{"id":2953,"date":"2020-06-25T07:09:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T14:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/?p=2953"},"modified":"2020-06-26T10:17:06","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T17:17:06","slug":"06-25-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/2020\/06\/25\/06-25-20\/","title":{"rendered":"06.25.20 Team Eblast"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"print-this-page\">\n<p>Season reg\u00a0 l Notable Dates l\u00a0 Event Rollouts\u00a0 l\u00a0 Team Funds l\u00a0 FIRST LEGO League Rebrand l\u00a0 FIRST LEGO League Discover\u00a0 l\u00a0 2019-20 Remaining Funds\u00a0 l\u00a0 1 Million PPE Challenge Update\u00a0 l\u00a0 Progam Information<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<div class='printomatic pom-default ' id='id8072'  data-print_target='.print-this-page'><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"print-this-page\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"m_8331162849281476702gmail-m_-8497760851914975301gmail-m_-7208688377442745177gmail-m_-4580138073686423102gmail-m_-7224984817622145695gmail-m_-5505622349487982504gmail_signature\">\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">2020-21 SEASON REGISTRATION IS OPEN!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<div>\n<p>The registration guides linked below contain info on establishing a FIRST Account, setting up a team profile, inviting contacts, applying for screening, accessing the Storefront, etc. with screenshots.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Returning Teams<\/strong> (veterans) \u2013 remember to register using your existing team number. <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vRynLvwi30sKCQaB9is7L3HR3VUev1upyhp95_BokiQsbBM5djGP4iG4wvF9W7cG2y-2rvG3-Clb_YD\/pubhtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MI Archive FTC Team List<\/a> (tab 1 &amp; 2 contain a historical list of team numbers).\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstinspires.org\/sites\/default\/files\/uploads\/resource_library\/ftc\/veteran-registration.pdf\">Veteran Team Registration Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Update team contacts \u2013 Remember to have matriculating team contacts invite their replacements before moving programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Teams<\/strong>\u00a0(rookies) \u2013 start the team registration process but\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>DO NOT PAY<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0for anything until applying for the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/usfirst.submittable.com\/submit\/8781950c-101d-46f1-b788-15beb8f701f5\/2020-2021-first-tech-challenge-rookie-team-grant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FIRST FTC HQ Rookie Team Grant<\/a>. Apply for this grant using your temporary team number which starts with \u201c2020\u201d.\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstinspires.org\/sites\/default\/files\/uploads\/resource_library\/ftc\/rookie-registration.pdf\">Rookie Team Registration Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li>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. You can update this field at a later time once a team name is chosen.<\/li>\n<li>FIRST in Michigan will once again have the FTC Rookie Team Grant available to newly forming teams. Visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/grants\/\">GRANTS<\/a> page on the FIRST in Michigan FTC website for details.\n<ul>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>Teams must apply for the FIRST HQ FTC Rookie Team Grant first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">2020-21 UPCOMING NOTABLE DATES\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>June 25 &#8211; 12pm (noon); <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=03De6IY2IuM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Season game teaser<\/a> released on YouTube<br \/>\nJune 25 &#8211; 4pm; AndyMark opens preorder of game challenge field set<br \/>\nSept. 12 &#8211; 2020-21 game release; kickoff events to be announced<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">EVENT ROLLOUT<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>The 2020-21 season will truly be one for &#8220;Game Changers&#8221;! It presents some unique challenges with social distancing and gathering restriction rules likely to still be in effect in many areas. But, it also presents opportunities to try new things and reach more students.<\/p>\n<p>FIRST in Michigan FTC will support two types of event rollouts for the 2020-21 season that will be adaptable to the conditions in a given area: traditional and\/or remote events.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I&#8217;d like to put together a committee to work through the details\/resources to support multiple event rollout platforms. Past event hosts would provide an invaluable perspective but potential event\/hub hosts or those who&#8217;d just like to contribute to the planning process are welcome as well. If interested, please fill out this google form <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLScNZwQxzqa8n-Siabok7egrgSvCm2ucs7cUgd0UeKfozQFPng\/viewform?usp=sf_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GAME CHANGER COMMITTEE<\/a> (link). Meetings will be conducted bi-weekly via Google Meets starting July 14 at 8pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Traditional events can already scale from 36 down to 12 teams. The remote event rollouts will enable teams to compete in even smaller groups or independently. Remote events of the most limited nature will be able to use partial fields and no alliance partner or opposing alliance. Events of all sizes will be able to utilize remote judging across the same awards as traditional events.