JasonG172 244 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 18 hours ago, Dixit said: Are you saying you only give first year Webelos until May 31st? They can earn Webelos rank at any point up until they age out of Cub Scouts. Well I guess I didn't know that, I thought it was like Tigers/Wolves and Bears....once you move up a grade you cant go back. Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbird 179 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 19 hours ago, cmd said: I'm not too concerned about the badge, but the pack has a tradition of doing the face painting type of moving up ceremony, which the boys really look forward to, and all the scripts I've found for that are definitely "you've done all these things to earn your rank" and not "welcome to the next level", and an unpainted face would stand out and not in a good way. But I think I've figured it out. Other than one kid who I think has probably quit, the boys likely to not have time to make rank are all new additions, not kids who just didn't show. They will have all earned their Bobcat rank this year, so I think making a big deal about how glad we are that they decided to join us on this path then a little paint just for the new recruits should do the trick. (even if they've already gotten the badge itself before then) I would recommend changing the script so that it's clear that your ceremony is tied to them moving up to the next den level - not earning their rank. And for the new Scouts, if they need some extra time to earn their rank, the pack committee can give it to them. Or the parents might decide that it's just better to start working on the next den level's rank and not worry about it. Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbird 179 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 20 hours ago, JasonG172 said: May31st is my cutoff- CubMaster here. I have Webelos that might possibly not earn their Webelos Badge. Some missed a campout where we had an EMT there and I told the parents that this wont be made up later so they need to be there. I give lots of opportunities but if you don't make meeting then you can ask your parents why you didn't earn your badge. Whether they are in the 4th grade or the 5th grade, they are still Webelos Scouts in Webelos dens (see rank requirement #1 for both ranks). They wear the same neckerchief, slide, and work out of the same Handbook. They work towards the Webelos rank in the 4th grade , and they work towards the Arrow of Light rank in the 5th grade. If they don't finish Webelos rank by May 31 of the 4th grade, they can keep working on it (or not - their choice). If both Webelos and AOL rank are earned, Webelos rank needs to be completed before AOL rank (although they could be completed on the same day). 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbird 179 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 3 hours ago, scotteg83 said: The hardest part I have with the new cub scout achievements is the belt loops. Yeah, you could pre-buy belt loops for all required adventures for your entire den at the beginning of the year, and just pass any extra to the next years leader. But it was so much easier when it was just beads, which we stocked in bulk. Now each rank has 6+ elective adventures that they could earn all of them each year. So do you pre-buy the electives loops, or award those separately at the next pack meeting? We have an advancement chair that currently takes care off all the awards and makes the monthly trip to the scout shop to purchase them. If your Advancement Chair only buys awards once a month, you could award the belt loops at the next den meeting. The next pack meeting could work, too, but it might make for a long meeting if every Scout is getting their belt loops / pins at the pack meeting. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 9 minutes ago, Thunderbird said: If your Advancement Chair only buys awards once a month, you could award the belt loops at the next den meeting. The next pack meeting could work, too, but it might make for a long meeting if every Scout is getting their belt loops / pins at the pack meeting. We had over 100 scouts (140 one time), so we only awarded rank advancement and specialty awards like religious awards at the pack meetings. If the DL wanted to do something special at the den meetings, I (CM) would try and present their belt loops and beads. But that was rare. Barry 1 Link to post Share on other sites
JasonG172 244 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 2 hours ago, Thunderbird said: Whether they are in the 4th grade or the 5th grade, they are still Webelos Scouts in Webelos dens (see rank requirement #1 for both ranks). They wear the same neckerchief, slide, and work out of the same Handbook. They work towards the Webelos rank in the 4th grade , and they work towards the Arrow of Light rank in the 5th grade. If they don't finish Webelos rank by May 31 of the 4th grade, they can keep working on it (or not - their choice). If both Webelos and AOL rank are earned, Webelos rank needs to be completed before AOL rank (although they could be completed on the same day). I am glad you cleared that up for me! I had no clue. Link to post Share on other sites
WRW_57 24 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 On cross over night our Pack does simple AoL rank advancement recognition with the recipients, followed by whatever thank yous the parents offer the retiring AoL Den Leader, then we have the boys back up in front who are bridging over. This second group receives a Completion of Cub Scouts Certificate and then crosses the bridge to their new Scoutmaster who provides a new necker, handbook, and wisks them away on the troop's bus to their first meeting, a welcome reception. Nobody goes home empty handed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
