6th Coach Email blast

Hello teams,

Welcome to another wonderful week of FLL!  :)  I have some VERY important issues to address in this email so please make sure to read through each one.
1) Tournament Registration
2) Robot Design Executive Summary - RDES (Robot presentation requirement - NEW this year!)
3) Advancement Policy to move from Qualifying Tournament to Provincial Championships
4) Training Opportunities - don't miss out!

1) Tournament Registration
Tournament registration closes this Friday.  If you have not registered for your qualifying tournament, please do so by the end of this week.  They are on a first-come, first-served basis with some consideration given to geography.  If you are new to FLL this year, please note that the registration you did in September was your "TEAM Registration".  What we're talking about now is your "TOURNAMENT Registration" and this IS separate.  Please go to this page on our site to find the tournaments available.  On a side note, our Ottawa tournament is still looking for teams so if are interested in heading East to the beautiful city of Ottawa for field trip, please go ahead and sign up for that.

2) Robot Design Executive Summary (RDES)
The RDES is a pilot in which Ontario is participating.  In a nutshell, it's something you need to create ahead of time to use during the Robot Design Judging session to provide a structured way for the judges to get to know what's going on with your robot.  There is a document attached to this email outlining the full details of the RDES.  Please read through it and make sure you are prepared.  All tournaments in Ontario, including the Provincial Championships, will be following this new procedure for the Robot Design Judging process.
3) Advancement Policy
Teams often ask about how they can move on to the next stage.  First of all, please keep in mind that the goal of FLL is not to "get to the next level" or "win an award", but to inspire children with respect to science and technology and to ensure they have fun throughout the process/experience.  Each tournament they attend (whether it is a qualifier or the provincials) should be viewed as a celebration of their learning and a chance to learn from the other fantastic teams they meet.

Having said that, here is the information regarding advancement:

For the purposes of advancement to Provincial Championships, teams at tournaments will be assessed against the Champions' criteria and ranked accordingly against the other teams at the tournament.  Each tournament is allocated a certain number of advancement "spots" based on the size of the tournament (ie. the more teams at a tournament, the more spots that tournament will be given at the Provincial Championships based on a standard percentage).  So, if the tournament you're attending is sending three teams on to the Provincial Championships then your team would have to be one of the top 3 teams ranked according to the Champions' criteria.  More information about this can be found on the FLL FAQ page located here: http://firstlegoleague.org/event/judgingfaq    

4) Training Opportunities!
This week we have our last two training webinars for coaches and a fantastic symposium on Saturday.  All training past, present, and future is FREE - all details can be found here.
Tuesday 7 p.m. Online: Core Values and Research Project
Wednesday, 7 p.m. Online: Intermediate Programming 102
Saturday, 9 a.m. Face-to-face: FIRST Robotics Symposium with many workshops planned.

By the way, if you've missed any of my email blasts or don't want to do a search for them in your inbox, they are all posted on my blog here.

Take care and have a great week!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

5th Coach Email blast

For a few weeks now I've been promoting the Oakville Robotics Symposium on the 22nd.  Hopefully you saved the date and are ready to register.  The workshops being provided are by current and past coaches with tons of great experience.  I've attached the list of workshops that will be available to you - as promised, there's something for everyone!  Whether you are a rookie or a veteran, I would highly recommend you attend if at all possible.  This is a mentor-only event so please leave the kids at home.   You may bring your own robot, pieces, and laptop if you wish to build and program throughout the day.

To register for the event please go here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the FLL registration link.
This is a video walking you through the workshop sign-up sheet if you need it.

Chris Hadfield will also be speaking to the entire group of attendees at the end of the day.  It's going to be a great event you won't want to miss!

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

4th Email Blast to Coaches

Hello everyone,

The big news today is that Tournament Registration is now officially open.  You can find all the information regarding the tournaments on this page of our site.  Some tournaments are using the Team Registration and Events (TRE) system to handle registration (the same system in which you registered your team).  Some are simply asking you to email the Tournament Director directly.  Either way, the information is posted on our site.

