4-H Tip Sheet Changes
We are looking for ways to improve our delivery format of 4-H news and information and would like your suggestions.  We understand the monthly Tip Sheet has not been available soon enough for the publishing schedules of some of your local 4-H newsletters. Below are two options we are considering to deliver information in a more timely manner:

• Utilizing the Tuesday Letter as our primary means of keeping you up to date on 4-H news and information with appropriate links to detailed information.

• Using the Counties Listserv for other pertinent information as necessary.

If you have any thoughts or preferences on how you receive 4-H news and information, please e-mail Karen Knox at ksknox@ksu.edu by January 3, 2006. Your input will help us in our goal of providing timely and effective delivery of information to you. McNally

Horse Panorama  Information for 2006 can be found on the State 4-H website.  Look for all the details!  Entry deadline is January 13, 2006.  Counties may register on-line or via email Summary Sheet. Cost is $60 plus $5 for each contest entered.  Adams

Today 4-H comes in many forms and sizes, but the club model still remains our flagship program. Plan to join us, as we spend time focusing on Strengthening 4-H Clubs. The purpose of this training is to strengthen our capacity to work with adults and youth to develop and support strong, effective 4-H Clubs. Topics will include the latest research on characteristics of successful (strong) 4-H clubs; creating a positive environment; making club meetings that youth choose to attend and sharing program management tools for club organization and operation.

You’ll go home with new resources and ideas to share with your club leaders. Registration fee is $20 which includes a resource notebook and lunch. Agenda and online registration are available.  Mack/Buchele/Hinshaw/Barker

4-H Program Development Committee Training Resources  Last week at 4-H Updates, Area 4-H Specialists shared a PowerPoint presentation to help Extension professionals train their 4-H PDC. Also included was a checklist for 4-H PDC members to complete to review local 4-H Youth Development Programs. These two resources can be found on the 4-H website.  If you have questions or comments on either resource contact your area 4-H specialist.  Mack/Barker/Buchele/Hinshaw

State 4-H Venturers Are Headed to Colorado  Designed as a sampler of outdoor adventure activities, the 2006 4-H Venturer's program will take place June 24-July 2 in central Colorado. The program activities include white water rafting, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing/kayaking, caving, camping and outdoor cookery. Teens and adults will work in partnership as they explore the great outdoors in the Flat Top Wilderness Area. The program fee for the 9 day trip is $500, which includes training programs, transportation, meals, equipment, program and campground fees. Teens must be 14 years of age by January 1, 2006 and adults must be VIP Registered Volunteers. The Shakedown Training is mandatory, taking place June 2-4 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Check out the 4-H Venturer's website, for more details. Registrations are due April 1st in the State 4-H Office.  McNally

Contact:
Tom Zurcher,
Executive Director
National 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System, Inc.
15664 Kesselwood Trail
Marshall, MI 49068
Phone & Fax: 269.789.3080
tzurcher@n4hccs.org 
www.n4hccs.org                                                                                                 Adams

Four sessions around the state are planned to help with travel concerns. Locations and details are being determined and will be communicated soon, so for now hold these dates. All Extension Units will be expected to attend one of these trainings. McNally and VIP Review and Revision Task Force

4-H Discovery Days “IN” Need of INstructors  INtroducing an INcredible opportunity to INfluence a young INdividual’s life!  The theme for Discovery Days this summer will be “IN” and we are currently looking for INstructors to INtroduce INformation or INitiate tours.  This is a great way to get kids INterested IN careers, hobbies, healthy activities and the INclusive K-State community!

There will be three separate 2 hour sessions: Wednesday afternoon, May 31 and Thursday, June 1 (morning and afternoon). Classes and tours may be offered once or multiple times, and Thursday has the option of offering a full 9:30am to 3:30pm session. 

