Due to Thanksgiving next week, we will be having our 2nd Den meeting of the month this week.  Unless otherwise communicated by your Scout Leader, your den will meet at the School on Wednesday, 11/14, Night at 6:30pm.

We also have our Pack meeting this week.  On Friday, 11/16, the Dens will be performing skits for family and friends at the Middle School Auditorium.  Doors will open at 6:30pm.  Program will start at 7:00pm.  Our program with start with the opening ceremony followed by award ceremony and then the skits.  This evening is a lot of fun for kids and adults!

Also this week we will be collecting dues for next year.  When your dues are paid you scout will receive their Pinewood Derby Car kit.  Dues for 2019 MUST BE PAID by End of November.

Our December THEME for the Pack Meeting will be ‘GIVING BACK’. We decided to participate in this year with a business in Bridgeville that is asking for help in filling stockings for our men and women in the Service overseas.  We were hoping to do this at our December Pack meeting, BUT the stockings need to be returned by NOVEMBER 29th .  IF you are interested, we will be collecting at the Wednesday Den meeting, Friday Pack meeting and anytime you wish to drop off at my house (I will have a plastic bin by my front door and My address is 7022 Clubview Drive, Bridgeville).

Here is the list of items that are allowed —  Individually wrapped and packaged- no bags, no chocolate, no pork products

• Instant Drink Mixes
• Energy Bars
• Granola Bars
• Beef Jerky
• Franks Red Hot
• Tabasco Sauce
• graham crackers
• regular crackers
• cookies
• GUM
• non-chocolate candy
• nuts
• trail mix
• dried fruit
• shampoo
• body wash
• deodorant
• baby wipes
• tooth paste
• dental floss
• hand sanitizer
• Lip Balm
• Vicks
• Eye Drops
• Entertainment- Crossword, word search, magazines, playing cards

Wednesday (11/7) is our Den Meeting.   All Den Meetings are at elementary school or intermediate school unless otherwise stated by the Den Leader.  

Saturday (11/10) 8:30am – 9:30am  (11/10) Warehouse Popcorn Distribution Pickup  We need 3 vehicles (or 4 if we have smaller vehicles) to pick up popcorn at McKees Rocks and deliver it to Oakridge Fire Hall (Bay area).  Address for Warehouse is on our sign-up sheet.  Please sign up here.

Saturday (11/10) 9:30am – 11:00am (11/10)  We need 6 Adults to help sort the popcorn into individual scout orders. Once we are done sorting ALL THE POPCORN then parents can pick-up popcorn.  Please sign up here.

Saturday (11/10) 11:00am – 1:00pm is ALL POPCORN PICKUP.  Pickup will be at Oakridge Fire Truck Bay area from 11am  – 1pm.  We will need to be out of the fire truck bay by 1pm.  YOU MUST PICK UP YOUR POPCORN ORDER AT THIS TIME or YOU MUST ARRANGE TO HAVE SOMEONE PICKUP YOUR ORDER!  

Resurrection Church in Oakdale (our Charter Organization) is asking for a few of our scouts to volunteer this Tuesday from 4-7pm to help with their Spaghetti Dinner.  Here is the signup sheet link on our website. The address for the Church is:  7600 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071.

Coming up this week for PACK 843:

Den meetings Wednesday night

Popcorn Sheets and money need to be turned in on Wednesday during the Den Meetings (Elementary School) OR Sunday (at the Pack Meeting).  I also need your scout prize number(s) on your popcorn sheet.  If you have sold popcorn at our show-n-sell locations, I will be emailing you a total of hours and approximate hourly rate so you can add that number to your prize selection.  If you have any questions, please see me on Wednesday during the Den meetings..

Pack Meeting (- Boys Home Park) Sunday  3pm – 6pm– Award Ceremony, Food, Fun and a Hayride – Please sign-up on our website so we know how many people are attending and how much chicken to purchase.  There will be a place to turn in your popcorn sheets and money.  ALL money must be turned in with your orders.

Our Annual Pack 843 Fall Hayride is on Sunday October 21st.  As always, the PACK MEETING is open for all family members of the Scout.  The event starts at 3:00 PM at Boy’s Home Park (near Hogan Field, Boy’s Home Rd. off of Battle Ridge Rd.).  While the Wolf Dens are planning away, they are trying to get a count for food (and possibly pumpkins for the scouts) so we have posted a sign-up sheet for the picnic.  If you are planning to attend, please click here to sign up with the number of family members attending and what dish you would like to bring.

