December 2019 Golden Slate

December 2019

In This Issue

Sacramento Scene:

Gratitude

California Department of Education Update:

Reflection and Celebration

News & Views:

Subject Matter Requirements (SMR) in Agriculture and the Need to Update
2020 Scholarship Deadlines
2019 Giving Tuesday Recap

Sacramento Scene: Gratitude

B y: Matt Patton, CATA Executive Director

The holiday season gives us time to reflect, rejuvenate and prepare for the hectic spring that awaits all agricultural educators. Several of you will accidentally set off the alarms at school sites as you continue to serve your students, FFA programs and your community over the break. Traditionally, agricultural teachers spend time on campus when other teachers are off campus, as they do one of two things; desperately trying to catch up or trying to get ahead of the upcoming spring tsunami of events, field days, CDE practices, project visits, fairs and the like. Take a couple of days over break to spend time with friends and family and reconnect with those loved ones that share you with your FFA families during the school year. Thank those that support you in your labor of love that is being an agricultural teacher.

Reflection and Celebration

By: Charles Parker, California Department of Education, State FFA Advisor

Thanksgiving, a time of reflection and celebration. During the brief break from work, I had the opportunity to join family in eating way more than we should and enjoying conversation that seems to never occur. Time was also available to reflect on the past few months and to think ahead to the coming weeks.

Subject Matter Requirements (SMR) in Agriculture and the Need to Update

By: Dr. Lynn Martindale, UC Davis

To a majority of agricultural teachers, Subject Matter Requirements (SMRs) in agriculture are foreign. But in reality, all Single Subject Agriculture (SSA) credentialed teachers have all been exposed and deemed competent in the SMRs. If you did not go through an agricultural education program at a university, you may have had to take the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) in agriculture you are very familiar with SMRs for all six domains.

2020 Scholarship Deadlines

With the new year approaching, that also means scholarship deadlines are approaching. California FFA and CATA will be sending out reminders of scholarship application deadlines via social media and email blasts, but for your convenience, a list of scholarship deadlines through February 1 is listed in this article.

2019 Giving Tuesday Recap

By: Matt Patton, California FFA Foundation

Thanks to the generous support of donors, California FFA Foundation and Blue Diamond Growers are proud to announce that Giving Tuesday donation efforts raised enough money for 890 FFA jackets, easily surpassing the goal of 750 jackets. That’s the equivalent of $66,750!