Independence 4-H
"To make the best better"
May General Meeting
Pre-Meeting Recreation: Origami
courtesy of Sophia Ginsberg
Pledge of Allegiance: Camille Maddocks
4H Pledge: Hannah Van de Mark
Call Meeting to Order: Mia Wesselkamper
Welcome to the second official Virtual Independence 4-H Meeting! Last month we held our virtual club election and you should have received an email announcing the officers for the coming year. Congratulations to everyone as we were thrilled with the enthusiasm we saw from our candidates in pursuing leadership roles! I also want to encourage everyone to be thinking of what they would like to see done differently in 4-H next year. We absolutely love hearing what you enjoyed - or didn't - so that we can make the appropriate adjustments in the coming year. This can be anything from a new project idea, a community service opportunity, or a speaker you would like to hear from! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me, or anyone on the executive board with your feedback. Remember, this is your club! I know I speak for the entire Executive Board when I tell you we are very sad we had to end the year this way as we were looking forward to celebrating another completed 4-H year with you. Regardless, have an amazing summer and we can't wait to see everyone again next year!
Roll Call: Satleen Gill
Treasurer's Report: Clay McDonell
For the month of April, there was no income. The total expense was $52 for chicken que ticket refunds. The closing balance for the month was $9273.46.
Correspondence Report: Leo McDonell
There was no correspondence in or out, for the club in April.
Committee Reports
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African Library Project: Mia Wesselkamper
Just like the rest of the world, the African Library Project has had to make some adjustments to their routine in order to adapt to the current situation. As a result, we have been reassigned to Chipula Primary School in Malawi and must ship our books before the end of June. Attached below is their application to the African Library Project which I found interesting to look through and thought you might as well. I am sad to say that we will not be able to have the packing day party I was planning. If you or your family is interested in participating in packing, please email me at mwess480@wscuhsd.k12.ca.us and we will work something out. If you are passing the time with some spring cleaning, I can accept more book donations up to the first of June. Thank you!
Programming: Millie Wright
Healthy Living Report: Quinn Craven-Pittman
At-Home Community Service: Bird Feeder
Old Business: Elections
2020-21 Club Officer Election
Thank you to everyone who participated in our club's virtual elections! We want to congratulate the 2020-21 Club Officers, who are listed below. Huge thanks to all our 2019-20 Club Officers for the work they put into this year. And a special shout-out to Mia and Millie for their work on putting together the virtual election platform!
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President: Mia Wesselkamper
Vice-President of Programming: Kathleen Larrain
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Vice-President of Membership: Emily deRutte
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Treasurer: Clay McDonell
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Recording Secretary: Rowan Craven-Pittman
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Correspondence Secretary: Leo McDonell
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Healthy Living Officer: Quinn Craven-Pittman
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Community Services Officer: Millie Wright
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Communications Officer– Club Newsletter Editor: Satleen Gill
Communications Officer – Historian: Alex Coconas
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Store Manager: Iyla Kjaer
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Webmaster: Lauren Asire
Song & Recreation Leaders: Harman Gill
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Club Reporters:
Quinn Craven-Pittman, Rowan Craven-Pittman, Kathleen Larrain, Abbey Casey and Leo McDonell
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Club Photographers:
Claire Pederson, Naomi Schaffer, and Kathleen Larrain
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Sergeant-at-Arms: Kasen Brady, Abbey Casey, Caleb Harriman, Aidan Hobbins, Kailey Hobbins, Sierra Hobbins, Gracie Herman Brandon, Galadriel Mills, Camille Maddocks, and Hannah Van de Mark
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Club Hosts: Kasen Brady, Jojo Holland, and Camille Maddocks
Prize Bin: Claire Ball, Camille Maddocks, and Hannah Van de Mark
New Business
Record Book Deadlines
The past few months have been very uncertain for everyone and, for some, very challenging. The project leaders did a great job coming up with project alternatives so kids could reach their six-hour meeting credits while being very sensitive to any hard deadlines that might be difficult for families to accomplish. Thank you to the project leaders for your creativity and flexibility when coming up with these alternatives.
One hard deadline that needs to stay firm is that for record books, as time is need for group review and revisions before it goes to the county. Record books are due (printed out and complete) by July 15th. After the 15th, you can still submit record books, but only for club credit.
If your 4-H'er is thinking of doing one but did not sign up for the record book project, please let Mindy know ASAP so we can help guide you through the process. Millie has emailed all primary members, so please contact her at milliew411@gmail.com if you'd like the primary record book forms or with any questions. Also, 4-H will not have an online record book starting next year, so be sure to back up any information if you have been doing ORBs.
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2019-20 Project Leader Thank You
Projects are at the heart of 4-H. They allow kids to explore new hobbies and develop new skills. That's why the wonderful adults who serve as project leaders are so important to our club. The executive board wanted to show our appreciation for everything project leaders do for our members and so every project leader received a 4-H themed potted plant to thank them for their service.
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Call for Project Leaders
At our final meeting of the year, we usually pass around sign-up sheets for parents to volunteer in myriad ways for the next year. Given the uncertainty of what next year may look like, we've put those sign-ups on hold for now. One thing remains the same, and that is how integral project leaders are to our club. If you have been thinking of becoming a project leader, please let Mindy or Jill know! We'd love to help you start the process this summer so you can hit the ground running in September! If you are looking for ideas on what project you could teach, here is a round-up of projects offered through California 4H: http://4h.ucanr.edu/files/14270.pdf
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Priority Registration for Next Year
While a lot of how next year will look remains to be seen, we are planning on doing all project sign-ups online next fall to help with social distancing. In March, we discussed our idea for project priority sign-ups for next year. The idea is that if your child is very invested in a particular project and completed the project (at least six hours of meeting time with the leader confirming completion), they will have first dibs on that project for next year. This way, your child can automatically be added to some of the projects they finished this year before sign-ups even begin and continue their growth in that particular subject. Most club projects were able to complete their six-hour requirement by offering activities your 4-H'er could do at home. We have adapted the original form as the first questions on the 4-H member's portion of the surveys below. Please be sure to complete that survey if you want to be part of the priority sign-up for 2020-21.
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Family Surveys
This year we have two optional end-of-year surveys for feedback and ideas; one for our members and one for our parents. We've made them very broad for the most part so you can write as much or as little as you'd like, but if you have time, we'd love to hear what ideas you have for the club for next year. Input from our 4H families is so important for the club to thrive and so programming accurately reflects the interests and ideas of our 4-H members. Thank you!
