This is the first of the team update emails you will receive about FLL this year. If you will not be involved with a team this year and do not wish to receive emails anymore, please log into your FIRST Dashboard and remove/change your contact information to the new coach or contact for your team.
Registration and Grants
Registration continues for the 2018 season of FLL! If you have registered, challenge sets are now shipping to teams in order of registration and yours will be on the way. If you need any help with the registration process, don't hesitate to ask! Veteran teams should register with their existing number, and teams should include their school name on their team if they are organized through a school. This season, registration includes the Challenge Set. Instead of a $225 registration fee and a $75 challenge set cost, the registration fee including the challenge set will be $299 this year.
Remember that FIRST in Michigan's progression of programs is different than the FIRST progression. FLL teams in Michigan consist of "upper elementary" students: 4th and 5th graders, as well as 6th graders if they attend a K-6 elementary building.
There are grants available to start additional teams at your school! If you have more students who want to participate, you can start an additional FLL team for free with our rookie reimbursement grants. You can reply to this email for more information. If you are a rookie team, the link to the grant reimbursement form will be available in a few weeks and emailed to all registered teams.
Challenge Release
The new challenge is out! You can find INTO ORBIT resources at the FIRST website, including the challenge guide, coaches' handbook, videos, etc.
Coach Training
There will be opportunities for coach training throughout the fall. I have details on one so far: Grand Dial in Grand Rapids will offer Basic Training on Aug. 18 and Sept. 15 and Advanced Training on Sept. 20 for FLL coaches for a fee. You can find more information on their site at Grand Dial FIRST Robotics Training.
If you are interested in hosting a training or build event to support teams in your area, please let me know.
Events
We are still finalizing the tournament list for 2018. We do need a few additional events. The $75 registration fee from teams is the basis for the event budget, and there is support throughout the process of planning and hosting the event. Please let me know if you would like more information.