To get details and the proposal form, look under “What’s Hot” or contact Shelby Griffin IN the State 4-H Office at 785-532-5800 or Justin Wiebers, jwiebers@K-State.edu

4-H Citizenship in Action  The State 4-H Youth Leadership Council will be hosting a legislative visit to Topeka February 19-20.  Details and registration information has been posted.  Wiebers, jwiebers@K-State.edu

4-H Citizenship Washington Focus  The 4-H CWF trip to Washington D.C. will be June 7-18, 2006.  Changes to this year’s schedule include departing one day earlier from Salina; leaving at noon after a brief orientation.  The additional night on the road will allow a visit to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  Details of the trip and the application process are available. Wiebers, jwiebers@K-State.edu

The Ambassador Action Team is planning an excellent workshop with some new things. We are expecting to offer a wider range of small group workshops including some for experienced ambassadors. Please stay tuned for full information and details. Buchele

We know the positive influence of Kansas 4-H is broad and lasting. Clearly, young people continue to learn leadership, citizenship and life skills in partnership with caring adults. 4-H functions best in supportive families and communities. Character Counts! helps develop character in people of all ages working in different roles. The Six Pillars should be pervasive and permeate all aspects of the 4-H environment. Besides the youth themselves, 4-H volunteers, PDC members, Extension Board officials, Fair Boards, and parents can all benefit from learning and living the Six Pillars of Character! By involving all the members of your 4-H community in your Extension unit, everyone is on the same character development T.E.A.M. T.E.A.M. members have the following responsibilities:

1. to TEACH children that their character counts;
2. to ENFORCE the Six Pillars of character;
3. to ADVOCATE character; and
4. to MODEL good behavior.

To discover more about Character Counts! check out the Coalition website .  And be on the look out for Character Counts! in your communities where schools, youth organizations, and local government may already be implementing the Six Pillars. Gerhard ggerhard@ksu.edu

4-HCCS Embryology Design Team Nominations  A national Embryology Design Team is being formed to revise the 4-HCCS Embryology materials. If you have someone in your county who you believe would enjoy contributing as a member of this team from February 2006 through March 2007, please forward an application and ask them to return it to Ellen Rowe ellen.rowe@uvm.edu, the 4-HCCS liaison to this team, by January 15th.  If your nominee(s) has questions about responsibilities and expectations, they may contact Ellen. Applications received by January 15th will be reviewed and selected team members notified by February 1st.  See the application and responsibilities for the Embryology Design Team . Adams

Youth Council Advisor Needed   We are looking for an Extension Agent to work with the  State 4-H Youth Council as an Agent Advisor starting in 2006. The council, made up of 21 teens from across the state organizes and sponsors the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum, 4-H Citizenship in Action and other projects and  events.  They meet on weekends about 6 times per year, typically in a central location and do extensive work through conference calls and
e-mail.  

The next two scheduled events are the Council Orientation and Retreat, January 14-15, 2006 at Rock Springs 4-H Center and the 4-H Citizenship in Action event in Topeka, February 19-20, 2006.  Advisors support the council work by serving as liaisons to youth council committees, working with council events  and providing guidance.  An understanding and  appreciation for youth and adult partnerships is  necessary in this position.   Local board approval will be necessary as travel is not reimbursed and this commitment will require out of office  time and some expense.  Term is 2-3 years. If you have questions or are interested, please contact  Beth Hinshaw bhinshaw@ksu.edu, Justin Wiebers  jwiebers@ksu.edu or Barbara Addison  baddison@ksu.edu before January 1, 2006. Hinshaw

New Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council Members  Members of the 2006 Kansas Youth Leadership Council were elected and selected at the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum in November.  The council is made up of elected representatives from throughout the state, National Conference Delegates and National 4-H Youth Directions Council Delegates.  Tess Ludwick and Melissa Yarrow, both former National Conference Delegates will serve as youth advisors. 

Hinshaw

4-H On-line Registration Update  First, I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we’ve been implementing the new 4-H On-line registration system.  We realize this did not meet all of our expectations at the start. As we learn to use it (Experiential Learning) and bugs get worked out and additional upgrades and features get installed (To Make the Best Better), hopefully it will reach the level of our expectations. 

Kathy Zimmerman and I have truly appreciated your feedback and calls for assistance.  This has helped us detect and refine changes needing to be made.  Progress on the things you’ve requested are as follows: 

E-mail Notification:  Originally, we were led to believe the system would automatically forward a copy of registration confirmations to you when one of your kids or volunteers registered.  It doesn’t yet, but we will manually forward the copies of youth and volunteer confirmations we get as System Administrators.  It has never been our intention to cut you out of the registration process.  We hope this will help. 

Multiple Users with the same E-mail Address:   We have changed the settings to allow two or more individuals to set up accounts with the same e-mail address.  Each person must have a different password so the system can distinguish which user is registering.  We would still recommend users set up a free e-mail account (Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.) or create a fictitious address such as user@Kansas4-H.org.  These addresses can be edited by the user at any time (as many Extension employees may do when removing “oznet” from their address). 

