Coaches,
We hope you are as excited about our Animal Allies season as
all of our FIRST LEGO League volunteers here in Michigan! This year’s challenge will be interesting and
we will all learn a lot from our fabulous students. Here is some important information about
FIRST LEGO League in Michigan, that you will need to know this season.
Progression of
Programs
Michigan runs a different progression of programs than what
is on the FIRST website. In Michigan we
run FIRST Lego League in the upper elementary grades, starting in 4th grade,
through the end of elementary. More
information on the Michigan Progression of Programs may be found here:
Team List
The official Michigan FIRST LEGO League Team List may be
found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12N3nKm-MV0wktmSzhCEdup9GbuBshpzAVG7MKHSnC-k/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&output=html
Teams that are fully registered and paid will show up on the
list. Teams that have not completed the
registration process will not show up on the list. The list will be reviewed
and updated as needed 2-3 times per week as the season progresses.
Please note that you are not considered registered until the team has 2 screened adult coaches, and the team registration fee has been paid. This screening occurs through the FIRST registration system: http://www.firstinspires.org/node/10626 and a 3rd party site. To learn more about the FIRST Youth Protection Program visit: http://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/youth-protection-policy. If you are having issues with team registration, please contact fllteams@firstinspires.org or call the phone number on the registration system login page.
Team Grants
We do not yet have details on team grants for the 2016
season, but anticipate that we will again be able to offer grants to
teams. When information becomes
available it will be communicated to all registered teams. Teams must meet the Michigan Progression of
Programs, in order to be eligible for grants.
Qualifying Events
Each FIRST LEGO League team in Michigan may participate in
one Qualifying event. Qualifying events
will take place each Saturday, between November 5 and December 3. There will be no Qualifying events over the
Thanksgiving weekend. We are in the
process of finalizing the FIRST LEGO League competition venues and dates for
the 2016 season. Some of the events are already
posted on the FIRST website. Additional
events will be added as the information is finalized (you will need to filter
for “Event”, “FIRST LEGO League”, “2016-2017 Season”, “USA” and your “Zip
Code”): http://www.firstinspires.org/team-event-search#type=teams&sort=name&programs=FLLJR,FLL,FTC,FRC&year=2016
Teams must apply for an event, in order to participate in an
event. The event application will be via
a Google Docs link that will be sent to teams with further instructions. The event application period will take place
October 8 through 16. Each team will be
asked to choose three different events, in order of preference. Please apply early to improve your chance of
getting your preferred event.
A note will be sent out to all registered teams, with
further details on the event application process, prior to the opening of the
event application.
Some teams from each Qualifying event will be invited to
subsequently attend a State Championship event.
The State Championship events will take place on December 10 and
17. Teams who qualify for a State
Championship will be assigned to an event based on the Qualifier they attend.
The team registration fee does not cover your event
fee. The event fee in Michigan is $75
per team, per event. Event registration
fees are payable to the event host when your team checks in on the day of the
event.
Once event assignments are made, they will show up on the official
Michigan FIRST LEGO League Team List which may be found: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12N3nKm-MV0wktmSzhCEdup9GbuBshpzAVG7MKHSnC-k/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&output=html
Project Rubric
Pilot
As you prepare for your event, you will want to review the
Rubrics that the Judges will be using to review your team, and provide you
feedback at your events. Rubrics will be
returned to the teams at the conclusion of each event. Please note that Michigan is one of several
regions that will be participating in a pilot with FIRST LEGO League this
year. Michigan will be using different
Rubrics for the Project. The Michigan
Project Rubrics will be different than what is posted on the FIRST
website. The Michigan Project Rubrics
will be shared with the teams within the next week. The Robot Design and Core Values Rubrics may
be found on the FIRST website: http://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/fll/judging-rubrics
One final note: All
Michigan FIRST LEGO League email blasts may be found on the FIRST in Michigan
website: http://michiganfll.blogspot.com/
Please let me know if you have any additional
questions, or need additional information.
You may reach me at michiganfll@gmail.com. Please note that I will answer your query as
soon as possible, but it may take a few days.
If you require immediate assistance, particularly with team
registration, please contact fllteams@firstinspires.org.
Good luck to all our teams!
Have FUN!
Pamela Williamson
Michigan FLL Partner