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December Updates
December 11, 2012
Hello everyone! I hope this finds you dreaming of fruit and looking forward to some time off in the next couple of weeks!
NAAE Awards
Congratulations to our members that were recognized at the NAAE convention in Atlanta 2 weeks ago!
Pam Allen - Outstanding Program, Roger King - AgriScience Instructor, Jim Melby - Ideas Unlimited, Minn-Tex Fruit - Outstanding Cooperation, Brenda Scheil - Outstanding Service, Adam Wehling - Outstanding Instructor (and he earned a Toyota truck too! Rides for all at PDC this summer! Hahaha).
Committee Meetings
If you have any WAAE committee meetings, please send your minutes to Shari Graffunder so that she can post them on the WAAE website for all to see.
Teacher Turn the Key
If you are in your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of teaching and have attended NAAE, please consider applying for the Teacher Turn the Key award area. Applications are due to Bridgett Neu on December 28th (this is different than years past).
Dupont AgriScience Ambassador
IDupont has an amazing program for agricultural educators! There are 2 - week long learning sessions for you to implement science into your curriculum. The sessions run from June 16-21 and July 14-19. If you are interested, fill out the attached application by December 17th.
WAAE Award Nominees
If you have been nominated for an award area, please make sure that you send your completed application to Bridgett Neu by December 28th (this is different than in years past).
South Africa Trip
Region III has the opportunity to send 12 members to South Africa for a 7-10 day trip. The trip will include a look at global agriculture and methods of teaching about agriculture in another country will be highlighted with cultural experiences for the participants. We will be travelling with Claudia Parliament, an economics professor at the U of M, who has travelled there many times. This was her idea as she feels Agriculture Teachers would benefit from the experience. The cost of the trip is estimated at $4,000 however, CHS will be giving those going on the trip a $1,000 stipend to help with costs. I have attached an itinerary - if you are interested in attending this once in a lifetime adventure, please let me know as soon as possible!
PDC Workshop Proposals
Calling all workshop presenters! If you would like to present a workshop at the Professional Development Conference this summer, please fill out a proposal (found on the WAAE website, under the conferences tab) by December 15th!
Listening Session
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is seeking public input on the development of a Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification competitive grant program. Through this program, instructional materials will be developed that may lead to a certification program for youth in the area of farm safety. USDA invites you, and we encouraged you, to participate in the listening session on December 12, 2012 from 12:00-3:00 pm EST. Visuals will be delivered via webinar; audio will be delivered via a toll-free telephone line. Details for joining the listening session are included in the following notice from USDA. If you want to testify during the listening session or if you want to submit written comments on this program, please do so as per the instructions herein. To be included in the official public record, written comments must be submitted by December 26.
A public listening session will be held on December 12, 2012, to collect stakeholder input on the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) competitive grants program. The listening session is scheduled to assist NIFA leadership in addressing stakeholder needs and assuring that the Farm Safety programs address the highest priorities authorized under this program. The December 12, 2012 meeting will use a webinar format and will be accessible by conference call (audio) and internet (visual only).
Time/Date: December 12, 2012, 12:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Audio: 1-888-858-2144 (Participant Code: 7343873)
Web/Visual: http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/yfsec2013/. Closed captioning will be available. Please refer to the Adobe Connect instruction sheet (copy attached) for additional details.
Persons wishing to present oral comments at the December 12, 2012 meeting are requested to pre-register by contacting Camielle Compton at (202) 401-6825 or by e-mail at FarmSafety@nifa.usda.gov. Participants may reserve one five-minute comment period. More time may be available, depending on the number of individuals wishing to make a presentation. Reservations for oral comments will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Written comments are also being requested. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice (copy attached) for details on where to send information and comments.
As always, if you need anything, please do not hesistate to call or email me or your sectional vice president.
Thanks much!
~Kim Houser
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