Week of September 20th, 2010

September 20, 2010

Dear Roadrunner Parents:

I want to make sure to remind the couple of boys that did not have their assignments this past Monday that they will need to turn them in this coming Monday. An assignment sheet was sent home as well as an email to remind them of the assignment.

Today we worked on the following requirements or achievements for your son's Webelos Handbook: 

Naturalist Activity Badge: Requirements are to do requirements 1 and then five of 2 -13.

1. With a parent, guardians, or Webelos Den Leader, complete the Respect Character Connection.

a. Know: Tell what interested you most when completing the requirements for this activity badge. Tell what you have learned about how you can show appreciation and respect for wildlife.

b. . Commit: Tell things some people have done that show a lack of respect for wildlife.

c. . Practice: Explain how completing the requirement for this activity badge gives you the opportunity to show respect.

4. Visit a museum of natural history, a nature center, or zoo with your family, Webelos den, or pack. Tell what you saw. (This is the zoo trip that is planned for November 20^th.

8. Watch six wild animals in the wild. Describe what kind of place where you saw them. Tell what they were doing.

10. Identify a plant, bird, or wild animal that is only found in your area of the country. Tell why it only survives in your area.

Athlete Activity Badge: Requirements are to do requirements 1-5 and then 2 of 6-10. (This is a continuation that will be going on until October 18^th)

6. Do a vertical jump and improve your reach over 30 days.

7. Do a 50 yard dash as fast as you can and decrease over time.

The boys were assigned these items for homework that will be due at the den meeting on September 27, 2010:

Assignment	Due Date
Review Naturalist Chapter	Sept. 27, 2010
Practice Activity Badge Requirements at Home for Improvement	We will be filling out chart weekly until Oct. 18, 2010

We will be continuing working on Naturalist next week. We will also be continuing Athlete by completing another vertical jump and 50 yard dash. We will also be introducing the requirements for the Webelos Badge.

I do want to let everyone know that part of the Webelos badge is being an active member in the den for 3 months. Active would be participating in other activities such as popcorn sales, concession stands, and other extra activities. I just want to make sure that all boys are participating in other activities instead of just den meetings and the “fun” stuff.

Also, due to the possibility of our den growing, we are going to be doing some things different in our den starting this Monday. First, I will be moving the two tables together when I come in for the meetings. The boys need more room and I feel this will help out a lot. I am asking that parents who are staying during the meeting sit in the back of the room with whatever chairs are available. I am also asking that parents please keep conversations to a minimum during den time. It is hard to get the boys to calm down if the parents are being just as loud.

Also, we need to have some of the boys settling down more during meetings. I understand that sometimes we have things to go over that they don’t find “fun” but unfortunately, there are some things about our activity badges that we can just go run around and play to get it done. If the den does grow, I will have to ask boys to leave the meeting if they cannot control themselves. All I ask is the boys keep the comments to a minimum and raise their hand when they want to say something. When they become boy scouts, they will be expected to control themselves in order to get the items done that they need to. Since they are now 4^th graders, I would expect that they know how to act.

I do want to make sure that everyone is reading these emails. I will be sending them out weekly, that way you know what is going on. If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to get a hold of me. I want the boys to have a successful year and there are a lot of fun things planned that are either pack activities or den activities.