<\/p>\n<p>Remote events will allow for transition to traditional events as social distancing restrictions are relaxed. Both formats can also be followed throughout the season with advancement to FIRST in Michigan FTC States and all the way to FIRST Championship.<\/p>\n<p>The introduction of the remote event opens up the opportunity for several creative rollouts. View the below as brainstorming!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Traditional event venues can run multiple small scale or remote events at the same time and\/or across several days as long as sanitizing protocol and gathering limits are observed in adherence to a location&#8217;s current scenario.<\/li>\n<li>Venues that have been too small to host large scale traditional events could possibly now host a small scale or remote event.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Hubs&#8221; can be placed around the state where teams can make an appointment to access a full game field to run official matches. These hubs can scale the number of teams on-site in adherence to an area&#8217;s current scenario. A few preliminary thoughts on the hubs is that hub hosts will have volunteers trained to fill roles such as FTA\/CSA\/Inspector\/Referee. Depending on the scenario in play, a maximum of two volunteers might have to be able to cover these roles. Hubs could also have the ability for teams to participate in remote judging.<\/li>\n<li>The most limited event rollout is where a team competes independently or a team member operates independently to execute the team&#8217;s official robot matches with remote judging. Arrangements could be made for a team to borrow a sanitized field\/game elements from an area hub\/team for their robot runs. Team coach(es) or family members would fill the roles of FTA\/CSA\/Inspector\/Referee.<\/li>\n<li>Season timeline could be expanded beyond our usual November-December competition timeframe. The pros\/cons of this idea would have to be explored as FTC is very FRC support dependent in Michigan.<\/li>\n<li>Kickoff events can be adapted to large\/small\/remote\/virtual rollouts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">2019-2020 REMAINING TEAM FUNDS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>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&#8217;s fiscal year (often the end of June).<\/p>\n<p>Teams with grants still sitting on their FIRST Team Dashboard have until <strong>June 30th<\/strong> 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&#8217;s fiscal partner (upload of the organization&#8217;s W-9 is required). If there is an issue with connecting with your team&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>Ideas for uses of the funds:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pay the team&#8217;s $275 2020-21 FTC Season Registration Fee when new season registration opens in mid-May.<\/li>\n<li>Purchase the new REV Control Hub ($239 before taxes\/shipping) which will be available on the FTC Storefront when new season registration opens.<\/li>\n<li>Buy spare and additional parts (batteries, motors, wheels, etc.) Don&#8217;t forget that discount codes are available to all teams towards the purchase of TETRIX (through Pitsco) and REV Robotics parts. See the <a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/resources\/\">RESOURCES<\/a> page on this site under &#8220;Parts and Vendors&#8221; for how to access the vendor discount codes via the FTC Storefront.<\/li>\n<li>Earmark funds for 2020-21 team budget items such as event fees, team shirts, future game elements, transportation, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Purchase gift cards to Pitsco\/REV Robotics\/AndyMark to buy parts\/game elements in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">FIRST LEGO LEAGUE REBRANDING<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>FIRST LEGO League will now be the name of the program encompassing 3 separate divisions. As such, the old program names have changed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>FIRST Lego League is now FIRST LEGO League &#8220;Challenge&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>FIRST LEGO League Jr is now FIRST LEGO League &#8220;Explore&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>New Pre-K program is called FIRST LEGO League &#8220;Discover&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the names may have changed, the age ranges for Michigan&#8217;s FIRST programs have not. Michigan&#8217;s age ranges differ from what you will find on the firstinspires.org website. All Michigan students must follow the Michigan age ranges.<\/p>\n<p>The addition of the Discover program for preschool now gives us a progression of 5 programs from pre-K through high school that looks like this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>High School &#8211; FIRST Robotics Competition<\/li>\n<li>Middle School &#8211; FIRST Tech Challenge<\/li>\n<li>PreK through Late Elementary &#8211; FIRST LEGO League (3 divisions)\n<ul>\n<li>Late Elementary (4 &amp; up) &#8211; FIRST LEGO League Challenge<\/li>\n<li>K-3 &#8211; FIRST LEGO League Explore<\/li>\n<li>Pre-K only &#8211; FIRST LEGO League Discover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">FIRST LEGO LEAGUE DISCOVER<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Talk to your district about starting a pre-K FIRST LEGO League Discover program! We piloted Discover in two school districts last season to RAVE reviews. Using Duplo blocks, Discover is a playful introductory STEM program that will inspire preschool students to develop a natural curiosity for learning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Grants for FIRST LEGO League Discover:<\/strong><br \/>\nGrants to bring Discover to new school districts are available through the LEGO\u00ae Foundation. The focus is on providing STEM opportunities to underrepresented and underserved students. Contact Cindy Nader at clnader@comcast.net or 248-931-2930 to discuss your eligibility.