Coaches Chat Canceled this Thursday (1/18)

I do not have anything that I can’t send via email and I know you are all busy working with your students on your robot.  Make sure you attend our February Coaches Chat, we will be talking about the March events during that meeting. 

Event Accommodations

In the PNW we work very hard to accommodate the needs of our students and Mentors.  We can’t always accommodate everythign but we work hard to come up with the best solution possible so every participant can have a great experience. 

To do this, we need your help.  We can’t accommodate things we don’t know about AND it is very difficult for us to make plans for accommodations once our FRC event season has started.   To help ensure a great experience for everyone, we have come up with a form that teams can fill it ouf they have participants that need specific accommodations.  Please fill out this form to let us know about any accommodations you team may have. 

Again, I would like to reiterate, we can’t promise we can accommodate every need but we will make every effort. 

Workshops & Quiet Rooms at Events

It seems we went back to a more Pre-COVID style of events last season which was outstanding!!! I had many teams reach out about hosting workshops or special activities at events AND we had a quiet room at almost all of our events which is fantastic!!

Please fill out the form below if you are interested in hosting the quiet room or a workshop at your events. Feel free to include District Championships if you like, we will not expect you to host if you do not qualify for the event. This form must be filled out by February 13th for you to be considered for hosting a workshop. Please do not reach out to the event hosts directly, all workshops or activities need to be coordinated through the FIRSTWA staff.

Washington State STEM Advocacy Conference hosted by 2412

On March 9th, the 2412 Robototes testified in favor of a bill that they crafted with the help of Sen. Lisa Wellman in front of the Washington State.

This bill has since passed and is now Washington State Law. We want to provide you with the strategies and resources to do the same, which is why we’re hosting our first Annual STEM Advocacy Conference.

This conference will be held Saturday, January 20th from 5-8pm and is open to all PNW teams. Teams that attend will be given the opportunity to work with former legislator Chad Magendanz and current Bellevue School Board Member Jane Aras to learn and improve strategies to better advocate for the resources that you need to strive as a PNW team.

Click the button to sign up. All students from all teams welcome!

Got Questions? robototesadvocacy@robototes.com 

Invoices need to be secured by Friday, December 8 

Invoices were sent to the contact listed on the PNW FRC registration on November 17th and need to be secured by Friday, December 8th.   

For those teams who have already secured their invoices, thank you!  If you have not yet secured your invoice, don’t wait until the last minute, secure your PNW FRC registration now!  You will not be allowed to pick up your kickoff kit if your registration is not secured (and every team will receive a kickoff kit, even if you opted out of the drive base and black tote) 

Next FRC Coaches Chat is scheduled for Thursday, December 14 at 7:00 pm

We will be focusing on what teams need to do to prepare for kickoff during this coaches chat.  I expect the meeting to be short which will allow for either more time for all of you to connect with each other on Teams or we can close the meeting down and let you all get back to your families and preparations for the holidays. 

To join the meeting click here 

Make sure your team is prepared for kickoff! 

Kickoff is just around the corner and there are several things you need to do to be sure that you are prepared!  I know there has been some confusion because teams can opt out of the black tote and drive base but every team will receive a kickoff kit and needs to plan to pick it up from the kickoff Jan 6.   

Here is what you need to do to make sure you are prepared: 

1. Secure your PNW FRC Registration so you can pick up your kickoff kit 
2. If you are attending an event in person: Make sure your students are all registered on your firstinspires dashboard and that their consents have been signed.  You will need to bring a copy of your roster to kickoff and include paper consent forms for anyone who has not signed the electronic consent form. 
3. Kit pickup:  If you are having someone other than your coach or assistant coach pick up your kickoff kit, you need to fill out a surrogate form.    You can find a link to the surrogate form as well as more information on having a surrogate pick up your kit here.

Sign Up to be an FTC Dean’s List Interviewer!

FTC Dean’s List will be remote this year, so you can interview from anywhere. Even if you’re affiliated with a team, you can be an interviewer. We’ll match you with unaffiliated candiddates. All 21+ volunteers are welcome. 

Provide your availability here! 

FRC Invoices Have been Sent

Invoices were sent from the email account accounting@firstwa.org to the contact listed on your PNW FRC Registration.

If you did not receive an invoice, feel free to email accounting@firstwa.org be sure to include your team number in the email. 

Invoices need to be secured by December 8th. 

FRC Coaches Chat Recording 

The FRC Coaches Chat recording and slides from our last call are live.

If you missed last week’s coaches chat, you, can find the recording and slides here. 

Sign Up to Volunteer for FLL! 

Our FLL Challenge events start the first weekend of December and all are in need of Judges, Referees, and more! 

We’ve seen massive growth across all FIRST Washington programs, and FIRST LEGO League Challenge has grown to 391 teams. That’s nearly 100 more teams than last season, and nearly 2,000 students across the state. To accomodate this growth, we’ve got 5 more qualifiers than last season. That means we need 250 more volunteers than usual! 

How to Register: 

1. Login to yoru Dashboard.
2. Select Volunteer Registration on your Dashboard.
3. Then select Event Volunteering.
4. On Event Filters, pick the program you wish to volunteer with (FLL, FTC, FRC). Or clear all filters to see all events.
5. Select the event you wish to volunteer at. Under Volunteer Roles, pick the role you wish to fill.
6. For the Dates Available field select the dates you’re available for. 
7. Lastly, select the Begin Youth Protection Screening button and follow the prompts to submit your free-of-charge background check.

Sign Up to be an FTC Dean’s List Interviewer!

FTC Dean’s List will be remote this year, so you can interview from anywhere. Even if you’re affiliated with a team, you can be an interviewer. We’ll match you with unaffiliated candiddates. All 21+ volunteers are welcome. 

Provide your availability here!