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FRC Reefscape Blog: Volume 1

by | Aug 20, 2024 | FRC

Important OSPI Grant information

If you are a Washington State public school or Tribal Compact school, you are eligible for the OSPI grant! 

We have made a lot of improvements to the grant system for the upcoming year and are excited to share them with you! 

  • The grant will open August 28th and close Friday, Sept 20 (remember, late grants will not be accepted so please make sure your grant is submitted by September 20) 
  • We now have one link to the grant for all 3 programs.  Click here to stay updated and find the application link. 
  • There is now the ability to add collaborators so more than one person can have access to the grant. 
  • If you are interested in using the collaborator function, be sure to attend our OSPI meeting on September 10th at 7 pm.  We will be going over how to set this up in detail on this meeting. 
  • Team #’s and payment info will be entered on the application itself, not after the application has been submitted. 
  • To receive funding, teams must be registered both with FIRST Inspires (which means your registration for the current season with FIRST Inspires must be paid or secured with a PO) and FIRST Washington.  

For those who are new to filling out this grant or have questions, we will be holding an information meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at 7 pm.    Feel free to share this link with any adult you are working with as a coach to fill out our OSPI grant.  This meeting is not for students or parents on your team, and we will only be addressing questions that relate to the OSPI grant (If you have questions about your specific program, please attend your program specific coaches chat.) 

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Register for Off-Season Events

We’ve got an exciting calendar of FRC off-season events this year. Don’t wait to register your team! 

As a reminder, off-season events are hosted and run by FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each events participation requirement, fees, and timelines may vary. 

All events will utilize the previous season’s game, CRESCENDO.

If you itend to participate in an event, please sign up ASAP. This helps evnet hosts know how best to prepare for their events.

We will share event volunteer sign up links in next week’s email. 

Event Registration Links: 

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Important Dates

FTC Into the Deep Blog: Volume 1

by | Aug 17, 2024 | FTC

There is a lot of information in this blog and over the next several weeks, we will be highlighting a lot of changes to the season and schedule in Washington.  It is critical you read the entire blog. 

FTC Kickoff September 7th

Once again, we will have multiple kickoffs around the state! Below are the different kickoff locations and a bit of info about what the day will look like at each location. Please take a moment to register. As we get closer to the event, more info will go out to teams that have registered for each kickoff. If you don’t register, you may miss out on critical information. 

  • Auburn High School 711 E Main St. Auburn, WA 98002 
  • BrickCon 2024! Meydenbauer Center 11100 NE 6th St. Bellevue, WA 98004 
  • Hanford High School 450 Hanford St. Richland, WA 99354 
  • Olympia High School 1302 N. St SE, Olympia, WA 98501 
  • Ridgeline High School 20150 E. Country Vista Dr. Liberty Lake, WA 98019 

Please fill out this form to register your team if you plan to attend an in person kickoff (There is Scheule information about each kickoff on the form).  It’s important to register if you plan to attend so the event host can send you important information regarding your specific kickoff event. 

Important OSPI Grant Information

If you are a Washington State public school or Tribal Compact school, you are eligible for the OSPI grant! 

We have made a lot of improvements to the grant system for the upcoming year and are excited to share them with you! 

  • The grant will open August 28th and close Friday, Sept 20 (remember, late grants will not be accepted so please make sure your grant is submitted by September 20) 
  • We now have one link to the grant for all 3 programs.  Click here to stay updated and find the application link. 
  • There is now the ability to add collaborators so more than one person can have access to the grant. 
  • If you are interested in using the collaborator function, be sure to attend our OSPI meeting on September 10th at 7 pm.  We will be going over how to set this up in detail on this meeting. 
  • Team #’s and payment info will be entered on the application itself, not after the application has been submitted. 
  • To receive funding, teams must be registered both with FIRST Inspires (which means your registration for the current season with FIRST Inspires must be paid or secured with a PO) and FIRST Washington.  

For those who are new to filling out this grant or have questions, we will be holding an information meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at 7 pm.    Feel free to share this link with any adult you are working with as a coach to fill out our OSPI grant.  This meeting is not for students or parents on your team, and we will only be addressing questions that relate to the OSPI grant (If you have questions about your specific program, please attend your program specific coaches chat.) 

OSPI Page
There are no upcoming events at this time.

Coaches Chat – Tuesday, September 17 at 7:00pm

Because of all the changes this year, we will be having our first Coaches Chat a bit earlier than usual this year. I encourage everyone to have at least one adult in attendance as we talk about important changes (both with FIRST and FIRST Washington) and go over the schedule for the season.

Feel free to share this coaches chat link with any adult you would like to attend.

Coaches Chat

Important Dates & Deadlines

  • August 19:  FIRST Washington Registration opens 
  • August 28:  OSPI Grant opens 
  • September 7:  FTC Kickoff 
  • September 10:  OSPI Informational Meeting 
  • September 17:  FTC Coaches Chat 
  • September 20:  OSPI Grant Closes 
  • September 27:  FIRST Washington Grant closes (part of registration) 
  • October 1:  FTC home league assignments posted (based on 9-27 Registration) 
  • October 1:  League preferencing Window opens  
  • October 4:  FIRST Washington invoices sent to the designated team contact 
  • October 9:  League preferencing window closes 
  • October 11:  Updated league assignments posted 
  • October 15:  FTC Coaches Chat 
  • October 18:  Deadline to secure FIRST Washington registration 
  • October 26 – November 24:  League Event Window 
  • November 19:  FTC Coaches Chat 
  • December 7-22:  Interleague event window 
  • January 11-12:  Semi Final event window 
  • State TBD at this time 

FLL Submerged Blog: Volume 1

by | Aug 16, 2024 | FLL, FLL Challenge, FLL Explore

Welcome to the 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Season! I hope everyone is excited. I know I am!

