Next Coaches Chat is scheduled for January 27 at 7:00 pm 

Wow, this game looks exciting and challenging!!  I LOVE that they have “excavated” pieces of prior seasons and compiled them to create this game.  It looks like our teams will have some great challenges!! 

Our January coaches chat will be an opportunity for coaches to come together to: 

• Talk about the work their team is doing 

• Problem solve with other coaches 

• Chat about how the season in general is going for them 

We may not have any formal presentation but if we do it will be short.  This time is for all of you.  Feel free to come if you like and if you are busy building the robot and can’t come, that is no problem!   

This chat may not be recorded/uploaded.  I think the value in this will be the dialog so we may not post the recording after. 

We need Judges 

 
 Western Washington coaches, mentors & parents:  We are in dire need of FLL Judges at our Covington Semi Final this weekend!  It takes a village to run and staff all of our events (we run over 75 competitions in a season!) Please consider signing up to judge either Saturday or Sunday if you are able and share this information with your mentors and parents! 

You can sign up from your dashboard or click the links below to go directly to the event to sign up 

Covington Semi Final Saturday 1-17 

Covington Semi Final Sunday 1-18 

All FRC Coaches, mentors & parents:  We are doing our FTC Dean’s List judging remotely starting 1-19 and running through 1-25.  We are still looking for judges for the following sessions: 

Monday, 1-19:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Tuesday, 1-20:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Wednesday, 1-21 5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Thursday, 1-22:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Friday, 1-23:  5:45 pm – 8:15 pm 

Saturday, 1-24:  8:45 am – 11:15 am 

Saturday, 1-24:  11:45 am – 2:15 pm 

Saturday, 1-24:  2:15 pm – 5:45 pm 

Sunday, 1-25: 11:45 am – 2:25 pm 

Though these interviews are remote, the process is very similar to FRC and will give coaches some great insight as to what the process looks like in the judge room.  If you are available, please sign up for the Washington Dean’s List Interview event on your firstinspires dashboard or follow this link  In the comments section, please note the days/times you are available.  We ask that judges fill an entire block so if you aren’t available for the entire time, don’t list that particular day/time. 

Important Dates

Kickoff is this weekend, make sure you are prepared! 

• Please get as many students and mentors listed on your dashboard as possible 
• Print off a copy of your roster (you may not be asked to turn it in but have it so you are prepared) 
• Make sure you Invoice has been secured (you can check your invoice status here:  https://firstwa.org/frc-registration/. This report is updated manually once daily in the evening) 
  • If your registration is not yet secured, reach out to Adrienne ASAP otherwise you may not be able to pick up your kickoff kit on Saturday! 
• You can find a link to watch the kickoff remotely here:  https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/frc/game-and-season  
• Kickoff kit pick up: 
  • You can find info on who can pick up your kickoff kit here:  https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/frc/game-and-season  
  • If either your lead or alternate contact is not picking up your kickoff kit, you must fill out a surrogate form 2 days prior to kickoff. Click the link above for details on how to do that. 

I personally think kickoff is the most exciting day of the New Year!  Whatever your plans are, have a great kickoff!!! 

CTSO Survey – Washington Teams Only

WASHINGTON TEAMS ONLY 

 FIRST Washington is seeking the community’s opinion on whether to pursue approval as a Career-Technical Student Organization (CTSO) with the State of Washington and OSPI. If your school and/or team could be affected by this decision, we invite you to spend a few minutes letting us know how you might be impacted. For any questions, please reach out to Alida (alidam@firstwa.org). 

 https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/7a5a1196d00c45819fdfa2f068014eaa 

Important Dates

Slide deck and recording from the Dec 16 coaches chat are posted 

If you missed the coaches chat last week, you can find the slide deck and recording here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  

FIRST Washington offices will be close at noon 12-23 and be closed through the new year 

We will not be checking mail, processing payments or responding to email during that time.   

We will return emails and process payments starting January 5th.   

Have a wonderful holiday and new year!   

Important Dates

Next Coaches Chat will be Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm 

We are trying a new format for our Coaches Chat this year.  For our December coaches chat, we will have a round table with several coaches (And Stokely) talk about what their team does for kickoff and why it is such an important day (other than for the obvious reason)   

To attend this meeting, click here  Feel free to forward this link to any adults on your team that you feel need to attend. 

CTSO Survey – Washington Teams Only

WASHINGTON TEAMS ONLY 

 FIRST Washington is seeking the community’s opinion on whether to pursue approval as a Career-Technical Student Organization (CTSO) with the State of Washington and OSPI. If your school and/or team could be affected by this decision, we invite you to spend a few minutes letting us know how you might be impacted. For any questions, please reach out to Alida (alidam@firstwa.org). 

 https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/7a5a1196d00c45819fdfa2f068014eaa 

FIRST Washington AI Innovation Video Challenge

Did your team explore AI this season? Share your story in a 15–60 second video for the FIRST WA AI Innovation Video Challenge. Top videos will be highlighted across our events and channels. Submit by January 9.  

