Aroostook County 4-H Newsletter: December 2018

Dates to Remember

December 25 – Christmas Day – office closed
December 31 – Background checks to be completed
December 31 – Deadline for 4-H re-enrollment
January 1 – New Year’s Day – office closed
January 21 – Martin Luther King Day – office closed

Happy Birthday to all 4-Hers born in December

Alison S
Aliya S
Richard G-H

Club News

Ultra Clover

We held November meeting Saturday, Nov 17. We will be having a Christmas party on Saturday, December 15.  Instead of drawing names or a Yankee swap this year they are going to do a “Sock Exchange”.

Background check

Reminder, if you became a 4-H volunteer before 2015 you should have received an email for a background check.  Please follow the link that was in your email.  Contact Emily if you need help in completing this 532.6548.  Deadline is December 31, 2018.  Thank you to all that have completed so far.

4-H Member and Volunteer re-enrollment forms are due by December 31st, 2018. 

If your form is turned in late, you will not be allowed to show at the Northern Maine Fair.  New enrollment forms are due no later than April 1st, 2019.

Everyone Cares Community Dinner

The next Everyone Cares Community dinner will be Sunday, December 16th from 3-4 pm at the Houlton Rec. Center.  If you would like to donate non-perishable items or your time please contact Kate N at katemurphynewman@gmail.com

Paper Clover Promotion

The County is being awarded $403.71 for the Paper Clover Promotion in October. Thank you to all who have given their time to this event.

We would like to wish you all a very happy Holiday and happy New Year!

State 4-H News
December, 2018

  1. Please provide feedback on Project Records!
    Click the following link to take the survey.     https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bP1iUM659wuRVrLYou are invited to participate in a statewide research project being conducted by Kristy Ouellette and Jennifer Lobley, Extension Educators at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.  4-H volunteers and staff from all over Maine will participate in this study.Purpose of this research project:  We recognize the value of our 4-H volunteers.  As a state we have rolled out new 4-H Project Records. We want to have a better understanding of your beliefs and understandings of the function of these records. What will you be asked to do?  If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete an on-line survey with questions pertaining to your attitudes and beliefs regarding 4-H project records in Maine.  The survey will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Risks: Except for your time and inconvenience, there are no foreseeable risks to you in participating in this study.  Benefits: You will be eligible to enter into a raffle for a $25.00 gift card to Hannaford.  Confidentiality:  As a participant you will be anonymous. Investigators or a student will enter data into a computer.  Data will be kept on a secured computer with only the investigators or a student having access. Data will be kept for a period of  5 years.  Voluntary:  Participation is voluntary.  If you choose to take part in this study, you may stop at any time during the study.  You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer.   Participation in the on-line survey implies consent to participate.Contact Information: If you have any questions about this study, please contact Kristy Ouellette at 207.353.5550 or kristy.ouellette@maine.edu If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact Gayle Jones, Assistant to the University of Maine’s Protection of Human Subjects Review Board, at 581.1498 (or e-mail gayle.jones@maine.edu).
  2. 2019 Maine State Science Fair
    It’s time to announce the 2019 Maine State Science Fair, to be held Saturday, March 23 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Prizes and awards include 12 four-year, full-tuition scholarships to The University of Maine (including admission to the UMaine Honors College), and major scholarships from University of New England, College of the Atlantic, and Husson University. In 2018, MSSF awarded over $1 million in scholarships and awards. Other scholarships may be announced in the coming weeks.

    The Maine State Science Fair is open, without cost, to all Maine high school students who complete their own research or engineering project individually or in teams of 2-3. The purpose of MSSF is to present, learn, and discuss science with peers and STEM professionals from across Maine.  Projects are invited from across all STEM disciplines: life sciences, agriculture, mathematics, computer sciences, psychology, energy, physics, marine science, environmental sciences, ecology, chemistry. All STEM projects are considered!Important dates for this year’s MSSF:
    – January 18 – student registration
    – February 1 – research plan deadline.
    – March 1 – preliminary research results deadline.
    – March 23 – Maine State Science Fair.More information can be found online at: https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/maine-state-science-fair

