February 2018

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Be sure to scroll down to see State 4-H Office Core Newsletter, too!

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Upcoming Events and Important Dates

February 1-28: NEW! JOANN Paper Clover Campaign, JOANN Fabric Stores

February 12: *Extended* Deadline to notify Knox-Lincoln UMaine Extension staff of intent to participate at Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF)

February 12: Deadline to register for 4-H Winter Fun Day (NEW DATE February 24)

February 20: KLLA Meeting 6 p.m., Knox-Lincoln UMaine Extension

February 23: Deadline to register for Knox-Lincoln 4-H Public Speaking Tournament (March 4, snow date March 11)

February 24: NEW DATE! 4-H Winter Fun Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, register by February 12

March 4: Knox-Lincoln 4-H Public Speaking Tournament, Jefferson Village School, 1-4 p.m., register by February 23 (snow date March 11)

March 9: Deadline to apply for 4-H National Congress and National Conference

March 20: KLLA Meeting 6 p.m., Knox-Lincoln UMaine Extension

April 1: ESE Horse Animal Approval Form due

April 1: KLLA Camp Scholarship applications due

April 7: State 4-H Public Speaking Tournament, University of Maine, Orono (snow date April 8)

February Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Kimberly W., Elia B., Miranda N., Sadie O., Audrey B., and Selam H.!

New Date for Winter Fun Day at HVNC

4-H Winter Fun Day has been rescheduled to Saturday, February 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hidden Valley Nature Center, 131 Egypt Road in Jefferson. Enjoy the center’s wooded trails on snowshoes or cross-country skis (bring your own or use some provided). Meet up to eat lunch in the warm lodge, then participate in various indoor activities in the afternoon. Bring a bag lunch. Snacks provided. Register by February 12 by contacting Pamela Doherty pamela.doherty@mane.edu, 207.832.0343.

Knox-Lincoln Public Speaking Tournament, March 4

Hold the date for the Knox-Lincoln Public Speaking and Demonstration Tournament on Sunday, March 4, 1-4 p.m. (snow date March 12). This year’s event will be held at the Jefferson Village School. To participate, download the Knox-Lincoln Registration Form on the Public Speaking Tournament page and submit to the KL Extension office by February 23. You might qualify to go on to the 4-H State Public Speaking Tournament in Orono on April 7! Presentation Guidelines, Judging Evaluation Forms, and Public Speaking Resources can be found on the Maine 4-H Public Speaking page.

It’s time to start working on your presentation for the tournament! Pick something that you know a lot about what you would like to share with others. Maybe you know how to make something that could easily be demonstrated in a few minutes. It is easy to do a presentation when you know your subject well!

Jo-Ann Fabric’s February Clover Campaign Supports Maine 4-H Youth

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H will partner with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores on February 1-28 as part of a nationwide in-store fundraiser benefitting state and local 4‑H programming in communities and counties where a store is located.

This is the first year the 4-H Paper Clover Campaign will be available at Jo-Ann stores. Shoppers will have the opportunity to support 4-H by choosing to purchase paper clovers for $1 and $4 at checkout. All funds raised will be donated to 4-H to support 4-H youth development activities. Each Paper Clover will include instructions for a special Valentine’s Day craft idea that customers can create to share with someone special. With the $4 Paper Clover, customers will also receive a coupon for $4 off their next purchase.

To learn more about the national partnership, visit the 4-H and JOANN web page. More information about Maine 4-H is available on the Maine 4-H page.

Time to Think About National 4-H Trips

National 4-H Trips are excellent opportunities to meet 4-H members from across the nation. Participants learn about many career options, and learn through educational workshops at Congress or become a part of a team making recommendations to National 4-H Council at Conference. Any Maine 4-H Youth, age 14 to 18 is eligible to apply. Application packets are online and must be completed and postmarked by March 9, 2018, to your county office. Eligible Maine 4-H youth are encouraged to consider applying for both trips. Here are some highlights of each:

National 4-H Congress
November 23-27, 2018 (Orientation October 27, 2018)

Community Involvement
Cultural Diversity
Group Dynamics

National 4-H Conference
April 6-11, 2019 (Orientation February 9, 2019)

Youth/Adult Partnerships
Youth Voices and Involvement
Leadership

To apply, the youth must submit an application packet and participate in an in-person interview. Interview dates are set for April 21 and April 22, 2018. Application packets and information about the selection process, including scoring rubrics and sample interview questions can be found on the Youth – 4-H Events page.

