December 8, 2017

Michigan FIRST LEGO League State Championship #2 Date and Location (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.15)

We are pleased to announce that our Michigan FIRST LEGO League State Championship #2 will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018, at Allendale High School, in Allendale, Michigan. 

Details will be going out to the teams that are advancing to this event over the course of the next few weeks.  Thank you all, for your patience!

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner

michiganfll@gmail.com

November 20, 2017

Michigan FIRST LEGO League State Championship Advancement & Participation Pins (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.14)

Hello Teams!

It’s hard to believe there is one Qualifier competition week left in the 2017 Michigan FIRST LEGO League season!

To confirm your Qualifier event assignment, please check the 2017 Michigan Team List, which may be found on the Michigan FLL Teams page on the FIRST in Michigan website. 
To find details on the location of your event, please check out the Michigan FIRST LEGO League events list on the FIRST website.  The tournament directors will also be sending information directly to the teams scheduled to attend their events.

If the “Scheduled to Attend” column in the team list has ”0” or “Spring Event- TBD”, you will be invited later to participate in a spring event.  Participation in a spring event qualifies you to meet requirements for any grant you may have received from the MDE or through FIRST or FIRST in Michigan.  If your team completed (paid) team registration on or after November 1, you may not be on the posted team list yet, and you will be invited to participate in a spring event.  The team list will be updated with all paid and registered teams for the HYDRO DYNAMICS season, on Wednesday, November 22.

October 30, 2017

Preparing for Your 2017 Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.13)

Hello Teams!

As you prepare for your official Michigan FIRST LEGO League Qualifier, please take a few minutes to review this important information:

Best of luck to all the teams who participate!  Have fun!

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner

michiganfll@gmail.com

October 22, 2017

Michigan FIRST LEGO Event Assignments & Team Registration Closing (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.12)

Updated October 30, 2017

Hello Teams!

Our Michigan FIRST LEGO League Qualifier events begin on November 4, 2017!

To confirm your Qualifier event assignment, please check the 2017 Michigan Team List, which may be found on the Michigan FLL Teams page on the FIRST in Michigan website.  Please address any questions or concerns about event assignments to michiganfll@gmail.com, and include “2017 Qualifier Assignment Question Team <xxxxx>” in the title of the email. 

To find details on the location of your event, please check out the Michigan FIRST LEGO League events list on the FIRST website.  The tournament directors will also be sending information directly to the teams scheduled to attend their events.

The 2017 Qualifying event application is now closed.

Additional information about preparing for events will be coming out soon.  Please watch for The MI FLL Team Blast email, and check the FIRST LEGO League Announcements on the FIRST in Michigan website.

If you have just recently completed registering your team and have a permanent team number, congratulations!  There will be additional competition opportunities available to you in the spring of 2018, so you may fulfill the requirements of our Michigan FIRST LEGO League grants. More information on these events will follow at a later date.

IMPORTANT:  If you still have a TEMPORARY TEAM NUMBER (starts with 2017 and followed by an additional 5 digits, e.g. 201700000), or are still considering starting a team for the 2017-2018 school year, TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Team registration will be CLOSING on Friday, November 10, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.  Please contact michiganfll@gmail.com as soon as possible, and include “Late 2017-2018 Registration Team <xxxxx>” in the title of the email.

Best of Luck to all the teams!  Have fun!

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner

GM and FCA Foundation Rookie Team Grant - OPEN! (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.11)

HOW WE DEFINE A ROOKIE TEAM
To be considered a rookie team, the team must either be the first team in that program in your school/organization, or be an additional team above the highest number of teams in past seasons. 
  • Example:   XYZ Elementary School had 4 FIRST LEGO teams two years ago and 3 last year. This year they will have 5. The 5th team counts as a rookie team eligible for our incredible rookie grants.

BE SURE YOUR TEAM IS ALIGNED
Teams must be in the proper program to compete in Michigan events. In addition, to be eligible for our state and private grants the team must:
  • Register for the current season in the proper program
  • Be affiliated with a public or private school district or a youth enrichment 501c3 type of community organization (scouts, 4-H, etc.)
  • Must participate in an official event during the season (either a Qualifier in the fall, or another FIRST in Michigan event in the spring for teams that register late in the season)
Please read through the application information below, before you apply for a grant.  The link to the application is at the end of this document.

October 4, 2017

Michigan FIRST LEGO League Qualifying Event Application Process (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.10)

Revised 10/07/17
Revised 10/09/17

Qualifying events will take place each Saturday, between November 4 and December 2, 2017.  There will be no Qualifying events over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Each FIRST LEGO League team in Michigan may participate in one Qualifying event.

The Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application period will take place October 10 through 17.

