DEL ARROYO 4-H CLUB
January 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Many 4-H activities are coming up in the next few months, so be sure to check your newsletters carefully and mark your calendars. From now through fair time there will be many field days and events you won’t want to miss.

COMMUNITY CLUB MEETING: Wednesday, January 17, 6:30 pm, Smith School. We will have time for Presentation Day practice. Call 245-0599 to give your presentation. This is a nice informal time to practice and it counts on your PDR Form. We have several adults who have judged at Presentation Day and they can give you pointers on polishing your presentation before it is judged. We will be making valentines for the Veterans at our January meeting also, and they will need to be delivered by February 14. We will have a sign up at our January meeting, or call Chairs at 373-9447. Bring scissors, glue, old valentines to cut up, stickers, paper doilies, felt markers, etc.
           
FEBRUARY AND MARCH COMMUNITY CLUB MEETINGS are being switched because of location. We will have our Talent Show and Dessert Potluck in February. Please sign up for the Talent Show at our January meeting - sing, dance, play an instrument, tell a joke, demonstrate martial arts skill, do magic, etc. Everyone has something they can do and the more participants, the better the show. The following families need to bring cookies for the March meeting: Gary, Herr, Holt, Maloney/Helstrom, Wright (Shelby & Andrew), Hammerschmidt, and Richards. Please mark your calendar for this change. The March meeting will be Skit practice and theme program.

MANY THANKS to Del Arroyo members and parents for making this holiday season brighter for many people. During December we made decorations for the veterans; our carolers sang to the veterans and distributed the decorations; we helped decorate the Veteran’s Hospital; we hosted the Children’s Christmas Party for 800+ underprivileged children; we helped with the Veterans’ New Year’s Party. The Children’s Christmas Party has numerous facets and you can take credit for each one you helped with, such as: donating gifts and craft materials, sorting and wrapping gifts, working craft tables, bringing refreshments, working as Santa’s helpers, setting up and cleaning up. Don’t forget to mark your PDR Forms for these community services and committees. Collection starts now for next December’s party - we need small ½” red pompoms, brown or tan pipe cleaners, narrow ribbon, 7mm wiggle eyes, 300 pencils, film canisters, green tri-beads and of course, gifts for all ages.  We also need items for the ‘Wrap A Gift’ table. Did you get some things for the holidays that you don’t know what to do with? Donate them to the Christmas Party! Keep an eye out for clearance sales.

MEMBER NEWS

I sorted cans at the community Thanksgiving dinner. I was busy and had fun!

By C. Morris

I went to the set-up for the community Thanksgiving dinner. I helped sort cans. It was really busy and fun! I would recommend doing it next year!

By A. Morris

(Help!! This newsletter needs more member news. Please have members write news and submit to Margaret by the end of each month.)

PROJECT LEADERS – Del Arroyo has lots of craft supplies that have been donated and they are free if you can use them. Some of the things we have are: Halloween ribbon, miniature clothespins, 3 dozen red votive candles, 4+ dozen white egg candles and candle decorating supplies, pompom bunny heads on feet, dozens of resin Christmas miniatures, several gross Christmas erasers, dried flowers, Spanish moss, 14 pastel metal 3” buckets, large and small plastic eggs, small grapevine wreaths, cookie cutters, craft birds, yards of fabric trims, 5 dozen gold bells, and much more. If you would like to see any of these items or would just like to browse through, call Margaret at 447-6980.

Have you started your project yet? Have you contacted your members? Yours may be the only project some of our members signed up for and they need your project to get credit for this 4-H year. Please let them know when you will be starting. If you find that you are unable to offer your project, please let Margaret know right away so that the children affected can be placed in something quickly.

4-H RECORD BOOK FORMS WEBSITE: Now you can download your record book forms and keep track of your project meetings and activities and then print it off at the end of the
4-H year.  http://fourh.ucdavis.edu/4hresource/forms/index.htm

Another terrific resource for 4-H information is the Clover Corner News. This is nationwide news and opportunities. I would like to encourage everyone to subscribe. Just go to http://www.4hblogs.org/ccn.