Enrolling Others: You’ve asked for the ability to register other people.  This can now be done by anyone with a user account.  Once you log on, and select an event, you can either register yourself or click on the “Enroll Someone Else” button.  Then all you have to do for established users is enter their ID (e-mail address).  Unfortunately this feature will NOT work for users who share an e-mail address or who do not already have an account set up.  For new users, you will need to sign them up for a new account first. 

Training/Tutorial:  We are working on a tutorial to highlight many of the features of the on-line registration process.  If things stay quiet in December, hopefully we can finish the tutorial and get it posted under the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) menu on the registration site.  We will send a notice when it is ready. 

Billing/Invoices: Many of you have shared frustrations you’ve had that have been compounded by on-line registration regarding the collection of registration fees and getting a check signed to send with registration forms.  For Citizenship in Action and Discovery Days, we’re going to invoice your offices after registration closes.  That way registration can be finalized and confirmed before you submit a check.  The success of this change will rely on everyone getting information in by the deadlines so we can get invoices out in a timely manner and payments must be received for all registered participants. 

We hope this system will ultimately reduce your work load and increase accuracy by having participants enter their information directly into the system.  Once they set up an account, it will be very quick and easy for them to add their next event to their existing account.  By entering their own registrations on-line, they will also have better chances of getting their top choices for workshops and will know immediately which classes they are enrolled in.

In the mean time, our goal is to only change the type of work that has to be done by you in the registration process; moving away from compiling all registration forms and summary sheets to only entering information on-line for clientele who aren’t able to do it for themselves. 

If you have suggestions or problems you would like us to address related to on-line registration or any other program, please let us know.  We consider it our responsibility to serve you in the work you do and support the educational opportunities for your youth and volunteers. Wiebers

Please review the document outlining the proposed requirements for these new divisions. If you have any questions, ideas, or opinions, please share them with me.  I look forward to hearing your feedback and sharing the final results of changes in this and other KSF 4-H Divisions in January when we submit changes for the State Fair Exhibitor Handbook.   Wiebers

Through a new grant called Operation Military Kids (OMK), Kansas 4-H now has the opportunity to reach out to youth and families of mobilized or deployed National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers. Ann Domsch has been hired as our OMK Project Coordinator. She will be working two days a week, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Contact information for Ann:
adomsch@ksu.edu; 785-532-2276, 1718 Throckmorton Hall, KSU.

During 2005 Annual Conference, Sarah Jones, Army Reserve Children Youth Services Regional Coordinator, shared issues facing these families and how Extension can help. Several sessions at KYLF and Kansas City Conference focused on OMK and creating Hero Packs to share with children with a deployed parent. Mack/Domsch

Contacts:
MetLife Auto & Home
David Hammarstrom, 401-827-2273
dhammarstrom@metlife.com

Ted Mitchell, 401-827-3236
tjmitchell@metlife.com                                                                              McNally

2006 Healthy Lifestyles Grants   Awards of up to $7,000 Each Deadline: January 13, 2006. Contact jleatherman@fourhcouncil.edu

For the application  click on "2006 Application" at the bottom of the page under "Related Links" to open or download the application. Completed applications are due January 13, 2006.  McNally

The Wichita Garden Show contest IS NOT the official state horticulture judging contest. That event will be held August 26, 2006 on the KSU campus.  Neier/Hinshaw

Wichita Garden Show 4-H Photography Extravaganza  The annual 4-H Photography Extravaganza will be March 3rd and 4th at the Wichita Garden Show. Brochures for each Extension Unit were in State Fair sacks picked up at the end of State Fair. More brochures are available from the Garden Show Office, 316-946-0883, or email:  wichitagardenshow@sbcglobal.net.

A great slate of activities are planned for participants including; youth photography workshops, the chance to meet with a photography judge to have two photos critiqued, the Photography Judging Contest, adult workshops (including a mini judging contest) and the very special opportunity to take photos of the Garden Show exhibits after all others have left the show late the evening of March 4th. Participants can then enter their four best photos in the Garden Show photography contest.

