Working in a district where students and families are not often familiar with the FFA and all of the activities that we participate in means that most of the little things about our contests and events have to be explained to families prior to students competing. I am glad I started my teaching experience in a program where I didn't have to do this since I had no template for how to explain every little thing but that's not how it looks for every new teacher, so I'm here to provide you a template to modify to work for your students and program!
Happy coaching!
LDE WELCOME TEMPLATE
Good afternoon,
Your student has decided to join one (or more) of our Leadership Development Event (LDE) teams for this Fall! I am very excited to help them develop their skills and get involved in the FFA. They have been sent home with our team contact which does need to be signed by a parent or guardian as well as the student and returned back to school.
Practices for team and individual contests are scheduled around the student's class and extra-curricular schedule, so the primary thing to be aware of is making sure that any team members as well as myself are aware of changes to your student's schedule which would cause them to miss a practice in a timely manner so we can reschedule. Additionally, students who miss a scheduled contest without notice, ie oversleeping, no show, etc. will be charged for the contest. Our FFA Chapter covers the cost of competitions for students with the help of fundraisers, students will only be asked to pay for these missed contests so long as they participate in our annual fundraiser later this fall.
With practices starting your student will be sent home with their team contract. We review this in practice but please review it as a family before signing and returning. Your students are in a team google drive where all of their documents are located, including their contests for the year (INSERT YOUR LINK). Please be sure to check the contest schedule and put these on your calendar.
Fall 2023 LDE Contests
(EDIT FOR YOUR CONTEST SCHEDULE)
Fri 10/27 - Invitational
Mon 10/30 - Invitational
Wed 11/8 - District IV *1st & 2nd advance to Area
Fri 11/17 - Area V *1st & 2nd advance to State
11/30-12/3 - State *State overnight travel covered by ISD
Uniform
Students are required to wear FFA Official Dress to these contests Here is an amazon list as a reference. All FFA Officers are required to have their own FFA Jacket and scarf/tie. We do have a few chapter jackets, scarves, and ties available for chapter members to borrow during their contest. We have limited sizes available and students might need to share if they choose this option.
- Black dress shoes closed toe/heel
- Males - slip on or laced is fine
- Females - small heel, no higher than 3.5 inches. If you must get flats, I need to approve them first.
- Undergarments
- Males - black dress socks. No ankle showing
- Females - jet black, sheer panty hose. Your skin needs to be seen through the panty hose. Tights are too thick
- Bottoms
- Males - black dress slacks with black dress belt. I recommend a "travelers" style, so they wrinkle less. Not a skinny leg.
- Females - black, knee length, pencil skirt. Any slit should be no higher than mid-thigh and only in the back. Please check the tag to make sure the skirt is black and not a deep navy
- Tops
- White collared button up. No polos with soft collars. I recommend the cheap bagged shirts from the men's section in Walmart. All you will see is the collar and maybe the cuff of the sleeve. You can get short sleeved shirts.
- FFA Jackets & Scarf/Tie
- Official jackets and neckwear must be purchased from the National FFA Association. Any student can purchase a scarf or tie from the National Shop website. Students must be measured for their jacket. It is optional for students to purchase a jacket, but highly encouraged. It is required for students to purchase their neckwear. If you will be purchasing a jacket, wait to buy the scarf/tie until you order the jacket (only pay shipping once) Tie Scarf
One of the teams your student is on is FFA Skills. For this contest the team selects what their matching uniform is, please check with your student about getting the required clothing for the skills contest.
Please reach out with any questions,
YOUR NAME HERE