<\/p>\n<p>But you have to hurry.\u00a0Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all available grants are filled.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s work together to get this &#8220;new&#8221; division of FIRST into our great FIRST in Michigan preschools!<\/p>\n<h5><strong style=\"color: inherit; font-size: 1em;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">IMPACT OF THE 1 MILLION PPE CHALLENGE!<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"m_8331162849281476702gmail-m_-8497760851914975301gmail-m_-7208688377442745177gmail-m_-4580138073686423102gmail-m_-7224984817622145695gmail-m_-5505622349487982504gmail_signature\">\n<p>A shout out to our FIRST in Michigan teams, across all programs, that have been participating in FIRST in Michigan&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstinmichigan-ppechallenge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1 MILLION PPE CHALLENGE.<\/a> Over 2 million items have been donated to date!<\/p>\n<p>This initiative has gained the attention of media with a feature spot on Channel 7 news, an article in Forbes magazine showcasing FIRST students, and lots of social media buzz. Sponsors have jumped on board the initiative as well.<\/p>\n<p>The mobilization and impact of this &#8220;FIRST&#8221; response to the pandemic have made it clear to our communities, school administrations, local and state governments, companies and sponsors that FIRST students\/mentors stand ready, willing, and able to respond and adapt quickly to a changing environment. We do not sit back and hope things get better. We dive in and work to create solutions to the challenges we face. We are FIRST forged and built to withstand the rigors of whatever the game design committee or life puts in front of us. Game on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"print-this-page\">\n<div class=\"print-this-page\">\n<h5><strong style=\"color: inherit; font-size: 1em;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">PROGRAM INFORMATION<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Links to program information on the FIRST in Michigan (FiM) and FIRST HQ websites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/run-a-team\/\">Run a Team<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Addresses many FAQs<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/resources\/\">Resources<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Links to FIRST HQ resources, parts, and vendors, logos, etc.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/grants\/\">Grants<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; information will be updated as grants become available; check back periodically<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/eblasts\/\">Team Eblast Archive<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/firsttechchallenge.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>FIRST<\/em> FTC HQ Blog<\/a> &#8211; latest program announcements<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/info.firstinspires.org\/ftccurriculumrequest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/info.firstinspires.org\/ftccurriculumrequest&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1560950445677000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFQ9KBniSwzcIW8WjkggPBAck3oHQ\">FTC\u00a0<span class=\"m_-8281381283462615744gmail-m_1467011168512500247gmail-m_4537880267732322813gmail-il\"><span class=\"m_-8281381283462615744gmail-il\">Curriculum<\/span><\/span><\/a> &#8211; Free\u00a0<span class=\"m_-8281381283462615744gmail-m_1467011168512500247gmail-m_4537880267732322813gmail-il\"><span class=\"m_-8281381283462615744gmail-il\">curriculum;<\/span><\/span>\u00a0can be used as a stand-alone course or as a supplement to areas where the team needs extra support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>PROGRAM PARTICULARS<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><b><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Alignment:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>In Michigan, we run a slightly different progression of programs from FIRST national. In Michigan, FTC is a middle school only program with teams comprised solely of MI middle school aged\/grade team members. Teams must be properly aligned in order to be eligible for FiM FTC grants and to participate in FIRST in Michigan FTC events.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Team Size:<\/b>\u00a0FTC team size is capped at 15. Multiple teams out of a given school\/organization are welcome and can be eligible\u00a0for all grants. Please review grant requirements in the above linked doc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Team Eblasts.<\/b>\u00a0FIRST in Michigan FTC team eblasts (sent from michiganftc@gmail.com) are sent to the Team Administrator and Lead Coach 1 and 2 for each team. The eblast distribution list is pulled from the FIRST Team Registration System, per FIRST HQ protocol, so additional email addresses cannot be added to the FIRST in Michigan FTC eblast list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Season reg\u00a0 l Notable Dates l\u00a0 Event Rollouts\u00a0 l\u00a0 Team Funds l\u00a0 FIRST LEGO League Rebrand l\u00a0 FIRST LEGO League Discover\u00a0 l\u00a0 2019-20 Remaining Funds\u00a0 l\u00a0 1 Million PPE Challenge Update\u00a0 l\u00a0 Progam Information<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/2020\/06\/25\/06-25-20\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-tammy","4":"has-more-link","5":"post-2953","7":"format-standard","8":"category-team-eblasts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2953"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3066,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953\/revisions\/3066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firstinmichigan.us\/FTC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}