The second thing is that I want to make sure that you're all aware of the upcoming training available, both online and face-to-face - PLEASE take advantage of these great resources for you and your team to succeed.  This week we have a session on what to expect with respect to judging at a tournament (tonight) and a session on robot building (Thursday night - NOTE date change).  We have more online sessions next week and the list can be found here.  In addition, we're having a FIRST Robotics Symposium at St. Mildred's Lightbourne School in Oakville on Saturday, October 22nd.  General details regarding that day can be found here but a tentative schedule of FLL workshops are listed in the attachment.  Please take advantage of these training opportunities as much as possible.  The Symposium looks like a great day with Chris Hadfield rounding out the day!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

3rd Email blast to Food Factor Coaches

Hello Coaches,

I hope you're having a great time with the kids so far this season!  Here's your third blast from me this season.  In this blast you'll have info about Team Registration and Tournament Registration, as well as upcoming Coach Training (if you've missed any of my blasts you can check them out on my blog here).

1) The Team Registration system is now closed.  Final registrations are being processed and a grand total will be announced shortly but we have had a HUGE growth in Ontario this season which is VERY exciting!  Welcome to all the new teams across Ontario - there are over 100 of you!!

2) Tournament Registration will open soon.  We're just working out final details on those tournaments and an email blast will come out to you in the next week with final details regarding Tournament Registration.  Keep an eye for that email!!

3) Lastly, our Online Coach Training series continues this week with a workshop on Wednesday evening starting at 7 p.m.  This week's topic: Intermediate Programming 101.  Next week's topic is also a hot one for many teams: "Everything U Wanted to Know About Judging".  Get all the details and tons of other resources (including downloadable archives of past weeks' topics) here.  The rest of the series will be posted shortly.

Have a great week everyone!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

2nd Email Blast to Food Factor Teams

Hello Coaches,

I just wanted to touch base with you on a few things at this time.

1. First of all, please note tomorrow's training session which is aimed at ALL coaches who are interested.  The focus will be discussing the robot game, rules, clarifications, and common strategies used to be successful.  You will need to log in to register for this online training which is starting at 7 p.m.  For more information please go to our Training and Resources page.  On this page, you'll also see other upcoming Coach Training opportunities and resources.  Check back often as it is updated weekly.  In preparation for tomorrow's workshop, I would suggest you watch this 7 minute video on Youtube.  If you missed one of our previous trainings, they will be posted on the website at the same link above (one is already up from last week). 
   
2. Team Registration is almost closed for the Food Factor Challenge.  If you are still recruiting someone to compete, please note that registration closes on Sept. 30th.
   
3. If you are a veteran team and are looking to mentor a rookie team, please email me to make a connection with that team.  There is some funding available if you are interested in doing so.   If you are an FLL team interested in mentoring, documentation regarding the funding is here.
4. Tournament registration will open shortly after Team registration closes.  I will email you, post it on my blog, and on our website when it is open and at that time you can register your team for your tournament.
5. Read your Coaches' Manual - it's your guide to success.  Pay attention to the rubrics and the timeline for the season!

Have fun!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

Only 7 days left!!

Hello teams, with only 7 days left before registration closes we are pulling in our final teams for the 2011 Food Factor season.  We currently sit at 277 teams across Ontario which is a huge increase over last year's total of 229!  Congratulations to all those who have joined this great adventure! 

Tournament registration will open shortly after the Team Registration closes so keep an eye out for a post here and an email blast out regarding that process for you.

I hope your preparations so far have been going smoothly - remember to read that Coaches' Guide thoroughly and keep an eye on their suggested timeline. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dave

1st Email Blast To Food Factor Coaches

Hello Coaches,

I just wanted to take a moment to welcome you all to the 2011 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) season called "Food Factor"!  I will try to keep emails to one per week (you'll also be getting one from FLL HQ each week) but that will mean they could be quite lengthy each time.  :)  There are 4 items of note in this email - please take a moment to read through.


