This week in FIRST Tech Challenge!
BREAKING NEWS!! Grab your Indiana Jones hats! We're going on an adventure. 

FIRST Tech Challenge 2017-2018 Game is announced!
FIRST Relic Recovery! Watch the teaser video! 

Kickoff- September 9th! Oregon Kickoff locations TBA.
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Items I've mentioned before and would like you to keep in mind:

1. FIRST Tech Challenge national registration grants. Apply NOW, find out May 31st, don't pay for your national registration until you find out if you received the grant.

2. DO update your national registration team profile for the 2017/2018 season. If you are brand new to FIRST  you'll need to create a profile. Click here for both veteran and rookie teams 

3. Congratulations to our graduating Seniors! Sign up for the ORTOP FIRST Alumni Association  

4. Deadline to apply for the Portland Community College Machine Shop Class is May 30th. Details Here 
5. Signing up for SLACK! We've started a SLACK channel for FIRST Tech Challenge OREGON Mentors with 11 separate topic channels .  At this time we are allowing team members to also join. CLICK HERE . We hope the SLACK application can provide technical and program support to every mentor in our region.

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NEW ITEMS

1. SuperQuest 2017- Oregon Computer Science Teacher's Association - SuperQuest 2017 is a summer professional development program open to teachers and other adults who are facilitating students learning various aspects of science, technology, engineering and math.  Yes, there are robotics workshops but there is a lot more. I highly recommend looking at these. SuperQuest FAQ

Here are the SuperQuest 2017 summer locations and workshop choices with registration link:

• Wilsonville* - June 27 - 29 / Clackamas Community College  
• Redmond - July 12 - 14 / Ridgeview HS 
• Pendleton - July 19 - 21 / InterMountain ESD 
• Newport - July 26 - 28 /Newport Middle School 
• Eugene*  - Aug 2 - 4 / Lane ESD 
• Salem - Aug 7 - 9 / W. Salem HS
• S.Oregon - Aug 15 - 17 /Rogue Community College - Table Rock Campus - White City 

* FTC Oregon FTA - Dale Jordan will be teaching FIRST Tech Challenge programming classes at the Wilsonville and Eugene SuperQuests sessions.

2. JOB OPENINGS AT ORTOP - Oregon Robotics Tournament & Outreach Program !!
Please note our office is located in Beaverton, Oregon.

• Bookkeeper  Position
• Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator Position 

3. ORTOP Team Financial Support Award opportunity - I hope to have the ORTOP Team Support Award application posted on www.ortop.org/ftc  by May 26th.

This is the way ORTOP funding works:

• ORTOP will post a common application. It is possible some funding opportunities will require different applications, if that occurs, we will let you know. 
• Teams apply by reading all of the instructions, gathering needed data and submitting the online application. 
• ORTOP reviews applications 
• ORTOP will award funds from a variety of sources available to us and create funding packages for teams who qualify for financial support and meet the funding criteria for each funding sponsor.  
•  Currently, funding from the common application will be potentially be sourced from Rockwell Collins, Google, Qorvo, and MJ Murdock Charitable Trust.   
• I estimate there is about a 3% chance of seeing any funding directly from ODE. And there will not be any funding from Daimler  this coming season. 

4. Game News from FIRST HQ! 

•  FIRST Tech Challenge has worked to keep the cost of the fields at a steady $450 each year. This season, we faced challenges with increased costs of materials. To ensure quality, we had to make the decision to increase the cost of the full field sets from $450 per set to $480 per set." 
• In preparation for the 2017-2018 season, we would like to advise our Affiliate Partners and Teams that the 2017-2018 game will not be using the beacon that has been used the past two seasons."   GIMME A YAY!!! 

In our blog today!

• FIRST Tech Challenge national registration 
• national grant application to cover registration costs
• Software Release
• 2017-2018 Pitsco Discount for FTC Teams 
• FTC Oregon Leagues 2017-2018 
• Teacher Appreciation Week! <3
• ORTOP FIRST Robotics Oregon Alumni Association
• Summer Opportunities: PCC - Machine Shop Class, Air Force Leadership Camp, FTC Invitational in Australia 

FIRST Tech Challenge national registration  is now open!!
Cost: $275 per team for national registration

Application for FIRST Tech Challenge Rookie and Veteran Grant to cover national registration cost.
Suggestion: Start your registration early and input as much information as you can, apply for the national registration grant - notifications made on May 31st. Then complete your registration.   Information about REV Robotics choices/pricing will be posted later this week. 

SOFTWARE RELEASE 
The FIRST Tech Challenge Technology Team is released version 3.1 of the FIRST Tech Challenge software on 5/9/17.  Currently, this release is available for Android Studio (Java) users and for FIRST Tech Challenge Blocks Development Tool users.  Version 3.1 of the MIT App Inventor will be available soon.

