27 to see how you can get involved.
Medical Forms for any Overnight activity
Scouting America requires that we collect medical forms for any scout (and all family members attending with them) attending an event in which there is an overnight component. These forms are used in case of an emergency and kept with the Pack Committee Chair or Cubmaster at all scouting overnight events.
Please fill out the Medical Forms and submit them to Josh Sawyer via email or by hand for them to be recorded with our records. These need to be filled out every year, so make sure you are up to date.
Please RSVP through Google Form and Scoutbook by November 9th!
Rocket Day - Saturday, December 6th 9:00am - 12:00pm @ Lake Hills Church Parking Lot
Rocket Day is a district opportunity for Packs to bring their Cubs to shoot off rockets. These are chemical engine-powered rockets, typically sold in kits from a company called Estes. They will fly to a height of several hundred feet, and higher depending on how powerful of an engine you use and whether you ever want to see the rocket again.
What to do:
● Pick up a rocket, we will have them available at the Pack Overnight & Fall Family Campout.
● Show up with a finished rocket. We cannot build them or complete them on-site.
● Wear good shoes. A good part of the fun is running around chasing rockets as they come back down (on parachutes)
● Uniform is a Class-B
● Bring your own water bottle!
Weather?
The biggest concern is not rain, but high winds and dry conditions. Gusts over 20 MPH are officially too strong according to the National Association of Rocketry, but even 15 MPH can be problematic. If Travis
County is still in a burn ban the District will push to a later date.
Please RSVP through Scoutbook.
Brown Santa (Citizenship Service Project) - Saturday, December 6th 3:00pm - 5:00pm @ 6406 Old Burleson Rd
Join the Pack as we work in small groups to wrap presents for families in need. This opportunity will help scouts satisfy their yearly service project requirement for the Citizenship Adventure. We are limited to 65 spots, so we will be looking to sign up 30 scouts with an accompanying parent. If we have extra spots we will fill them as we can close to the event.
Please RSVP through the Google Form and Scoutbook
Upcoming Den Meetings
October 19th Lion Den Meeting
October 19th Tiger Den Meeting
November 1st Webelos Den Meeting
November 6th AOL Den Meeting
November 6th Bear Den Meeting
November 9th Lion Den Meeting
November 9th Tiger Den Meeting
November 16th Wolf Den Meeting
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Marking Advancements for Completion at Home:
There may be times you have to miss a meeting or event and need to complete an advancement at home. If you work on any advancement at home, you can log into Scoutbook and mark the advancement as complete for your Den Leader to approve. Below is a guide on how to do that.
If you are enrolled in a swimming program outside of scouts, please let your Den Leader know, as you automatically qualify for the swimming adventure for each rank. Your Den Leader can help you mark it off for completion so your scout can receive the adventure.
Social Media
We have social media accounts that you can be active with. Below are the options we currently have for you and your family.
Facebook Group – Private Group you can follow. Consider posting yourself on our events.
Facebook Page – A public group we use to advertise about what we are doing. You can follow this page and receive updates.
Google Photos
We have a shared google photos account, where you can upload and share photos from events and activities. These photos are not public, and the sharing is meant to provide photos and memories to everyone in the pack. If we use a photo for our publications, we will ensure that all scouts in the photo have a photo waiver on record.
The below are shared albums you can link to and upload photos on your devices:
If you have not filled out a Photo Media Release, please consider doing so.
Pack Calendar and Activities
Pack 442 2025-2026 Calendar: Scoutbook is our official calendar, so make sure to pay attention to it for all current events. Our Website Calendar has everything as well. There may be slight changes as we enter the year, but we’ll do our best to stick with this as closely as possible. PDF version for your frig is located HERE!
Instructions on how to use Scoutbook can be found HERE!
Linking Scoutbook Calendars to your devices:
Den Calendars will be provided as the scouting year starts, and all of the events are/will be loaded into the Scoutbook calendars for each den.
You can use the links below as shared calendars in your email accounts and devices to directly link the calendars we maintain on Scoutbook with your calendar. As updates come in you get the updates on your devices.
Overall Pack Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434
Lion Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/330418
Tiger Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/302256
Wolf Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/290926
Bear Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/239169
Webelos Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/253452
Arrow of Light Den Calendar - https://api.scouting.org/advancements/events/calendar/41434/240721
Just in time communication:
The pack uses Slack to communicate during events (such as campout) for just in time information. If you are interested in being included in these communications, you can join with the below link and download the Slack app to your devices.
Volunteers:
We have several volunteer opportunities for you or your family within the pack. The best way to find an opportunity is to fill out the Family Talent Survey, and then respond to any opportunities that are presented. We have tasks from big to small, but all are a tremendous help to making our pack successful every year. Below are some of the tasks currently available. If you are interested, please let us know.
Adult Leadership | Parent Volunteer |
Assistant Cubmaster | Campout Activities |
Secretary | Shooting Sports Rangemaster |
Assistant Treasurer | Racetime Commissioner (Raingutter Regatta) |
Public Relations Chair (Alyssa is outgoing) | Racetime Commissioner (Pinewood Derby) |
Assistant Grubmaster (David is outgoing) | Service & Conservation Project Coordinator |
Fundraiser Chair | Blue & Gold Planner |
Advancement Chair (Jacque is outgoing) | Pack Crossover Planner |
Membership Chair | |
Pack Trainer |
Yearly Registration:
The registration process has changed last year. There is now a rolling clock for registrations, with scouts needing to pay their yearly registration fees on their anniversary. All incoming and current Lion and Tiger scouts will have a registration date of when their application was submitted. All older scouts (Bear and older) default to the old timeline of December 31.
What does this mean for you? If you get an email from Boy Scouts of America asking you to pay your registration fee, please do not worry about making that payment, as the pack will take care of it for you (as long as you are registered with us this year and have paid your dues). Your yearly dues cover your registration costs. This new process is especially tricky for those who registered early in recruitment during the month of August. If you have paid or accidently paid your fee, please let us know so that we can get a reimbursement back to you.
Additionally, if you are NOT interested in receiving the Scout Life Magazine in the mail or your family does not use it, please let us know so we can discontinue it. It costs $15 per year to receive this, which is covered by the pack. We can better allocate the money spent if you do not see the need for it. Please email lakewayscouts442@gmail.com to let us know.
CLOSING:
I recognize the outstanding effort so many of you have put into our fundraising to start the scouting year as it has been amazing. We have a lot of fun events planned to take us into the holiday seasons and well into the new year! Remember Cub Scouting is a wonderful way to spend time with your family and the more you put into it, the more you get out. Please take a moment to RSVP (Scoutbook-Registered Scouts) or RSVP (Website) so you can stay on top of the events and the pack can plan accordingly. If you have any questions on about Sea World or preparing for the Fall Family Campout, don't hesitate to reach out to me, Mr. Sawyer, or your Den Leaders.
See you at the Pack Overnight or the Fall Family Campout!!!
YIS,
Bryan Weatherford
Pack 442 - Cubmaster
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