The MDE announced the awards for the 99h Grant. As in years past, there was not enough money to award everyone 100% of what they applied for. All public districts were awarded 76% of the amount requested.  All non-public districts were awarded 73% of the amount requested. LUMP SUM PAYMENT Payouts will likely be in March and will be a lump sum. The district will not receive a check. Instead: Public districts will receive their lump sum awards through the district’s electronic monthly state aid payment from the state. The district should see the robotics award on line 99h of the statement accompanying the payment.Read More →

I hope your season is going well! We have a few topics today: Required Volunteering at Events Kitbot Videos Instructions on Using the Digikey Voucher to get a FREE XRP Kettering’s Mid-build Season Event Altair Software   VOLUNTEERING AT EVENTS: Each team is required to provide volunteers to fill 2 positions for each of the official FIRST in Michigan events they attend. This includes your initial 2 district events plus any additional Michigan events you attend, including third plays and/or the State Championship.  Rookie teams need only to staff 1 position with their volunteers.  The Volunteer Coordinator (VC) at your event will check to see if you haveRead More →

FIRST in Michigan is excited to host a Zoom Conference for students and mentors to introduce you to Altair, our newest Michigan sponsor and software donor to the FRC kit of parts. When: Wednesday, Dec 13 (this Wed) Time:   5:00 pm- 6:00 pm Link:     https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85027474219?pwd=nGM3HkkCkgGzjA483UZCbrnVbZNCIi.1 Let an Altair expert show you how their software, which pairs with any CAD program you may be using, can go beyond CAD to help you build maximum-performing robots in a shorter time: Avoid part breakage during competitions Optimize part shape to achieve weight goals Easily 3D print the optimized parts Ensure your robot moves/performs dynamically as intended FRC students, alreadyRead More →

FIRST in Michigan finally has a final list of events! You can find your home event designation through the link later in this email. Two important items to note: 1. YOU ARE NOT AUTOMATICALLY PLACED INTO YOUR HOME EVENT.    YOU MUST SELECT IT DURING FIRST-EVENT PREFERENCING.   2. YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY FOR THE SEASON TO REGISTER / PREFERENCE FOR YOUR EVENTS. How Event Preferencing Works Right now your team is not signed up for any events, not even your home event.  First event preferencing opens on Thursday of this week (tomorrow). Think of this period as FIRST asking the question: 1. What event would you likeRead More →

NEW: FIRST IN MICHIGAN YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL We are excited to announce the formation of FIRST in Michigan’s Youth Advisory Council. FIRST in Michigan is looking for 20 FRC students to represent the voices of our students. These students are expected to attend monthly online meetings to plan, promote, and participate in a variety of initiatives and events. Representatives may be expected to serve as representatives of FIM, be points of contact to other teams, and even attend FIRST/STEM based outreach events. Please pass this along to your students, and have any interested student read through the attached bylaws and fill out this application toRead More →

The Ford FRC grant for 2024 is now open. I was asked to quickly pass the details along to you: Hello FiM FRC Teams! Ford Motor Company is reaching out to all FiM FRC FIRST teams this year to invite you to apply for the 2023-2024 Ford FIRST Team Sponsorship!  To qualify, you must have an active Ford employee or retiree as a mentor and complete the following application by Saturday, September 30th at 11:59pm.  Please note – applications cannot be submitted by current Ford or agency employees.   Direct Link to Application   The Ford FIRST Board will inform teams if they have been awarded Ford Sponsorship byRead More →

Before I get to the MDE Grant Adjustment, I am in need of an FRC classroom curriculum right away. Please fill out this quick form if your team does FRC in the classroom: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV5UOPO8gyrbp0ABcduEabpQstx60dvaPoYhmOecruf5CgPA/viewform MDE Grant Increase   The MDE found itself with extra funds on hand after pulling back the grant money from public school teams that didn’t ultimately meet the grant requirements. It took this money and redistributed it among all public school teams. The amounts are small but still helpful.   The increase is only for public school teams. There was not enough pulled back from non-public school teams to warrant a redistribution. Public school teams should contact your districtRead More →

With a heavy heart, I pass along the sad news that Francois Castaing, who brought FIRST to Michigan, passed away on July 27 at the age of 78. Francois loved FIRST. When Dean Kamen introduced Francois to FIRST in the early 1990s, he gathered the automotive industry together and urged them to support it. They all did. And thanks to Francois, they still do. Francois loved to innovate: cars, companies, anything he could make better through his hard work, strategic clarity, ingenuity and determination. FIRST was no exception. In 2008, he helped us champion a new competition model for the high school FIRST Robotics Competition. We formedRead More →

Teachers have until close of business on Thursday, June 1 to fill out a log of their hours and earn Continuing Education Credits for FIRST (SCECHS). All the info you need can be found using this link, including the log form and where to submit it: https://www.techplan.org/professional-development/99h-robotics-competition-scech/ If you have any issues submitting, please be sure to contact arrasa@michigan.gov before 5:00 pm on June 1. Please copy me and attach your log. FREE KITS FOR OUR YOUNGER PROGRAMS We have free kits and registration fees for all newly forming FTC (middle school program) and FLL-Challenge teams (late elementary program). If you used to have an FTC orRead More →

For those of you who didn’t make the Zoom call, or those that want to revisit the topic, here is the Link and PassCode to the Recording: Watch the Recording Passcode: gVWy4&s3 We plan to have a brainstorming session soon. If you would like to be included, please let me know by hitting reply to this email. Also if your school is already doing this, please let me know. Best Regards, Gail Alpert President, FIRST in Michigan 248-425-4148 gail@firstinmichigan.orgRead More →