Cub Scout Pack 318, San Jose, California, USA

Thank you for your interest in Cub Scouts, and for checking out Pack 318. We hope that this information answers your initial questions. If you have remaining questions, please ask one of us (contact info at the bottom of this page).

Boys in 1st grade through 5th grade. We recruit from Bagby, Farnham, and Fammatre Elementary Schools, and welcome other boys from the neighborhood. Boys may join at any grade level, and don’t need to “start at the beginning” since each grade starts a fresh new level/rank. Joining mid-year is not a problem either.

We encourage siblings (boys and girls) to join in on the fun. Bring the whole family and friends to pack meetings when your son has earned an award.

Parents/guardians are expected to participate and help out. Our group is organized and lead by parent volunteers. We need individuals to help with activities and to be uniformed leaders. Please complete a parent skills survey so we can best match your interest with roles which need to be filled. See the separate listing of the areas where help is needed.

Cub Scouts helps to teach values through fun activities which are rewarded through rank advancement. Activities include games, crafts, sports, field trips, hiking, camping, Pinewood Derby, Scout-O-Rama, archery, BB guns, and community service.

Boys are grouped by their grade level into dens of 5 to 10 boys. There is at least one den per grade level, sometimes two if there are enough boys to warrant a split. Boys usually stay with the same den as they change school grades and advance to the next rank level together.

The pack is a collection of all the dens, usually totaling 50 to 60 boys. This interaction allows the boys to see the fun that others are having and the awards they receive along the way.

$65 for annual pack dues, which includes the BSA registration fee. This covers through the end of 2011

$12 for the optional monthly boys’ magazine, Boy’s Life

~$75 for the uniform, handbook, and accessories. Buy these at the Scout Shop at 970 West Julian Street, San Jose

• Shirt - blue for grades 1 through 3, Khaki for grades 4 &5
• Patches for the shirt; Santa Clara Council shoulder patch, purple round world crest (we will supply the pack 318 numbers patch)
  
• Neckerchief/scarf - specific for the rank/grade level
• Neckerchief slide - available specific for the rank/grade level, but you're better off using a rubber band until your son can make one
• Handbook - specific for the rank/grade level
• Optional, but encouraged is a web belt - specific for the rank/grade level
• If a Webelos (4th or 5th grade), "Webelos colors" which are tri-color cloth ribbon hanging from a metal pin
  
• Official pants or shorts are NOT required and almost all boys do not wear them
  

~$20 for den dues (amount set by each den for supplies and activities)

* Note that we do not want family financial challenges to prevent any boy from joining our pack. If you need help paying for the pack dues or other expenses please talk to the Cubmaster or Committee Chair (contact info at the bottom of this page).

Dens
Dens usually meet in their own small group twice a month. The day and time of their meetings are determined by what is best for those groups. The dens occasionally have field trips which are organized by the den leader and den parents.

Den meetings are either at family homes or other locations such as a school .

The Pack
The larger group of all the boys meets once a month, usually on the Third Thursday at Farnham Elementary. The pack also usually has at least one activity each month, on a Saturday or Sunday. Check our Calendar for more details.