The Wolf Leaders are asking for the Dens to bring:

• Webelos:  Please bring a DESSERT
• Bear:  Please bring a DESSERT
• Wolves:  Please bring MAIN SIDE DISH
• Tiger:  Please bring a MAIN SIDE DISH
• Lions:  Please bring SNACK ITEMS (Chips, pretzels, Tortilla chips, dips, guacamole, or other snack tiems)

There is limited seating at the pavilion so you may want to bring chairs.

Reminder:  Den Meetings are Wednesday,  If your scout is in grades K-2, you will meet at the  at South Fayette Elementary School. If your scout is in grades 3-5, you will meet at the at South Fayette Intermediate School.

In the past we have done very well selling popcorn outside both doors at Walmart in Robinson.  This summer the manager in charge refused to allow scouts to sell popcorn this fall.  This evening, after we found out that other groups were being allowed in again, we requested access again from a new manager. And we got in!!  We have 4 dates added to our popcorn schedule.  We have worked hard for this opportunity and we need to have these hours filled.  Last year we sold almost $5,500 in popcorn at Walmart and had over $6,000 in donations.  There are 2 doors at Walmart and we will need boys for both doors.  Sign-up sheets are now available.  PLEASE note that we have 2 different locations for 10/6 and 10/20.  Make sure you know which location you have signed-up to work.  We have the following dates for Walmart:

This coming Saturday, 10/6 from 9am-4pm

Monday (Columbus Day), 10/8 9am-4pm

Friday evening, 10/19 4pm-7pm

Saturday, 10/20 9am-4pm

How are those Door-to-Door sale?  You have less than a month to sell popcorn!  Due to in increase of for dues next year, your scout will need to sell $450 in popcorn in order to cover the cost for dues in 2019.  If you still need a popcorn form, I will have them at our Show-N-Sell locations this weekend and at the Den meeting next week.  Money earned from sales over $450 will go to your child’s scout account.

This weekend we have two locations for our Show-N-Sell.  Saturday we will be at Lowes in Washington from 9-3.  On Sunday we will be at Lowes in Washington from 9-3 AND at the Chili Cook-off at Fairview Park from 12-4.  Last time I looked we still had a few open time slots. I also just posted sign-up sheets for 2 weekends in October.

Important Dates and information for Popcorn Door-to-Door sales:

Take orders can be turned in at the your den meeting on Wednesday, 10/17. However, you MUST  turn in your popcorn sheets no later than Sunday, 10/21, during our October Pack meeting.  Money is due when you turn in your sales sheet.  Please total across the bottom of the page and to the right of each order to make sure everything is correct.  I would ask for 1 check made out to Pack843 if possible.  Don’t forget to put your prize numbers on your form as well.  .

Required Adult Background Clearances and Training

Scouting is a place where young people can come together for fun in a safe environment.  We take this seriously!

All registered volunteers, regardless of position, are required to obtain and submit clearances.  Also, any adults who carpool scouts to events/camps or attend camps need them.  You need the following clearances:

1.State Police Record Check: You can use this link to obtain on line:

https://epatch.state.pa.us/

2.Child Abuse History Report. You can use this link to obtain on line:

https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home

3.Volunteer Verification. If you have lived in Pa for at least ten years, just complete the attached form. swear_affirm_document If you have lived in Pa for less than 10 years, you will need an FBI fingerprint check. You can use this link to obtain one:

https://www.pa.cogentid.com/index.htm(select the department of human services link)

Youth Protection Training

Each adult above must complete the BSA Youth Protection Training. This can be done online. The website is:

http://www.scouting.org/Training/Adult.aspx

You will have to create an account in order to complete the training.  Youth Protection Training (or YPT) is listed on the left margin.  You can print out a certificate at the end of the training.

Please email copies of the completed forms (state police, abuse, volunteer verification and youth protection training) for each adult to Rob Robitaille (rrobitaille@gmail.com).  Youth Protection Training (YPT) is due by October 1, 2018 and the clearances need turned in as soon as possible.

Reminder:  Den Meetings will be this Wednesday,  If your scout is in grades K-2, you will meet at the  at South Fayette Elementary School. If your scout is in grades 3-5, you will meet at the at South Fayette Intermediate School.

On Friday, September 21st we will have a Pack Meeting at 7:00 pm.  The entire family is invited to all our Pack Meetings.  This Pack Meeting will be at the Cecil Park, 3599 Millers Run Road (next to Cecil Township Municipal building).  We will be at the Large Pavilion across the bridge close to tennis courts. There will be an opening ceremony (Arrow of Light), advancements, popcorn update, prizes, games, and other fun things.  Scouts need to be in Class A uniform (scout shirt, neckerchief and slide – Lion in T-Shirts). However, if you are new scouts and do no have a uniform yet, please come to the meeting.  Parents are reminded to bring chairs and jackets for this outside meeting.