scroll left to “leaders guides” sends you here:
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Ah, missed that. Interesting…
Hey, if it works for you then use it!
Thank you for the clarification, William.
Below I reiterate and expand upon my comments regarding the reasons why Cubmasters, whom we have clearly established are not den leaders, should have access to any program planning applications designed for den leaders.
Some of the responsibilities of a Cubmaster, according to the Cub Scout Leader Book, include:
- Guide and support den leaders.
- See that Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts receive a quality, year-round program filled with fun and activities that qualify the dens and pack for the National Summertime Pack Award
- Ensure that dens are using the Denner program and conducting flag ceremonies.
- Encourage high advancement standards for all Cub Scouts.
I am aware that these come from an older version, since we no longer use the term Tiger Cubs. However, the nature of the responsibilities has not changed. Given that, I say again that it is counter-intuitive to create an area of Scoutbook where den leaders can create plans for den meetings and not allow the Cubmaster to see what the den leader is planning. Although they labeled the button Den Leader Sign In, it never occurred to me that the Scoutbook developers would want to limit the ability of Cub Scouters to communicate. Therefore, even though it is clear to me that I am not a den leader, I was surprised that I was unable to connect to that area of Scoutbook.
If I have a new Bear den leader who wants to use that part of Scoutbook to plan the October 7 den meeting, such den leader, who may need a significant amount of guidance, cannot ask me to log in and check out the plan and offer comments. If s/he were to do so, I would have to reply that for decades, new den leaders have relied on more experienced Cubmasters to help them develop den meeting plans. Now, those experienced Cubmasters have been replaced by the artificial intelligence that populates some fields in a meeting plan and sends the den leader on his or her merry way.
Like I said: counter-intuitive. Doesn’t it seem ridiculous?
Peter
Thank you, Jeremy. I’ll try that.
Jeremy,
I added myself as a den admin without any position, and it allowed me to log in as a den leader and see all five dens. Of course, nothing is there, but I do expect at least one den leader (Tigers) to use this, and it will be great for she and I to collaborate.
Right now, we have no Bears in the pack. So, I wanted to put together some plans for Bear den meetings, in case we are able to recruit any. If we get a new den leader, s/he might feel at ease just executing what’s already been planned at the start.
Thanks very much for your help.
Peter
We’ve already done our annual planning for the next 12 months for each den and for the pack, so it seems counter-productive to ditch all our plans and make new ones without any advance notice.
Don’t at least most packs plan the year in advance? I know some fly by the seat of their pants…
Paul, planning the pack activities does not require the den leaders to plan all their meetings. And planning the den schedule does not require planning the activities at each meeting.
It’s not really “planning” if you don’t make a “plan” …
True, planning does require a plan. However, planning the pack calendar does not require planning the den calendar.
I wish it did. We would get a better program.
Doug… then do it. I don’t understand…
We plan the year: Pack Meetings, Den Meetings, Nova days, excursions, outside events, council outdoor activities… sure we sometimes have to make changes, but we have found that our parents really value having a calendar and knowing what to expect.
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… the way we have always done it …
Lol, yes, at the discretion of the key 3, this year we may expand our planning from just pack activities to include den meetings.
We are in a similar situation. I hope that being able to hand someone that first month lesson plan will go a long way towards helping new leaders.
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PaulMcDonald, I suddenly feel inadequate as a leader…that is an impressive schedule.
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For meeting options i wish they would allow a monthly meeting plan most of our dens in my pack meet once a month as a den and once a month as a pack
@PaulMcDonald, would you mind posting/sharing even a blank copy of your outline? I’m mostly done with our pack calendar (meeting in a few weeks to finalize with the rest of the pack leadership), but I’m sure myself and a bunch of others on here would love to use that spreadsheet (if you’re willing to share).
I don’t mind sharing, but really you already have it. One column is MEETING DATE, one is MONTH, one is PACK, one each for LION, TIGER, WOLF, BEAR, WEBELOS I, WEBELOS II, and the last bit is room reservations.
Here’s the file–your mileage may vary: Pack 3097 Activity Calendar 2019-2020.xlsx (27.6 KB)
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I have to jump in here… I believe that is a huge mistake. Generally, about 60% of scouts attend a den meeting. If you only meet monthly September through May, then that means each scout averages only 5.4 meetings per year (9 meetings x 0.6). If your dens meet twice per month in that same time frame, then you have 18 x 0.6 or 10.8 meetings per year. Now the scout can advance and get something out of it.
Further, if a family misses a den meeting and you only meet once per month, then it’s two months between den meetings. Remember, there’s a 60% chance they’ll miss the pack meeting too!
We have found success in scheduling something weekly. Two den meetings, a pack meeting, and a NOVA/Committee meeting. That’s four times a month (most months, some have five). Now you’ll find that 95% of the scouts come to 1-2 meetings per month.
Now, if they miss a meeting it’s two weeks between meetings instead of two months. They still average only about 60% attendance, but they are able to attend more so they do.
Is it more work? A little. Share the load.
Do parents feel overwhelmed? Not really: No one is expected to attend all the meetings, just like no one is expected to have a full helping of everything on a buffet.
I urge everyone to find a way to have den meetings at least twice each month and have some pack event most every week during the school year.
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