I hope everyone had a fantastic kickoff and is excited for this years game! 

I have received emails from a few coaches that I thought would be good to share with the broader group 

• Problems with items in your kickoff kit:  If you had issues with anything in your kickoff kit there are some instructions you can follow from your firstinspires dashboard to get those items replaced.  I have heard from some coaches that they are getting an error message or are not being allowed to submit issues through their dashboard.  If your team is affected by this, send an email to ftcteams@firstinspires.org and they will be able to get you taken care of. 

• The manual has an error:  It states that 45 PNW teams will move on to our District Championship event.  The number will be the same as last year, 50 PNW teams will move on to the District Championship event. 

The next Coaches Chat is scheduled for Thursday, January 16 at 7:00 pm

Our next coaches chat is scheduled for Thursday, December 5th  at 7:00 pm.  Coaches chats are an opportunity for use to share important information with all of you as well as help you connect with other coaches.  We recommend each team have one coach attend.  

During this meeting we will be checking in to see how the build season is going as well as talking about workshops/accommodations/quiet room at events.  This is not the district event briefing, that is in February.

4 forms to fill out prior to District Events starting

1. Event RSVP
   • Please fill this for out for each event you are attending.  Make sure to put a cell number for someone who will be onsite at the event.  Many of you have your school number listed on your dashboard and none of you will be at the school when we are trying to reach you from an event.
2. Event Accommodation Form
   • This form is to be used if you have someone in attendance that would like special accommodations (some examples could be: closed captioning at events, or someone in a wheelchair that needs access to the field)  Please keep in mind that we may not be able to accommodate all requests and our ability to accommodate a request may change by venue but we will make every effort to accommodate as many requests as possible.  It is important to us that all participants have a great experience at our events and we are committed to doing all we can to enhance that experience.  Keep in mind, the earlier you fill out this form, the more likely we will be able to accommodate any request you make.
3. Quiet Room host
   • I know the quiet room is an important part of our events and we need help from all of you to make this happen.  We need to make some changes this season that will require hosts to commit earlier so we can work with them to appropriately staff these rooms.  Please sign up as soon as you are able to commit to hosting a room
4. Event Workshops  
   • We love having teams host workshops at events when possible.  Please fill out this form if you are interested in hosting a workshop.  You will need to upload a slide when you fill out the form so have your workshop slide prepared. 

Important Dates

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! 

Make sure your team is prepared for District and Event Registration on Thursday