ITS OFFICIAL - SHOOTING SPORTS IS HERE!!!

To all of you who have been waiting ever so patiently....

The time has finally arrived to announce that...

SHOOTING SPORTS IS OFFICIALLY THE CHEROKEE COUNTY
4-H PROGRAM'S NEWEST PROJECT

ARCHERY will be the first discipline offered, for more information please

follow this link to the Shooting Sports page where you will find info on how to register.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

CEA~Wendi Green is doing an excellent job generating interest in our 4-H Family and Consumer Science projects and contest. She is now asking for volunteers to sit on the Cherokee County 4-H FCS Task Force. Please follow this link for details.

As always, feel free to contact Mrs. Green directly for information at (903) 683-5416
or via email at wgreen@ag.tamu.edu

EAST TEXAS SHOW STAR SERIES

If you are interested in the gaining information on the selection, daily care, fitting, grooming, and showmanship of beef, goat, or lamb projects, this is the event for you. The East Texas Show Star Series is a multi-county collaborative effort will be the largest event of its kind ever held in East Texas.

Some of the topics to be covered are:

animal selection
nutrition
facility maintenance
animal health, handling
showmanship
transportation

Contact CEA Aaron Low @ (903) 683-5416 or arlow@ag.tamu.edu for more information.

Major Show - Goat Validation Tags

Tomorrow, SEPT 4th, is the deadline for ordering State Goat Validation Tags for the Major Shows @ $7.00 Each. Please contact CEA~Rene' McCracken for more information. (903) 683-5416 or lrmccracken@ag.tamu.edu


Late tags orders will be taken until October 21 @ $20.00 Each!!!

One Day, we will ...

How many of us have said, "One day, I'm gonna ..." or "I'll get to that, one of these days"?

Well... that day has come. What are you gonna do on the Texas 4-H One Day?

This is a new project that is happening state wide. I'd like all the members to participate to see what we can accomplish in just one day.

What are you going to do???

Please follow this link to find out what this is all about.

JACKPOT SHOW with a Short Fuse!!!

Ah... I love Fall, it means that it's time for you kids to go back to school, Football, and... the show season too. Follow the link below for more information on a nearby upcoming Jackpot Show in Nacogdoches on
August 22.

This notice has a pretty short fuse...Just got wind of it this morning.

http://cherokee-co.tamu.edu/publications/Woden%20Jackpot%20Show.pdf

ALL HEAR THIS!!!IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Starting on August 1, 2009 all club enrollment (member, manager, & volunteer) will be done online using the "4-H Connect" Management System. Membership forms will no longer be necessary unless the member, manager or volunteer does not have access to the internet.

This system is fairly self explanatory and is generally easy to navigate. All club managers are encouraged to attend the PALS meeting where they will have the opportunity to familiarize them selves with the system.

Every family should download and print the 6 Page system manual for reference in accomplishing their enrollment for the 2009-2010 4-H Year. Select the link below to download the manual.

http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/4hconnect/4H_CONNECT_For_New_Families_3_09.pdf

2010 State Goat Validation for Major Shows

Be aware that State Goat/Lamb validation tag orders are due to the county extension office August 28th.


This means that if you are planning to show a goat in Houston, Ft. Worth, San Angelo, etc... then you need to contact the County 4-H Office to request the appropriate number of tags.

Each tag will cost $7.00.

Late tags will be available for order until October 22nd at a cost of $10.00 per tag. No orders will be taken after this date

Gardening and Canning Workshop

If you, or someone you know is interested in growing your own groceries and/or canning fruits fresh fruits and vegetables then we have the Lunch-N-Learn Workshop for you.

---Admission is free to the public ---

Please contact Rene McCracken
or Wendi Green for more information at (903) 683-5416.

Cherokee County Vet. Science Program

Anyone interested in enrolling in the Cherokee County Vet Science Program???

Their will be a Program Orientation held on June 2nd at 6PM in the Cherokee County Extension Office in Rusk.

For more information contact, Willie Arnwine at (903) 683-5416 or via email at wrarnwine@ag.tamu.edu.

PALS MEETING

THE CHEROKEE COUNTY PARENT AND ADULT LEADERS ASSOCIATION will meet in the Community Room of the Cherokee County Electric Co-Op Building on May 20th at 6 PM.