The version 3.1 software introduces support for the recently approved REV Expansion Hub electronic module.  Version 3.1 also includes enhancements to the USB communication layer to improve system resiliency.  Version 3.1 also includes improvements for the Blocks development tool, including support for pose-related functions (Vuforia) and simplified Vuforia blocks (which offer optimized performance for commonly used Vuforia tasks).


Users who update to v3.1 should remember to update the FIRST Tech Challenge Driver Station app in addition to updating the FIRST Tech Challenge Robot Controller software.  Details on the release can be found on the release tab of the GitHub repository and on the README file for the repository:

https://github.com/ftctechnh/ftc_app/releases

https://github.com/ftctechnh/ftc_app/blob/master/README.md

Pitsco promo code and spare parts discount:
Pitsco has increased their discount to 25 % off of spare parts for FIRST Tech Challenge. To receive your FIRST Tech Challenge team discount, you will need to input a valid current season team number after entering this year’s promo code on our storefront. This year’s promo code will be sent to teams via a team email. You can access the FIRST Tech Challenge storefront through your team’s dashboard.

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Leagues 2017-2018
At this time ORTOP is establishing the status of our league sites and managers. I can report that most leagues will continue as they have in the past. There will be some changes both in locations,  team league hosts, and league managers.  Anyone that might be interested in hosting a league should hang tight and wait for my next post to see the changes. I will be posting a application for consideration of  league management. 

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TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! 
Please join ORTOP in celebrating and honoring our awesome teachers who lead so many FIRST Tech Challenge students to be inspired by and recognize science and technology as part of their lives and their future. Happy Teacher's Week 2017 and always!

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ORTOP FIRST Robotics Oregon Alumni Association


Be a #pipelinepioneer and sign up to be part of the ORTOP (Oregon Robotics Tournament and Outreach Program) alumni association!  Get updates from alumni in industry and academia, connect/re-connect with alumni in different parts of the robotics pipeline, learn about opportunities to volunteer and mentor, get access to resources and more! Eligibility: 
- Must be age 18+ or a graduating senior in high school
- Must have participated in any FIRST program for at least one season
- Must have EITHER lived in Oregon when participating in FIRST programs OR you lived elsewhere when doing FIRST programs but you currently live, work, or study in Oregon
Mentors - Please encourage your graduating Seniors to JOIN the  ORTOP FIRST Robotics Oregon Alumni Association - Sign-up form click here 

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SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

Portland Community College Summer Machine Shop Class for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon and FIRST Robotics Competition Oregon team members 

• Our thanks to Pat Kraft at PCC - Sylvania Campus for running these classes. 
• There will be two  multiple-day classes to learn how to use machine shop tools. One in late June and one in early August. This is an amazing opportunity. 
• Applications are due by May 30th. 
• Please forward this information to your team members. 
• Individual team member application process. This is not a team application. 
• Take the time to read all of the information prior to applying.  For detailed information/applications - click here 

6th Annual U.S. Air Force / FIRST® Leadership Experience for FIRST Teachers & Mentors: The U.S. Air Force develops leaders of great character and vision. For the 6th year, the U.S. Air Force is offering a unique three-day leadership program providing FIRST mentors with hands on leadership training taught by Air Force personnel. This year’s event will take place from July 23 to July 27 in Colorado Springs, CO.

The event consists of lectures, team building exercises and tours of the Air Force Academy and a local Air Force Base. The Air Force will select a group of 24 mentors who are teachers from FIRST® Tech Challenge and FIRST® Robotics Competition teams who live within the continental United States and are helping inspire today’s youth to become the technical leaders of tomorrow.

For additional information about this opportunity, please visit: http://firstinspires.org/programs/air-force-leadership-training-program  or Scott Legasse at slegasse@firstinspires.org.  Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 19th. Applicants, if selected, will be notified by June 1.  

Asia Pacific FTC Invitational 
FIRST® Australia is pleased to invite teams to apply to compete at the Asia Pacific FTC Invitational (API) from the 14th – 16th of July in Sydney, Australia. 

Application/Payment Due 5/31/2017 - If interested, contact Cathy Swider for additional details.

FIRST Tech Challenge NEWS for the 2017- 2018 season

In this newsletter:

• National FIRST Registration 
• Oregon Department of Education: FIRST Robotics Grant 
• Team Support Awards and Tournament Fees  for 2017 - 2018 
• FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Virtual Help Desk for Mentors - SLACK  

FIRST Tech Challenge National Team Registration will open on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time.