More info here: https://firstwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AI-Video-Challenge.pdf 

Reminder

FIRST Washington’s office is closed for the holidays from 12/24/2025 – 1/2/2026.  If you need any reimbursements from accounting, please get them submitted before 12/24. We will not be responding to emails or processing any reimbursements during this time.

Important Dates

Urgent!!  Volunteers still needed this weekend! 

It takes volunteers to run all of our events.  We reach out to FTC and FLL teams during FRC season to recruit volunteers and we now need you all to help us make their events go. 

We are especially in need of adults to fill judging roles. If you are a coach or mentor, judging at an event other than where your students are competing is an amazing way to learn about the process and how to coach your students on exactly what they need to do in their presentation to judges.  

We also need students in various roles – referee, scorekeeper, queuer, and field reset. This is a great way for students to meet their volunteer hour requirement! Here are the events with the greatest need: 

December 13: Federal Way and Shoreline 

December 14: Federal Way, Shoreline, Tacoma, Oak Harbor, and Olympia 

If you are able to help, click here to find an event near you: Search Event 

Check the status of your invoice 

The deadline for securing your invoice is this Friday, December 12.  You can secure your invoice with a PO from your school, check or credit card.  Not sure if your invoice is secured?  You can check the status here:  https://firstwa.org/frc-team-status/ (Please note, this report is updated manually once a day. 

Your invoice will need to be secured to pick up your kickoff kit on January 10. 

Next Coaches Chat will be Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm

We are trying a new format for our Coaches Chat this year.  For our December coaches chat, we will have a round table with several coaches (And Stokely) talk about what their team does for kickoff and why it is such an important day (other than for the obvious reason)   

To attend this meeting, click here  Feel free to forward this link to any adults on your team that you feel need to attend. 

Important Dates

Urgent!!  Volunteers needed for events the next two weekends! 

We are still in need of volunteers for our FLL Qualifiers happening in December! We are especially in need of adults to fill judging roles. If you are a coach or mentor, judging at an event other than where your students are competing is an amazing way to learn about the process and how to coach your students on exactly what they need to do in their presentation to judges.  

We also need students in various roles – referee, scorekeeper, queuer, and field reset. This is a great way for students to meet their volunteer hour requirement! Here are the events with the greatest need: 

December 6: Beaver Lake, Everett, Seattle, Spokane, and Wapato 

December 7: Everett, Seattle, Spokane, and Wapato 

December 13: Federal Way and Shoreline 

December 14: Federal Way, Shoreline, Tacoma, Oak Harbor, and Olympia 

If you are able to help, click here to find an event near you: Search Event 

Invoices have been sent 

Invoices were sent to the contact listed on the FIRST Washington registration form on Friday, 11-21.  If you did not receive an invoice, please reach out to our finance department at accounting@firstwa.org. 

Reminder, the deadline to secure your registration is Friday, December 12.  You can secure your registration with a PO or by paying with a check or credit card. 

Slides and recording from the November 18 coaches chat have been posted 

If you missed the coaches chat (which most of you did because it was VERY lightly attended 😊 ) be sure to check out the slides and recording here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  Remember, you are responsible to know this information. 

Workshops/Quiet Room at events 

Workshops 

Workshops are great at events but take extra work.  If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please fill out this form The deadline to submit for a workshop is February 6. 

Quiet Room 

We had lots of people asking us about quiet rooms last year.  FIRST Washington is unable to manage quiet room sign ups at events.  Volunteers do need to sign up for the role through their firstinspires dashboard to make sure they have passed youth protection screening.  Many adults enjoy taking a shift in the quiet room to give them a break from the noise and craziness of the event! 

Please consider hosting the quiet room, we are happy to work with you and give you contact info for the folks to sign up.  Fill out this form if you’re willing to be a quiet room host for an event. 

Accommodations at events (accessibility not hotel accommodations) 

In the PNW, we work VERY hard to make sure everyone has a great experience at our events. 

We are aware of the needs at some of our events, but if you don’t tell us, we may not be aware of your team’s need. Please fill out this form to let us know if your team needs any accommodations. The earlier you fill out the form, the more likely we will be able to accommodate your request. Understand, we may not be able to accommodate everyone’s needs. We are a small organization and venues vary. Please be gracious and kind if we can’t exactly meet your need the way you would like. The earlier you make us aware of a need, the greater chance we may be able to make an accommodation. 

Important Dates