TRASH TREK TEAM BLAST #10 - Tournament Prep, Practice Tournament and More!

Hello teams, I hope your preparations for the upcoming tournament season are going well! 

In this email you will find the following information:

1. Practice Tournament Added (for rookies)
2. RDES, 10 member rule, Consent Forms (TOURNAMENT INFO)
3. Google Drop In Address Change
4. Archived emails

Practice Tournament Added (for rookies)

What: FLL Rookie Practice Tournament 

When: Saturday Nov. 21st 12pm - 4pm 

Where: Toronto French School: 318 Lawrence Ave. East Toronto, Ont M4N 1T7

Cost: $75/team, pay with email money transfer, paypal or cheque to: info@logicsacademy.com

Register by emailing:  murray@logicsacademy.com with team name, coach name and contact information 

RDES, 10 member rule, Consent Forms (TOURNAMENT INFO)

RDES:

When you go to your event, your team will enter three judging rooms (Robot Design, Research Project, and Core Values).  In the Robot Design room you will be asked to present your Robot Design Executive Summary (RDES).  Please see the RDES file which explains the steps to follow.

10 Member Rule:

FLL teams may NOT have more than 10 team members.  Teams with more than ten members competing at an event will be disqualified from winning awards and will not be eligible to advance to the Provincial Championships.

Consent Forms:

Parents of team members must either provide consent in STIMS or with the paper copy of the Consent Form.  Please make sure you have this for ALL team members - they cannot compete without it.  Instructions for STIMS for coaches and parents are here.

Google Drop In Address Change

On Nov 17/24, we will hold the drop-in at the usual time (6-8pm), but at a NEW address.

51 Breithaupt Street, Kitchener, ON

Enter via main *public* entrance, at the back of the courtyard, and take the public elevators to the 4th floor. There will be "FLL Dropin Centre" signs on the main doors to give directions.

The following Streetview link shows the new building with the entrance courtyard, the public doors are shown in the middle of the image:

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4544178,-80.4994039,3a,75y,173.14h,83.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRZwk71dCGc1yAfpX2SXFOQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Archived Emails:

If you have missed something or want to review some previous information sent out, please note that you can see all past emails from this season posted on our blog at fllontario.blogspot.ca.  If you subscribe to it you'll receive all updates automatically.

Dave

Dave Ellis
Director, FLL Ontario
FIRST Robotics Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

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Team Blast #9 - Badge Reminder, Tournament Registration complete, Tune up Day

Hello Coaches, 3 items in this week's email blast:

1. Badge Reminder - Deadline to order is November 7th  
2. Tournament Registration Confirmed
3. Tune Up day in Oakville

Badge Reminder

The deadline to order your badges so that they arrive in time for your event is November 7th.  Please do not miss this deadline or you will be disappointed.

Order here!

Tournament Registration Confirmed

By now you should have all received your tournament assignment.  Communication about your event now turns to your Tournament Director moving forward.  If you have NOT received an email from me about your Tournament Assignment please contact me directly (NOTE: this does NOT apply to TDSB teams - your messaging about tournaments will come from Annika Pint). 

Tune Up Day in Oakville

FRC Team 1360 is happy to be able to host an FLL Tuneup drop in morning on Saturday, 21 November at the Sheridan College Skills Training Centre at 407 Iroquois Shore Road in Oakville.  We'll have lots of help available - just come and work out some kinks with our team. 

Date: 11/21/2015

Time: 9am-12pm

Location: Sheridan College Skills Training Centre at 407 Iroquois Shore Road in Oakville

Room: A14
Parking: Free and plentiful
Registration process: No formal registration process but advance notice would be nice.  Just because we didn't get notice doesn't mean you shouldn't come at the last minute.

There's a Horton's across the street and a McDonalds next door.  For parent drivers who don't want to hang around, Oakville Place is a five minute walk.

Contact: George Chisholm <georgechisholm@sympatico.ca>

You can register your intention to attend here.

Reminders:

• You can see old messages (with links to training and other opportunities for your team) here: fllontario.blogspot.ca

Best of luck to all teams with their final preparations!

