News - We're going to State!
MSA Admin aka Christi
McKinney STEAM Academy & Mercenary Robotics
Updates Week of March 31, 2024
In this Email:
MSA: Rough Riders tickets
FRC: It’s Official! Action Items! TLDR: look for yellow
FTC: Let’s see your photos!
FLL: Let’s see your photos!
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McKinney STEAM Academy (MSA)We have been invited to attend the Frisco Rough Riders STEM fundraiser! Every game ticket sold through our link raises funds for our students! We will be there with our robots answering the public’s questions. Be sure to stop by and say “Hi!” while you’re there. Purchase Deadline: May 10, 2024 7:05 PM CDT |
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FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION (FRC)Amarillo Recap Amarillo qualifying matches started off strong then brought a bit of drama as our intake decided it needed to be the star of the show, nearly ejecting itself from the robot. In true Merc fashion though, the finish was strong with our win of the Impact Award! We had enough points to qualify for State already, but Impact sealed the deal. Our students are proud to bring home the much coveted Blue Banner. An extra shout out goes to our Impact presentation team, Gargi, Shlok and Ellio, plus those students that helped with the presentation including but not limited to: Emily, Abbey, Madison, and Cora. Thank you to our mentors and parent volunteers, Molly, Syeeda, Christi, Jodi, Mary, and all those that watched and provided feedback. Congratulations to four-peat Mentor Dan Garrison, including (2) with 6369. Stream of day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh99RMXZp9w Stream of day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUCQLMWj7q8 Amarillo photos, add yours: https://photos.app.goo.gl/71v2mzN2hCPtzWYM6 Congratulations Coach Charlie! Coach Charlie was nominated by our students for the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. The Woodie Flowers Award celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design. Dr. William Murphy founded this prestigious award in 1996 to recognize mentors within the FIRST Robotics Competition who lead, inspire, and empower using excellent communication skills. We love you Coach Charlie! On Deck: Parent Meeting Monday April 1 at 6pm we will hold a parent meeting to answer all of your State and World competition questions. The venue is huge, the information can be overwhelming, and we want to make sure you have everything you need to enjoy the experience. We encourage you to come in person, but we will also be streaming via the following Google Meet https://meet.google.com/inc-rdiy-aei?hs=146 TX District Championship (aka State) Registration We are Registered for FIRST In Texas District Championship (aka State) and registration fees are due NOW. We’re collecting the fees mentioned in the parent presentation (slide 18). Our costs will come to $200 per student, due now. This can be paid directly to Zelle: cha...@mercenaryrobotics.com or Venmo: Charles-goodman-17 If you prefer, use the Givebutter campaign to share the cost with friends and family. When you visit the link, click on +Fundraise to create a customized link so that donations are properly credited to your student. https://givebutter.com/6369State_2024 The Venue George R. Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida De Las Americas Houston, TX 77077 United States This venue is massive and is open to the public for the duration of the event. Our students must absolutely travel in pairs, with a mentor, or with a parent at all times. Please remind your student they MUST use the buddy system. Additionally, we’ve had students entering areas of the venue that are clearly off limits. Please remind your student they are representing the Mercenaries and should use good judgment at all times including respectful and supportive interactions with other teams, our hosts, and the facility. The Schedule: 2024-District-Agenda.pdf Excused Absence: If you are in a Collin County school AND if you are a member of 4h (as noted in the first email you got after registering for the team) you can submit the 4h form to our 4h contact (kristy...@ag.tamu.edu) and she will submit it to the school on your behalf https://drive.google.com/file/d/12eQClo7aXiBNL-OhHJF-AR9Cp8QaieSE/view?usp=drivesdk However, we’ve found most schools will accept a parent’s note. I would also be glad to send you a letter on Mercenary letterhead to back up the parents note. If you would like one, please let me know asap. Random Helpful Information This year’s game summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9keeDyFxzY4 These matches are best experienced as a spectator when you understand the basics of what is happening. I highly recommend you skim the game manual. Additionally, parents love getting other parents up to speed. Ask questions of those nearby. FRC operates on an “alliance” system where matches are always played 3v3. This is complex at first look but is a