Teams must apply for an event, in order to be assigned to an event. The Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application will be via a Google Form (link below).  Each team must choose three different events, in order of preference.  Please apply early to improve your chance of getting your preferred event. Events in areas with large concentrations of teams tend to fill up very quickly. We will do our best to place teams in their preferred event, but we cannot guarantee a particular event or date.  Please consider that the teams at your event have had just as much time to work on the Challenge as you have. We cannot place everyone into a later event.

Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application Timing
Event application will open on October 10, 2017 at 6:00 a.m. Event application will close on October 17, 2017 at 10:00 p.m.
Team assignments will be posted on the morning of October 21, 2017.

The Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application is through this Google 

The link will not begin accepting applications until 6:00 am. October 10, 
2017.

Event Application Requirements
  • It is recommended that teams verify their team number, coach, assistant coach, and purchaser (if applicable) information in the team’s FIRST Dashboard, prior to beginning the Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application, as we will use this information to verify a team’s application.
  • The team must have a registered coach and assistant coach, who have both completed the screening.
  • The team must be registered and paid for the season.
  • The team must have a permanent team number (less than 201700000).
  • The coach, or their delegate, must submit the event application. The delegate must be the assistant coach or purchaser for the team, as listed in the team’s FIRST Dashboard.
  •  The team number, coach’s name, and coach’s email address, will be necessary to complete the Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application.  This is the information that will be provided to the Qualifying Tournament Director.
  •  Teams whose Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application does not match what is in the team’s FIRST Dashboard will have their application put on hold, which may cause them to not receive their preferred event.
  • The information in the team’s FIRST Dashboard must be accurate as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday, October 9.
  •  The team must submit an application through the Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application Google Form, in order to be placed into an event. 
  • Only one application will be accepted per team.
  • The team must provide three unique choices for events, in priority order, when they apply. Teams who do not provide three unique choices for events will have their application put on hold, which may cause them to not receive their preferred event. (Exception: Teams located in the Upper Peninsula need only provide two unique choices for events.) 

NOTE:  Because you are not applying for an event through the team’s FIRST Dashboard, your event assignment will NOT show up on your team’s FIRST Dashboard.  Event assignments will be posted to the FIRST in Michigan website. 

The team registration fee does not cover your event fee. Our event fee in 
Michigan is $75 per team.    Event registration fees are payable to the Qualifying event, and are usually paid when your team checks in on the day of the event. The Tournament Director of the event you are assigned to will provide you additional information on the payment process for your Qualifying event.

Some teams from each Qualifying event will subsequently be invited to attend a State Championship event. There is an additional $75 event fee per team for a State Championship event.

Michigan FIRST LEGO League Qualifying Event List 
A summary of the Qualifying events is below. More event details may be found on the FIRST website.
*Please note:  we are confirming one additional event in Livingston County for Saturday, November 18. 
For the latest list of events, please check the FIRST website.

Saturday, November 4
  • Copper Country Qualifier – Houghton, MI
  • RobotCat Rumble – Oxford, MI

Saturday, November 11
  • ThunderQuest – Sterling Heights, MI
  • Michigan Science Center Regional Qualifier – Detroit, MI
  • Lancer­Bot­Mania – Stevensville, MI

Saturday, November 18
  • LEGO Mania – Zeeland Allendale, MI
  • SharkFest – Troy, MI
  • Mission Possible – Monroe, MI
  • Downriver Robot Rescue 1 – Allen Park, MI
  • Grandville Robot Challenge – Grandville, MI
  • The Flying Toasters’ Rumble Crumble – South Lyon, MI
  • TBD – Livingston County, MI*  ElectroEagles Lego Extravaganza – Brighton, MI

Saturday, December 2
  • Armada Automation – Armada, MI
  • Movin’ U.P. – Sault Sainte Marie, MI
  • Nexteer Ready, Set, LEGO! – Freeland, MI
  • Robo­Battle of the Minds – Grand Rapids, MI
  • Downriver Robot Rescue 2 – Allen Park, MI

As you prepare for your event, please review all 2017 Michigan FIRST LEGO League email blasts on the FIRST in Michigan website: http://michiganfll.blogspot.com/ for important information.  Additional event-related information will be posted over the next few weeks.

IMPORTANT:  All Michigan FIRST LEGO League teams are expected to participate in a FIRST in Michigan competition event.  Any team that applies for and receives a Michigan grant, MUST participate in a FIRST in Michigan competition event, in order to meet the grant requirements.

Please address any questions about this process to michiganfll@gmail.com, and include “Michigan FIRST LEGO League Event Application Process Question” and your team number, in the Subject line of the email. 

Go Teams!

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner

September 27, 2017

Starting a FIRST LEGO League Team (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.09)

FIRST Lego League is a team based activity with two theme-based activities:  an autonomously operated LEGO robot game, and a community research project. The cornerstones of the experience are the FLL Core Values, which emphasize contributions of others, friendly competition, learning, and community involvement.  Think of the robot game and the project as what we do, and the Core Values as how we do it.

