March Flash News

 

Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc.  Promoting the understanding and appreciation of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.       March Flash News   Dates to Remember:     March 10: Maryland Farm Bureau Ag Education Day    March 11 & 12: MAEF hosts Eastern Region AITC State Contacts meeting   March 6-8 & 13-15: Ag Showcase at Maryland Home and Garden Show for the 13-15th      March 15 - 21: National Ag Week March 17: St. Patrick's Day March 20: National Ag Day; 1st Day of  Spring; Urban Youth Garden Grant application deadline March 31: FFA Spring Judging     Thank you!         Show Your Support!          Buy Ag Tags!  *Ag Tag revenues help underwrite MAEF programs*      Visit www.mva.state.md.us and click on online services for a link to the Agricultural Plate application.      Thank you!    Kennedy Krieger High School's  Retail & Consumer Services for providing supplies for the Ag Returns to the City program.   For more information on Kennedy Krieger's Retail & Consumer Services. Please contact Mark Trexler at trexler@kennedykrieger.org.       "Garden of Learning" out of California has written a wonderful collection of curricula for an entire year's worth of school gardening with students.   The curriculum is available for review on their website:  www.gardenoflearningk6.com   This may be an idea for your Parent Association Wish List or Classroom Gift!  A great way to start school gardening with a solid plan in place with strong ties to science, community service, health & nutrition and just getting outside!     Calling all students K-12!  MAEF's 3rd Annual Poster Contest!    Submit student posters sharing what they know about Maryland agriculture!      Their artistic entry may be selected to appear on the 2009-2010 Maryland Agriculture Education Foundation Calendar.    Deadline for entries is May 1, 2009!  A $50 cash award will be awarded to each of the 18 selected entries.   For more information and entry form visit www.maefonline.com.     Check It Out!     Visit http://www.iwantmarylandsbest.com/ for tips on on agricultural conservation practices that can be adapted easily to your backyard and garden.        Each issue of MAEF's Flash News will highlight an organization or individual who demonstrates exceptional support of agriculture in education.      Each year Maryland Farm Bureau members convene to celebrate program achievements, learn, share ideas and establish new policies.  Each year they also hold an auction to raise money.  Each year MAEF is lucky enough to be the recipient of a portion of those funds.       Recently, the MD Farm Bureau donated $4,000 in proceeds from their 2008 annual fundraising auction to support MAEF's outreach programs.  This very generous donation will go toward new technology on the mobile science labs.    The auction is held at the Maryland Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Convention.  Over 300 people attended the 93rd Convention at Clarion Resort Hotel in Ocean City, MD, from Dec. 7-10, 2009.   For all of their continued support of MAEF outreach programs, we recognize the Maryland Farm Bureau and its members.        Ag Returns to the City Explores New Territory   February was a month of firsts for the Ag Returns to the City (ARTC) program.  ARTC visited a new school and piloted a new middle school lesson.                                                                    The fifth-graders at Hampden Elementary School learned about the important role agriculture plays in their daily lives while taking part in the Connecting to Agriculture lesson.  Connecting to Agriculture gives students insight into farm life by comparing life on a farm in the past to the present.  Afterward, students had the exciting opportunity to use heaving whipping cream to make their very own butter.   The lucky fifth-graders at Montebello Elementary and Middle School were treated to the pilot of a new plant lesson.  The students read Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow and then discussed the basic anatomy of a plant.  The students were able to take their new found knowledge of plant anatomy, dissect an alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily) and create a chart explaining the Lily's parts and functions.  The flower was magnified during the dissection using the school's Prometheun interactive whiteboard system and a video camera so that the students could easily follow along with the lesson.  With Maryland State Assessments looming, this activity was a great way for the fifth-graders to practice their science skills.                   DuPont AgriScience Ambassador Workshop - Part 2    The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. (MAEF) and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) joined together to offer a winter professional development activity on January 23 and 24, 2009.  The professional development was held in Emmitsburg at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC), also known as the National Fire Academy or FEMA headquarters.  Diane Ogg presented and guided 10 teachers from across the State to think outside the box.   This activity was a follow-up to the DuPont AgriScience workshops held in the fall during the FFA Leadership workshop.                   Elementary Teachers Take Note!  MAEF is pleased to announce that graduate credits are available through McDaniel College for this summer's teacher training workshop. This expands the types of credits that can be earned through the workshop. Currently, participants can earn MSDE credits.  In some cases, college credits are more readily reimbursed through Boards of Education.  Teachers should invesitigate reimbursement policies in their school systems     For additional information and a registration form, visit our website or call Jeanne at 410-848-4745.