AMP Happenings for the Week of November 2nd

11/1/2020

Howdy AMP families and students,

The following are important events and happenings for the week of November 2nd.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, November 3rd - No school in observance of National Election Day
Tuesday, November 10th - James Madison FFA Booster Club General Meeting at 6:30pm (via Zoom)

Livestock Project Center Access
Now that we have transitioned to only students feeding for the major livestock show season in our livestock project centers, we want to take this opportunity to remind students and parents/guardians of the expectations and protocols when on campus at any time (morning, day, night, weekday, weekend, etc.) and accessing the livestock project centers.

Livestock project centers are only open to the student raising the livestock animal and their parent or guardian. Siblings, friends, guests, etc. are not to be in the livestock project centers.
Livestock feeders can only access a livestock project center at their scheduled time assigned by the livestock project supervisor.
All people entering a livestock project center must pre-screen themselves for any of the following new or worsening signs or symptoms of possible COVID-19. If you exhibit any one of the following, you are not to enter a livestock project center:
1. Cough
2. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
3. Chills
4. Repeated shaking with chills
5. Muscle pain
6. Headache
7. Sore throat
8. Loss of taste or smell
9. Diarrhea
10. Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
11. Known close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have COVID-19

Any person entering a livestock project center must be wearing a face covering over their nose and mouth.

Any person entering a livestock project center must practice a minimum of 6 feet of social distancing from any other individual that does not live in their immediate household.
Any person entering a livestock project center must wash their hands with soap upon entering, after touching items that another person has touched, and upon exiting the livestock project center.

AMP Students Earn Honors in National FFA Agriscience Fair
This week, the National FFA Organization announced the results of the National FFA Agriscience Fair during the 93rd National Convention and Expo.

We are proud to announce that Samara Huezo and Jean Lamboy Medina were named Reserve National Champions and Ember Reyes and Shepherd Smith earned a 3rd place finish in their respective categories in the National FFA Agriscience Fair competition. Congratulations and thank you for representing the AMP and James Madison FFA well!

2021 North East Ag Fair Website is Live
We are proud to announce that we have launched a new website and resources for the 2021 North East Ag Fair scheduled to be held January 8-9, 2021. Besides the opportunity for students that are raising livestock for the major livestock shows to participate, we will be hosting the other competitions we were not able to have in 2020 to include the Creative Arts competition, BBQ Cook-Off, Ag Mechanics Build-Off, and Fastest Torch in the West. In addition, we are adding an online Premium Auction to the 2021 North East Ag Fair for eligible exhibitors.

Students wishing to compete in the 2021 North East Ag Fair can find the Premium Booklet and entry forms online at: https://northeastagfair.weebly.com/exhibitors.html. The deadline to enter all competitions at the 2021 North East Ag Fair is Friday, December 4, 2020.

The FFA Booster Club is seeking business and family sponsors for the 2021 North East Ag Fair. Sponsorship levels are available from $500 to $2500. Potential sponsors can find out more information about the sponsorship opportunities by going to: https://northeastagfair.weebly.com/sponsors.html.

Also a few sponsorships are available for the custom trophy belt buckles that will be awarded this year at the 2021 North East Ag Fair. The sponsorship cost is $200.00 per buckle and the following buckles are available for sponsorship:

Goat Champion Showmanship
Goat Reserve Champion Showmanship
Goat Grand Champion
Goat Reserve Grand Champion
Rabbit Champion Showmanship
Broiler Grand Champion

If you have an interest or know someone that has an interest in buckle sponsorship, please have them contact Mrs. Fuller at (210) 356-1517 or [email protected] to make arrangements for sponsorship and payment.

National FFA SAE Grant Opportunity
Do you need financial assistance to help start or expand your Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program? A limited number of grants of $1,000 each are available to current FFA members through the National FFA Organization. FFA membership must be current, applicants must be in grades 7-12 and must demonstrate financial need.

