FIRST Chesapeake/ VirginiaFIRST 2017 March Newsletter

March 2017

Hear

FIRST!

A monthly newsletter to keep you informed. Dig it.

Looking for news just about your program? Click the name below.*

FIRST TECH CHALLENGE

FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION

The jump will only work if you are viewing this email in it's entirety, not a truncated version.*

Did you miss us?

It's a brand new month and a brand new newsletter!

And it's more exciting than a skunk on a school bus .

Competitions Are Here! Don't Panic!

As you will see, we have many great things to share- Event Results, Alumni Spotlight, Upcoming events, and more- whew !!

So hold on to your V-8- a nd keep reading for these topics and more.

And please pass this newsletter on to teams, parents and students.

(a web link is at the top of this email- the "click here")

To subscribe to the newsletter, just fill out this form.

FTC Championship

The FIRST Tech Challenge Virginia State Championship was a fabulous day! On February 25th 52 teams competed for the chance to advance to the FTC East Super-Regional in Pennsylvania. We are grateful to Virginia Episcopal School for hosting this event.

Congratulations to these 12 teams who will advance:

965 League of Incompetent Gentlemen

4634 FROGbots

4924 Tuxedo Pandas

5414 TRI Robotics

6700 X BOTS

7039 Lord of the Bricks

7117 The Blockheads

8297 Geared UP!

9073 Knightrix

9901 Techie Titans

10358 Squatch Watch

11362 M Cubed Robotics

Upcoming Events Calendar

Here are some upcoming FIRST and STEM-related events. Click through the links for more information or visit the FIRST Chesapeake calendar.

Mar 11- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Greater DC Event Sponsored by Accenture (Bethesda, MD)

Mar 11- FLL Jr Expo at Walt Whitman High School (Bethesda, MD)

Mar 18- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Northern Maryland Event (Owings Mill, MD)
Mar 18- FLL Jr Expo at McDonogh School (Owings Mill, MD)

Mar 18- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Hampton Roads Event Sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding (Portsmouth, VA)

Mar 25- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Central Maryland Event Sponsored by Leidos (Edgewater, MD)

Mar 25- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Central Virginia Event (Glen Allen, VA)

Apr 7- FRC FIRST Chesapeake District Championship Event sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton (Richmond, VA)

Apr 7- FLL Jr Expos at VCU Siegel Center (Richmond, VA)

Learn more about volunteering with FIRST Chesapeake here.

Looking for STEM Summer Camps

Does your organization sponsor a STEM summer camp? If so, we'd love to feature it on our website.

Email Julie Miller ( jmiller@firstchesapeake.org ) to have your camp included in our STEM summer camp list.

CONSENT AND RELEASE FORM- FOR VOLUNTEERS AND TEAMS

All participants in VirginiaFIRST / FIRST Chesapeake competitions, including teams (students, coaches and/or mentors) and volunteers, must fill out the 2016-17 season VirginiaFIRST Consent and Release form before attending/participating in events. This is in addition to the FIRST Consent form in STIMS and VIMS!!!

This includes both the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) program in Virginia and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) program in DC, MD and VA.

https://virginiafirst.formstack.com/forms/virginia_first_consent_and_release

We are happy to tell you that the form is now available online for your convenience. And as an added bonus, as each student submits the form, his/her coach will receive an automated confirmation of that student's form completion, so long as the student put the coach's email address on the form.

Coaches: please share this form link with your team members, and please make sure they all know your email address.

You may also print VirginiaFIRST Consent and Release forms and attach to the team roster. You can download the printable form here. A limited number of paper forms will be available at events, but we strongly urge participants to complete the online form ahead of time or print and bring a paper copy to your initial event.

*Please note- whether online or paper, minors' forms require the signature of a parent or guardian.*

Trailer Needed for FRC Championship

F IRST Chesapeake is looking to borrow a 53' trailer for two weeks (March 27-April 12) to help with the delivery and set up for the District Championship.

As a District, we receive no assistance from FIRST for the production of the Championship and having a Trailer available will allow us to handle the logistics of the event successfully.

If you have a suggestion or know of a trailer that could be borrowed by FIRST Chesapeake, please contact Glen Davis at gdavis@firstchesapeake.org

FIRST Chesapeake District Championship Sponsored by

~ April 6-8, 2017 ~

VCU Siegel Center, Richmond VA

Alumni Updates

Did you know that FIRST Alumni get this exclusive patch to put on their shirt when they volunteer for a FIRST event?

Are you a FIRST Alumnus(a)?

Look at the cool stuff you are missing!

Join the Alumni Association today,

and be sure to join our FIRST Chesapeake Alumni Facebook group!

Join the Alumni Association: https://virginiafirst.formstack.com/forms/first_chesapeake_alumni_signup

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIRSTChesapeakeAlumni/

Alumni Spotlight- FIRST VCU

Numerous colleges and universities have FIRST clubs, and Virginia Commonwealth University is no exception. This month we are highlighting the President and Vice President of FIRSTVCU, Sarah Khori and Mary Elizabeth Lai.

Not every FIRST alum or volunteer is an engineer- Sarah is working on her Economics and Information Systems dual degree, while Mary is a graphic design student. These ladies came to FIRST in different ways as well- Mary joined Team 612 Chantilly Robotics when she was a junior in high school, while Sarah did not get involved until she was a sophomore in college and volunteered for an event.

What do they get out of their involvement with FIRST? Mary wants to use her experience to bring together fine art, design, and STEM fields. Sarah says FIRST has helped her create an outlet for her interest in information systems and robots beyond the scope of the classroom. And like many other FIRST alumni and volunteers, they both have met many people in FIRST and the technology fields that they otherwise would not have met.


Sarah's first event!


	Mary

Looking for current FIRST Chesapeake news, information and announcements?

Check our FIRST Family Blog at https://www.firstchesapeake.org/news/first-family-blog/

Some recent topics:

FIRST Robotics Competition Live Stream Link

Team and Parent Volunteers needed to help at FLL Jr Expos during FRC District events

2017 FIRST Tech Challenge Championship Results

Trailer Needed for Championship

For these and other postings, please visit the main blog page at https://www.firstchesapeake.org/news/first-family-blog

Looking for Volunteers!
How do You Want to Be Involved?

Each event requires over 100 volunteers to set up, produce, and pack away, and we'd love to see you at one (or more) of them.

To apply to volunteer, click here or below .

https://my.firstinspires.org/FIRSTPortal/Login/VIMS_Login.aspx

If you have any questions, please contact me at dtomczak@firstchesapeake.org .

Dee Tomczak, Director of Community Engagement,

FIRST Chesapeake/VirginiaFIRST

Did you know we have TWO Facebook pages and a Twitter feed?

Keep up with all things VirginiaFIRST and FIRST Chesapeake by liking and or following all our social media accounts!

Support FIRST Chesapeake / Virginia FIRST!

Fundraising that's easy and free to you!

Just use the Kroger Plus card you already have, and update your Community Rewards setting.

When prompted to select a charitable organization, please select

Virginia

FIRST
!

Funds raised through this program will be earmarked for emergency team support. The more who sign up, the more teams we can help.

Let's make this huge!!

Quick Links: Website Donate Volunteer

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