Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
The Damariscotta Farmers Market is now accepting new vendors to add diversity to their current offerings (i.e., cheese, mushroom, seafood, fiber, and prepared foods). We are looking for all vendors except vegetable vendors. The market runs May 20 – Oct 28, Fridays 9 a.m.- noon.
Contact Derek DeGeer to apply: hootenannybread@gmail.com
Application and by laws on Website: http://www.damariscottafarmersmarket.org
Just in time for Safer Internet Day (February 8), NetSmartz is proud to announce the release of Cloud Quest- an interactive online safety adventure! Built as an e-learning module, this activity guides kids through each episode of season 1 of Into the Cloud with Clicky by their side acting as trusted adult and teacher to highlight important learning. Each video is accompanied by “Think About It” questions and fun activities like word searches, build-a-letter, picture puzzles, and more.
Clicky and the cast of season 1 of Into the Cloud lead students through:
Upon completion, students can print out or save a certificate of completion!
Don’t let Safer Internet Day go uncelebrated! Share Cloud Quest with your kids, grandkids, and Junior Grangers today!
Take a dictionary to lunch day?
“…students were very excited to receive their own personal dictionary, and even took them to the lunchroom that day.”
Mrs. Watkins, Mt. Vernon Third Grade Teacher
Mill Stream Grange members Debbie Lavender (l) and Jill Sampson delivered dictionaries to the third grade of Mt. Vernon Elementary School. Due to Covid concerns, they were unable to present them in person.
Webmaster’s Note: Is this an opportunity for your Grange? (Think Community Service, Family Health and Hearing.) Check out the link to the toolkit in the last paragraph.
Solon, ME—Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin kicked off the state’s Read to ME Challenge at Solon Elementary School today by reading Mel Fell to Mrs. Currie’s second grade class. This is the seventh year that the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with community organizations and schools on this month-long public awareness campaign to promote the importance of literacy for all of Maine’s students, regardless of age.
The Read to ME Challenge encourages adults to read to children for 15 minutes, capture that moment via a photo or a video, and then post it to social media and challenge others to do the same using the hashtag #ReadtoME. The Department of Education will be highlighting Read to ME Challenge events throughout the month, including with Deputy Commissioner Dan Chuhta and Maine Department of Inland Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioner Judy Camuso.
“Read to ME is a simple yet powerful challenge that promotes literacy and a lifelong love of reading for children—and it’s fun,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “When you read aloud to a child it helps them build their own reading and vocabulary skills, exposes them to the world, establishes reading as an enjoyable and valuable activity, strengthens their bonds with trusted adults, and provides a foundation for future success as adults. I encourage everyone to join educators, parents and others across the state by completing the Read to ME challenge and making a difference for Maine children.”
The simple act of reading aloud to a child 15 minutes a day for five years results in 27,375 minutes of language exposure, which can put children on the path to high literacy achievement and helps them build knowledge and vocabulary. Research demonstrates a number of benefits to reading to children, from birth through their childhoods and even teenage years, including modeling reading as an enjoyable lifelong activity, stimulating brain development, reducing stress and anxiety, building knowledge of the world, and helping develop the skills necessary to succeed in their lives.
Schools and community organizations can find a toolkit and resources on the Department of Education website and the Department will be sharing videos, photos, and updates from the challenge all month long on social media. Participants in the challenge are reminded to use the hashtag #ReadtoME and to tag the Maine DOE at @mdoenews on Twitter, @MaineDepartmentofEducation1 on Facebook, and @mainedepted on Instagram.
A Family Event at Enterprise Grange in Richmond ME on Sunday, February 6, 2022
Encounters with hairs from browntail moth caterpillars can cause mild to severe rashes and respiratory issues. Browntail moth caterpillars overwinter in webs that may have from a couple dozen to several hundred caterpillars each. Winter is the best time to spot an infestation and take steps towards controlling the caterpillars and reducing the itch. Learn how with these Four Rs: Recognize, Remove, Recruit and Reach Out.
Event Listing and complete details.
Could your Grange create a “Browntail Moth Patrol?”
