The state grant award list is out!! All Eligible Teams Got an Award All eligible teams were awarded the state grant. But, it appears that there were too many applicants to pay out the maximum award to all eligible teams. So, rather than pay some schools and not others, the MDE opted to reduce all awards, across all programs, by the same percentage to ensure every team got paid. I think this was a GREAT approach. The same method was used to ensure that all eligible non-public school teams got an award. To make the numbers work though, the MDE had to reduce the non-publicRead More →

We are excited to announce a brand-new program coming to FIRST teams throughout Michigan! Consumers Energy, Jackson Community Foundation, College and Career Access Center of Jackson, and FIRST in Michigan, are joining forces to launch new opportunities for FIRST teams through the Dream Maker Initiative. Teams will have the opportunity to create appointments for career and post-secondary planning for the students. Inaugural Event: FAFSA Webinar-Jan 26 The very first event is being offered to all teams in Michigan on January 26. It is a webinar for seniors on your team and their parents that will guide them through the FAFSA application process. Here are theRead More →

Michigan teams are invited to apply for a $1,000 cash prize by participating in a competition sponsored by ASQ Automotive Division. You can find all the details here- https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vS20lysCfGnqIODgwIp31wrckVd1CCIZ3DxIm_uaoEXytuYbH-Qzg9CcZLPZaBdRw/pub You are required to fill out this form to participate. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjAVBYL_Wq6dZAz0p6KqYGRwH4L7fk6iQJGvra91ShDJKGCg/viewform Submissions are due by Feb 28, 2021. Best of luck, Gail Alpert 248-425-4148 gail@firstinmichigan.orgRead More →

I heard from the MDE this morning. They are busy working on the grant awards now, but they don’t expect to have final approval until at least the end of January. Just wanted to make you aware that we will not hear about district awards from the MDE Grant until the end of the month at the earliest. Also, just a quick heads up. I just met someone who is amazing at brainstorming. I asked and he agreed to run a virtual brainstorming workshop this Sunday with the tools he used at FCA. We hope to tape the session so you can access it ifRead More →

MDE GRANT OPENS NOV 12, CLOSES DEC 11The State Grant is scheduled to open today, Thursday, Nov 12, and close on Dec 11 at 11:59 pm.  During this time your district administration will be able to go in and apply for the state grant through the Michigan Dept. of Ed’s (MDE)  MEGS+ system (Michigan Electronic Grants System). FIND YOUR ADMINISTRATOR WITH LEVEL 5 CLEARANCEThere is usually only one person in the district with the MEGS+ login and password, known as the Level 5. This person is usually found in the Superintendent’s or Finance office.  For Charter schools, the Level 5 may be in the officeRead More →

We finally have details for you on our MDE State Grant. As you may recall from my previous email, total funding this season is $4.4 million for public school districts and $300,000 for non-public school districts. For those of you that have asked, you have NOT missed the grant. We expect it to open around Nov 12. Below are the tentative funding numbers that have been submitted for final approval. The approved numbers will be in the RFP (Request for Proposal) which will be posted to techplan.org, shortly before the grant officially opens. https://www.techplan.org/edtech-initiatives/rdi/first-robotics/ HIGH SCHOOL (2021 Registration Fee is $2,000)FIRST Robotics Competition teams will getRead More →

I just wanted to tell you the fantastic news! Not only do we have the state grant again but it’s available to PUBLIC and NON-PUBLIC schools this year! The line item is $4.4 million for public districts and $300,000 for non-public districts. We are so very excited! We don’t know yet exactly how much each team at each level will get, but we are working on that and will let you know just as soon as we have an answer. All levels will be funded including our new Pre-k program FIRST LEGO League Discover. What is clearly known is that the Legislature was willing toRead More →

By now, most of you have probably read the note FIRST sent out about the season.  If not, you can find it here:https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/blog/2021-additional-detailsI wanted to provide additional information about Michigan’s plans in light of their letter. FRC IN-PERSON EVENTSFIRST in Michigan is fully committed to bringing you in-person FRC events as outlined in my email two weeks ago, provided we can do it in a safe way and the state guidelines allow it. We are continuing to work toward that goal… meeting with COVID safety experts to discuss the PPE needs, best sanitization practices, and the allowable number of attendees. Our search for 10 suitableRead More →