Some of what's on the agenda,

1. Concession Stand Up-date.
2. Possible future fund-raisers.
3. Summer Club Officer Trip and Training
4. State 4-H Roundup.
5. SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM KICKOFF!!
6. Science Camp Support?

4-H Summer Camps

As you all know, 4-H offers something for everyone and it's summer camp facility in Brownwood, Texas is no different. Please follow the link below to see a whole smorgasbord of camping opportunities for just about every age and interest. These camps are open state-wide so just think about the friends that you can make from just about every region of Texas. If you have any question or desire more personalized information, feel free to call the County 4-H Agent, Willie Arnwine at (903) 683-5416 or send him an email at wrarnwine@ag.tamu.edu.

UPCOMING SUMMER 4-H SUMMER CAMPS

Local Summer Day Camp

Classic 4-H, under the direction of County Extension Agent Rene McCracken, will hold their first annual Summer Day Camp at Shawnee Creek Ranch in Dialville on May 30th. See the flier at the link below. For more information contact Rene McCracken at lrmccracken@ag.tamu.edu or via telephone at (903) 683-5416.


CLASSIC 4-H CLUB SUMMER DAY CAMP

Your UIL Eligibility & The County Show Explained

I apologize for the delay in getting this information out but I wanted to make sure that the information was correct before I released it.

As many of you are aware, the timing of this year's show is causing a good bit of concern for some regarding UIL eligibility status. I have finally been able to ascertain a definitive answer on how all of this is going to work. Our situation was only complicated by the facts that schools started earlier this year and spring break has fallen a week later than it usually does.

I have spent the majority of the last two days either reading the online 2008-2009 TEA-UIL Policy Manual or on the phone talking to various representatives of UIL and/or Local School Administrations.

THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM:

THE 2008-2009 School Superintendent's UIL Orientation Package

"A student who receives a grade below 70 at the end of any grading period (after the first six weeks of the school year) in any academic class (other than an advanced class) or a student with disabilities who fails to meet the standards in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) may not participate in the extracurricular activities for at least three school weeks. An ineligible may practice or rehearse, however. The student regains eligibility when the principal and the teachers determine that he or she has: (1) earned a passing grade (70 or above) in all academic classes, other than advanced placement classes, and (2) completed the three weeks of ineligibility and a seven calendar day waiting period. "

Ordinarily this would mean that if your student failed a class as of the end of the 4th six weeks grading period (Feb 20th), then after your child completed three weeks of ineligibility (Mar 13th) and a seven calendar day waiting period (Mar. 20th), then your student could regain eligibility at 3:15 on March 20th, provided that he or she was passing the class in question.

However:

Since spring break is a seven consecutive day school holiday, it will not count as the one week waiting period.

THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM:

THE UIL POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION WEB SITE REGARDING HOLIDAYS found online at: http://www.uil.utexas.edu/policy/holiday_elig_schedule.html (cut and paste this into your browser)

Spring Break example:

Grading period ends Friday, March 13. Students are on holiday from the end of school on the 13th until school resumes Monday, March 23. All students are academically eligible during a school holiday period consisting of at least seven consecutive calendar days. The seven-calendar day grace period begins on Monday, March 23 and the student’s lose/regain eligibility on Monday, March 30 at the time the school day normally ends.

So what does all of this mean?

This means that if your child received a failing grade on his or her report card for the grading period ending on February 20th, then he or she will be ineligible to show during the County Show.

If you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact Willie Arnwine in the County 4-H Office at (903) 683-5416 or you can call the State UIL Policy Director, Bonnie Northcutt in Austin at (512) 471-5883.

County Entomology Contest Registration Extension

The county 4-H Entomology Contest has been rescheduled for March 12th at 6PM here in the County Extension Office. The deadline to enter this contest is set for 5PM on March 5th.

To register, please send an email to the 4-H Agent at wrarnwine@ag.tamu.edu. Please be sure to list the following information in the email:

1. name
2. age (as of 9/1/08)
3. club name
4. Team Name (if competing as a team)

Please check the entomology blog for updated information at http://cherokeebugs.blogspot.com/.


Contact Brenda Rempfer
for more information.