The SAE Grant application is open now through Monday, November 16th, at 7:00 PM CDT. Students can access the application on the SAE Grant webpage at: https://www.ffa.org/participate/grants-and-scholarships/sae-grants/

NEISD Magnet Common Application Open for 2021-2022
The NEISD Magnet Common Application for the 2021-2022 school year is now available for interested 8th graders to apply for the Agriscience Magnet Program (AMP). Applications may be submitted until February 12, 2021. Go to https://tinyurl.com/AMPenrollmentprocess for more information.

Guidance and Counseling News
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for Seniors
Attention Seniors!! The FAFSA opened on October 1, 2020 for seniors only. Please visit College Board at Federal Student Aide for updated information on the FAFSA process and the FAFSA application.

Do you need to request a transcript?

Watch this how-to video on requesting a transcript.
Official transcript requests will continue to be completed online using ScribOrder or use the QR Code to access the site.
All unofficial transcripts should be accessed via Skyward Family Access Portal and can be found under the "portfolio" tile.
Questions? Please contact Mrs. Norma Cooper.

SAEP Scholarship

The application can be found in the link provided below http://saedpartnership.org/saep-scholarship
To sign up for the 3 activities you need to do for the scholarship, choose a day and fill out the sign-up sheet by clicking on the "SAEP College Success Activities" link below.

https://www.saedpartnership.org/saep-scholarship/saep-college-success-activities/

For more details, including how much the scholarship is worth and what schools accept it, please see the flier attached as well. If you have any questions please contact our SAEP College advisor, Ms. Cole [email protected]

Café College Fall Workshops
Cafe College is offering different workshops every Saturday that cover topics like essay writing, financial aid for undocumented students, transferring from a 2-year to a 4-year, and more! Check out the attached flier to see the schedule and sign up for workshops.

Scholarship Opportunities
Department of Soil & Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University
Deadline: January 1, 2021
The Department of Soil & Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University is awarding $16,000 scholarships to incoming freshmen and $8000 scholarships to transfer students. Please see the attached flier to this post for information about the scholarships and the application process. The deadline for the application is January 1, 2021. Please find the application at this link: http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/scholarships/

Texas Farm Credit Scholarship Program
Deadline: January 8, 2021
To qualify, an applicant must be a high school senior, be a member of FFA or 4-H, plan to pursue an agriculture-related college degree, submit a current high school transcript, resume, and essay (prompt at link above). Click the link above in the title for further details.

National FFA Scholarship Program
Deadline: January 14, 2021
The National FFA Scholarship Program application opens Nov. 1. Whether students are planning on attending a specialized training program or seeking a four-year degree, the National FFA Scholarship Program has opportunities for all. Scholarships support FFA high school seniors and collegiate members as well as non-FFA students.

Just one application is required for multiple scholarship opportunities totaling close to $2 million dollars. Everything students need to successfully complete the application can be found on the scholarship website. This year, we are also including how-to videos to assist students in completing the application and advisors on validating the student’s application. It is imperative that students “white list” emails that will come from our scholarship partner ISTS. Here is a document to walk you through how to ensure you receive the communication around the scholarship program.

The scholarship application closes on Jan. 14, 2021. Access the scholarship application and resources at FFA.org/Scholarships.

Join the AMP / FFA Scholarship GroupMe

Who Should Join? ONLY AMP graduating Seniors and their parents/guardians may join the Scholarship GroupMe.
What will be posted? Information pertinent to Agriculture, FFA, and other Community Scholarships as we receive the information.
Will there be meetings? Meetings for local, area, state, and national scholarships will be held in late December or early January.
Is this the clearinghouse for scholarships? No, Mr. Anderson will only be posting scholarship info we receive or find on the internet which may be applicable to our AMP students. Seniors and their parents/guardians should reference the counseling department’s webpage for up-to-date scholarship and FAFSA information.
Can I join if I am 9th-11th grader? No, please do not join if you are not a graduating Senior or the parent/guardian of a graduating Senior.
How do I join? Click here to join: https://groupme.com/join_group/63067033/90xMvMka

Stay Connected with Us!
Find us online at www.JamesMadisonFFA.com or follow us on
Youtube (Agriscience Magnet Program),
Facebook (www.facebook.com/MadisonFFA),
and on Instagram (www.instagram.com/jamesmadisonffa)
Stay connected with the AMP for the 2020-2021 school year