March 2018

Sights of Spring!

Crocus are blooming, daffodils are bursting out, cherry blossoms are unfurling and Metro-area Master Gardeners are in gear expanding their garden knowledge and sharing that knowledge with the gardening public.

The sights of spring herald new activity and volunteer opportunities for Master Gardeners. It’s time to reach out and engage in the myriad of clinics, projects and special events. Look for opportunities on CERVIS and in upcoming newsletters and emails.

Welcome 2018 Master Gardener Trainees!

We are thrilled you are joining our team of committed garden educators. You are over halfway through your training and soon you will be out in the community actively practicing and sharing your newfound knowledge.

Possibilities will abound with a wide-range of volunteer opportunities. You will hear about the many OSU approved offerings during week #6 of class. We hope you will dig in, have fun, and share your passion for gardening with fellow MGs and the gardening public. This is an opportunity to further your garden education and to gain confidence in teaching others how to sustainably and successfully garden.

Key points for 2017 MG Interns:

Complete the quizzes for the three required training modules by March 31, 2018.
Complete the online final exam by March 31, 2018. The exam will be available starting the evening of March 9^th. Please, allocate three to five hours to complete this online learning experience. You can stop and start the exam, you can complete the exam in multiple sessions (be sure to save your work). A score of 70 percent or more is required on the test in order to start volunteering at Master Gardener clinic activities (answering the public’s garden questions). You will receive a grade on the exam upon submission via Canvas.
For best selection, be sure to sign-up for your required Workshop before March 9. On that date, the Workshop schedule will open to all Master Gardeners and it will quickly fill.
Hear about the many volunteer opportunities during Week #6. This will be your opportunity to meet the volunteer coordinators, sign up for volunteer activities/events, and learn how to use our online volunteer system.

Special message to Veteran Master Gardeners
Vets, please join-in welcoming and guiding our new class of eager Master Gardener trainees by signing up for shifts at the Master Gardener phone clinics, area farmers markets, and other remote clinics. We hope to have one Veteran per shift scheduled before March 9^th – so when trainees sign-up for shifts at the MG training Resource Fair they will have a perennial MG to ease them into their new role as a garden educator.

To sign up for phone, farmer’s markets, and remote clinic shifts go to CERVIS or contact the coordinator. Note CERVIS will be closed March 10^th through March 19^thto prepare for the Intern Resource Fair. Be sure to read the article below about important changes in CERVIS.

Changes to CERVIS Volunteer Registration Service
This year when you sign-up for volunteer events in CERVIS, our online volunteer registration system, you may notice a few changes.

First off, visually it is a bit different in layout, color, and fonts. This system wide change should make navigating the site easier.

We have added shift slots that are specific to 3 different categories of volunteers.

Veteran Only
Interns Only
Veteran or Intern

When registering on CERVIS please sign-up for the appropriate slot.

This change will assist coordinators in adequately filling shifts for their events. This change also will make it clearer and easier for Interns to serve on shifts with Veteran MGs.

All ‘current’ certified 2018 Veteran Master Gardeners have access to CERVIS. If you are unable to access CERVIS, please contact Jordis Yost or Marcia McIntyre. 2018 Trainees, you will have access to CERVIS on March 19th.

2018 MG Training Kicks Off!

Our annual Master Gardener training kicked-off last month with over 140 eager trainees, our knowledgeable instructors, and a committed team of Veteran MG volunteer coordinators.