New things you need to know about the NEW streamlined national registration website:

• Simplified dashboard provides clear reminders for outstanding team tasks 
• No more Youth Protection Program registration delays! Two Youth Protection Plan (YPP) screened Lead Coaches/Mentors are still required; however, now Lead Coaches/Mentors and administrators can create teams, submit payment, and order products while screening process is completed. 
• A team  must to pay the national registration fee or have the FIRST Rookie or Veteran  Grant applied to their account prior to purchasing product from the FIRST Storefront. 
• The National FIRST Rookie or Veteran Team Grant Application will be available on May 11th and applicants will be notified on  May 31st. 
• Rookie Teams receive $275 as a national registration credit  and $475 in credit to purchase product in the FIRST Storefront applied to their team profile.
• Veteran Teams receive $275 in national registration credit applied to their team profile
• Teams applying for this FIRST Grant should begin the registration process but stop just short of paying. Teams must wait until notification on May 31st to see if the funds were applied to the team profile. FIRST does not reimburse teams for grants. 
• When does national FIRST registration close? In April 2018. However..... 
• League teams who want to compete in FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon leagues and league qualifying tournaments  must be nationally paid and registered by October 15, 2017 and have the Oregon League signup form completed. 
• Non-League teams who want to compete in FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon non-league qualifying tournament  must be nationally paid and registered by November 1, 2017 and have the Oregon Non-League Qualifying signup form completed. 
• Teams can expect the tournament minimum fees to be adjusted down this coming season. 

Oregon Department of Education: FIRST Robotics Grant
A message from David Perry, ORTOP Executive Director 

As your team prepares for the upcoming fundraising season, keep in mind that this year may be more challenging than last.  One of our largest sponsors shifted their funding priorities for the upcoming season, and the Oregon Department of Education FIRST grant for schools is in jeopardy as well. Due to significant revenue shortfalls, early budget frameworks indicate this program is one of many that will be cut. Many of you relied on these state and sponsor dollars to help with the sustainability of your team. ORTOP is doing it's best to approach sponsors, both continuing and new. However, we do not expect to have the same level of team support funding as in the 2016-17 season. It is more important than ever to get out into your community to ask for support. ORTOP will continue to prioritize team support for those with the greatest need, and those that have made an individual effort but are still a little short will rise to the top. Please communicate with the Program Leads about your team’s situation so we can help ensure all are able to participate again in the upcoming season. 

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Last season 95 FIRST Tech Challenge teams received a total of $131,500 in ODE Funding. The loss of this funding is significant. Most teams received $1000 grants. We encourage teams to start fundraising earlier. We will be providing tips and strategies for fundraising (see SLACK post below).

Team Support Awards for 2017 - 2018 / Funding your FTC Team
We know that this will be a financially challenging year for most of our teams since 75% of our teams received some level of support from ODE or ORTOP.  We do not want anyone to throw in the towel and fold their team. Please talk to ORTOP before making any quick decision about next season. ORTOP can't make any promises but we are committed help teams find solutions to continue. Working with David Perry, our new executive director, we have taken two initial steps toward helping teams. 

1.   ORTOP Team Support Awards will primarily focus on helping existing teams stay in FTC over providing funding for new teams.
2.   Our program costs have not changed and the full costs of the program is the same or more than last year, but we are lowering the tournament sliding scale ranges to assist teams. We will seek other avenues to make up the difference. 

FIRST Tech Challenge Tournament Sliding Scale Fee Structure 2017-2018	Minimum	Maximum
All League Meets & League Tournament (one fee for all events)	$200	$400
Non-League Qualifying Tournament	$150	$300
Super-Qualifier	$150	$300
Championship	$200	$400

Finally,  Rockwell Collins, Google and Intel provides funds for ORTOP Team Support Awards. Each has requested that teams do not contact them directly for funding and prefer that they submit applications to ORTOP for support.

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Virtual Help Desk for Mentors - SLACK 
We are going to pilot a virtual help desk for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Mentors. The purpose is to create a shared space for a gracious exchange of information and help in mentoring FIRST Tech Challenge teams. Although this can't replace in-person workshops we hope it will prove helpful.

**This is not a replacement or even similar to the official FIRST Tech Challenge Forum run by FIRST.** The FIRST Tech Challenge Forum is always the definitive official final word on game rulings.

OR-FTC-Mentors using the SLACK application is meant as a virtual world to ask and receive help on a variety of topics (channels). As the conversation grows the admins will add and delete channels.  We are starting with the following topics.
#build , #control-system, #gamestrategy (careful on this one), #mechanical, #programming, #sensors, #team-management, #fundraising, #general, #random
My intention is for adult mentors to join OR-FTC-Mentors - all channels and initially restrict team members to the #general channel.

We extend our thanks to Krishnan Duraiswami, 2017 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Compass Award Winner for establishing the OR-FTC-Mentors Slack Group. We can see he is already making good use of his time now that Batteries in Black has retired. 

Are you ready to join the conversation??  

You can use the link below to join OR-FTC-Mentors SLACK team — it only takes a minute to send us your preferred email address so that we can issue an invitation to join. 

Use this link to get started