Citizenship Washington Focus-Another D.C. Trip Opportunity

Start making plans now to visit our Nation’s Capitol during the week of June 30 through July 7, 2018. CWF is a leadership program conducted by the National 4-H Council for high school youth ages 14 to 18. Delegations of 4-Hers from across the country spend six days touring the city and attending leadership skill-building workshops. You will stay at the National 4-H Conference Center just outside Washington, DC. Visiting the most popular sites in Washington will be a part of the trip, including spending the 4th of July in our nation’s capital. There is a mandatory orientation for Maine delegates on April 28, 2018. Deadline to notify Knox-Lincoln Extension staff is February 12, 2018.

Scholarships Offered for Camps and Programs

KLLA is offering scholarships to Knox-Lincoln 4-H members to be used to attend educational camps and programs in the coming year, including, but not exclusive to: 4-H National Trips (CWF, 4-H National Congress and National Conference), summer camps (including Tanglewood, Blueberry Cove and Bryant Pond 4-H Camps), science camps, animal camps, exchange programs, and school programs. Preference will be given to applicants attending 4-H-sponsored programs and camps. Applications are due April 1, 2018. The amount of the scholarships will be determined by the funds available and the number of qualified applicants. The application is available for download on the Knox-Lincoln 4-H Educational Program Scholarship page.

State 4-H Office Core Newsletter

Maine 4-H Days: July 20-22 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. July will be here before you know it, and we are looking for a few good volunteers to join the fantastic Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee. Joining this committee gives you the chance to help come up with ideas and plans for one of our biggest statewide events! If you are interested in joining the Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee or have general questions/comments/recommendations about the event, please email jessica.brainerd@maine.edu, or call 207.581.3877.

Come to Orono for the 2018 4H@UMaine May 18-19! Planning has started and the wheels are in motion thanks to the efforts of a tremendous team! We are looking forward to another great event this year, and there are some exciting changes in the works! Stay tuned for details. For more information about 4-H@UMaine, contact Greg Kranich at gregory.kranich@maine.edu or 207.581.3292.

State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl: Sunday, February 18 (snow date Saturday, February 24), at 1:00 p.m.; the University of Maine at Augusta, Room 218, Randall Student Technology Center. Open to all currently enrolled 4-H Dairy project members ages 9-18.

For those 4-H Dairy members who may be planning to attend the Eastern States Exposition in September, you must participate in at least one of the following three events: State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl, State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest, or Fitting Contest at the 2018 Maine 4-H Dairy Show. You must also have completed and submitted an ESE Intent to Participate Form by February 1, 2018, and a 4-H Animal Approval and Lease Form (if applicable) will be due in your county office by May 1, 2018. Participation in a showmanship class and your animal’s breed/age class at the State 4-H Dairy Show will also be required.

If you have questions, please contact 4-H Dairy ASC Coordinator, Stephanie Smith at 207.860.0979 or by email at a_mfarm@yahoo.com, or staff Liaison Tara Marble at the Franklin County Extension Office at 800.287.1478 or by email at tara.marble@maine.edu, or staff liaison, Alisha Targonski at the Kennebec County Extension Office at 800.287.1481, or by email at alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu.

4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) Wildlife Education Training Event April 19-20: Maine will host the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program this July at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia. In preparation, Maine 4-H will have a training event to prepare and select a team to compete in the national event. On April 19 and 20 the Maine 4-H program will host an overnight educational training program and team selection. Plans include an ongoing WHEP event and participation in the national program each year. More information will follow. The cost will be $25 per member all meals and materials included. The training will be held at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Training is open to all youth ages 8-19. Studying a science-based manual, participants will learn:

Wildlife terms and concepts
About wildlife habitat and habitat management practices
How to judge the quality of wildlife habitat
About wildlife damage management

To learn more, go to the Youth – Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) page, their Facebook page, or contact Sally Farrell at sarah.s.farrell@maine.edu or 207.324.2814.

Maine 4-H Project Records, Reflection Tools, and Digital Badges! Maine 4-H is excited to roll out new 4-H project records, reflection tools and opportunities for digital badges.

A team has been working to design the new records aligned with research and connections to Maine’s commitment to proficiency-based education in mind. We know that these won’t be perfect and are anxious to have YOU help us try them out and be part of the process. The new records are now posted online and can be found on the state 4-H website.

We are also planning a few ways for you to be part of the team to ask questions and give feedback.

Join our Google classroom community: This will be a place where volunteers and youth members are able to share real-time feedback about these tools. To join:

Sign in to Classroom at classroom.google.com.
On the homepage, click Add>Join class.
Enter the code d9jmty and click Join.

Participate in our live feedback sessions: Please save the date for feedback sessions. These will be conducted using Zoom. Register for these sessions with KymNoelle Hopson at 207.353.5550 or kymnoelle.hopson@maine.edu.

March 24 from 6 – 8 p.m.
September 11 from 6 – 8 p.m.

We are looking forward to having YOU as part of our team. If you have any questions please contact Kristy Ouellette, kristy.ouellette@maine.edu or 207.353.5550, extension 12.