2020-2021 SEASON REGISTRATION

It is NOT TOO LATE to get your lower elementary school FLL Explore team going! To recap, our FIM FLL Explore season has been pushed back and extended to give teams more time to figure out how to work and play no matter the scenario in place. Our sponsors and legislators are sending a loud message through their grant dollars – keep growing the next generation of leaders and innovators. We need them now more than ever!

TEAM REGISTRATION REMINDERS

Registration for the 2020-21 season continues! You can complete your registration by following the detailed instructions at the FIRST in Michigan FIRST LEGO League Explore site or by logging into your existing FIRSTinspires account. Returning teams keep their same team number from year to year. Do not register your team as a new team; instead use your existing team number by registering the team currently listed in your Dashboard. (Rookie status is not determined by team number, and it’s an extra step on our end to link your previous team to your new number.) If you are unsure if your school has an existing team, please contact them before registering to check. If you are moving up to FIRST LEGO League Challenge, please replace yourself on the team Dashboard with an incoming coach before signing off (and contact Angela Hite at angela@firstinmichigan.org for grant information before you register a new FLL Challenge team!)

MDE GRANT

The MDE FIRST Robotics state grant has been approved! 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 is a chart with 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.

HIGH SCHOOL

FIRST Robotics Competition teams will get a maximum of:

• $9,000 Yr 1
• $8,000 Yr 2
• $7,000 Yr 3
• $6,000 Yr 4
• $5,000 Yr 5 and beyond

PLUS $1,500 Coach Stipend (one per building, per program level) *Actual stipend and team support amounts may change based on availability of funding

MIDDLE SCHOOL

FIRST Tech Challenge teams will get a maximum of:

• $4,000 Rookie
• $3,000 Returning teams

PLUS $1,500 Coach Stipend (one per building, per program level) *Actual stipend and team support amounts may change based on availability of funding

UPPER ELEMENTARY

FIRST LEGO League-Challenge teams will get a maximum of:

• $800 Rookie
• $500 Returning teams

PLUS $1,500 Coach Stipend (one per building, per program level) *Actual stipend and team support amounts may change based on availability of funding

LOWER ELEMENTARY K-3

FIRST LEGO League-Explore teams will get a maximum of:

• $350 Rookie
• $200 Returning teams

PLUS $1,500 Coach Stipend (one per building, per program level) *Actual stipend and team support amounts may change based on availability of funding

PRE-K

FIRST LEGO League-Discover teams will get a maximum of:

• $400 All teams

PLUS $1,500 Coach Stipend (one per building, per program level) *Actual stipend and team support amounts may change based on availability of funding

As noted in the asterisks, the actual award amounts may be adjusted based on the availability of funding once the grant closes and the MDE goes through an administrative review of all applications received. The stipend amounts currently reflect the language of the grant, which provides simply for stipends “up to $1,500 for coaching per building per program level”. It is anticipated that stipend awards across all 99(h) programs may look more like 2019-20 funding levels​.

This funding is exceptional! Share this news with your administrations. Our Governor and legislators are sending a strong message that they want your teams to stay engaged, new teams to form, and that the FIRST brand of students is needed now more than ever.

2020-2021 SEASON EVENT REGISTRATION UPDATE

The 2020-2021 FIRST LEGO League Explore season has been extended, and Michigan competitions will also be delayed to allow teams time to form and meet. We will be using the FIRST Remote Event Hub, which is expected to be available in early December. Though we had hoped for improved conditions and a chance to have more typical events, no changes in timeline or format have occurred since the last update: Events will start in December (if enough teams are ready) and continue into January, February, and March. In addition, we will have events for teams who form after the new year in later spring (May.)

We are asking teams to update us at this time so that we may assess our event capacity and location needs. Please fill out the FIRST in Michigan Team Event Readiness form so that we can assess and work towards accommodating teams with when/how they can compete this season. Please fill the form out even if your team has not yet registered or begun to meet, so that we may plan accordingly. The information captured in this form will enable us to know when teams feel they will be ready to attend a festival. It additionally gives teams the opportunity to share their unique situation and challenges.

Some additional details: Team registration will happen as always through a Google form, so you will not see your event options or assignments in your team dashboard. We expect the event registration fee to be reduced a bit, though we will still distribute trophies and medals.

TEAM RESOURCES FOR DEALING WITH COVID-19 CHALLENGES

Some very helpful resources to help teams creatively problem solve to meet the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions:

• FLL Guidance for COVID-19 Interruptions from FIRST

CHALLENGE RELEASE

Check out the FIRST LEGO League Explore PLAYMAKERS challenge release video! PLAYMAKERS is part of the FIRST GAME CHANGERS season theme. You can find all of the season materials at our freshly updated FIRST in Michigan FIRST LEGO League Explore Resources page.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Links to program information on the FIRST in Michigan website:

• Run a Team – Step by step guide for Michigan coaches new and old
• Resources – Conveniently categorized links to FIRST and outside resources, season documents, training, etc.
• Grants – information will be updated as grants become available; check back periodically

PROGRAM REMINDERS