Dave

Team Blast #8 - Badges, Tournament Registration Update, and Training

Hello Coaches!

In today's email you will receive information about the following three topics

1. Badges - Time Sensitive!!  Place your order!!
2. Tournament Registration Update
3. Training - SWATPosium!

Badges - Time Sensitive!!  Place your order!!

Last year we piloted an idea of having FLL badges for team members who have competed in 1, 2, or 3+ years of FLL represented by a Bronze, Silver, or Gold FLL badge respectively.  This idea was piloted only at the Provincial Championships and was a HUGE success with 98% uptake by participants.  The badges are iron on and of very good quality.  It was great to see many children walking around at provincials with their badge on their sweater/shirt (we had a heat press at provincials.  NOTE: you probably WON'T have that at your qualifier - you'll need to iron it at home).

Because of that resounding success we wanted to bring this opportunity to ALL FLL participants, not just those teams who made it to Provincials so we have come up with the following plan.

1. Coach orders online for his/her whole team
• If you have a child on your team in their third+ year with FLL you may order that child a Bronze, Silver, AND Gold badge so they have all three.  
• We will sell these next year as well so please only order what you need for your team for this year.
2. Orders are processed and mailed to the Tournament Directors based on your Tournament Assignment
3. You receive your order at your qualifier

You may place your order here: http://first-robotics-canada.myshopify.com/

NOTE: You MUST put your TEAM NUMBER in the "Company" field in the billing address or we will not know where to ship your order.

Tournament Registration Update

NOTE: the following information does NOT apply to TDSB teams.

We are all eager to get Tournament Registration finalized and I had originally told you (all non-TDSB teams) that we would release that information this week; however, last Thursday the public education sector announced that teachers would be ceasing extra-curricular activities starting today and then Kathleen Wynne announced on Friday that she has set a deadline of November 1st for a settlement.  In light of this I will be waiting to send out tournament assignments until that deadline has passed and we have more solid information from the union as this decision could have an impact on whether some events run or not.  

I will send an email Monday (hopefully morning) with details about event registration.

I know this is not an ideal situation and I wish I had better news at this time but I appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this situation in which we find ourselves.

Training - SWATPosium!

A reminder of the sign up for the Training Symposium at St. Mildred's Lightbourne School on Saturday, October 31.  Many of the workshops offered at the kickoff in Toronto earlier in the year will be repeated so if you couldn't make that session, this would be a GREAT way to learn more!  

Sessions include: Programming, Building, Fun Presentation Ideas for the Research Project, and What To Expect At/How to Prepare for a Tournament!

Sign up HERE!

Dave

Team Blast #7 - FLL Curriculum, Tournament Registration, Resources & Training

Hello Coaches, 

Today's team blast has three topics:

1. Survey re: Curriculum Connections
2. URGENT: Reminder of Official Qualifying Tournament Registration - see attachment for confirmation of whether or not you registered yet
3. Resources & Training

1. Survey re: Curriculum Connections

Teachers, have you ever dreamt of integrating FLL into your classroom?  We are very interested in creating some resources for teachers to introduce the FLL experience into their classrooms.  We would like to hear from you as teachers what YOU would need in order to pull that off.  We would truly appreciate your help by filling out this survey to give us your thoughts.

2. Reminder of Official Qualifying Tournament Registration - Tournament registration closes THIS FRIDAY!!  NOTE: This tournament information does NOT apply in any way to TDSB Teams!

Please see the East and West files which indicate whether or not we have received your tournament registration choice.  If you see your Team Number/Name you HAVE registered (final assignments to be sent out next week).  

If you DO NOT see your team represented in these files on 10/21/15 you have NOT registered for your tournament. 

3. Resources & Training

We have a number of resources and opportunities for teams.  

• Please sign up for the Symposium at St. Mildred's Lightbourne School on Saturday, October 31.  Many of the workshops offered at the kickoff in Toronto earlier in the year will be repeated so if you couldn't make that session, this would be a GREAT way to learn more!  

Sessions include: Programming, Building, Fun Presentation Ideas for the Research Project, and What To Expect At/How to Prepare for a Tournament!