Here’s a link to an article by LaRae Que on “Becoming More Resilient.” I enjoyed the introduction because it challenges us not to try to “bounce back, but to “look for the deep healing…”
The article includes four quite specific and actionable ways to become more resilient in 2022. When I read the second one, I was almost expecting the last one to be “Join an active Grange and get involved in their programs and events.”
So the article has value to individuals. But it also suggests that we consider this question. “What is our Grange doing to help and support people as we “move through” the pandemic?”
“How you can become more resilient” is published by Smart Brief an organization offering B2B content solutions.
Webmaster’s Note: There’s been some weirdness with the link to the article that I’ve been unable to correct… You may get a “404” (not found) message, but if you look below the message, a link to the article is right below “similar results.”
Grab a coffee or cocoa, get comfortable; we’ve got lots of exciting news for you!
January Meeting
Sometimes just holding a meeting feels like a significant accomplishment! Special thanks to Snow Angels Brian and Cindy Woodworth for helping keep us plowed and shoveled for this meeting. We had a frozen well and frozen furnace—got the furnace running and carried water. While getting the hall ready, I kept reminding myself that we still have it a lot easier than our forebears!
The books were audited and found in order, so the treasurer is not under suspicion, and we are applying for renewal of our bond. The treasurer’s report for calendar year-end included an observation that our revenue was up 43% and expenses were up 29%. Still, it’s important to remember that this is over 2020, an exceptional year in every respect. In 2021 we actually spent $80 more than received and will likely need to consider a fundraiser in 2022. If you’d like a copy of the treasurer’s report, just let me know.
We tabled further discussion of hall rental until the February Meeting.
Our “Sock It to Us” program seems to be going somewhat viral! WABI-TV5 did a story that aired the same night as our meeting. (The link is on our website.) We have sox, hats, and mittens on the way to us from Sandy Williams in Pennsylvania… and the Jazz Hair Salon in Newport is collecting for us. Our next delivery is scheduled for mid-February, so keep collecting! Pat Engstrom noted that we should probably add Milo Elementary to our distribution—they house K-grade two students in that district.
Welcome New Members
The big news is that we are gaining new (affiliate) members! We were happy to welcome Nick Jackson and Sarah Mahan and their children to our meeting. It sure was nice to hear the “pitter-patter” of little feet in the hall! They are from Atkinson, where they operate Jackson Regenerational Farm. Check out their most recent newsletter and website to learn more about them—and see how they are already supporting the Valley Grange Sock Drive! Come to the February Meeting to meet the family! Emily is 7, Maverick is 6, and Olin is 2.
Town Meeting Support
We’re admittedly a bit behind schedule, but Mary Annis and I are working on the letters to area towns asking for support. Last year we received financial support from Abbot, Dover-Foxcroft, Ripley, and Wellington. As a reminder, it helps our cause if a member attends town meetings to speak about our request and answer questions. Help us put together a list of town meeting dates, and let us know if you are willing to help! We’ll be updating our project list and can help you with “talking points” if you’d like to represent Valley Grange.
February Pomona Meeting
Since we’re the only Grange in the area that manages to keep our hall open during the winter, we’ll be hosting the February Pomona Meeting on February 3, 2022. You do not have to be a Pomona Member to attend! For that matter, you don’t have to be a member! We’ve discontinued the potluck supper. We just ask for snacks and desserts and start at 7 pm.
February Valley Grange Meeting
The meeting Is on the third Friday, February 18, 2022, with a potluck supper at 6 pm and meeting at 7 pm. Grange Bees for this meeting are Janice and Walter. This meeting will be a “Cabin Fever Reliever” event… meet our new members, eat well, be happy! We’ll be discussing hall use procedures and our Community Citizen of the Year, including the Community Night Program in May. (I will be teaching in Augusta this day and not available to start the heat, etc. Volunteers to help Janice?)
Whatcha Got?
We need a few things for our hall! We keep a crate of children’s books—when kids visit they are encouraged to take home a few. We can always use a few more—all grade levels. We also would like to start an “entertainment bin” that would include activities especially for kids who attend meetings and events… coloring books, crayons, board games, and puzzles. (How cool would it be to have a puzzle going on one of the dining room tables?) I’ll grab a tote to fill… we can christen it as part of our February Cabin Fever Reliever Program!
