4-H
Newsletter:
January/February
06 Text Version
4-H has been given an endowment by the estate of Keith Birkenfeld. $25,000 is to be set up as a trust to use for scholarship for Kitsap County students to attend the Washington State 4-H conference. Another $150,000 has been designated to be used for capital improvements at Twin Lakes Camp. The Camp Program is currently looking into how best to use this money. The Camp belongs to the whole Kitsap County 4-H Council and as such your input in this is very important. Is there an improvement that you feel is crucial, do you have some time, expertise, or equipment that you would like to offer in the planning and completion stages of what ever is decided? Do you have some money that you would like to add to this to make it go farther? Please give us a call with your ideas or offers to help. At the Extension Office we are having a change in several of our program Staff. As most of you know Sally Evenson retired last July and Anne O’Brien is her temporary replacement until the position is posted and a new person hired. Anne is very enthusiastic about both the Food Safety Program and working with the 4-H Foods Project. If you have any questions about foods issues or would like a speaker, please give me a call and I will get you in touch with Anne. She is lots of fun and will be doing a Microwave cooking workshop at Mega Monday. Karen Oldham who headed the CTA Clothing and Textile Advisor Program has also left us to spend more time with her family. Barbara Gross has been hired to take her place. Barbara has been a CTA for several years and is also really excited to work with our youth. Barbara and the CTAs will be doing an “Embellishment” workshop at Mega Monday. It should be a great one. I heard that they have been gathering lots of fun embellishments for participants to use. Also leaving us are Sue Texeria and Anne Nelson with the Sea Grant Program. Sue is retiring to spend more time with her husband who is also retiring. Anne and her husband have an opportunity to live and work in New Zealand and will be leaving us in February. Enrollment was due by December 1st. Members that are not enrolled will not be able to participate in any contests, such as Public Presentations. In order to be considered an enrolled club, you will need to have your End of the Year Financial Summary, Club Survey and Insurance Money into the office. Make sure you sign your enrollment forms, otherwise they are returned and not processed until they are signed. Members and parents please help your leaders with this. You can help by offering to help with the End of the Year Financial Audit, filling out the club survey, collecting insurance money for your club. Most importantly, be sure you sign all your enrollment forms and get them back to your leader so she can send them in. It is time for Leaders Training. If you are a new leader, you are required to take leader training within the first year of becoming a leader. If you are taking over an existing club or taking a leadership role in your club, these trainings are for you. We are now requiring all four sessions for everyone. If it has been awhile since you completed training how about a refresher course to brush up your skills? Two series of leader training are planned for Winter. One series consist of two Saturdays in February and the other series is four Tuesdays evenings in February and March. Remember, if you are a leader, you have only one year to complete leader’s training. This training is required by the State 4-H program for you to be covered by the state liability insurance. Mark your calendar now so you will be able to attend. For
the Saturday sessions please bring a sack lunch and
fruit or dessert to share. Coffee and cold beverages
will be provided. Register online at: http://kitsap.wsu.edu/4h/pdf_4Hfiles/leader_training_brochure2006.pdf Saturday
Sessions If you are reading this, it means that you have received this newsletter. We need your help! We are finding out that many of our members who have email are not receiving the newsletter because:
Here’s how you can help, at your next meeting and/or whenever you talk to other 4-H members please ask them if they are receiving their newsletter. If they aren’t, suggest:
The
current newsletter along with past ones are available
on the Kitsap County 4-H website http://kitsap.wsu.edu/4h/newsletter.htm If you have information that you want to appear in the newsletter please get it to me by the following dates. I would love to include articles from all of our projects, committees, members, but I need to have them in the office early so I can get the newsletter out on time. Deadlines for newsletter issues are as follows:
Wow! After meeting with the Mega Monday Planning Committee this looks like it will be the best Mega Monday yet. Last year the youth attending asked for more hands on classes, and we have some terrific ones planned. Our Clothing and Textile Advisors are doing a work shop on embellishing your outfits. The person leading it has been collecting fun embellishments for the participants to use in the class. She will even show you how to attach an embellishment so it can be easily removed. Equine members could add an embellishment to wear at the County Fair but removed it for State Fair. Make a no sew fleece quilt for a Project Linus. Do you want to do more with an animal than just show it at fair? Come explore the opportunities for working with Service Animals. Andrea Crispin from Guide Dogs for the Blind will be there with “Duke”, and Marion Bond will be their with special activities from the PetPALS program. Explore Microwave Cooking by taking part in a hands on workshop in our kitchen. Be sure to look through the Brochure that your received in the mail and select your classes early. If you did not receive this mailing, it is because you are not currently enrolled. Please check with your leader. Note too, that Mega Monday will be held in the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton. Because Mega Monday is on a holiday parking won’t be an issue. You can park in the lot attached to the building that is usually reserved for Health Department use, or if you arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 there will be someone to let you into the parking garage under our building. The entrance is off of 5th street. We need help with Mega Monday. We need clubs or individuals to volunteer to help with set-up, clean-up, setting up for and cleaning up after lunch, and serving lunch. To volunteer please contact Cathy Moen. If you would like to learn to knit or crochet and live in the South end of the county, please contact Tami Hoenig at 253-857-3743. She will be conducting “Knitting and Crochet” monthly workshops for those who would like to learn. Learn More About Your Sewing Machine You know it does more than sew straight and zigzag, but how do you get it to make button holes, and what's a zipper foot? The CTAs will be teaching this and more in two upcoming classes. January 31 - Learn to use your zipper foot to attach zippers, piping and cording. February 21 - Learn how your machine makes button holes, and tips for making them look professional. Both classes will be held at Island Lake Community Center from 6:30-830pm. Cost is $5 each. To reserve your spot, call Toni at 337-7157 then immediately push "0".