Sign up HERE!

• Please check out FIRST Canada's updated resources page here.  Among other things, it includes: 
• A list of professionals to which you can reach out and ask questions about your Trash Trek Project!  
• Face to face opportunities in Hamilton and Waterloo.
• Trash Trek Resources
• Coach Resources

NOTE: Please remember to register for your tournament if you haven't done so already (check the attachments if you're not sure).  AGAIN, this does not apply to you if you are a TDSB team.

East Division Tournament Registration (for teams IN or EAST of Toronto, including North Bay)

West Division Tournament Registration (for teams WEST of Toronto, including Sudbury)

If you've missed any of my previous emails you can see them archived here: http://fllontario.blogspot.ca/

Dave

Trash Trek Team Blast #6 - Tournament Registration (...and more)!

Hello coaches,

I hope the season continues to move along nicely for you.

In this email you will see information about:

1. Tournament Registration (ACTION ITEM: REGISTER)
2. Training sessions 
3. Opportunities to SHARE with the community (ACTION ITEM [if interested])

1. Tournament Registration

Tournament Registration is finally here!

Ontario is broken into two divisions (East and West).

If you are West of Toronto you will compete in the West Division.

If you are IN Toronto or East of Toronto you will compete in the East Division.

Below are registration links for each division.  You will need to select your top 3 choices of event in your preferred order.  We will try to give you your top choice but it's quite possible that in heavy regions we will have to go to your 2nd or even your 3rd choice.  For example, the Hamilton event has a capacity of 16 teams and there are 25 teams in that area.  Some of these teams will need to go to Niagara (so if you're willing/interested in the Niagara date please make sure to include that in one of your three choices).  If you do not select three unique choices I will follow up with you for additional choices and/or simply place you somewhere based on what I need so it is in your best interest to just select the best three for you.  In the rare case where none of your top 3 choices are an option for you I will contact you directly to discuss.  PLEASE have just ONE coach register your team for the tournaments so we don't have duplicate (possibly conflicting) entries. :)

East Division Tournament Registration (for teams IN or EAST of Toronto, including North Bay)

West Division Tournament Registration (for teams WEST of Toronto, including Sudbury)

2. Training Sessions

Three opportunities here currently:

• Oakville: SWATPosium (October 31):
•  many great sessions:
• What to expect at a tournament
• Creative presentation ideas
• Q&A with an experienced coach
• Programming and building sessions
• Registration details coming soon - SAVE THE DATE!
• Hamilton: MakeShift Robotics Training sessions (see flyer)
• Waterloo: Google Drop In Evening Sessions (Communitech Space) -  October 21st and 28th (more to come)
• entry off Joseph Street (through the courtyard at the intersection of Joseph & Linden Ave). Joseph Street is very busy right now as it has become an alternate thoroughfare due to all the local construction, so caution crossing the street is advised.
• contact Jacob Rampertab for more details

3. Opportunities to SHARE with the Community

• We are still looking for teams for the Ontario Science Centre, Robots Rule event on Saturday, October 24th.  The Sunday spots are all full but we do need someone still for the Saturday.  This is a great opportunity for your kids to work on their stuff while also sharing the FLL experience with visitors to the OSC. In addition, your kids will have access to the Science Centre for free and can take shifts exploring throughout the day.  Also, there are a lot of other cool robots on display during this day from other organizations.
• We are also looking for someone for Science Expo’s 2015 Conference.   The conference is taking place on November 21, 2015 at the MaRS Discovery District in Downtown Toronto. The conference will run from 8:30 AM - 4:45 PM. However, the Exhibitor’s Fair is from 12 PM - 1:30 PM. This is during lunch and it would be when FIRST LEGO League teams could attend to demo the robot.

ACTION ITEM: Please let me know if you're interested in either of these opportunities.

Thanks,

Dave

Trash Trek Team Blast #5 - Tournament Registration, Robots Rule and Reminders!

Sent 10/2/15

Hello coaches,

I hope your seasons are all going well so far!

