Montgomery County 4-H Chief Sheet

Transcription

1 PHONE DECEMBER 2014 Montgomery County 4-H Chief Sheet Conroe: Houston: X Cleveland: FAX: ON THE WEB County Extension Service County 4-H District State Club Managers: If you have not yet completed your club s e-postcard for the September 1, August 31, 2014 tax filing period, please do so immediately in order to retain your club s nonprofit status. If you need assistance, please contact the 4-H Office. M. Michelle Mihalek County Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development Montgomery County Fair Caroline M. Cruz County Extension Agent Urban Youth Development Extension Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 12:00pm 1:00pm - 5:00pm Eligibility Forms (No Pass No Play) are the member s responsibility to complete for any competitive event where 4-H membership is a requirement, regardless of the day of competition. Even if you are not missing school, you still need to turn in an eligibility form. Clubs will begin taking entries for the fair at their January club meeting, with entries due from clubs, to the 4-H Office in February. The club manager or fair entry coordinator for the club will make an appointment to turn in entries at the 4-H Office. Some materials are included in this managers packet that will help you with fair entries. Please note that entries will no longer be turned in as individual cards. Starting this year, an exhibitor will complete 1 form for all entries. Eligibility forms: Eligibility forms are required for any competitive event where 4-H membership is a requirement, regardless of the day of the week, or if you will be on spring break. Every member must turn in an eligibility form. For the Fair, forms will be distributed to club managers after club entries have been turned in. Managers will distribute forms to members. It is the member s responsibility to turn the form back in to the 4-H Office one week prior to the event.

2 Page 2 Special Interest Projects Vet Science Project The 4-H Veterinary Science Project is a 5 year curriculum based project with a set number of lessons and activities, that gives youth interested in veterinary medicine a chance to work in the field and see if they would like to pursue it as a career. After a member has completed the program, they may apply to take a test to become a Certified Veterinary Assistant. 4-H members may begin the project at any age, but have to be 16 years old in order to apply to take the test. Conroe Vet Science Group - Lara Pena leads the Conroe Vet Science Project. They are meeting the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm at the County Extension Office. This program is in an accelerated format, to be completed in 2 years instead of 5. The work is a little more intense, but manageable. For details, Lara at larapena@ymail.com. Magnolia Vet Science Group - Edna Griswold leads the Magnolia Vet Science Project. They meet the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30pm at the 1st Baptist Church of Magnolia. For more information on that project, contact Edna at ednacgriswold@yahoo.com. Dog Project In the dog project, participants learn about dog care and training. Beginners work on obedience and showmanship/conformation, while advanced members work on agility and drill or rally. Not all members take their dogs to shows, but they train and practice like they are going to. Dogs may be purebred or mixed and age is not a factor. All dogs must be up-to-date on vaccinations. A list of required vaccinations is available. To get on the dog project interest list, please call the 4-H Office at The State 4-H Dog Show will be in Belton, July 10-12, Dogs must be validated by January 10, 2015 on 4-H Connect in order to participate. Beekeeping Project The Beekeeping project will meet the first Thursday of every month at 7:00pm at the County Extension Office. For more information on the Beekeeping project, contact Lara Pena at larapena@ymail.com. The January meeting will be held on January 8th to avoid conflicting with New Years Day. Photography Project 2015 Texas 4-H Photography Contest rules and guidelines have been posted on the State 4-H Website at This state contest is for senior aged 4-H ers, ages 14 and up, as of August 31, Each county is allowed one entry per category, so contestants MUST photos to the Extension office by March 23rd. Categories with multiple submissions will be evaluated by qualified judges. First place winners in each category on the county level will have until April 15th to register on 4-H Connect. District 9 4-H Photography Contest - This contest is very similar to the State contest, but it is open to members of all ages. It is not a qualifying event for state. Entries are due via 4-H Con-

