Participation Reminder

• In Michigan, we run a slightly different progression of programs from FIRST national. In Michigan, FIRST LEGO League is an elementary school only program with teams comprised solely of elementary school aged/grade team members. To attend an event or receive any grants, teams must be aligned to the FIRST in Michigan progression of programs, consisting ONLY of: All students in grades 4-5, as well as students in grade 6 (maximum) IF they attend an elementary school, and individual students in grade 3 who are “playing up” because it is a better fit for them.
• FIRST LEGO League Challenge team size is capped at 10. No exceptions are made, and smaller teams than this are highly encouraged (6-8 students.) Multiple teams out of a given school/organization are welcome, and we have grants to fully fund additional teams at a school. Let me know if you would like more teams!
• Each team will need two registered, screened coaches in order to register for events in Michigan. Coaches can be registered to multiple teams. All email communication will be sent to the two registered coaches, as well as the team admin if there is one registered.

Event Registration

• Additional events are still needed! Email angela@firstinmichigan.org for more details if you might be able to host. There is no cost to hosts, and you can pick your event date!
• The assigned home event list will be posted on October 7 and event registration will open on October 9. All event registration information – including the event list as it is finalized throughout September – is linked from the Michigan FLLC Events page, including a link to the Event Registration page with all available details about event registration. (Note that links to the event registration form and home event list are not live yet.) You can also find links at the Events page to an event guide and the event readiness page which covers necessary rosters and consent forms. Reading through the information will help you understand the registration and event process! Remember that we cannot use the FIRST Dashboard to register FLLC teams for events, so you won’t see events listed there.
• Team names in the FIRSTinspires.org Dashboard must be final by October 13 when event registration closes. A list of names will be pulled the next day and then no changes will be updated after that time. You cannot change your team name with the event host, so your name on October 13 will be final.
• If you have not yet registered your team for the season, you may be receiving this email but you will not be placed into an event. If you need help registering or have any barriers or questions, please reach out right away so that we can make sure you are assigned to an event! Teams who register after the home event list is posted will be placed into events after registration closes in any spaces which are left.

Team Paperwork

• Now is the time to start getting your team’s “paperwork” in order. It can take time to get coaches screened and consent forms signed, so start now. Rosters will be due the Monday before your event. You can find directions for completing your team’s required roster and consent forms at the Event Readiness page. If you have any questions on this process after reading through the Event Readiness page fully, please let me know.
• If you have 3rd graders on your team, you will not be able to register them through the FIRST Dashboard with this usual process. Email angela@firstinmichigan.org for alternate instructions for those students.

MDE 99h Grant Update

• The 99h State Grant application is expected to open on October 1. Application will be through the MDE’s NexSys grant system. More information will be shared to all teams once the grant is open. Grant and stipend amounts are expected to be similar to last year, but we have not received exact amounts yet.
• The most important thing to do now for the MDE grant is to make sure your teams are registered for the season!

DonorsChoose Opportunity

We have received word about a sponsor-driven DonorsChoose funding opportunity generously supported by 3M for teachers with FIRST teams. Follow the two steps below, and your project MAY be funded. Some notes: Funding cannot be used to cover the cost of team registrations. Smaller requests are more frequently funded.

1. Create your DonorsChoose project.
2. Apply for selective FIRST funding through this Google form managed by DonorsChoose.

MICHIGAN RESOURCES

These four important pages have all the information you need to run a Michigan FIRST LEGO League Challenge team each year:

• Resources page – annotated, organized list of links to everything for running a team and this season
• Events page – important pages linked at the top to help you register for an attend an event
• Run-a-Team page – step-by-step guide to running a team from registration to attending an event
• Grants page – information about all grants available to new or returning teams

EBLASTS