In this email:

1. Tournament Registration is coming soon
2. Ontario Science Centre (Robots Rule)
3. Reminders (practice tournaments)

TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION

Team registration is almost closed and soon tournament registration will be available for you.  For those who are new to FLL in Ontario, the way tournament registration works is that you will be given a list of tournaments (which can already be viewedhere) and you will either be slotted as a "West Division" team or an "East Division" team.  Depending on which Division you are in you will select your top 3 choices of tournaments in preferred order and once Tournament Registration closes we will notify you which tournament you have been slotted into.  The software we use to slot you into your tournament takes into account when you register so please register as soon as I send you the link if you are concerned about getting your first choice.

Timeline: 

• Team registration closing in the next week
• Tournament Registration opening via an email from me around Thanksgiving weekend
• Deadline to register: Friday, October 23

ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE ROBOTS RULE

We have been invited to join the annual Robots Rule weekend at the OSC and as always, we are looking for interestedteams to volunteer to spend the day with us there showcasing your robot and project.  This runs the weekend of October 24-25 and you can choose either the Saturday or the Sunday to participate in.  

Details:

Setup between 9-10 a.m., tear down at 4 p.m.

Lunch is provided

You don't need to have a spectacular robot or project.  The audience will be people who have never seen FLL before and you'll be acting as ambassadors to tell them about the program and share what you're doing as a team.  You can use the day to work on programming missions as we will have an FLL table there with this year's theme on it.  

If interested, please email me back ASAP.

REMINDERS:

• Coach resources can be found here and here
• Read the Coaches Manual - it's GREAT
• There is a practice tournament in Mississauga that still has some space available - see this flyer for more details.

Continued best wishes to you all!

Dave

Trash Trek Team Blast #4: Kickoff, Training, & Practice Tournaments

Sent 09/10/15

Hello coaches,

We hope you've had a great summer and are excited to be back preparing for the new FLL season, Trash Trek!  Since the official game has been released I'm sure you're all as pumped as we are to get going on the challenge!

If you are looking for training or experience before your official event, this is the email for YOU!  In this email you'll find information about the following:

1. FLL Ontario Kickoff and Training
2. FLL Ontario Entrepreneur/team branding/project shaping workshop
3. FLL Headquarters' "Ask an Expert" Series
4. Practice Tournaments

1. FLL Ontario Kickoff and Training (registration required)

On September 26th, in Toronto and in Waterloo there will be a kickoff and training event taking place for teams to gather together and learn more. 

We need to know who is attending and in what numbers so please register for one of these two events using the appropriate links below.

ACTION ITEM:

Toronto Kickoff (Saturday, Sept. 26, Bayview Glen School)

Waterloo Kickoff (Saturday, Sept. 26, University of Waterloo)

2. FLL Ontario Entrepreneur/team building/project shaping workshop

Just a reminder to my previous email on this topic which you can see here.  Please read more about it here and/or register ASAP here if you're still considering attending as spots are almost gone!

3. FLL Headquarters' "Ask an Expert" Series

FLL HQ is hosting a series of webinars in which you can participate.  They have been going on already and continue to do so for quite some time.  If you're interested in any of the topics below, please sign up and join in on the call!  All previous sessions have been recorded and posted on this page: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources

4. Practice Tournaments

Many teams have been asking about registering for qualifying tournaments already but that registration will not be opening until early-mid October after Team Registration has closed; however, PRACTICE Tournaments are available in certain locations and I will promote those with you as they become known to me (by the way, YOU can host a practice tournament too!).

These are a GREAT way to improve your team and prepare them for the real competition.  I highly recommend participating in a practice event if there is one in your area.

The first one I've become aware of is taking place in Mississauga on Saturday, November 14th and anyone in Ontario is welcome to participate (this includes East teams).  Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Go Teams!

Dave

Dave Ellis
Director, FLL Ontario
FIRST Robotics Canada
www.firstroboticscanada.org

Team Blast #3: Training

1. FLL Ontario Kickoff and Training
2. FLL Ontario Entrepreneur/team branding/project shaping workshop
3. FLL Headquarters' "Ask an Expert" Series

1. FLL Ontario Kickoff and Training

Save the date - September 26th, in Toronto and in Waterloo there will be a kickoff and training event taking place for teams to gather together and learn more.  Other regions will also be offering events like this so stay tuned to hear when one close to you will take place.