Awards - Our club gives an award to each member who has perfect attendance at the CC Meetings during the year. The only way to determine if you are present is to check the sign-in sheet. If you signed your name there, you are recorded as being present. If you did not sign in, you are recorded as absent. Please be sure your signature is legible. If you must miss a meeting, you can attend the Officer Meeting that month and receive credit for attendance. Parents need to sign in also. The secretary needs to keep records of the number or people attending meetings, and parent attendance is counted when applying for the Super Member Award.

Our club also gives awards to members who wear their uniforms to all the CC Meetings.  Therefore, it is really important that you sign in each month and indicate if you are wearing an acceptable 4-H uniform. A plain white t-shirt isn’t a uniform; a 4-H t-shirt is (Del Arroyo shirt, camp, conference or from 4-H supply, as long as it says “4-H”). If it can’t be seen (under a non-“4-H” sweatshirt or jacket), it doesn’t count. Carrying your 4-H hat and wearing regular school clothes is not a uniform. Wearing your hat and a 4-H shirt, white shirt and scarf, or 4-H tie is. Remember that the 4-H scarf and tie are only worn with a plain white shirt, not a 4-H t-shirt.

PRESENTATION DAY is scheduled for Saturday, February 3, at Canyon Middle School in Castro Valley. Online registration is available on the county web site at www.alamedacounty4h.org and will also be at our January CC Meeting. Entries are due by January 28. Start working on your presentation now. You must do presentations to qualify for star ranks and it’s not too late to plan one for this year. The following are the different categories and explanations:

• DEMONSTRATION - teaches by the “show how” method, a skill, or knowledge. Posters* or overhead transparencies and other visual aids are used to effectively teach or illustrate concepts or practices. Presenters may not use notes. Team presentations should be equal in division of work among the team members. Recommended time: Individual 5 to 12 minutes; Team at least 5 minutes each or 15 minute maximum.
• ILLUSTRATED TALK - teaching a skill or knowledge using posters* only. Presenter may not use notes.  Recommended times same as Demonstration.
• SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION – uses the steps used by scientists to answer questions and solve problems. A minimum of 5 posters or equivalent visual aids will be used.
• IMPROMPTU SPEECH – is prepared in three minutes at the event from basic research member has completed on pre-announced topics. Maximum speaking time is five minutes.  A single sided 5” x 7” note card of research is allowed. Age 13 or 9th grade and above.
• PREPARED SPEECH - is a presentation in which the speaker teaches or informs an audience. No posters or visual aids other than an optional title poster. Recommended time: 5 to 10 minutes.
• EDUCATIONAL DISPLAY - is an organized visual presentation of material that illustrates a process or a concept. Displays can be on a 30” x 30” flat space (card table) or a vertical panel display no larger than 4’ x 4’. Presenters will introduce the display and may be asked questions by the evaluators.
• INTERPRETIVE READING – member introduces self, title of piece, author, characters, etc., then does a dramatic reading of piece selected, followed by a short conclusion.  Reading portion should not exceed 5 minutes.
• SHARE THE FUN - is open to groups to present skits or other presentations that focus on health, safety, community pride, recreation, or citizenship. Any number can participate.  Maximum of 15 minutes.
• CULTURAL ARTS – performance by individuals or groups of a costumed dramatic reading, musical, dance, or other such performing art. Maximum of 15 minutes.
• PROBLEM SOLVING – provides senior members (age 13 or 9th grade and above) the opportunity to use a prepared fact pattern as the basis for developing an action plan. May include social issues, business issues, and 4-H program issues. Maximum of 10 minutes.
• AUDIO-VISUAL PRESENTATIONS – informational or instructional programs presented with slides, video, or digital representations from 5 to 10 minutes, supplemented with a verbal commentary.

*NOTE:  Posters usually include a minimum of three boards. Title, body, and summary poster boards with lettering large enough to be read at approximately 20 feet away or more. Do use good poster board so they don’t curl and fall off easels.