3 Page 3 nect by March 29th. Since there is no limit per county, all entries will be done on 4-H Connect directly. For details, visit Texas 4-H and FFA Agriculture Photography Contest - Showcase Texas agriculture through photos with a chance of having your entry displayed at the Texas State Capitol Agriculture Museum before the opening of Legislative Session. Any 4-H or FFA member may participate. There is no entry fee. Entries are open until December 20th. Visit for details. 4-H Fashion & Handicraft Workshop December 13, Please sign up by December 10 th 9:00 am 12:00 pm, Extension Office main building. Please park in the side parking lot and enter kitchen door (last door on side) Have you finished your holiday shopping? Still have a lot left to buy? Let s see if we can help you mark some names off your shopping list! We ll make different items that will be perfect for gift giving for both boys and girls of all ages. Sewing skills are NOT required. We ll also learn about the 4-H Fashion Show, Storyboard, Duds to Dazzle, and other contests and events. If you are experienced in the 4-H Clothing & Textiles project and would like a leadership opportunity, please let us know how you would like to help. Livestock Projects Quality Counts Verification: Quality Counts is an online training and test that members must complete before entering to show at any of the major shows or the county fair. There are two versions, one for Juniors and one for Seniors, so you may have to re-take yours. If you turned 14 before August 31, 2014, you will need to take the Senior version of the test. The test can be found at Montgomery County Fair: If you think you may participate at the Montgomery County Fair (MCF), please get familiar with the rules at All general exception forms are due at each tag-in and for non-livestock exhibitors, the form is due in January.

4 Page 4 Jingle Bell Classic Heifer Show - Saturday, December 20th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Rings A&C cost $20 per head. Rings B&D cost $25 per head. Must enter ring A to enter ring B and Ring C to enter Ring D. For details, call the 4-H Office at Montgomery-Dobbin Progress Show - January 31st at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Lambs, goats, barrows, heifers and steers cost $20 per head. Homemaking, showmanship and clover kids are $5 each. Entries are to be postmarked by January 23rd. Mail entries to Montgomery-Dobbin 4-h at P.O. Box 1044, Montgomery, TX For questions, contact Frannie at or frannie.sanders@consolidated.com HORSE To qualify for the County 4-H Horse Show, you must participate in at least 2 county 4-H practice shows and one other event, either another Montgomery County 4-H Practice Show, or a Montgomery County 4-H Horsemanship Clinic. Clinics: Practice Shows (1:30pm): February 22 - Texas Christian Horse Camp in Richardson - 12:30pm - Reining March 28 - Willis Arena - 12:30pm - Speed February 22 - Texas Christian Horse Camp in Richardson - Speed First March 28 - Willis Arena - Performance First Montgomery County 4-H Horse Show will be held on May 9th at the Lone Star Expo. LAMB/GOAT Montgomery County Fair Lamb & Goat Tag-In - Tuesday, December 2nd at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Bring Pictures! POULTRY Broilers - Montgomery County Fair chickens will be distributed Thursday, February 26th from 1pm - 3pm at the Horseshoe Club at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Houston chickens will be picked up on January 29, San Antonio chickens will be picked up on January 13, RABBITS Montgomery County Fair Market Rabbit Tag-In - Thursday, March 12 from 5pm - 8pm at the Horseshoe Club, Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Russ Upton has volunteered to hold rabbit project meetings throughout the year. Meetings are held at 7:00pm at the Extension Office. These meetings are open to any 4-H er who is interested in the rabbit project. January 27 March 24 February 24 SWINE April 10 - Meat pen picking for Fair Montgomery County Fair Market Barrow Tag-In - Tuesday, January 6 from 2pm - 7pm at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Bring pictures of the member(s) and animal together in the photo, ear notch card and tag-in card.

5 Page 5 County Council County Council meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month at 7:00pm at the Extension Office, unless stated otherwise. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The December meeting will take place on the 15th, along with a potluck Christmas Party. Bring a $5 gift for the white elephant gift exchange. Upcoming Community Service Collection Projects: Please bring the items you or your club have collected to the month s County Council Meeting. See the insert for more information. December January Book drive for kids. Bring new or gently used books for children and teens. Valentine Drive. Bring Valentine s cards for senior citizens or items to decorate cards. 4-H Roundup 4-H Roundup includes about 50 different contests that test 4-H members on life skills in such attributes as decision making, public speaking, organization, and working with others. These contests include Fashion Show, Food Show, Share The Fun, various Quiz Bowls, Discover Scientific Method Poster Contest, an assortment of judging contests, and educational presentations. Visit the state 4-H web site often for State Roundup information and a full listing of contests and other opportunities. There are 3 levels of Roundup: County, District and State. County Roundup is like a practice or rehearsal to prepare members for District and State. Senior aged 4-H members may be able to advance to State 4-H Roundup after competing at District. County Roundup is still several months away, so you can use the time in between semesters to work on your project or presentation. More information can be found at roundup/ County Roundup March 24 Extension Office, Conroe District Roundup May 1-2 Alvin Community College State Roundup June 8-11 Texas A&M University, College Station