In the meantime, we would like your input on what you would like to see in terms of workshops.  We are ALSO very interested in those of you who would like to be presenters.  Either way, please take 3-4 minutes to fill in this quick survey.

2. FLL Ontario Entrepreneur/team building/project shaping workshop

Just a reminder to my previous email on this topic which you can see here.  Please read more about it here and/or register ASAP here if you're still considering attending as spots are almost gone!

3. FLL Headquarters' "Ask an Expert" Series

FLL HQ is hosting a series of webinars in which you can participate.  They have been going on already and continue to do so for quite some time.  If you're interested in any of the topics below, please sign up and join in on the call!  All previous sessions have been recorded and posted on this page: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources

Ask An Expert Webinars
Teams will have the chance to hear from subject matter experts in both the Challenge theme and taking products to market. Webinars will be scheduled in a variety of time zones to accommodate teams globally, and will be recorded for those who cannot attend to review later.

• Ask an Expert: New Coach Orientation  
  Just getting started in FIRST LEGO League and not sure where to begin? Or are you considering starting your first team? Veteran coach Dan Hughes will walk you through what you need to know to get started. Watch the recorded presentation here. Watch the question-and-answer portion here.
• Ask an Expert: Programming and Team Management
  Lee Magpili designs the FIRST LEGO League models, is a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Designer, EV3 programmer and an experienced FLL coach. Rookie coaches -- bring your questions on general team support and programming. 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, July 15. Register here.
• Ask an Expert: Captain Planet Foundation's Leesa Carter Jones
  Leesa Carter-Jones, Executive Director of the Captain Planet Foundation, helped shape this year's Challenge as part of the Challenge Advisory Team. Hear her perspective on why this Challenge topic is important and get some ideas to begin exploring your Project. 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, August 5. Register here.
• Ask an Expert: Poly Recovery's Mike Mooney
  TRASH TREK Challenge Advisory Team member Mike Mooney will talk to teams embarking on their Project about his perspective from with Poly Recovery  -- a pioneer in sustainable, locally based, full-service recycling that specializes in plastics. 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 26.  Register here.
• Ask an Expert: Innovation and Protecting Your IdeasJoin U.S. Patent and Trademark staff Tanaga Boozer and Jerry Lorengo in a discussion of what makes an idea innovative -- and how to protect your Project idea. 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 9. Register here.
• Ask an Expert: Programming and Team Management
  Lee Magpili designs the FIRST LEGO League models, is a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Designer, EV3 programmer and an experienced FLL coach. Rookie coaches -- bring your questions on general team support and programming. 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, September 16. Register here.
• Ask an Expert: The Team Perspective on Judging
  Gearing up for your first event? Join FLL Global Judge Advisor Skip Gridley and FLL Project Manager Jinnel Choiniere on a quick overview of what to expect from your event judging. 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 7. Register here.

- See more at: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources#sthash.U4ity3da.dpuf

Trash Trek Email Blast #2: Mark Your Calendar!! Fantastic Opportunity for FLL teams in Ontario

Hello teams,

I wanted to reach out to you today with a great opportunity for teams in the fall for which you should DEFINITELY mark you calendar!

On Saturday, October 3, we plan on hosting a workshop for teams wanting to learn more about how to find and approach researchers in the field of study for this year, how to find and approach funding sources, how to generate and test initial ideas, and how to actually prototype your solution!  All of this will be discovered as the team works with the experts at the MaRS Discovery District.

Cost is $25/participant if you register before July 1st and there are only 40 seats available so do't delay!!

Please see this flyer for more details on how to register for this exciting event!!

Dave

FLL Trash Trek Team Blast #1: FLL's Trash Trek Season Registration is Open!

Hello all coaches from last year's FLL World Class Season!

We have just finished the World Festival in St. Louis and if you follow us on Facebook you would have seen that FLL in Ontario is VERY competitive with FLL across the world.  Check out the story which was posted on April 26th.

