Season Registration Open  l  Notable Dates  l  Event Rollout  l  Season Game  l  REV Driver Hub   l  Remaining Funds  l ESSER Funds l MDE Grant l ULTIMATE GOAL Recognitions

SEASON REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

The 2021-22 FTC season registration is open! Welcome to both our new and returning teams. For those teams re-engaging with FTC after a COVID-induced hiatus year, we’re so happy to have you back on board!

Returning Teams (veterans) – Returning teams register with their existing team number. Check the MI Archive FTC Team List (tab 1 & 2) for a list of historical team numbers.

• Annual season registration is holding steady at $275. This is paid to FIRST HQ through your Team Dashboard.
• Veteran Team Registration Guide – contains screenshots of the process.
• Update team contacts – Remember to have matriculating team contacts invite their replacements before moving programs.

New Teams (rookies) – FIRST HQ once again as their FTC Rookie Team Grant available! This grant works with the FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant to 100% cover a newly forming FTC team’s first season registration fee and reusable kit of parts purchase.

• Start the team registration process but DO NOT PAY for anything yet!
• Apply for the FIRST FTC HQ Rookie Team Grant. Apply for this grant using your temporary team number which starts with “2021”.
• Rookie Team Registration Guide – contains screenshots of the process.
• Team Name is a mandatory field when setting up the Team Profile. If your team does not have a name yet, just fill in TBD then update it at a later time.
• FiM FTC Rookie Grant specifics:
  • All past team numbers out of a given school must be registered for the current season before a newly forming team is eligible for the grant.
  • New teams must apply for the FIRST HQ FTC Rookie Team Grant first.
  • Visit the GRANTS page on the FIRST in Michigan FTC website for details.

• June 24, 7pm: Global Season Celebration hosted by FIRST FTC HQ. Broadcast will be on FIRSTs Twitch channel. Tune in to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments of FTC teams, volunteers, and community around the globe in this ULTIMATE GOALS presented by Qualcomm season. There may be a FREIGHT FRENZY game hint as well!
• September 18: Official FREIGHT FRENZY season kickoff, kickoff events to be announced!
• November-December: FIRST in Michigan FTC competition season; traditional event rollout anticipated.
• December 18: Projected FiM FTC State Championship date.
• Mid May: Spring FTC season, no advancement component.

2021-22 EVENT ROLL OUT

FIRST in Michigan FTC is anticipating that we will be able to deliver our traditional physical event roll out for the 2021-22 season. If there are teams that can only operate in the remote event format, FiM FTC will organize remote events to support those teams. The timeline for any remote events will be after our traditional format competition season and will likely occur in the January-February timeline.

FIRST HQ will continue to offer the FIRST FTC Innovation Challenge as an add-on activity for teams. At this time, for the 2021-22 season, a team’s participation in the FIRST FTC Innovation Challenge will not satisfy a team’s competition requirement which accompanies many grants, like the MDE FIRST Robotics State Grant and other sponsor-specific grants.

EVENT HOSTS

Teams or organizations interested in hosting a 2021-22 FiM FTC official event, please email tammy@firstinmichigan.org with your interest!

SEASON GAME

The 2021-22 season FTC game is “FREIGHT FRENZY” and it will have teams race against time to transport hard-to-move essential goods as they explore the future of transporting relief to those in need. We look forward to reuniting on the playing field both with old and new friends including some past game elements such as the blocks and wiffle balls from the ROVER RUCKUS game! They’re baaaack!!

FREIGHT FRENZY game elements are available for pre-order from AndyMark, a FIRST supplier, both in partial and full set bundles. See the FIRST HQ FTC Blog for specs on the elements and ordering from AndyMark https://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.com/.

REV DRIVER HUB

While you’re on the blog (linked above), check out the info on the new “tech” for the season – the REV Driver Hub! The Driver Hub consolidates the Driver Station phone and related cables into a single robust unit. It is a legal but not mandatory component for the 2021-22 season. Teams may continue to use the Driver Station phone for the 2021-22 season if desired.

The REV Driver Hub is available for purchase for $210 (before taxes/shipping) on the FTC Storefront as part of the Control & Communications Set. It may be available for purchase as a standalone unit through REV later this summer. Per REV, the FTC Storefront has plenty of stock of the Driver Hub to service all new/returning teams.

REMAINING TEAM FUNDS

Teams should connect with their school/district finance person to work a plan on accessing/using any remaining 2019-2020 grant funds (MDE grant, sponsor grants, etc.) so that these funds are not absorbed by the school/district at the end of the school’s fiscal year (often the end of June).

For MDE grant awarded teams: If you need to reference your team’s 20-21 MDE grant award amount, which is remit directly to the school as part of their monthly school aid payout, please refer to https://www.techplan.org/edtech-initiatives/rdi/first-robotics/. Note that there are two recipient lists posted, one for public schools and one for non-public schools. The total award amount posted reflects the team grant award plus the coach stipend (if the submitted grant application indicated a stipend award). Payout amounts can be found at this link: 20-21 MDE Grant Funding Breakdown.

For teams with remaining funds on their FIRST Dashboard: Teams with funds still sitting on their FIRST Team Dashboard have until June 30th to request a regrant on those funds. Follow the instructions at this link: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/regranting-process-procedures-and-w-9. Note that funds can only be remit to the team’s fiscal partner (upload of the organization’s W-9 is required). If there is an issue with connecting with your team’s fiscal partner by the June 30 deadline, please email tammy@firstinmichigan.org for assistance. Please put your team number in the subject line of all correspondence.

Ideas for uses of remaining funds:

• Pay the team’s $275 2021-22 FTC Season Registration Fee when new season registration opens in mid-May.
• Purchase the new REV Driver Hub which is part of the Control & Communication Set offered through FTC Storefront. The cost is $210 before taxes/shipping.
• AndyMark 1/2 set playing field : $260 this season before shipping. Available for pre-order now.
• FTC Class Pack curriculum can be purchased by teams. Cost is $850 before taxes/shipping and includes a mini game that reflects the current season’s FTC game. Teams do not have to purchase additional robot kits. Curriculum uses the REV build kit (EDU kit) but can be adapted for TETRIX.
• Buy spare and additional parts (batteries, motors, wheels, etc.) Don’t forget that discount codes are available to all teams towards the purchase of TETRIX (through Pitsco) and REV Robotics parts. See the RESOURCES page on this site under “Parts and Vendors” for how to access the vendor discount codes via the FTC Storefront. The Pitsco discount code is already available. REV anticipates their discount code to be available later this summer.
• Reserve funds for 2021-22 team budget items such as event fees, team shirts, future game elements, transportation, etc.
• Purchase gift cards to Pitsco/REV Robotics/AndyMark to buy parts/game elements in the future.

ESSER FUNDS AND FIRST

Under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund), the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is providing local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are LEAs and non-public schools associated with LEAs, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools in Michigan.

FIRST programs meet 12 of the 15 ESSER funding criteria and many schools/districts are using the funding opportunity to put FIRST in the hands of their students. FIRST Class Packs coupled with a competition team provides a rigorous and relevant STEM experience that meets/exceeds Michigan Standards Alignment. The social-emotional learning skills and interdisciplinary connections inherent in the curriculum and unique to FIRST provide a truly comprehensive and real-world applicable experience for students. Often, schools don’t realize that FIRST programs are, in fact, “Computer Science for All” adding the ability for students to bring their coding to life through the robot.