brilliant way to foster collaboration between teams. Ask your student or other parents for an overview. On Tuesday we will be assigned to either the “Apollo” or “Mercury” division. Each of these divisions runs side by side on two fields over the course of the event. The winners of each division will then go on to play each other for the overall win. The links will take you to the official event summaries. On game days, The Blue Alliance (app and website) update more quickly than the official site linked above. You can find those links here: Apollo: https://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2024txcmp2 Mercury: https://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2024txcmp1 Playoffs: https://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2024txcmp 6369 Team Page: https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/6369 Request for students from FIRST in TX: FIRST in Texas is working with the University of Texas at Austin for the possible development of a new undergraduate robotics program. You may have received an email from FIRST in Texas requesting participation in a 5-minute anonymous survey to learn about your experiences and interests relating to robotics. Your feedback will be instrumental in helping understand your interests and potential expectations for shaping the undergraduate robotics program. This Week: Monday - Shop opens at 9 until the kids are done (thank you dedicated Mentors!) Monday - 6 PM Parents Info Meeting Tuesday - Shop will open early and close late - confirming times Wednesday - Houston load in Thursday - Houston 2024-District-Agenda.pdf Friday - Houston 2024-District-Agenda.pdf Saturday - Houston 2024-District-Agenda.pdf Important Dates: April 3-6 Texas District/State Championship April 17-20 - 2024 FIRST® Championship (aka Worlds) Helpful Links: District/State Google Group Chat: https://chat.google.com/room/AAAAnIqZGsE?cls=1 Amarillo photos, please add yours!: https://photos.app.goo.gl/71v2mzN2hCPtzWYM6 District/State Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nyVoDK6ze5gRzcyUA The Blue Alliance competition summary: https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/6369 2024 FRC 6369 FIRST IMPACT Video: https://youtu.be/9fTUe3eEfWc?feature=shared 2024 FIRST® Robotics Competition Game Manual https://firstfrc.blob.core.windows.net/frc2024/Manual/2024GameManual.pdf |
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FIRST TECH CHALLENGE (FTC)We’re collecting 2023/24 season photos. Please find your team’s album and share any photos you may have taken! Team: 21743 Mercenary Robotics URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZJdjVJoRK9eHW764A Team: 20195 Metal Mercenaries URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qkfCKMRRKe3azexA6 Team: 20166 Mercenary Penguins URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QCWMsyWtniU8uX65A Team: 18121 MiT Mercenaries in Training URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YX3HBBLTH2YeLW9y9 Team: 17011 Mercenaries URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YytNs897DHHDwgGC6 Important Dates: Applications for the new season will open in May. Watch this space. |
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FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL)This Week: We’re collecting 2023/24 season photos. Please find your team’s album and share any photos you may have! Team: 61724 Mighty Mercs URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zkBaZdpYo9iDASGi6 Team: 61002 Mercs Tech Tigers URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wJy1uGEiTwYupm9VA Team: 60892 BrickMercs URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bin2SGYQGzVRLQsW6 Team: 60680 Lego Masterminds URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wPUU6Cu9WfPYhkvT6 Team: 54586 Brick Mercenaries URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jrvawBz7tmxFdERcA Team: 51620 Mercenary Moon Stormers URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dpP66w2VGAiXZjms8 Team: 50491 The Mercenary Dragons URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fXardNvsEYfRZpFu8 Team: 29126 Training Mercs URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fBxb9gRUXhnq25QA9 Team: 29125 Young Mercs URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Mn81ps7zufvqy198 Team: 28813 Curious Dream Weavers URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oe1EDwfLqo6KegVm8 Team: 27183 Mercenaries II URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ly6BoohPqbR6mgCc7 Team: 27116 Mercenary Friends URL: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Je4QGQUtEbDDKBdTA Important Dates: Applications for the new season will open in May. Watch this space. |
Helpful links:
MSA Website: https://www.mckinneysteamacademy.org/
ALL Team Calendars: https://www.mckinneysteamacademy.org/calendar_members.php
FIRST in Texas: https://firstintexas.org/
FIRST Inspires (global): https://www.firstinspires.org/
Payments: Zelle: cha...@mercenaryrobotics.com OR Venmo: Charles-goodman-17