Team Financial Support, Robotics Camps, Adult Workshops, and More!

Greetings FIRST LEGO League Oregon,

In this newsletter you will find:

1. Coach, Mentor, Parent, and Teen FIRST LEGO League Workshops
2. ORTOP Team Financial Support 2017!
3. Summer Showcase Teams NEEDED
4. Robotics Camps Around Oregon - for team members!
5. What is the FIRST LEGO League Season Pass, and Who is it for?
6. Old Challenge Sets Are Available at ORTOP

Read this newsletter as a blog

1)  Coach, Mentor, Parent, and Teen FIRST LEGO League Workshops

If you are new to FIRST LEGO League, want to be more knowledgeable about FIRST LEGO League? Enroll in the free ORTOP Workshops. We are happy to announce that we will have workshops at: 

• Mountain View High School, 2755 NE 27th St Classroom C8, Bend
• Intel Aloha Fabs, 3585 S.W. 198th Avenue, Aloha
• Concordia University, 2811 NE Holman St, Portland - Luther Hall Room 120
• Beaverton High School, 13000 SW 2nd St, Beaverton
• Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington, 9620 SW Barbur Blvd - room 220 & (221-programming only), Portland
• Hillsboro High School, 3285 SE Rood Bridge Rd, Classroom TE2, Hillsboro
• Eastern Oregon University, Zabel Hall Room 201, LaGrande
• Hood River Extension, 2990 Experiment Station Dr, Hood River
• Garmin, 2345 Turner Rd SE, Salem 
• Eastham Community Center Cafeteria, Eastham School, Oregon City
• And More!!!

Teens are welcome!  FIRST LEGO League students should make other plans as these workshops are for Coaches, Mentors, and Parents to learn about the EV3 robotics systems and coaching techniques. FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Team members are encouraged to attend if they will be mentoring FIRST LEGO League in 2017.

Don't see a workshop near you? Please request one!  We need 12 adults from several teams to bring a workshop to most areas, you may be the one that makes the difference!  Even if we are not able to bring the workshop to you, all our materials are available online.  We are looking at adding events in Corvallis, Roseburg, and/or Ashland, we just need more interest!

2)  ORTOP Team Financial Support 2017!
ORTOP is now accepting applications for Team Financial Support. As many of you know we will have less funds available this year. Teams who have already engaged in local fundraising (even if all you will be doing is selling water bottles during the solar eclipse) will be more likely to be selected. Our goal is to extend funding to existing teams who would not otherwise be able to participate, teams who are prepared and ready to participate and are only missing some funding. Early applicants may be forwarded on to FIRST award opportunities and additional grants!

Please read all of the details on this page before applying.  Applications must be submitted online through SurveyMonkey, paper applications are a resource for coaches only.

NEW THIS YEAR: The application MUST be completed by the LEAD Coach. A LEAD Coach is the coach who will be responsible for all communication between ORTOP and the team. The Lead Coach will guarantee the team has all the needed materials, a safe place to meet, and will help determine who is on the team. The LEAD Coach may oversee multiple teams and does not need to attend all team meetings.  The LEAD Coach MUST register in the FIRST system and complete a free background check through Verified Volunteers through FIRST.

3)  Summer Showcase Teams NEEDED
Several times this summer we will be reaching out for help showcasing FIRST LEGO League in Oregon. Primarily this will take place in the Portland Metro area, but we are also looking for teams who can help out in other parts of the state. If your team has a robot (even if you are working on it to do things other than the ANIMAL ALLIES challenges, and are willing to share what FIRST LEGO League has meant for you, please email Loridee-Wetzel@ortop.org with your name and where your team is located. Please use the subject line Summer Showcase Team!

4)  Robotics Camps Around Oregon - for team members!
New this year, we have made an easy to use form that all our FIRST teams and community partners can use to list their summer robotics camps. ORTOP is not running any of these camps, but we are happy to offer this resource to our teams. To find a camp please check out our public Google Sheet here.

Want to add your own camp? Please use our form. 

5)  What is the FIRST LEGO League Season Pass, and Who is it for?

If your team has already started the HYDRO DYNAMICS registration process you may have seen the option for a Season Pass. The season pass is an option for organizations who are looking for a NON-COMPETITIVE FIRST LEGO League option that has the opportunity to go year-round. 

If your team is starting a workshop program with your school, library or a community organization and you would like the option to purchase more materials to use AFTER the competition season, this could be an option for your team. 1 team is permitted to compete in local events. Because Oregon event registration is the first week of October, your team would need to be identified and MAY NOT CHANGE at that point (other than to add team members up to 10, but no more - as in the past). 

For 99% of Oregon teams, the SEASON PASS IS NOT FOR YOU. If you think you are one of the 1% who can take advantage of this offering, please feel free to call or email and we'll talk about the option in detail. 

THE SEASON PASS IS NOT A BULK DISCOUNT FOR SCHOOLS! I wish it was, but this is the official statement from FIRST. 

6) Old Challenge Sets Are Available at ORTOP

Is your team looking for old challenge sets to work with over the summer, to use for outreach or camps? ORTOP has some ANIMAL ALLIES, TRASH TREK, and WORLD CLASS kits in storage that need new purposes. For $50 a kit they can be yours to use. Please contact Loridee (Loridee-Wetzel@ortop.org) for more information.