WisconsinMomma 217 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) I've had to do this and it was tough. In my den, we had a boy who missed just so many meetings, his family had other things going on and he didn't earn rank. I reached out to his mom and let him know the situation and had given some updates along the way with the missing stuff. I had to let her know that her son wasn't going to get the rank when all the other boys in the den had finished theirs. I offered extra time if they wanted to try to make it happen but they declined. We just call them up and hand out badges but still it was obvious to this guy that he was not called. But that is life too. All our kids cross over a bridge and we put on their new neckers. Edited March 19, 2018 by WisconsinMomma Link to post Share on other sites
Eagledad 2777 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 There are different ways to handle scouts that don't earn the badge the rest of the den earned. When I was CM, we started encouraging the Webelos to award their badges and pins at the den meetings as soon as they earned them so they wouldn't have to wait so long. The Webelos earn so many pins that the parents get use to attending the last five minutes of the meeting to cheer the boys. Then we recognize them again at the pack meeting by calling them up each one at a time and handing them their award card. When they are called up individually and then sit down again, the scouts who didn't earn the award don't stand out. If the CM knows ahead of time that the whole den earned the award, then they can stay up front to stand as a group as each scout is called up. Barry Link to post Share on other sites
WisconsinMomma 217 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 On 3/8/2018 at 11:53 AM, qwazse said: If I could have a do-over, I would ask that awards would only be acknowledged briefly. (E.g., at a pack meeting, the Denner for the month might report, "Three guys in our den earned bobcat and four made rank. We had fun at the lake. Johnny tipped my canoe. Thank you.") The only ceremony I'd call for is a passing of the neckers for "move up" day. I'm envious of these scouts: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/03/08/pack-cub-scouts-pass-neckerchief-younger-scouts-advancing-rank/ Thanks for sharing that link. I like this, as it gives the boys more action and probably makes the neckerchief exchange go faster than individual cross overs. Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernTierScouter 12 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 On 3/13/2018 at 4:50 PM, JasonG172 said: I am glad you cleared that up for me! I had no clue. Be careful here, and check the Guide to Advancement 2017.... page 20 "Boys who join Cub Scouting for the first time as a member of an Arrow of Light den, or boys who were previously members of a Webelos den but did not earn the Webelos rank, shall work on Arrow of Light requirements during their fifth-grade year. They can earn the Arrow of Light Award without earning the Webelos rank." Link to post Share on other sites
Dixit 12 Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 3 hours ago, SouthernTierScouter said: Be careful here, and check the Guide to Advancement 2017.... page 20 "Boys who join Cub Scouting for the first time as a member of an Arrow of Light den, or boys who were previously members of a Webelos den but did not earn the Webelos rank, shall work on Arrow of Light requirements during their fifth-grade year. They can earn the Arrow of Light Award without earning the Webelos rank." Thanks for highlighting this. "shall" doesn't mean "must" but obviously the intent here is for 5th grade boys (assuming non-LDS) should be shifting their focus to Arrow of Light rank. Interestingly I can find no other official BSA literature where they refer to an "Arrow of Light" den. Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernTierScouter 12 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Page 19 of the Guide to Advancement also says: Arrow of Light. For boys who have completed fourth grade. Cub Scouts do not “go back” and work on ranks designed for earlier grade levels, even if missed due to their time of joining. Likewise, Cub Scouts do not “move ahead” to the next rank until the completion of the current school year (or until their next birthday if their chartered organization transitions by age). Page 20 of the GtA Many adventure pins help Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts develop interests in areas that may lead to hobbies or career choices. The Webelos and Arrow of Light den leaders and assistants,... Link to post Share on other sites
Dixit 12 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Inconsistent messaging from BSA . They also put out this FAQ after the 2015/6 changes: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/program_update/pdf/Cub Adventure Program FAQs.pdf They make it clear that while there are two ranks, its still only a "Webelos" den. Also says only new 5th graders should go directly toward AOL rank. Doesn't say 4th graders must stop working on Webelos after 4th grade From pg 5 Only boys who join Cub Scouts in their fifth-grade year should, after completing their Bobcat requirements, begin working directly on Arrow of Light requirements. All other Cub Scouts would work on earning the Webelos rank first. From pg 6 Q: Are boys in the fifth grade referred to as Arrow of Light Scouts? A: Boys who are earning the Webelos and Arrow of Light ranks are Webelos Scouts and are members of Webelos dens Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernTierScouter 12 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 They refer to Tigers, Wolves and Bears as "Cub Scout Dens" also in places. Clearly they have some need to get publishing and messaging consistent. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now