In Michigan we run FIRST Lego League in the upper elementary grades, starting in 4th grade, through the end of elementary. The programs are aligned to the local (public) school structure, to allow the students to grow through the entire progression of FIRST programs, to develop and enhance their skills beginning in elementary school and all the way through high school.

Michigan FIRST LEGO League MDE Grants Available! (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.08)


This grant will open for submission on Sept. 26th and close on Nov. 7th. The MDE will send information regarding the grant to school/district leadership including Level 5's. FIRST in Michigan will provide similar information to teams at all levels: FLL Jr/FLL/FTC/FRC. Visit http://www.techplan.org/rdi/ for the RFP and sample spending plan. FAQs will be posted soon.



Key MDE Grant Dates*
September 14, 2017 - Grant RFP is announced via eblast memo to districts
September 26, 2017 - Application is live in MEGS+
September 27, 2017 - Technical Assistance Webinar at 1 p.m.**
November 6, 2017 -    Applications due at 11:59pm in MEGS+
November 8, 2017 -    Grant applications reviews
December 20, 2017 -  Awards made via SAMS

*All dates subject to change at the discretion of the MDE.

Studio Nights for Metro Detroit Area FIRST LEGO League Teams (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.07)

Open to all Michigan FIRST LEGO League teams 

Sunday Nights, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
The Robot Garage Birmingham

September 6, 2017

Ford Motor Company Employee Mentored Team Grant – OPEN! (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.06)

FIRST LEGO League teams with a Ford employee mentor may now apply for Ford team grants at http://www.stem.ford.com/STEM/RoboticsOverview


Instructions are below. Please complete both steps of the process by September 30, 2017.

August 24, 2017

FIRST LEGO League Coach Training - Grand Rapids Area (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.05)

There will be training sessions taking place in the Grand Rapids area for both rookie and experienced FIRST LEGO League coaches. Training dates are:

FIRST LEGO League Coach Basic Training
Saturday, September 16, 9 AM - 4 PM
Saturday, September 23, 9 AM - 4 PM

FIRST LEGO League Coach Advanced Training
Wednesday, September 20, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

These training sessions are being offered by Grand Dial Communications, and there is a $75 fee for these sessions.

An overview of the training sessions that will be offered may be found here.

For more information, and to register, please go to the training provider's website:
https://www.granddial.com/first-robotics-training/

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner

Metro Detroit Area FIRST LEGO League Kick-Off Events (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.04)

This message is for all Metro Detroit Area FIRST LEGO League Teams:

The 2017 FLL robotic competition will be announced at noon on August 29th and The Robot Garage invites all FLL students and mentors to a FREE Kick-off Event following that. 
  • Review the Game
  • Season Schedule Planning
  • See the new field set-up
  • FLL Q&A
Space is limited so you must register to reserve a spot or may be turned away at the door. Please make other arrangements for younger children if you feel they will distract FLL participants.

August 6, 2017

2017-2018 FLL Season (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.03)

Welcome to the 2017-2018 FIRST LEGO League season;  Hydro Dynamics!  We are so excited about this year’s theme: Water – how we find, transport, use, or dispose of it. Students from all over the globe will make a splash with HYDRO DYNAMICS.
Season registration is open for all FIRST programs! Keep in mind that Michigan’s progression is different than the progression FIRST HQ’s:

MICHIGAN'S PROGRESSION OF PROGRAMS
FIRST LEGO League Jr.       K-3 only
FIRST LEGO League            Grade 4-end of elementary only, as defined by your school district
FIRST Tech Challenge          Middle School only, as defined by your school district
FIRST Robotics Competition High School only, as defined by your school district

July 23, 2017

FIRST LEGO League Camps for Mentors/Coaches & Students – Flint and Canton Michigan (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.01)

Hello Teams!

Welcome to the 2017 FIRST LEGO League HYDRODYNAMICS Season!

There are summer camp opportunities in in June & July:

  • Flint on June 24 for Team Coaches/Mentors
  • Canton on July 17-21 for students (4th grade through end of elementary school)
These events are run by FIRST teams, for FIRST teams.  There are sometimes fees to participate. Advanced registration is required.

For additional details on these events, including pricing and registration information, please go to this link: 

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner


FIRST LEGO League Camps for Mentors/Coaches & Students – Downriver-Southeastern Michigan (MI FLL Team Blast 2017.02)

Hello Teams!

Welcome to the 2017 FIRST LEGO League HYDRODYNAMICS Season!

There are summer camp opportunities in in August:

·         Ann Arbor on August 10 for teams

These events are run by FIRST teams, for FIRST teams.  There are sometimes fees to participate. Advanced registration is required.

For additional details on these events, including pricing and registration information, please go to this link: 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3E6Dll8dLRDTG1CRldBODNTV0k

Pamela Williamson
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Partner