FTC IN TO THE DEEP Blog: Volume 18
Summer Contact Information!
Please make sure we have an email address that you will be checking over the summer, we want to make sure you receive any important communications that we send out!
FRC REEFSCAPE Blog: Volume 23
Good morning teams! I know most of you have either just started or are getting ready to start your summer break. I hope you all have a fantastic summer break!
I have 2 things for you this morning:
- A reminder of our coaches chat next Tuesday 6/24 at 7:00 pm. Once again, this meeting will have a focus on fundraising brainstorming and sharing of challenges and successes.
2. Please make sure we have an email address that you will be checking over the summer, we want to make sure you receive any important communications that we send out!
Important Dates
- June 24th, 7-8PM: Coaches Chat– Fundraising Brainstorm Continued
FRC REEFSCAPE Blog: Volume 22
FRC Coaches Chat – Fundraising Brainstorm continued
As a follow-up to our May 27th Coaches Chat, we will be continuing our discussion on team fundraising ideas to support teams with the loss of the OSPI funds on Tuesday June 24th from 7-8PM. All teams are welcome to join whether or not you are impacted by the OSPI cuts! Thoughts on fundraising in the following specific situations will be especially helpful:
- Rural teams
- Small teams
- ≥75% low-income teams
- Teams in saturated areas (many competing robotics teams and/or other activities)
Ideas from our first session can be found on the FIRSTWA website. It is accessible via the Resources page.
If you are interested in sharing your team marketing materials with other teams, please fill out this form.
Off-Season Event Registration
Looking for a fun way to have new members experience an event, try out a new mechanism, or network with other teams? Register to attend an off-season event this fall!
Off-season events are hosted and run by individual FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each event’s participation requirement(s), fees, and timelines may vary. All events will utilize the Reefscape game.
Block Party hosted by Team 2910 – Sept 6 & 7
Location: Mill Creek, WA
Fee: $400 (additional $100 for a second robot if space permits)
For questions, contact Steve Kaneb at steve.kaneb@gmail.com
Oregon Girls’ Generation / FIRST Chance hosted by Team 1425 – Oct 4 & 5
Oregon Girls’ Gen is a girl-focused event, run as a one-day competition. Oregon FIRST Chance is a one-day event for all students and aimed at providing an opportunity for students new to FRC to attend a pre-season event.
Location: Wilsonville High School in Wilsonville, OR
Registration information coming soon!
For questions, contact Tom Sommerville Jr at tom.sommerville@gmail.com
Uplift Challenge hosted by Teams 4125 and 8532 – Oct 10 & 11
Save the date for the Uplift Challenge! This off-season event is open to teams in schools of 500 students and below. Teams in small schools have unique challenges and strengths. This is a chance for us to come together, share ideas, learn about new resources- and of course, have an-off season competition.
Location: Umatilla, OR
Fee: $100
For questions, contact Heidi Sipe at sipeh@umatillasd.org
2025 Bordie Blast: Bordie at Sea hosted by Team 2412 – Oct 11 & 12
Load-in Friday Oct 10th
Location: Sammamish High School in Bellevue, WA
Fee: $300 (additional $100 for a second robot if space permits)
For questions, contact Kim Herzog at HerzogK@bsd405.org
Washington Girls’ Generation hosted by Team 2046 – Oct 18 & 19
The goal for Girls’ Generation is to provide an inclusive experience for underrepresented communities in STEM. In that spirit, we welcome all to participate.
Optional load-in Friday Oct 17th
Location: Tahoma Senior High School in Maple Valley, WA
Fee: $300
For questions, contact Darren Collins at dcollins@tahomasd.us
StormSurge hosted by Teams 2811 and 9567 – Oct 25
Location: Skyview High School in Vancouver, WA
Fee: $250 (one robot), $350 (two robots)
For questions, contact Luke Glassett at lukeglassett@gmail.com
Celebrate Pride 2025!
All FRC teams are invited to march together in the annual Seattle Pride Parade on June 29th. This will be our fourth season marching together – a special thank you to FRC Team 1318 for organizing!