Housekeeping
First of all, if you are receiving this email and you are NOT the coach of this team (for example you are the Office Administrator who purchased the registration for the school but will not be coaching the team), please send me your team number and the correct email address so that I may update my mail list.  Otherwise, the coach of your team will not receive crucial information from FLL Ontario and from FIRST HQ.


Kick-Off event!!
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has sponsored FLL in Ontario this year in support of the food safety theme and together we will be hosting a kick off event for the season on Tuesday, September the 13th starting at 1:30 p.m. and finishing by 2:30 p.m. at Captain R Wilson PS in Oakville.  While it is assumed most schools outside the Peel/Halton region will be unable to attend, we want you to know that you are all invited to the event.  If you are in close proximity to the school and are able to attend, we strongly encourage you to bring your kids and enjoy a good time!  The World Champion "Sentinels" will be there, showing some of their coolest moves from their now-famous robot from last season.  In addition, someone from Maple Leaf Foods will be present to discuss food safety.  Lastly, I'll be there to explain the game/project for this season.  The Sentinels will finish it off with a discussion of some tips/tricks for this year's challenge.  It's sure to be a good time so come on out!
Please RSVP.


Coach Training:
Looking for some information on how to tackle this whole thing called FLL?  Look no further...OK, a little further.  FLL HQ has its own Coach Training series which I would recommend you follow.  If you miss an episode, you can always catch the recording at http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources - download it and listen to it on your iPod or computer.

In addition to these conference calls, we'll be hosting our own coach training in Ontario.  It will take a few different forms (some face to face where available and some online).  We will announce all training via email, my blog, and on our website as they become available.  This email is to let you know about our first online training being held next Tuesday evening (the 13th) from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.  This session would be best for brand new coaches who have questions about how to get started.  If interested, please join us by clicking on the link below to register.  You'll have an opportunity to jump in and ask questions.  I full schedule of training will be posted on the blog and the website soon.

Space is limited.  Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/363437526


Money money money, MONEY!
We have money to support new teams in Ontario and if you haven't already taken advantage of that as a new team, please look at the documentation posted here.  It doesn't apply to all teams but most new teams could benefit.

That's it for now!  Have a great weekend!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

It's heeeeeerre....!!!

Hello FLL fans, the moment we've been waiting for since the Smart Move season ended a few months ago is here!  The release of the 2011 Food Factor game and project!!

Here's a direct link to the page you're looking for: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2011foodfactor

Have fun and go get 'em!!

Dave

Updated Financial stimulus plan!

NOTE: This blog post is out-of-date.  For updated links to Grant Documents for the 2012 season, please go to: http://fllontario.blogspot.ca/2012/05/sr-solutions-team-blast-1.html






No, not the government's financial stimulus...FIRST Robotics Canada's!!

As we did in the spring of 2011, there is money available once again for schools to start up new teams. The updated documents and procedure for new teams can be found here (or here if you have an older version of Word).

If you are a mentoring team, there is money for you as well.
If you are an FLL team interested in mentoring, your document is here.
If you are an FRC team interested in mentoring an FLL team you can find your document here.

Let's bump our numbers up and get even more kids involved in this fantastic program!

Dave

Getting hungry...

Hello teams,

We currently have 106 hungry teams in Ontario ready to compete in the 2011 Food Factor season!  Are you one of them?  Haven't registered a team yet?  What are you waiting for?  Get signed up today!!  It's going to be an amazing season once again!  There are still spots available for our New Team Grant.  Don't miss out on this great opportunity!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

1 month in...

Hello teams, I hope you're having a great spring so far!  Registration for FIRST LEGO League officially opened on May 2nd, so we're one month into the 2011 Food Factor season and Ontario teams are signing up fast to be a part of this exciting adventure called FLL. 

