4-H Flash
6.5.2020
If you're interested in doing judging contests, skill a thons, special foods, fashion review, presentation or trying something new this year, let me know. This will be a great year to get some practicing in so we can kick butt when we return to a "normal" year.
COVID-19/Achievement Days update...In case you didn't read the email.
- We will remain at Level A until the end of June. This means that there are still no one-on-one activities occurring and everything must remain virtual. Please consider doing a virtual club meeting to check in with everyone if you haven’t done so already. If you need to set up a Zoom that can last longer than a hour, let me know and I can get you hooked up with my account that has no time limits. The South Dakota Adventure Series kicked off this week. There should be another virtual consumer decision making judging school coming out shortly as well. If you want links to online livestock judging, I have some of those as well—shoot me an email and I’ll forward them to you. Also, if you know of any other cool online 4-H resources, please share so we can all have some fun.
- Starting July 1st, we will move into a gradual phasing-in to Level B. July 1 until July 30 we can begin to do face-to-face interactions in groups of no more than 15. This group size includes 4-Hers, parents, siblings, spectators, judges, any person that is in the group counts towards the group size. Everyone who is in the group must follow proper social distancing protocols, sanitizing practices and EVERYONE MUST WEAR MASKS for the duration of the event. We can look at possibly starting dog practices up again in small groups, maybe have some project days in small groups. Things of this nature will be permitted, with modifications. Keep in mind that during this time virtual events, if able, are the preferred way of doing things, but we do have some flexibility with the limited group size that we are provided with.
- Starting August 1st, we can move up to having groups of no more than 50 people, following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks. This means we can do more activities face to face and modify how we do Achievement Days. More information on Achievement Days will be forthcoming as committees work through the details on how we’re going to do things.
- As we move into Level B, it is critical to remember NO MASK, NO EVENT! That was strict parameter handed down from SDSU and a key to making this all happen. The primary goal of these tight restrictions is to keep everyone as healthy as we can and mitigate the risk of transmission. We have the flexibility to adapt our events and activities to fit within the guidelines I’ve been given and shared with you earlier. However, we cannot do anything greater than what is listed for the level we are in. We can always choose to do less and/or cancel certain things, but we cannot do more than what is allowed. If we do, we risk losing our charter and 4-H in the county permanently. Let’s not even think about doing that. While we have our own local 4-H organization, on the State and National levels 4-H is part of much larger organization, SDSU in South Dakota’s case, that have protocols and statutes that also affect how 4-H can operate during times like these. It is important that we as a local 4-H organization remember that the entire SD 4-H and SDSU are following protocols that are in the best interest of protecting youth and the people that they serve.
- The one kicker that can change all of this is if there is a big outbreak again. If something happens in the county and the county commission/city council determine that the COVID ordinances need to be enacted again, we must shut things down, even if SDSU continues to move forward.
Hand County 4-H Office
Email: hand.county@sdstate.edu
Website: http://hand.sdcounties.org/4-h/
Location: 415 West 1st Avenue, Miller, SD, USA
Phone: 605-853-2738
Facebook: facebook.com/HandCounty4H