6 Page 6 Scholarship Training - December 11 at 6:30pm at the County Extension Office Call to sign up by December 9th It s never too soon to begin thinking about how to pay for college, so we have a training planned for Thursday, December 11th, which is open to all 4-H families. It is especially beneficial for high school seniors. Michelle will outline the steps for putting together a more competitive scholarship application, so that participants will walk away with a more clear understanding of what scholarship committees and interviewers are looking for. We will also pass out the Texas 4-H Foundation scholarship application packet as well as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension - Montgomery County scholarship application packet. If you would like to attend, please sign up by December 9th by calling If you are interested in completing the Foundation scholarship application, go ahead and complete your FAFSA based on your 2013 taxes. The application can be updated once your 2014 taxes are done. You also need to take your SAT and ACT early so you have time to increase your score and get your results back in time for application deadlines. Record Books Why do a record book? Record keeping is a skill you will need for the rest of your life. Our memories fade with time. We need to write it down so we remember what we did. You need to know what you did to be able to improve on next year. Job applications, scholarship applications, college applications all ask about knowledge and skills, extracurricular activities, leadership and community service. These are all the same things that are required in your 4-H record book. IMPORTANT DATES December 11 6:30pm Scholarship Training - How to use your record keeping skills to complete college scholarship applications April 23 6:30pm Beginner record book training - For anyone who has not done a record book before to learn how to put the information together April 30 6:30pm Advanced record book training - For members who have previously completed a record book and just need help with the fine tuning June 13 8:00am - Noon Book-A-Palooza - Anyone wanting help putting their record book together or having questions about wording and formatting. Come and go event. Record books can be turned in at this time if you want. June 15 4:30pm Deadline to submit a 4-H record book for county judging

7 Page 7 Jingle Bell Classic Saturday, December 20 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds The Jingle Bell Classic Heifer Show is held every December. This event supplements the Montgomery County 4-H Pecan Sale since costs have increased. We will need help with sponsorship, setup, registration and cleanup. Please discuss this opportunity with your club membership to see how you can help. There are two opportunities to assist and neither takes very much time. First, before December 15th, we need buckle and blanket sponsors. If each club will recruit just one blanket and one buckle sponsor, the majority of the awards will be covered. We give buckles to each breed champion and blankets to each reserve champion in Ring B. Each of the winners must complete a thank you note before receiving their award, so you know your sponsor will get one. Second, we need help on December 19th and 20th. There are roughly three time frames. Friday, December 19th, for set up beginning at 5:00pm. Saturday, December 20th in the morning to help with the show. Registration, handing out awards, directing traffic, welcoming guests, opening stalls are all items that require a handful of people. The exact timeframe will depend on which responsibility you volunteer for. Registration opens at 6:30 am, show starts at 8:30am, and depending on the numbers, Rings A and B are done around 1:oo. Rings C and D are finished around 4:00. The largest number of volunteers are needed beginning at 3:00 to help with clean up. The more people we have, the faster the work will go. In the past, this group has been done around 6 or 7. Please call or amfagan@ag.tamu.edu to volunteer to help. The Extension Office will be closed on the following days: December 24 - Christmas Eve December 25 - Christmas January 1 - New Year s Day January 19 - Martin Luther King

8 DATES TO REMEMBER DECEMBER December 2 - MCF Lamb & Goat Tag-In December 11 - Scholarship Training December 12 - Duds to Dazzle Workshop December 13 - Fashion & Handicraft Workshop December 15 - County Council Christmas Party December 19 - Jingle Bell Classic Set Up December 20 - Jingle Bell Classic December Office Closed JANUARY January 1 - Office Closed January 3 - Willis Progress Show January 6 - MCF Swine Tag-In January 6 - SALE Broiler Pick Up January 8 - Beekeeping Project Deadline January 10 - Porter FFA Progress Show January 11 - New Caney FFA Progress Show January 15 - Vet Science - Magnolia January 17 - Dist. Council Meeting January 17 - College Park FFA Progress Show January 18 - Oak Ridge FFA Progress Show January 19 - Dist. Archery Entries Due on 4-H Connect January 19 - Office Closed January 21- Vet Science - Conroe January 24 - Splendora FFA Progress Show January 26 - County Council Meeting January 27 - Rabbit Project Meeting January 31 - Montgomery-Dobbin Progress Show January 31 - MCF Re-Tag January 9 - District Archery Summary Due January 9 - Shooting Sports Safety Training January 10 - State 4-H Dog Show Validation Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating If you have special needs for any of the programs offered at the County or District level, please give us a week s notice. We will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs.