September 2023
Washington County 4-H Family Newsletter
September 21, 2023
Welcome to our Family Newsletter! The most up-to-date information about events and activities going on in Washington County 4-H. Please pass along to friends and family that might be interested in attending a 4-H event. You will also receive the monthly Clover Update at the beginning of each month highlighting regional and state events.
New 4-H year begins
Here we are at the end of another 4-H year! The months of August and September provide our 4-H youth an opportunity to showcase their learning at the County Fair, State Fair, State Shoot, State Horse Show, State Dog Show! It is a rewarding and fun experience to watch youth grow and learn in their project areas. Now on to another year!
We would also like to say THANK YOU to our volunteers who help make all these learning opportunities possible! To the Livestock, Horse, Performing Arts and Dog PDC’s (Project Development Committees). To our Club Leader’s, Animal Superintendents, Dan Whittaker (Llama), to our dedicated Shooting Sports and Dog Trainers, the Food Stand Committee, all the volunteers who helped in some capacity during the county fair and state fair! The list could go on! Because of our volunteers, we can offer learning experiences for over 600 Community Club members!
We want to say welcome to our new families, we hope that those of you just completing your 1st year were able to navigate through the processes and enjoy the outcome!
If you would be able to take a few minutes to complete the following survey, it will help guide our staff in knowing what our families would like to see in the coming year; 2023 4-H Survey
We can’t wait to venture into the 2023-2024 4-H year! We look forward to working with all of you to continue to grow and improve your 4-H experience.
Megan, Kathy, Ann & Ashton
Just a little housekeeping before starting the new year
State Fair Projects
We still have some projects left from State Fair. Please make an appointment so you can get your projects picked up. Projects not picked up by Oct. 6 will be discarded. Email Kathy soon at eber0002@umn.edu
End of the Year Finances
The 4-H year end is September 30th! Please cash any checks you have received from our office or if you have any bills that need to be submitted, they must be sent to our office ASAP!
Re-enroll now!
Families are encouraged to enroll/re-enroll early to get the most out of 4-H in the coming year. The most important part of re-enrolling is updating your information. Maybe you have a new email, new projects to add, changing to a different club, updating the grade you are in or any health updates. All of this and more can be done though your family account in 4honline. https://v2.4honline.com/
Remember you must re-enroll yearly to participate in 4-H! If you have any problems with registrations or need more information on enrollment please contact our office by email at mnext-washington@umn.edu or phone at 651-430-6800. While the 4-H year is a year-round organization, you must be enrolled BEFORE May 15th to avoid any penalties. This is also the deadline that all animals must be identified in your family account.
Free 4-H T-shirt!
NEW THIS YEAR >>> families who enroll and pay their yearly dues before or at the open house will receive a FREE WASHINGTON COUNTY 4-H T-SHIRT for each youth member! Must be picked up either at Open House (Oct. 6) or our office, shirts will not be mailed. Adult sizes will be available for purchase.
Enrollment fee
As you will notice, shortly (perhaps a day or two) after you enroll online you are approved. Monthly email reminders are sent to families to pay their membership fee. Membership fees help keep our programs affordable for all, please pay your membership fee or fill out a scholarship form below. We accept checks/cash at any time.
Washington County has a yearly enrollment fee of $25.00 per member (youth only) or $100 max per family for 4 or more children. We ask that you please send payment to our office.
Checks should be made out to Washington County 4-H and sent to the following address:
Washington County 4-H
14949 62nd Street North
Stillwater, MN 55082
**For those using online banking, please be sure to include Washington County 4-H as checks made out to just Washington County go directly to the property tax office**
We don't want anyone to miss out so if you need help, please just let us know by completing a scholarship form.
Upcoming events
Ambassador Meeting - Sept. 25
Are you interested in having more leadership on the county level? If you are in 7th grade and up, the Washington County Ambassador program is for you! The Ambassadors meet on the 4th Monday of the month from 6-7 PM at the Washington County Government Center. They are involved in planning Cloverbud Workshops, service learning opportunities, and fun social activities! Join us on Monday, September 25th to see what the fun is all about! Treats will be provided. Please register here!
Contact Megan at slate187@umn.edu with any questions!
8th Annual Fall Open House - Oct. 6
We will be hosting our 8th annual 4-H Fall Open House on Friday, October 6, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Hooley Hall on the Washington County Fairgrounds. We also plan to have some smaller animals on site, games and activities, and more!
We encourage all new members to attend this event to learn more about what 4-H has to offer. It is also a great opportunity for you to bring a friend or family member that may be interested in joining!
If you have any questions, please contact Ashton at kules010@umn.edu If you are interested in having a table for your club, PDC, etc, please contact Ashton as well.
Newly elected Executive Board Officers!
