Dear 4-H Members, Leaders, & Parents,
Happy New Year and welcome to a NEW 4-H year! What an exciting time to be involved in the Idaho County 4-H Program! Our office and the 4-H Program Council have planned a year full of fun and exciting 4-H events for you to enjoy.
In this first newsletter of the year, you will also find the 2008 4-H Calendar. This will help you plan your own club activities, as well as making plans to attend all of the County NEW activities throughout the year. Please note the later date for the 4-H Party and the Spring Livestock Show this year.
The Idaho County 4-H Ambassadors have been meeting and are anxious to begin a NEW 4-H year. You will be seeing them at all of our County events, as well as at your club meetings. Don’t hesitate to ask them if you need help during a 4-H event.
We look forward to working with you in 2008 and hope you share our enthusiasm for the coming year.
*Note to Organizational Leaders*
If you have new members in your club, they will not be getting this newsletter. New 4-H members will begin getting the newsletter once we have their 2008 enrollments in the computer.
Sincerely,
Susie Heckman
Idaho County 4-H Program Manager
Idaho County
4-H Program CouncilTeresa EnosElk City
Candace Johnson
Grangeville
Marie Lerandeau
Cottonwood
Lynette Lothspeich
Grangeville
Margaret Munson
Salmon River
Taffee SchaackKooskia
Cheri Schumacher
Greencreek
Idaho County4-H Ambassadors
Chantel Boniecki
Patrick Dickson
Rebekah Enos
Laura Gehring
Jessica Munson
Kristi Poxleitner
Logan Schumacher
Samantha Spencer
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER February
16-18 Know Your Government Conference, Boise
23 Super Saturday Leader Training, Lewiston
March
12 Livestock Leader Meeting, Grangeville
13 Steer Weigh-In, Cottonwood Livestock Auction
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
April1 4-H Enrollments Due (Ext. Office)
12 4-H Party, Grangeville, National Guard Armory
12 - 18 Idaho County 4-H Week
12 FCS & Specialty Leader Meeting, Armory
15 State 4-H College Scholarships Due (State)
15 Teen Conf. Early Bird Reg. Due (State)
15 Teen Conf. Scholarship Apps Due (Ext. Office)
30 Leadership Training Conference, Cottonwood
February Trivia Question: What was the first county seat town in Idaho County?
The first person to call the Extension Office with the correct answer on or after February 8, will win a special prize.
Idaho County 4-H
Members of Distinction
Are you in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade? Are you looking for a fun way to be more involved in 4-H without attending more meetings? Well, have we got a deal for you!
· 4-H Members of Distinction (The M.O.D. Squad) is a group that is being formed for 4-H members in 7th, 8th and 9th grade. This is not a 4-H Club, you will still need to be an enrolled member of your own 4-H Club.
· Members of this group will be on hand to help out with 4-H activities in their community. For example, if Susie is doing an after-school program in Kooskia, members of this group from the Kooskia area would be called and asked to help with the program.
· Members of the group will be on hand to provide extra help during the Fair.
· Members of this group will have a great time experiencing 4-H outside of their club and meet new friends.
· There will be one organizational meeting in February to kick of the year.
All you have to do to join is call the Extension
Office at 983-2667 and tell us you want to be a member of the M.O.D. Squad!
Area Annimal ClinicsDuring the months of February and March there are several animal clinics being held in our area. For more information, call the number listed with the clinic.
Spring Rabbit Clinic: March 29th at the NezPerce County Fairgrounds beginning at 9:00 a.m.. You need to bring your rabbit in an escape proof carrier and a sack lunch. To pre-register for the clinic, call Kerry at the Nez Perce County Ext. Office at 799-3096
Nez Perce County Beef Field Day: March 15th at the Lewiston Livestock Market from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Cost for the day is $5 which includes lunch. Registrations are due in the Nez Perce County Extension Office by March 7th.
Nez Perce County Swine Field Day: March 29th at the Clarkston FFA Farm from 9:30 a.m. to
2:30 p.m. . Cost for the day is $5 which includes lunch. Registrations are due in the Nez Perce County Extension Office by March 21st.
4-H COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPSCollege scholarship packets have been mailed to each of our 4-H Senior members who were enrolled in 2007. If you are a Senior 4-H member and haven’t received a scholarship packet, please call the
Extension Office and request a packet be sent to you.
KNOW YOUR GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE 2008
More than 160 Idaho 4-H members will hear from the state’s top leaders during the 20th annual Know Your Government Conference (KYG) in Boise February 16 to 18 during the Presidents Day Holiday. The Idaho County 4-H Program is sending four delegates to the conference this year!
First year delegates include:
Jackie Mager
Daughter of Bob & Leah Mager, Grangeville
Jacob Forsmann
Son of Eric & Joyce Forsmann, Grangeville
Brittany Filon
Daughter of John & Christie Filon, Kooskia
4-H delegates will learn about how government works in the executive, legislative and judicial branches, receiving hands-on experiences. Delegates will attend legislative workshops, tour the Statehouse, hold mock committee meetings, debate bills before the Legislature and watch legislators at work. Delegates will also tour the Idaho Supreme Court and participated in a mock trial.
Camille Tosten, daughter of Joe & Michelle Tosten of Grangeville was selected to attend KYG for a third year as a Reporter. She will explore the relationship between the press and the making of public policy. Camille will interview KYG delegates and guest speakers, write stories for the KYG Newsletter, and assist with the production of the KYG News Video.
2008 LEADER TRAINING
4-H Volunteer Leaders are required to have 2 hours of training each year. The purpose of leader training is to provide continuing education for adults who are working with youth. When 4-H leaders attend educational meetings and events they continue to increase their knowledge of 4-H, youth and their project areas of interest.
Everyone’s schedule is already full to over flowing and we realize that no one needs one more “thing to do” on their list, so we’d like to make this training requirement as easy as possible for you to fulfill. The following dates are the remaining training dates currently scheduled for 2008:
· February 23 4-H Leader Super Saturday
· March 12 Idaho County Livestock Leader Meeting
· April 12 Idaho Co. FCS/Specialty Leader Meeting
· April 30 Leadership Training Conference
Letters will be mailed directly to leaders prior to the meeting with the details for that date.
New, first year leaders will still need to go through our New Leader Orientation and Training. This will be done individually at the Extension Office. If you are an organizational leader and have new leaders in your club this year, please remember they will not be receiving this newsletter until their enrollment has been processed.
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
Idaho State 4-H has committed to placing one Japanese high school exchange student and two Eurasian students for the 2008-2009 school year.
All students have good English skills, health insurance, and their own spending money. A host family need only provide room and board. Host families can consist of single adults, retired couples, or families with or without teenage children.
Please contact the Extension Office if your family is interested in hosting a student.