OK, now that World Festival is over we are gearing up for the 2015 season - TRASH TREK!!

I'm very excited about this season and think that it will tie in very nicely with all the Eco Schools programs out there!  It's going to be awesome!

If you had a team last year, the process for registering your team should only take a couple of minutes because your profile will carry over and your police check lasts for 3 years!  Yay!

Please head to https://my.usfirst.org/fll/tims/site.lasso, log in, and add/pay for your team for this season and you should be all set!

Don't forget to THEN head over to Spectrum by calling them at 1-800-668-0600 to order your Field Setup Kit (and robot if you want another one).

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Dave

FLL World Class Team Blast #6 - Tournament Prep

Hello teams,

In this email:

1. Tournament Preparation
2. Sharing from around the world
3. FLL Ontario Blog

Tournament Preparation

You will be attending your qualifying tournament in the next couple of weeks and I wanted to review some items to remember and prepare.

1. Consent and release forms - For those of you who are new to FLL, FIRST requires a Consent and Release form to be signed by all coaches and participants at the event.  In the past these have been done via a paper version.  This year, FLL HQ has offered a new online method of doing this to cut down on the paper required for signing and postage for sending all the copies to HQ.  Please follow the instructions here to complete this process for your team PRIOR to your event.  Using the Team Roster  http://screencast.com/t/bigyCOnpJ.  For those parents who wish not to sign online, they can follow the procedures in this form to complete a paper copy of the consent and release form.
2. Teams MUST participate in all three areas of FLL (Robot Design, Core Values, AND the Research Project) in order to be eligible for Core Awards and advancement to the Provincial Championships
3. For information on how the Champions' Award and Advancement to Provincials works please refer to this FAQ page.
4. A REMINDER that teams must have a MAXIMUM of 10 children at the event.  Any team with more than 10 members at the event will be ineligible for awards and/or advancement to the provincials.
5. Make sure you refer to the Rubrics when preparing your team!
6. The Coaches' Manual (if you haven't already downloaded it is a great resource for the season and for preparing for an event in terms of what to expect)
7. If you're a rookie team (or even if you're NOT!) you may be feeling a little overwhelmed and under-prepared right now - fear not, EVERYONE feels under-prepared and there will be many teams at all events that are rookies and may have no missions or only one mission accomplished.  Don't let that stop you from attending 
8. If you've not visited it yet, check out the FLL World Class Resources page

Sharing from around the world

INSPIRING IDEA

FLL teams 52 and 59, from Mesa Robles Robotworks (in the LA region) have created a Core Values project.  They believe this is a great project and represents the essence of FIRST's Core Values.   Read about their idea:

Together we have developed a Facebook page and a YouTube page where 1 minute to 2 minute videos on Core Values can be posted.  The Facebook page can be found  https://www.facebook.com/INSPIRECoreValues  The name of the project is INSPIRE Core Values and we are asking all FIRST teams to post a video.  Instructions have been posted in the About section of our Facebook page.   

EV3 LESSONS

This team from Pittsburgh, PA have created a website to share EV3 lessons.  Check it out!  http://www.ev3lessons.com/other.html

FLL Ontario Blog

If you feel you've missed an important email from me, know that you can always check out the FLL Ontario Blog which archives all the emails sent (note: with the exception of the tournament registration emails because those were sent ONLY to the Head Coach listed for the team to avoid duplicate registrations/confusion in the system).

FLL World Class Team Blast #5

Hello coaches,

I hope your preparations for your upcoming event continue to go well.  Please see below some updates/reminders.

In this post:

1. Tournament Registration completed
2. Tournament paperwork
3. Team Resources - MUST read the coaches' manual!
4. Field Setup Kits
5. Global Innovation Award

1. Tournament Registration Completed

Tournament Registration is closed and I've attached a file which lists all teams attending all events.  If you want to check your status please do so using this file.

2. Tournament Paperwork

Your Tournament Director will be following up with you soon regarding details for their event including payment.  