The 2024-2025 season challenge will be released on Tuesday, August 6th at 9am! Materials will then be available in the Game & Season section of the FIRST Inspires website!

Season Info

Eastern Washington FLL Challenge Survey

Coaches – I have a survey just for you!

We are trying to get a feel for teams needs, support they are willing to provide others teams, outreach they may be interested in, proffessional development wanted, etc! Please fill this out so we can better serve you! 

Eastern WA Survey

More From FLL

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FRC Blog: Volume 23

by | Aug 16, 2024 | FRC

Meet Jake! Our new Outreach Manager in Eastern Washington

Jacob Osborn is a nonprofit professional with experience in building community connections and helping students find their potential through mentorship.

He is passionate about promoting education access for all and loves to see personal and professional growth in the students we serve. Jake is excited to bring his ability to connect with people and businesses to build a stronger community to support FIRST Washington’s vision.

Jake is originally from Spokane, WA and is based out of Colfax, WA. In his free time Jake enjoys playing chess, cooking, listening to audiobooks or podcasts, and painting.

Eastern WA Coaches: We want to hear from you!

Please complete this form including any support your team may need for this season, or support that you would like to offer other teams this season. Once you complete this form, our Jake will reach out! 

Click Here

Register for Off-Season Events

We’ve got an exciting calendar of FRC off-season events this year. Don’t wait to register your team! 

As a reminder, off-season events are hosted and run by FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each events participation requirement, fees, and timelines may vary. 

All events will utilize the previous season’s game, CRESCENDO.

We will continue to share registration details for events as they become available.

Event Registration Links: 

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Interested in Bunny Bots? Let us Know!

BunnyBots was developed by Team 1540 Flaming Chickens mentors and alumni and provides a way for FRC teams and new FRC members to gain vital skills before the build season.

For many students, this is their first experience making an FRC-quality robot. Bunny Bots is a light-hearted 1 day contest, focused on team and skill development.  The BunnyBots program aims to develop the technical foundation of rookie members and teach veteran members leadership and project management skills. This program addresses the problem of insufficient rookie training, allowing them to learn machining procedures and design basics to succeed in the intense build season. The game is released in early September, and teams sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. As a training tool, the game rules are loosely based on FRC rules. 

Details: 

  • Washington Bunny Bots: Either Sat Dec 14th or Sun Dec 15th (depending on interest level) 
  • Oregon Bunny Bots: Dec: 14th 
  • Cost: TBA 
  • Rules will be posted on or around September 1st, as will finalized costs and registration. 
  • Last year’s contest information: https://www.team1540.org/bunnybots 
  • Interest survey: https://forms.gle/834G9kvpLj2WcFE49 

Questions? Email 3218 coach Jason Vander Hoek at: Jason_vander_hoek@sumnersd.org

FRC blog: Volume 22

by | Aug 16, 2024 | FRC

Register for Off-Season Events

We’ve got an exciting calendar of FRC off-season events this year. Don’t wait to register your team! 

As a reminder, off-season events are hosted and run by FRC teams, not FIRST Washington. This means each events participation requirement, fees, and timelines may vary. 

All events will utilize the previous season’s game, CRESCENDO.

We will continue to share registration details for events as they become available.

Event Registration Links: 

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Interested in Bunny Bots? Let us Know!

BunnyBots was developed by Team 1540 Flaming Chickens mentors and alumni and provides a way for FRC teams and new FRC members to gain vital skills before the build season.

For many students, this is their first experience making an FRC-quality robot. Bunny Bots is a light-hearted 1 day contest, focused on team and skill development.  The BunnyBots program aims to develop the technical foundation of rookie members and teach veteran members leadership and project management skills. This program addresses the problem of insufficient rookie training, allowing them to learn machining procedures and design basics to succeed in the intense build season. The game is released in early September, and teams sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. As a training tool, the game rules are loosely based on FRC rules. 

Details: 

  • Washington Bunny Bots: Either Sat Dec 14th or Sun Dec 15th (depending on interest level) 
  • Oregon Bunny Bots: Dec: 14th 
  • Cost: TBA 
  • Rules will be posted on or around September 1st, as will finalized costs and registration. 
  • Last year’s contest information: https://www.team1540.org/bunnybots 
  • Interest survey: https://forms.gle/834G9kvpLj2WcFE49 

Questions? Email 3218 coach Jason Vander Hoek at: Jason_vander_hoek@sumnersd.org

Pride Sign Up

Thank you to all who marched in the Seattle Prdie Parade! 

We had an awesome turnout for our third year participating in Seattle Pride with 12 teams and 3 robots marching!

Thanks to everyone who showed up to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, and thank you for all that you do every day of the season to support a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our FIRST family.  

Looking for guidance on how you can support LGBTQ+ students and mentors? Check out this FIRST blog post 2022, it’s still helpful today! 

 5 Ways to be a Better Ally this Pride Month (and Every Month) (firstinspires.org)