President - CJ Walsh
Vice-President - Wyatt Herman
Secretary - Linnea Topper
Treasurer - Ava Johnson
Historian - Emily Anderson
Youth Reps -
Colton Herman
Calissa Newcomb
Henry Richter
Becka Newcomb
Alexis Petersen
Alex Kruse
Adult Reps -
Sean Boll
Tim Newcomb
Koreen Newton
Rachel Petersen
Federation Adult Reps needed
Washington County Exec Board members were elected at the June Federation Meeting. All positions have been filled except for 2 Adult positions.
The Washington County 4-H Executive Board is the county-level program and policy decision-making body for the Washington County 4-H club program. The Executive Board consists of 11 youth and 6 adults. This group meets typically at 7:00 pm on the 4th Monday of the following months; September, October, November, January, February, March, April, and June. Adults on the Board serve a 2 year term, youth a one year term. If you are interested in serving, please contact Ann at; churc109@umn.edu
Shooting Sports Certified Trainers needed! - Oct. 14
County 4-H Shooting Sports programs are required to have 4-H Certified Trainers. Washington County has a wonderful program with great volunteers. We will be in need of additional trainers next spring when we start our 2024 program. Training opportunities take place throughout the state, but not all are close proximity to Washington County. An upcoming training will be taking place on October 14 in Elk River. Washington County 4-H will pay the training fee.
The training is designed for adults and youth (9th grade and up) that lead or would like to lead training in shooting sports or wildlife. Classes will be offered in the disciplines of coordinator, archery, rifle/pistol, shotgun, muzzleloading, and wildlife.Trainers need to be recertified every 7 years.
If you are interested in becoming a Certified Trainer, please check out the information at this link: https://extension.umn.edu/4-h-shooting-sports-and-wildlife-program/4-h-shooting-sports-and-wildlife-leader-certification If you are interested, please contact Ann at; churc109@umn.edu for more details.
Club Officer Training - Oct. 23
Plans are being made for Club Officer Training! Training will tentatively be held on Monday, October 23 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Stillwater Gov’t Center. Watch for more information to follow in upcoming newsletters! Club officers need to re-enroll as soon as possible to complete club charters.
Cloverbud Workshop - Nov. 18
Save the date for our Fall Cloverbud workshop, on November 18 from 9 AM - Noon! Location TBD. Contact Megan with any questions at slate187@umn.edu.
Fall Volunteer Training - Save the Date - Annual Volunteer Training!
The 2023 annual volunteer training "4-H for All Abilities" will focus on creating supportive 4-H environments for youth with disabilities. Almost 17% of public school students in Minnesota receive special education services through their public school. This means that all 4-H programs do and should have participants with disabilities.
Our goal is to reach as many adult and youth volunteers as possible. Ideally, this would be a group of two or three from each club, committee or program. There will be 3 statewide annual training dates (choose one), the are as follows;
· Thursday, Oct. 19, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
· Tuesday, Nov. 14, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
· Wednesday, Dec. 13, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
We will send a link for these webinar training sessions as they become available.
Club Corner
Calling all club reporters or secretaries!
Please send a short report about your club's activities. Email Kathy at eber0002@umn.edu after you have had your monthly meeting or an event! Include 1-3 photos if you can. Thank you!
Community Corner
Community Service Opportunity
If there are individuals or club’s looking for a community service opportunity, the Boulder Ponds (Assisted Living) in Lake Elmo would love to have 4-H’ers bring their projects or animals for a visit. If you are willing to add some joy to this community, please contact Sara Black the Community Life Director at; 651-417-2553.
Code of Conduct update
Consent to the code of conduct is part of enrollment. The code of conduct for youth, parents and volunteers has been updated to prohibit the possession or use of marijuana.
Roles of Local Youth Educators
Ann Church - Livestock (Beef, Dairy, Llama, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, Rabbit), Horse, Shooting Sports, Federation, Community Clubs, Fair, Charters and Finance, Grant writing, Foods & Creative Arts projects.
Megan Slater - Youth Teaching Youth, Ambassadors, Performing Arts, Resident/Day Camps, Dog, Goat, Cloverbud.
Ashton Kulesa - STEM, Project Workshops, New Families, Food Stand, Outreach and Libraries.
Contact information is listed below.
Ann Church
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
(651) 430-6809
churc109@umn.edu
Megan Slater
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
(651) 430-6805
slate187@umn.edu
Ashton Kulesa
Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development
(651) 430-6807
Kathy Erf
Principal Office & Administrative Specialist
(651) 430-6800 or (651) 430-6803
eber0002@umn.edu
Washington County 4-H
14949 62nd Street North
Stillwater, MN 55082
(We are located in the Stillwater Government Center)
Office hours - Please call ahead as staff hours do vary.
8:00am-4:30pm (Monday-Thursday)
Friday by appointment
651-430-6800 or mnext-washington@umn.edu
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