You should be prepared to have these documents ready for your event:

• FIRST Consent and Release forms (either done online through your TIMS account in which case you just need the roster form printed or printed copies from each child brought to the event) - for details on how to use your TeamRoster to do this online, please refer to this 4-minute video explaining it: Using the Team Roster  http://screencast.com/t/bigyCOnp
• RDES: please download this file and follow the instructions included within.  This framework will help your teamprepare for the Robot Design Judging component of the tournament.
  Basic Outline: The RDES should include the following elements: Robot Facts, Design Details, and a short Trial Run. 

3. Team Resources

You can find many resources for your team on our website here and on FIRST LEGO League Headquarter's site here.  These resources include a Coaches' Manual which is a great resource.  I recommend you read it through cover to cover if this is your first or second year because it has great reminders and an overview of what to expect in the season and at a tournament.

4. Field Setup Kits

If you haven't already done so, you need to make sure to call Spectrum to order your Field Setup Kit for this season.  Details on doing so can be found on my blog post from June 23.

 5. FLL Global Innovation Award 

This piece is TOTALLY optional and teams usually look at this AFTER their event is over - either way, don't stress over this one if you're new to FLL!  This is meant more for the experienced teams ready to take their project to the next level.

Submissions are being accepted for the FIRST® LEGO® League Global Innovation Award presented by XPRIZE! FLLteams may submit their innovative idea from the FLL WORLD CLASS℠ season until 2 p.m. ET February 10, 2015. The winning team will receive USD $20,000 to further develop the team’s invention and/or to support team activities related to FIRST programs.  Each member of the three Finalist teams will also win a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 robot set.  Encourage teams to go to http://fllinnovation.firstlegoleague.org/ to find out more.

Go Teams!

Dave

World Class Team Blast #4

Hello teams,

We are well into the first few weeks of school now and I hope all is well in your world.

In this email you will find information on:

1. Training and Kickoff
2. Ask an Expert Calls
3. Team Registration Woes!!
4. Tournament Registration Update
5. Challenge Updates

1. Training day & FLL Ontario Kickoff
Waterloo Kickoff: A reminder that we have a Training day in Waterloo this Saturday.  The event runs from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and please make sure to RSVP with corneilm3710@gmail.com ASAP.

Toronto Kickoff: On Saturday September 27th we will be hosting our 4th annual FLL Kickoff and Training day in Toronto and this year we will be hosted by Bayview Glen School in Toronto.   Veteran FLL coaches and mentors will help to guide you and your team through a variety of topics.  You can see last year's agenda here to get an idea of the workshops being planned.  If there is something you don't see there that you would like to learn, please email me your suggestion and we'll see what we can do.

2. Ask an Expert 

Don't forget to register for the Ask an Expert webinar series. Upcoming presentations include Engaging Girls in STEM with FLL Partner Camille Sloan-Schroeder on Oct. 1st (register here ) and Judging from a Team Perspective with Global Judge Advisor Skip Gridley on Oct. 15th (register here).

The list of past webinars and links to both the presentations and question-and-answer sessions are located here.  

3. Team Registration Woes!!

Registration for FLL is definitely more challenging this year, but don't let that stop you from a great experience with/for the kids!  If you're struggling through a stage, please let me know so I can assist you through this process.  Please view these videos and ensure you've completed all the steps to ensure you're on the road to success!

Setting up your personal profile: http://screencast.com/t/Dtt8xOXW9U2

Registering your team: http://screencast.com/t/CZ4VTn12

Ordering your materials: http://screencast.com/t/MivMUCPU

Using the Team Roster  http://screencast.com/t/bigyCOnp

4. Tournament Registration Update

Many of you are asking about when events will be available.  We're working to set all the events up and after TEAM registration closes we will make available the TOURNAMENT registration process (likely around Thanksgiving).

5. Challenge Updates

Challenge Updates are under way. As of Monday afternoon, six Robot Game Updates and one Project Update have been posted to teams. We are working on a schedule of posting Updates twice per week on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, beginning the week of Sept. 15.   Updates are linked to from the Challenge page of the FLL website .   

Have fun!

Dave

World Class Team Blast #3: New Screening Process - Again...

Hello coaches,

If you have already been screened then you can ignore this communication.  If you have not yet been screened, the process has changed since the previous communication on screening/registering.