There are still grant spots available for teams in Ontario so if you are thinking of approaching a local school to help them start up a team, there's still time to jump on board. 

Get involved, be a part of something great!

Dave

WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Hello FLL family in Ontario!!

I'm in St. Louis right now for the FIRST World Championships and tonight they announced the FLL World Champion - drum roll please.....

Team 3663 The Sentinels from Oakville, ONTARIO, CANADA won the 1st Place Champion's Award!!!!!  That's right!!  OUR team WON!!!!  OUR team WON!!!!  Wahoooooo!!!!!!

This is an unprecedented level of accomplishment for an FLL team from Canada and it came from our beautiful province of Ontario!!!  Congratulations to the team, the coaches, the parents, and the community of Oakville on such an incredible accomplishment!  We are so very proud of each of you and all the work that went into accomplishing this feat!

Dave

FINAL process for Provincial Grant Application

Hello coaches (past, present, and future)!

FLL's team registration system will be open for business on May 2nd for the 2011 Food Factor Season.  FIRST Robotics Canada has received a grant from the provincial government to support the growth of FIRST programs within Ontario.  We are pleased to announce that we will be partially funding 40 new teams in Ontario this year!

NOTE: If you get the grant of $750 you must still purchase a Field Setup Kit for $78 (unless you already have access to one for the 2011 Food Factor season) and build a table (instructions can be found here - while the table is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended).  Lastly, you will want your team to attend a tournament in the fall (November or December) and while tournament costs vary, you should plan to spend $150 per team for tournament registration.  In total, after the grant, you will need around $250 for your team.  The $750 grant is to cover the majority of the costs of starting up a team, which include the robot and the team registration fee (different than the tournament registration fee). Please see this page for information on description and pricing associated with materials for an FLL team.

In previous years without the funding, teams usually participated in fundraising activities such as bake sales, car washes, and sponsorship from local businesses.  Many local shops will gladly give $50-100 to a team if they'll add their company's name to the back of a team shirt.  These can be great learning opportunities for students as well (in marketing, promotion, communication, business concepts, and partnerships). 

If you are not selected as one of the 40 teams to receive the grant this spring you will be placed on a waiting list for the grant for the fall reimbursement.  While I cannot guarantee you will receive funding, there is a good chance the money will eventually be reimbursed; however, you should be prepared to accept the possibility that it will not.
 
The process is explained fully in the documentation listed at the bottom of this post (which will also be posted on our website in the next few days); however, in a nutshell, you must:

1. FIRST register (by going to https://gofll.usfirst.org/) AND PAY for your team within FLL's Team Registration System (which opens on May 2nd, at noon)
2. THEN submit your form for the grant (see paperwork attached) to the following email address: FIRST@ylf-fyl.ca (the Yves Landry Foundation has graciously agreed to handle the administrative process of the grant) - do NOT email the application to fllontario@gmail.com.
   
3. NOTE: only fully completed grant applications which have official FLL Team #'s (given to you upon registering with FLL) and school boards listed will be accepted as received and placed in the queue for funding!!!
   
4. if your submission is complete you will receive an email confirming receipt of your application.
5. once your application has been approved you will be notified of the good news and mailed a cheque for $750 to reimburse you for the cost of the robot and registration to start up a new team OR a cheque for $250 to cover the cost of your registration if you are a veteran team applying for the mentoring grant.
6. If you send in your grant application but miss out on this opportunity because all of the funds are absorbed by other teams, you will be added to a waiting list and may be contacted if more funds become available. 
   
7. In any case, your supplies (robot and Field Setup Kit [FSK]) will be delivered in late August and the game will be released on September 2nd!  Become a follower of my blog to keep up to date on all things FLL in Ontario.
   

Please read through the documents THOROUGHLY so you understand the process completely.  If you have questions after reading the documents, please feel free to email FIRST@ylf-fyl.ca.