A Montana 4-H group is interested in a 4-H Exchange with a state that is close enough to possibly drive to. Here is their information: "We would like to host the first year and then visit the second year. We have twelve members, 13 to 17 years old. We have mostly younger members. We are located 45 miles south of Canada in northern Montana. We are 2 hours east of Great Falls, Montana and 3 hours north of Billings, Montana. We are in the prairie country of Montana. We have several historical attractions as well as recreational opportunities to enjoy while here." If you have a club interested in contacting this group, please send an email to Carol Beckman, State Program Coordinator at: beckmanc@wsu.edu Below are the dates for educational activities at this time. Remember, to show your dog at fair, members must attend at least one educational activity. Some interesting topics will be covered so you may want to attend as many as you can. Enjoy! -Marion 1. Sunday 29th of January at the Presidents Hall
[back half] 2006
National Junior Swine Association Western Regional Youth swine exhibitors from across the country will be gathering in Turlock, Calif., for the National Junior Swine Association (NJSA) Western Regional. This event will take place March 17-19, 2006, at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. The NJSA will consist of a purebred gilt show, a showmanship contest, and a skill-a-thon. Points will be awarded to participants in these three events and compiled toward a sweepstakes contest where awards will be given to the top five contestants in each age division. The age divisions are: Novice (8 and under); Junior (9-12); Intermediate (13-16) and Senior (17-21). Youth can also compete in a purebred barrow show. Thousands of dollars will be given away in awards and premiums throughout the weekend. For more information, contact Jennifer Shike, National Swine Registry Director of Junior Activities, at (765) 463-3594 or (217) 485-5315. Information is also available at www.nationalswine.com. WA
Pork Producers Newsletter In the past hard copies of the WA Pork Producers newsletter have been sent to each Extension office and FFA Advisor. However, in order to save on postage and printing cost the newsletter will be sent to Extension offices and FFA advisors electronically. Hard copies are still available to swine producers. The newsletter can be downloaded at http://animalag.wsu.edu/swine/. WSU
Feeder Pig Sales Washington State University is sponsoring three feeder pig sales for 4-H and FFA members this year. Approximately 200 pigs will be available from the WSU Swine Center for each sale. The first sale will be at the WSU Swine Center on January 14th beginning at 8am. These pigs will be of the right age and weight for spring shows. The January sale will be different from the spring sales in that there will be no educational program and the Swine Center staff will do the selection. No one will be allowed into the Swine Center. The second sale will be at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds in Ellensburg on April 15th beginning at 11am. These pigs will be of the right age and weight for July and August shows.The third sale is set for May 13th at the WSU Swine Center beginning at 9:30am. These pigs will be of the right age and weight for September shows. Both
spring sales events will begin with an educational program
about health, management, selection, and feeding project
pigs. All youth and adults are encouraged to attend
even if they are not purchasing animals. CCS
Curriculum Pilot Sites Needed Ten
new and revised 4-HCCS product series will be available
this summer. If
you would like your club to be involved, you may do
the following: Note
that each pilot site that submits a minimum of 10 evaluations
will receive a complimentary set of the materials piloted.
Thank you for your help in making sure that these new materials meet the needs of our program participants. New Food Preservation Curriculum Available Check
out the new, attractive curriculum just printed for
4-H Food Preservation projects! This was a WA 4-H writing
effort led by Michael Wallace, 4-H Youth Educator, Skagit
County. The curriculum consists of two publications:
EM4921, Getting Started in Food Preservation, Leader's
Guide, $3.50; and EM4920, Getting Started in Food Preservation,
Member Kit, $2.00, a series printed of unit dividers
containing charts, tips, flash cards to enrich the member's
learning experience. Both publications are available
at Bulletins and EM4921 is also available as a downloadable
PDF from the Ext. publications website at: Your premium checks from State Fair were mailed the week of Dec. 12. If you have not received yours please call Tom Gwin at 253-445-4630. |