  3. 4-H Page Day in Augusta – January 29, 2019
    UMaine Day at the Legislature, Tuesday, January 29, is approaching.  It’s a day where Cooperative Extension gets to highlight our awesome programs, and 4-H is one of the best! Since legislators like to see 4-H members from their districts, 4-Hers (age 13 or older) are encouraged to serve as Honorary Pages. The Maine 4-H program has up to 30 slots for Honorary Pages.What does a page do? Legislators are constantly communicating and making decisions while in session and pages make that communication possible. Pages hand out information packets or place the paper information on their desks. Pages will also run communication and documents directly from legislator to legislator.If you are interested in serving as a page, please contact  Diana at 207-622-7546 or hartley@maine.edu.NEW: Expanded Page Day: Explore American Civics even more in Augusta!
    Afternoon tour and activities with the newly opened First Amendment Museum. After lunch we invite participants of Page Day to explore this new museum experience located in the Gannett House, next door to the Blaine House, on State Street, in Augusta. From 1:30-2:30pm on January 29 the First Amendment Museum will showcase displays as well as have interactive experiences to explore the “Five Freedoms” guaranteed by the First Amendment. There may be limited space for this tour, please indicate when you RSVP for Page Day whether you and your chaperone plan to join.We would love to pages from all over the state represented. Slots, representing different state senators and representatives, will be filled in the order they are received, but the final deadline is January 20th.  If the slot for your legislative district has been filled, your name will be added to a wait list in the order it is received.  If you are leaving a message, please be sure to say “I am interested in serving as a 4-H Page at the Legislature on January 29”.  Your slot will be reserved if you leave this complete information:
    – Full Name
    – Age
    – Mailing Address
    – County
    – Phone Number
    – Email Address (this is how we will confirm you)
    – Name of your School
    – Name of your 4-H Club
    – Name of your Maine State Representative
    – Name of your Maine State Senator
    – Name of your Adult Chaperone
    – Adult Chaperone’s cell phone number4-H Honorary Pages will be in the Capitol from 8:30am– 3:00pm.  A parent or 4-H volunteer must provide transportation and chaperoning.  If you have questions, please let Alisha know at alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu.
  4. UMaine 4-H Unconference – not your average volunteer forum!
    UMaine 4-H Unconference – a volunteer forum led by 4-H volunteers for 4-H volunteers.  UMaine 4-H Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool providers, teachers, parents and teens leaders to gather.  UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda – you come with 4-H ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get folks into groups where YOU are the experts.  All experience levels are welcome and no one person has all the answers.  Door prizes will be given at the end of the day.Join us for one or both of these awesome dates!  Registration begins at 8:30 and door prizes will be drawn by 3:00.
  • Lewiston  – Saturday, January 12, 2019 (snow date January 19, 2019)
  • Orono – Saturday, January 26, 2019 (snow date February 2, 2019)

To learn more and to register – visit https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/umaine-4-h-unconference/. Contact Sarah Sparks with any questions –sarah.sparks@maine.edu or 353-5550.

Digital Ambassador (DA) Info Sessions

  1. For volunteers, teens, and staff: Learn about the program goals in Maine and how youth can help increase the digital literacy in their communities by teaching older adults. Two teen ambassadors and two adults are needed in every county participating. The DAs will host 6-10 learning sessions in their county between April 2019 and June 2020. DAs and adult volunteers will need to be able to travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a training session in February 2019 as well as participate in statewide online and in person trainings throughout the year. Information will be shared on how to get involved in this project in your home county.Topic: 4-H Digital Ambassadors Info Session 1
    Time: Dec 11, 2018 5:00 PMEastern Time (US and Canada)
    Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://maine.zoom.us/j/990284312
    Or Telephone: US: +1 646 876 9923  or +1 408 638 0968  or +1 669 900 6833
    Meeting ID: 990 284 312Topic: 4-H Digital Ambassador Info Session 2
    Time: Dec 17, 2018 7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
    Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://maine.zoom.us/j/595426226
    Or Telephone: US: +1 646 876 9923  or +1 408 638 0968  or +1 669 900 6833
    Meeting ID: 595 426 226For more questions please contact Alisha Targonski at r.targonski@maine.edu.
  2. Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summit Applications for 2019 Are Available Now!
    There are currently seven scholarships available through funding from the Maine 4-H Foundation to send youth to the National 4-H Conference Center, just outside Washington, D.C., for the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits in early 2019.Summit Information: 
    https://4hcenter.org/tours-programs/national-youth-summits
    Agri-Science: January, 10-13, 2019
    Healthy Living: February 15-18, 2019
    Eligibility:Youth ages 14-18. Enrolled in 4-H by December 31, 2018.
    Participant cost after scholarship is applied: $150.00 (Scholarship will cover remainder of registration & flight cost – approximately $700).
    Application and more Summit information: https://goo.gl/forms/uOsPytnzFA5OLfY53. This is a combined application for both the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits.
    Applications and Recommendations due by December 15, 2018.If a youth would like to attend, but does not receive the scholarship funding, they may self-fund and attend. Email or call Sara, conant@maine.edu, 207.781.6099, for more details on this option or with any questions.