Rather than two phone references (as was the previous process) coaches will now be screened through an automated process through mybackcheck.com.  This should only take a few days to process and then you'll be able to order your materials from Spectrum as indicated in the previous post.

Please note, you still need to have BOTH coaches screened before you can proceed.

Hope that helps!

Dave

World Class Team Blast #2: New Registration Process

NOTE: Some of the videos in this post were created early in the season and your experience may prove slightly different since HQ has made some changes to the system since these were created.  One of significant note would be the screening process which previously involved providing two references per coach who were phoned.  That system has been replaced by the automated police background check system.



**NEW REGISTRATION PROCESS!!**

NB: This is no different than previously communicated - just highlighting it in one place.

FIRST LEGO League Headquarters has created a new system for registration this year which has many changes over previous years.  One of the impetuses for this change was their new Youth Protection Plan which is a great initiative to keep our kids safe while participating in FIRST programs.  We take children’s safety VERY seriously and this is a positive step in the right direction toward that goal.

To help with the registration process we’ve outlined the steps you must follow for successful registration and product ordering this season.

Step 1: Coaches create a profile at this link on May 5th :  https://my.usfirst.org/fll/tims/site.lasso

Here's a video walking you through the process of setting up your user id and password:

http://screencast.com/t/Dtt8xOXW9U2.

You will be asked to login into TIMS with last year's TRE account username and password, or create a new account. There is a process to renew or change your password if necessary. This will require a new profile to be filled out. The profile process may seem somewhat lengthy for FLL teams as we are starting anew in the TIMS system. However, once the user profile is completed for this 2014 season it will carry over to next year where only a verification of the existing data will be required. The former TRE link will direct you to the TIMS system.

Team registration payment questions should be directed to:

Email:                               ar@usfirst.org  

Finance Group:                603-666-3906 x563

Finance Fax:                    603-206-2079

200 Bedford Street, Manchester NH 03101

Step 2: Coach uses the login info created above to register a team.

Here's a video walking you through that process of registering your team.

http://screencast.com/t/CZ4VTn12

NOTE: two coaches MUST be listed on the registration and EACH of these coaches must be screened - once you register you will receive an email requesting that you fill in some information at mybackcheck.com so that you can be screened by the Canadian Police Services.  Coaches may NOT order their Field Setup Kit or their Robot until both coaches’ references have been contacted so please choose contacts that will be able to answer the phone.

NOTE: payment for team registration this year will be made to US FIRST and will be $225 USD.

Step 3: Order your materials through Spectrum Educational

·       Once you have created your profile, registered your team, paid your Team Fee ($225 USD to FIRST HQ), and had two coaches pass the screening process, you will get access to purchasing your Field Setup Kit (FSK) and your FLL Robot through a phone call to Spectrum Educational Supplies. Here's a video detailing how to order your materials

For further information on this, please see this archived Team Blast from HQ.

NOTE: ALL registration issues should be addressed to FLL HQ by phone at +1 (603) 666-3906 OR 1-(800) 871-8326 (US Toll-free).

NOTE: All questions related to ordering materials should be directed to Spectrum at Tel: 905-898-0031 OR Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-668-0600

Any other questions can be sent to Christine Bibic at christine.bibic@firstroboticscanada.org

Step 4: Follow up tasks

1. In the early fall (or sooner if you want) you can update your team roster and get the parents all signed in and consent forms done electronically this year. Ya!  Here's a video outlining how to use the Team Roster  http://screencast.com/t/bigyCOnpJ
2. Register your team for an event and pay the Tournament registration fee.  This registration takes place in the fall in early October.  More details to follow later.

Summary of videos in this email:

Setting up your profile: http://screencast.com/t/Dtt8xOXW9U2

Registering your team: http://screencast.com/t/CZ4VTn12

Ordering your materials: http://screencast.com/t/MivMUCPU

Using the Team Roster  http://screencast.com/t/bigyCOnpJ

Hope all of that helps you to navigate this new process.  Thank you for your patience as we transition through this year.  I apologize in advance for any inconvenience.