January Newsletter
Happy New Year! This is always the time of year that we focus on
New Year resolutions but this can also translate into goals for 4-H.
What would you like to do for your goals this year? Are your goals
to finish your project book before school is out? Will you make
Swine of Excellence this year? Are you planning to win the Gold
medal and $50 at Achievement Day? Well now is a good time to
start planning towards those goals. Make a plan, stick to it, and you
are halfway there! Be sure to write it down in your My 4-H Year
book!
Some upcoming dates to be aware of are the swine weigh-in date
of April 16th and the lamb and goat weigh in date of May 7th. If
you signed up for swine, lamb, or goat. Kim will be contacting you
closer to the date to tag your animals.
There are various committees that parents can join, such as, the
livestock committee, small animal committee, horse committee,
exhibit building committee and the food booth committee. Please
let us know if you would like to be on one of these committees.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions. You can
stop by the office anytime!
Have a great January
Kim & Jackie
Pondera County Invitational - Conrad - January 14, 2023
The Pondera 4-H Shooters are inviting competitors from: Glacier, Liberty, Teton, and
Toole Counties to
participate. This is an optional event. Please note that Archery, Rifle and Pistol
contests will run at the same
time.
Entries are $10 per discipline and there are two entry forms, one for rifle/pistol
and one for archery. They
are awarding medals to the top 3 contestants per age group. The registration form
is being sent with the
newsletter and registration deadline is January 10.
Marias Fair Archery Tournament - Shelby - Sunday, January 29, 2023
Register at https://bowscore.com/tournaments/marias-fair-4-h-only-invitational 2023#/
and pay either
through Bowscore or with cash or check sent to Pondera County Extension, 20 4th Ave
SW, Conrad, MT
59425 with payment to Blazing Arrows. Payment is due by January 25, cost is $15/event.
Marias Fair competitors must interview at the tournament as well. Please arrive to
check in a half hour
before shooting time or sooner. Competitor's age is calculated as of October 1, 2022.
Archers will be shooting top and bottom rotation on all bales. Shooters will move
from top/bottom and
bottom/top after the fifth end. Bottom targets shoot during the first 3 minutes. Then
top will get called to the
line and given 3 minutes to shoot their end.
Chouteau County Invitational – Fort Benton – Saturday, February 25, 2023
Contact Chandee Bomgardner at chandee.bomgardner@gmail.com for more information.
Volunteer Spotlight & Members of the Month
Nominate a volunteer or youth in your county who has done something awesome and deserves
a shout-out
for making a difference. They will be recognized next month in a Volunteer or Member
Spotlight social media
post and in the state's monthly newsletter. They will also be eligible for Ag Network's
Volunteer or Member
of the Month sponsored by Stockman Bank. You are welcome to submit more than one recognition
form!
Nominate a volunteer you appreciate:https://forms.gle/z6qTGfjZEZUxAksg9
Nominate a youth member: https://forms.gle/EbtccAkk6XE3ZWKX6
Montana 4-H Volunteer Institute - Billings, MT February 17-19, 2023
The Montana 4-H Volunteer Institute is open to all 4-H volunteers in Montana. Registration
cost is $75 and
we will be at the Double Tree Hotel downtown. The institute will be a great opportunity
to learn from other
volunteers and Extension Agents, network, and celebrate the accomplishment of volunteers
across
Montana.
Registration is now open and Volunteers will be able to register through their ZSuite
Dashboard.
Visit the Institute Page for additional details, hotels, and workshop descriptions,
https://www.montana.edu/extension/4h/programs/events/mt_ volunteer_institute.html
4-H Camp Counselors Needed
4-H Camp Counselor applications will be available soon and due back mid February.
Teen leaders are eligible
to apply to serve as counselors for the Multi-County camp. Watch your email for details.
Camp will be June
12 - June 14, 2023
People Partner Grants
The Montana 4-H Foundation People Partner grants provide incentives and financial
support to groups and
individuals for programs that enhance the quality of living for people in their communities.
Both Addisyn
Bengtson and Katelyn Suta had their grant applications fully funded last year, ask
them for more
information!
Application Deadline: Postmarked by February 1st, each application is eligible for
up to $500.
Eligibility: 4-H groups and individual members may apply. Grants are also open to
non-4-H youth groups and
individuals. Applications should meet the following criteria:
Youth should be involved in determining, planning, conducting, and evaluating the
project.
