I know that many of you are returning to school today and all that that entails for you. I wish you all the best as your new school year starts off!
REGISTRATION
We are very excited about this year's FLL season as it marks the 10th year that Ontario has been participating in FLL! Make sure to be a part of the excitement this year! I just wanted to let you all know that if you haven't registered yet for the FLL season that you are not too late! The game and research project have been released already (released August 28th this year) and it looks like another great theme!!
Please note that if you haven't registered already, Team Registration closes at the end of September. We have found that teams do much better the earlier they start so if you are still planning on registering, don't delay - Register Today!
GRANTS
If last year was your first year participating in FLL I have great news for you. There are a limited number of 2nd Year FLL grants available to you if you register and apply quickly. The application to apply for the grant can be downloaded from here. Preference will be given to those teams who received a New Team Grant last year but the door will be opened to all 2nd year teams who apply after September 10th.
If you know of someone who might be interested in starting a new team, feel free to have them register and apply for a "New Team Grant" (we have just been given the go ahead to release 30 more grants since we already handed out the previous 60!! Help us reach more kids and get to 350 or more teams in Ontario this year!!
TRAINING
In addition, I wanted to let you know about Coach Training that is coming up:
• There is a series of Coach Calls straight from HQ in New Hampshire which you can either tune into live or download for your MP3 player. You can view the series outline/dates (among other resources) here: http://firstlegoleague.org/
• We will also be hosting some Ontario-based Coach Training Webinars (stay tuned for more details).
• We have also scheduled two face-to-face training sessions for teams to attend. One is coming up in a few weeks (September 22nd) at Crescent School in Toronto (2365 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON). It's going to be a great day and the kids can come too!! Leave the day with a couple missions completed! Register here.
• The second face-to-face training session will be on October 27th in Oakville (more details to follow but mark your calendar and plan to attend!)
TOURNAMENTS
Tournament registration will be open in early October after Team Registration has closed. Qualifying Tournaments across Ontario take place on weekends in November and December and you need to compete in one of these events in order to qualify for the Provincial Championships which take place in January. Each tournament has a fee which can be up to $150 and includes lunch and awards for the teams. Many tournaments are looking for volunteers so if you know someone who might be interested in helping out, please email the Tournament Director listed to indicate your interest.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Have a great day!
Dave