Looking ahead
Of course, we’re somewhat at the mercy of COVID mandates and restrictions, but let’s keep in mind programs like GrowME, Newspapers in Education, and Bookworming! Wouldn’t it be great to “reactivate” some of those this spring? We’re still looking for a creative name for our Lap Quilts for Veterans Program… and Pat Engstrom says we should plan a “Blanketeering” Program soon… maybe in March? Attached is a program and meeting schedule as we know it!
Given the challenges associated with large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine Legislature is conducting much of its business via remote virtual meetings using the Zoom platform. Here is a guide to how you can participate in the legislative process this year.
Submitting Written Testimony
Once a public hearing has been scheduled for a bill, you can submit written testimony to the committee via the State’s online testimony submission system. On this page you will be asked to select the committee hearing the bill, then the date of the hearing, and then you will select the bill itself. You will then enter your testimony — you can either upload a document or copy and paste into the testimony field. Using this online testimony submission portal ensures that all members of the committee, in addition to the clerk and analysts, receive your written remarks.
Presenting Oral Testimony
You can register to give oral testimony using the same online testimony submission platform discussed above. When filling out the form, be sure to check the box that states “I would like to present my testimony live.” This will ensure you receive the Zoom link for the public hearing. In order to testify live on a bill, you will need to sign up using this form at least 30 minutes prior to the posted start time of the hearing. Registrations received after that time will be accepted at the discretion of the committee chairs.
Monitoring Committee Meetings
If you simply want to watch committee proceedings, instead of giving oral testimony, you can choose to listen or watch either live or at a later time.
Listen to audio of committee proceedings on the Maine Legislature website
Watch committee meetings via YouTube
What to Expect When Participating in a Public Hearing via Zoom
After signing up to present your testimony live, you will receive an invitation to a Zoom meeting (Public Hearing) and will need to follow the link in that email to register. Once you have registered, you will receive another link generated by Zoom to join the meeting. Wait until the day of the meeting to click the link to join. A reminder will be sent to you on the morning of the meeting with the link attached.
When you click the link to join the meeting, you will be in a “waiting room.” You will be able to see and hear the committee members and the proceedings, but you will not be seen or heard. The committee chairs and clerk will be watching who is in attendance in the waiting room. The chairs will also have a list of all who are scheduled to testify. The chairs and clerk will admit people 2-3 at a time from the waiting room into the meeting to give their testimony. During the transition from the waiting room to the meeting, you will see a box with a blue spooling circle and a message saying “Joining.” Please be patient during this time, often this takes 5-7 seconds. When you can see the participants again, you will be in the meeting and will be able to see yourself on screen.
You should remain muted until you are called on to speak. The committee chair will indicate when it is your turn to give testimony. After you have given your testimony and answered any questions the committee may have, you will be returned to the waiting room. Expect the same 5-7 second delay on your return. When you can see the participants again, you are back in the waiting room. You should then leave the Zoom meeting. If you wish to continue watching the public hearing, you can do so on the committee’s YouTube channel.
If you have questions about an upcoming public hearing, you can reach out directly to the committee clerk. Contact information for clerks can be found on each committee’s page on the Maine Legislature website.
Update for the First Regular and First Special Sessions of the 130th Maine Legislature
Presenting the Legislative Digest of Bills and Summaries of Enacted Laws for the First Regular and First Special Sessions of the 130th Maine Legislature.
The digest is posted on the page linked below where you can also find a digest for each individual committee.https://mainelegislature.org/opla/130th-bills-and-enacted-law-summaries/11689.
Most departmental contest deadlines have been changed to June 30, 2022. This is to allow ample time for judging ahead of the National Grange Session. This deadline will stand for future years, and new department program guides will be released in July. Please consult the individual contest guidelines on the National Grange website or the program guides from the Youth, Junior, and Lecturer’s Departments.
Want to see your new members recognized in Good Day Magazine? Anyone who has not been recognized as a new member in the past year can be included. Use this link to share the news. The deadlines for each issue are:
