October 2005 Newsletter
Welcome! Welcome! to all our new Del Arroyo 4-H members and their families. Please try to attend all of the Community Club meetings, the county events and all your project meetings. If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to talk to your officers or the adult support people.
Returning Members & Leaders note: If you have not turned in your registration forms, please do so immediately. If you received a page of your registration packet with this newsletter, please sign and/or complete and return to Margaret at the CC Meeting.
COMMUNITY CLUB MEETING: Wednesday, October 12, 6:30pm , Sunset School , 1040 Florence Road . We will continue enrollment, so bring your friends and neighbors, and we will also have a theme program.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION is Wednesday, October 19, 6:30pm at Del Valle High School. 2253 5 th Street , between So J and So I Streets. All new members and parents should try to attend. Bring the packet of information you received when you enrolled and we will explain what all those papers are and clarify the record keeping. If you did not receive your New Member booklet, please see Tami Garliepp at our Community Club meeting. Refreshments will be provided by the Davis, Salcedo, Fraser, Herr and Ott families.
4-H SKATE NIGHT is Monday, October 24, 6:30-9:00pm , at Golden Skate in San Ramon. Cost is $3.50 per skater. There will be a costume contest with lots of categories and prizes. Skate Night is for all Alameda County 4-Hers and is the time to make new friends, renew old friendships, and see those people you met at camp and other county events. This is always a really fun family event and is an ‘Event Attended' on your PDR Form.
4H BASIC LEADER TRAINING - basic training for all 4-H leaders and parents is Saturday, October 29, 9:30am to 2:30pm, at the Farm Bureau Building, 638 Enos Avenue, Livermore. The sessions will include New Leader Orientation, background information on 4-H, workshops on record books, experiential learning, project standards, managing groups of kids, project planning, effective use of Junior and Teen Leaders and much more. All parents should try to attend - you will learn valuable information for yourself and your child. New leaders must attend an orientation and be fingerprinted to be a certified leader – please mark your calendars for this date so you can complete the orientation as soon as possible, and get fingerprint forms from Margaret at the CC Meeting.
Be sure to see our 4H library display at the Civic Center Library starting October 24
CAL (Create a Leader) CONFERENCE for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders will be held January 27 – 29 at Walker Creek Ranch. Applications will be available at our CC Meeting or call Margaret to pick one up before the meeting. Numbers are limited, so you need to act quickly. Cost is about $65.00, as Alameda County scholarships half of the fee.
SKIT NIGHT is underway! We need an overall chair and advisor, chairs and advisors for script and props, but lots of members have started signing up to be involved. We encourage all members to sign up and be a part of this fun event. Participation earns members several credits for their PDR Forms and is a Super Member item. Drama Project credit will be given to all who help with the creation and production of the skit and participate in the presentation of the skit as an actor, prop handler or stage hand.
Enclosed is the REFRESHMENT LIST for the coming year. Please mark your calendar.
PARENTS AND MEMBERS NOTE: Many of our projects and full and have waiting lists. Contact Margaret 447-6980 to check your status in a project. We have openings in some projects and leaders for others that were not on the original project list. Check with Margaret for the possibility of switching from a waiting list to an open project.
New Projects since our September newsletter:
ROCKETRY – Sue Johnston, Leader 449-2803
Learn about designing, building and demonstrating rockets. Will involve purchase of kits and engines. Build rockets to participate in 4-H Rocket Field Day. Meet Saturday mornings. Ages 9 and up.
FISHING ROD CONSTRUCTION – Neal Kernes, Leader 606-0456
Will cover all aspects of building your own fishing rod. Costs are variable, but will be approx. $50 per rod for all needed materials. Start in January. Ages 12 and up. Limit of 6
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS – Renee Anhorn, Leader 294-9155
One half day meeting on a Saturday or Sunday prior to Christmas to create several unique Christmas crafts. Members will share the cost of supplies. 3 rd grade and up
LACE MAKING – Patricia Wootton, Leader 510-656-7234
Learn to make lace by hand. First project will be a glow in the dark snake book marker. Additional projects will be a pony, fish or sea horse. Meets in Fremont .
HUNTER EDUCATION – Neal Kernes, Leader 606-0456
This is a class to learn about hunter education and to receive your certification upon successful completion of this class. The course covers basic gun safety, ethics, morals, conservation, and other related topics needed to pass the state exam. This is a mandatory class for anyone who is interested in hunting and getting their hunting license. No cost. Ages 10 and up and adults may participate in this class. 4 class meetings starting late October.
GARDENING FOR MINIS – Renee Anhorn, Leader 294-9155
Will meet twice monthly on Saturday mornings, February to June, to raise items for fair entry. Grade K – 3.
MINI 4-H – Brenda Richards-Kernes, Leader 606-0456
A fun introduction to 4-H. Members will sample projects from different areas. Monthly Saturday meetings starting in December. There will be 6 meetings total. Approx. $20 for materials
Call Margaret 925-447-6980 to add any of these projects, or sign up at our CC Meeting.
Advertising 4-H has become harder as the schools are no longer sending flyers home with the children. We would like members and parents to try to get 4-H information into their schools' newsletter. Please pick up a general Del Arroyo informational flyer at our CC Meeting.
Newsletter and Talks - This newsletter needs your help. Please write a paragraph about something you have done/are doing in 4-H – news about one of your projects, an event you have attended, a new friend you have made, etc. Submit your news to Margaret Miller, 1435 Heidelberg Drive , by the end of the week the Officer Meeting is held. If you submit late, your news will be in the following months' newsletter or on the CC Meeting Agenda. You receive credit on your PDR Form each time your news is published. Start now accumulating the items you need for a star rank and for the Super Member Award. You also need to give talks for these awards. You can schedule a talk with Margaret: 447-6980. Your talk can be on any of the above mentioned topics and it need only be a minute or two long.
Community Service Award . Pick up the requirements at the next CC Meeting. Start keeping track now of items you complete. Note that 10 of the 15 items are needed.
Super Member Award - We are again offering the Super Member Award. Pick up the requirements at the next CC Meeting. Everyone can earn this award - new and old members alike. Note that 15 of the 18 items are needed to qualify.
100% attendance and 100% Uniform Wearing Awards are also within reach of all members. DON'T FORGET TO SIGN IN AT EACH AND EVERY COMMUNITY CLUB MEETING TO GET CREDIT.
If you find that you must miss a Community Club Meeting you can come to the Officer Meeting instead and still get credit for attendance that month. But, please come to both - all members are always welcome and encouraged to attend the Officer Meetings. Check the calendar for dates.
ADULT NEWS:
We need more project leaders. Due to our large enrollment we need to offer more projects, either an additional project in something that has a waiting list or a new project. It is never too late to be a project leader.
The county office is looking for adult volunteers to chair field days. This is an opportunity to get involved and help our program. Most field days have binders of information based on past events and teen leaders ready to help on committees. The chair can select the date and location of the event so that it is at their convenience. Please call Carol Crossett 510-639-1370 or 510-881-1124 to volunteer or get more information. The events that need you are: Primary Field Day, Project Field Day, Dog Field Day, and Cat Field Day.
PROJECT LEADERS: Lists are included with this newsletter. Please call Margaret 447-6980 if you have any questions or corrections. Please check the county fair premium book for entry information as it applies to your project so that you can advise your members during the course of your project. Call Margaret if you need a premium book. Periodically you might receive an updated project list. Please check it carefully for changes and/or additions.