New Team Application (latest version of Word)
New Team Application (old version of Word)

Mentor Application (latest version of Word)
Mentor Application (old version of Word)

Please note, if your school board has a centrally assigned Science or robotics individual, please contact them prior to registering to see if they have coordinated anything board-wide in which you might already be included.

Thank you once again for your interest in our FIRST programs and specifically in FLL.

Have a great season!

Dave

Dave Ellis
FLL Operational Partner - Ontario, Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

Presenting ASIMO at the OSC!

Hello teams!

I hope you are enjoying the spring weather (sort of) and dreaming of warmer days when FLL registration opens again - at noon on May 2nd - a not-so-subtle plug... :) More news on the provincial grant opportunities in an email tomorrow...

For today, I have BIG news! The Ontario Science Centre and Honda have teamed up to make a presentation of the Honda robot ASIMO available to the kids of Ontario. In a nutshell, $6 gets each of your kids in the door of the OSC and in to see one of 3 presentations of ASIMO starting around 10 a.m on May 13th. You're welcome to come earlier and see the other OSC exhibits if you desire. You're welcome to stay the day afterward as well. They are offering this as a pre-release to the general public (which will go out to schools next week). If you are interested in taking advantage of this with your team, please contact Todd Fowler of Honda at todd_fowler@ch.honda.com and book your seats before they're all gone!

More details in this document. All questions should be directed to Todd please.

Thanks,

Dave

Congratulations to our Globe-Trotting teams of Ontario!

I just wanted to announce that a few of our Ontario teams have been selected to represent Ontario at some of the global FLL competitions taking place in the next couple of months. We submitted an application to the World Festival (WF) for our 1st Place Core Values team, the TechnoSurgeons from Tomken Road PS which was accepted!! Congratulations TechnoSurgeons and good luck!

In addition to our two WF teams (the Sentinels [provincial champs] and the TechnoSurgeons) we also have two teams attending the US Open in California! These two teams were selected via a draw from our 1st Place Award winners from the provincial championships and will be heading down to the US Open in May. Congratulations goes out to the SCS Penguins from St. Clement's School and the Road Runners from Glen Ames PS!

Good luck to all four of our globe-trotting teams as they represent Ontario on the world stage!

Congratulations!!

Congratulations goes out to The Sentinels, from Oakville, who won our provincial championship tournament and have qualified for World Festival in St. Louis at the end of April. In addition to this accomplishment, they were featured on the Canadian Diabetes Association website through an article about their research project on diabetes. You can see the article here and watch their video on YouTube here.

Great job Sentinels!!

Good luck in St. Louis!

Dave

Grant application

Hello teams,

For those of you interested in the spring grant, please remember that you and/or the team you're mentoring must purchase a registration from FLL first and THEN apply for the grant. Interest in this program is growing so I would suggest that you register early in May (when registration opens) and apply immediately for the grant. More information on this process will be posted in the next few weeks so check back often!

Dave

Provincial Championships

Hello everyone,

So it's been a while since I posted something new on the blog but I wanted to draw your attention to a couple things. First of all, the Provincial Championships were a huge success once again as we had 50 teams competing against each other with lots of hardware being handed out. A big thank you to UOIT for being our host and donating most of the university to our event! In addition, we had sponsorship from OPG once again this year and RIM came on board as a major sponsor of our program as well.

A big congratulations goes out to all the teams who competed on January 15th at UOIT. If you're interested in checking out the results of our event, you can see it on our new site. Other media coverage of the event includes:
http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/article/169634
http://www.uoit.ca/EN/main2/about/news_events/news_archives/news_releases/2011/20110118_1.html
http://www.diabetes.ca/get-involved/news/kids-share-their-winning-idea-for-diabetes-management/
http://planetyou.discoverychannel.ca/mediadetail/3565301

And if you're interested in seeing some photos of the event, please check out Ian Goodall's photos from the day at: http://ian.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000HBX2o1WW750

Take care everyone!

Dave