Use the QR code below or this link to register by June 15th: https://forms.gle/WhkH3KnZHqgT8U2w7
You can reach out to 1318 mentor Julie Irwin with any questions: Julie3Irwin@gmail.com
2025 Season Retrospective Survey – Time Extended
If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to fill out our end of season survey. We’ve extended the open date through Saturday June 14th. We would love to hear what went well, what challenges you faced, and what support you need moving forward. Special thanks to those of you who have already shared feedback!
Survey link: https://forms.office.com/r/aPWC8EDkWC
Important Dates
- June 24th, 7-8PM: Coaches Chat– Fundraising Brainstorm Continued
FRC Reefscape Blog: Volume 21
Coaches Chat tonight- OSPI listening and brainstorming session
I just want to remind coaches about our FRC Coaches Chat tonight at 7:00 pm. We will be focusing on brainstorming solutions to help make sure all teams can participate even with the loss of the OSPI funds in Washington. All teams are welcome because everyone can benefit from fundraising brainstorming whether you are impacted by the OSPI funding cuts or not!
Also, a reminder, if you have not filled out our Impact Survey related to the OSPI funding cuts, please do that ASAP. It will help us to figure out how to deploy our resources and help us to be proactive with team support if we understand how this loss of funding affects your ability to participate.
Click here for the survey link if you did not fill it out last week.
FRC 2025 Season Retrospective Survey – Feedback Wanted
As we wrap up the 2025 FRC season, we are collecting feedback to better understand your team’s experience. This retrospective survey is an opportunity to let FIRSTWA know what went well, what challenges you faced, what support you need moving forward, and whether you’re interested in hosting events in future years. Please take a few minutes to fill it out by Friday June 6th. Thank you for being part of our community!
Survey link: https://forms.office.com/r/aPWC8EDkWC
Important Dates
- May 27th: Coaches Chat– OSPI listening and brainstorming session
FTC Blog: OSPI Update
2025 – 2026 OSPI FIRST Washington Grant Update
Action Requested: After reading the note below, please take a moment to complete this very short [survey] by Friday, May 23 to help us understand the impact of the funding loss—and whether you may need support or be able to offer assistance to others.
Hello Teams,
Thank you to everyone who reached out to your State Senators and Congress Members, advocating for continued OSPI funding in the new State Budget. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.
Unfortunately, the current budget being reviewed at the Governor’s office includes no OSPI funding for Teams this upcoming season- meaning that the $1.475 million dollars from OSPI distributed to FIRST Washington teams and events last year is not available for the upcoming season.
That’s the tough news- but definitely not the end of the story.
Leadership at FIRST Washington is committed to the following:
- Maintaining the number of students/teams who engage and participate in the FIRST Washington community and the competitive events hosted during the season- last season this was 10,500 students
- Maintaining the excellent customer experience levels for Students, Teams, Coaches, Mentors, and Volunteers
- Identifying what can be done in the short term to replace the OSPI funding
We are currently assessing all available assets and cost saving measures and have also developed a robust fund-raising strategy for our upcoming Fiscal Year and season.
Ensuring Teams have the resources needed for another successful season will require an all-hands effort and partnership with the entire FIRST Community- Volunteers, Mentors, Coaches, Schools, Corporate Donors, Foundations, and Individual Donors.
Here are a few next steps:
- Let us know if the loss of OSPI funding may prevent your school from participating in FIRST programs next year thorough the survey link above.
- Start planning and budgeting now for the 2025–2026 season – explore creative fundraising opportunities over the summer and identify any alternative funding that may be available within your school district- if applicable.
- Begin brainstorming ways our community can support one another—sharing fundraising strategies, offering mentorship, or other collaborative efforts.
We are reaching out not only to public school teams, but also to our community-based teams. Your experiences with self-funding and community support may offer valuable insights for school-based teams facing these new challenges.
We’ll continue to communicate in the coming weeks as we look for ways to move forward together. We are incredibly grateful to be part of such a dedicated and resilient community.
Thank you for all you do,
Adrienne Collins,
Director of Programs, FIRST Washington