Project will make it possible for people to accomplish something educational and worthwhile
that helps
them reach a higher quality of life.
There is community support and acceptance of the project, as evidence by "partners"
listed in the grant
application, additional funding sources, and resource persons and agencies involved.
The project has lasting benefits.
See grant application for more details. Applications are on the 4-H Foundation website.
Attention: Seniors and College Students!
Montana 4-H Foundation scholarships are due February 14. Each person need only complete
one Montana
4-H scholarship application to apply for multiple Montana 4-H scholarships. Interested
persons should
complete the scholarship application via the Application platform on or before February
14, 2023. All
applicants will need to submit two letters of recommendation, with one of the letters
from your County 4-H
Agent. https://www.mt4hfoundation.org/scholarships.html
Marias Fair Sidewalk Project
Breaunna Erickson, of Pondera County, is the recipient of a $500 People Partner grant
for her sidewalk
project at the Marias Fairgrounds. Breaunna is in the process of raising funds to
add sidewalks to the
fairgrounds . This will allow people with mobility issues, families with strollers
and basically everyone to
navigate the 4-H area of the fairgrounds more comfortably.
If you are interested in donating, you can contact the Pondera County Extension Office
by calling 406-271-
4054, e-mailing pondera@montana.edu or by mail at 20 4th Ave SW, Conrad, MT 59425.
Rec Lab
Save the date for Rec Lab in Culbertson on March 17-19th. This is a fun overnight
trip where
youth members attend workshops and a dance. Members must be 13 years or older.
Workshop proposals are now being accepted.
Leadership Academy
Members 12+, 4-H Age Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on Sunday afternoons
in
2022/2023. The Leadership Academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in
exploring and
developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new
ways.
These workshops provide local county leadership groups an opportunity to join (virtually)
with groups from
around the state as well as the Montana 4-H Ambassador Officer team, to work on skill
building, planning
and mentorship.
Each month the officer team will present a different workshop topic that they have
found to be important as
they have grown their own leadership abilities. This workshop should be paired with
a local county
leadership meeting to work on county projects that serve the local 4-H program and
community.
County Leadership groups should plan to meet face to face whenever possible and engage
in the virtual
state wide workshop together.
This time can be viewed as a leadership club meeting. County ambassadors can aid in
planning and
facilitating these local workshop meetings. The following agenda is currently being
planned. All workshops
are Sunday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00. Zoom links for each workshop session will
be emailed to county
extension offices and can be shared locally.
Visit the webpage for complete descriptions:
https://www.montana4h.org/programs/youth_leadership/academy.html
To receive the zoom meeting link and info for this workshop series please complete
the short registration by
clicking the "Register Now" on the montana4h.org page. Once the form is complete an
email containing the
zoom meeting link for all five workshops will be sent automatically.
January 8, 2023
February 5, 2023
March 5, 2023
NRA Foundation Grant
Toole County 4-H would like to say thank you to the
NRA Foundation for the grant that we received for
bullets for the Shotgun Shooting Sports group!
Their donation made it possible for our 4-H
members to shoot for the season with little cost to
the 4-Hers! 4-H would not be possible without the
support of organizations like the NRA Foundation
JANUARY
1st- Happy New Year
2nd- Office Closed
3rd- 1st & 2nd Year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
4th- Cloverbud Robotics @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
5th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
14th- Pondera County Invitational
15th- 3rd-5th year Robotics @ Courthouse 2-5pm
16th- Office Closed- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
17th- 1st & 2nd Year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
18th- Cloverbud Activity Book @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
19th- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
25th- Livestock Committee meeting, 7 pm, MRE
25th- Marias Fair Archery tournament registration deadline
29th- Marias Fair Archery Tournament - Old Shelby Middle School
29th- Archery Tournament in Shelby
FEBRUARY
1st- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm
2nd- 8-11 year old Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
6th- 1st & 2nd Year Robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
15th- Cloverbuds @ New Life Community Church 3:30-5pm.
16th- 8-11 year old robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
20th- Office Closed- President's Day
21st- 1st & 2nd year robotics @ Courthouse 3:30-5pm
26th- Marias Fair Air Rifle/Pistol tournament PSSC in Conrad
25th- Chouteau County Shooting Sports Invitational.