Save the date, let everyone know (they don't have to be enrolled in the photography project to participate) and plan to be there March 4 and 5. All 4-Hers who pre-register before Feb. 10 will receive a ticket for free admission to the Garden Show. rbuchele@oznet.ksu.edu eotte@oznet.ksu.edu

For more information contact:
La Donna McKnight
605-673-4971
mcknight.ladonna@ces.sdstate.edu  

Piloting 2006 4-HCCS Products  Would you like to help pilot 4-HCCS products scheduled to be printed in 2006. The following is an overview of the piloting process and the benefits to those who choose to be involved.

 Purpose of Pilot
The pilot process provides important information to assist the design teams to revise the materials before they are printed this summer. The data is also necessary to inform the National 4-H Jury how effectively the products help participants achieve the stated learner outcomes for each series. Both participant and expert evaluations are required. All 4-HCCS products must pass the 14 criteria of the national jury before being printed.

2006 Products and Pilot Evaluation Captains

 Pilot Process

1. Pilot Site Coordinator contacts the Evaluation Captain for the project materials of interest.
2. Evaluation Captain emails the Pilot Agreement and instructions on how to conduct the pilot to the Pilot Site Coordinator.
3. Pilot Site Coordinator returns the completed Pilot Agreement form to the Evaluation Captain.
4. Pilot Site Coordinator conducts the pilot evaluation with youth and/or adults.
5. Pilot Site Coordinator sees that the evaluation surveys are completed and posted on Zoomerang.com for all pilot participants.
6. Pilot Site Coordinator confirms with the Evaluation Captain that all evaluations have been posted.
7. If a minimum of 10 evaluation surveys are completed on the 4-HCCS web site for the products being piloted the Pilot Site Coordinator will be sent a set of the new materials piloted after they are printed in August.

 Pilot Timeline
Between November 1, 2005 – February 15, 2006 

Piloting may begin as soon as the products are available in pilot format and may end as soon as the evaluations are completed and posted but not later than February 15, 2006.

  Agreement to Pilot
There are 10 sets of materials. Once you contact the Evaluation Captain for the materials you are interested in piloting, you will receive specific information on the pilot process and a Pilot Agreement form to sign and return so you will be eligible for the complimentary products.

 Products to Pilot
The products to pilot will vary with each set of materials. For some projects only specific activities will be piloted. Other projects may involve piloting an entire guide or set of guides as well as supporting pieces like CD’s. The instructions you receive from the specific Evaluation Captain will outline the pilot details.

 Who May Pilot
Both youth and adults are encouraged to provide pilot data. Youth do not have to be enrolled in the project in order to pilot the materials. Many of the new pieces such as GIS/GPS, Robotics, AfterSchool Ag and Changing Spaces may be new products in your county. Youth in a classroom or a club who are in the age range for the products are excellent candidates.

 Access to Pilot Materials and Evaluation Instruments
Pilot materials and evaluation instruments will be available on the 4-HCCS web site. In some cases a CD will also be provided by the Evaluation Captain. To access the products from the home page click 2006 Products. You’ll find a listing of all files to be piloted for each project and a link directly to the evaluation instrument(s). By running your cursor over the files you can identify the guides and sections or activities. Files can be downloaded or printed.

 How to Pilot
Simply handing youth activities to do and then asking them to complete an evaluation survey on the computer sometimes works. However, most pilot coordinators have found that in order to make the experience more engaging for the youth and adults involved utilizing a focus group approach works better. Ask the youth to do one to three activities and then bring them together to discuss the questions on the survey. You, the

Pilot Coordinator, may then submit their responses and suggestions for changes at one time. You may also be asked by the Evaluation Captain to submit additional suggestions via email or phone.

 Complimentary Set of Products
Each Pilot Coordinator who submits a minimum of 10 completed evaluation surveys and submits a Pilot Completion Form to the Evaluation Captain will receive a set of the products piloted when they are shipped in August.  Adams

Personalized Agriculture License Plates Available Now!  Personalized plates for your vehicle!  Put Agriculture in front of the public in a new way.  By sending a $25 donation to the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC), you will receive a stamped form to take to your County Treasure's office allowing you to purchase an Ag-Tag to promote Agriculture wherever you drive. Proceeds will help KFAC promote Ag literacy to all elementary schools through out the state.  Send check to KFAC, P.O. Box 815, Manhattan, KS. 66505-0815 or call toll free 1-866-759-8031 OR go to:   Ag In The Classroom. Adams