Tuesday Newsday - January 11 ... (Sent via Google Group)
Vince Frascella
Greetings Newsletter Subscribers and FTCNJ Coaches
Here is our weekly update on our “Freight Frenzy” Season.
New information is shown in blue text. Hot items in Highlight!
Welcome to all of our new coaches/subscribers.
If you have any questions about you are reading, below, just drop us a line. Glad to explain.
HEADLINES:
Challenging Times - Events
We don’t need to tell you that these are challenge times for all. As many know, several of our early events were impacted by the Omicron situation.
The view is that the situation will improve after the early January spike. Here’s an update summary for those not aware:
· January 9th Event – The scheduled event at Pingry was not able to happen due to holiday-Omicron concerns. Teams were notified in late December.
At this writing, 2 of the 3 necessary approvals have been received for the Central-West Meet to occur on Saturday, January 22nd. More to come soon.
· January 15th Event – Henry P Becton Regional High School has stepped up to host the January 15th Northeast Edge League Meet.
We understand the decision of the original venue and really appreciate the support from Team #13617 Bectobots to now host the event on such short notice.
· Remote Judging at League Tournaments – In the interest of safety, and keeping the headcount down, FTCNJ will conduct Remote Judging at L/T’s again this year.
While we know that the Remote experience is not the same as the face-to-face in-person experience, this is one more important safety measure being taken.
In order to navigate this season in the safest and most-fulfilling way possible, these are the type of decisions that need to be made.
· Updated FTCNJ COVID Protocol Policy – As mentioned previously in this Newsletter, FTCNJ reviewed and updated its COVID safety practices.
The resultant document is attached. It has not significantly changed the requirements but has formally documented them, well organized in one place.
Only one operational change requires new attention. The Symptom-Check by coaches was understood to be happening; a signed-off form is now required.
This is similar to the Coach Attestation that was a required at last year’s State Championship. Coaches also attest that their team will obey the Safety Policy.
Let’s keep vigilant and keep it going …
ON THE HORIZON:
Friday, January 14th
Remote Practice Judging Training (CW & Northern Teams) – Refresher on Zoom use from last year, how to upload your Portfolio…
Saturday, January 15th
Deadline for Dean’s List Nomination Submittals
Saturday, January 15th
First Meet of the Late-Season for Northeast Edge League Teams … now being held at Henry P Becton Regional High School. Host: Bectobots
Sunday, January 16th
First Meet of the Late-Season for Southern League Teams … being held at Egg Harbor PAL Facility. Host: Enforcers/Re-Enforcers
Tues – Thurs, January 18th – 20th
Remote Practice Judging for the Central-West and Northern League Teams
More detail on all of the above (and links) appear later in this document.
Quick Links:
REGISTRATION STATUS
Team Registration Status
A warm Welcome to this season’s 21 New Teams!
It appears our final count will be 178 FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey teams that have registered with FIRST.
§ Northern League : 40 Teams
§ Northeast Edge League : 46 Teams
§ Central West League : 45 Teams
§ Southern League : 47 Teams
League/Conference Assignments
Assignment to Conferences / Leagues are based on county of team registration. This information is posted on the FTCNJ website.
Newark Public School (NPS) Teams
We received sad news that 8 NPS team schools are not allowed to travel to Meets in 2021. If the situation changes, we will gladly have them join us in 2022.
Any impact should be limited to the Northern League’s February tournaments. Late-December word is that New Public School Teams are still unable to be with us.
Northeast Edge League
It is also noteworthy that the growth of the Bergen County Conference (33 teams) has far outpaced its sister Northeast Conference (12 teams).
There is no impact on the full season’s League Meets, FTCNJ will offer a number of Bergen teams the opportunity to compete in the Northeast Conference L/T.
This will help to balance the Feb events (i.e., avoid having one League Tournament overloaded at ~33 teams while the other League Tournament has ~12 teams).
Of course, the Conferences will be re-computed at the start of next season to take into account this large population of Bergen teams. Kudos Bergen!
COMMUNICATIONS CAUCUSES
Coaches Caucus … (January 7th) ß Accomplished!
Thanks to all who made January’s Coach Caucus a success. Special thanks to Joe Levy, Jeff Jenkins, Matt Ducker Duffy, Diane Shevell and Dave Desai
The above Coaches shared their experiences on… Remote Practice Judging, League Tournaments, Dean's List, and Coping with COVID.
Captains Caucus … (January 28th)
At this monthly student-led Zoom, student Team Leaders meet to share best practices.
Next Meeting’s Agenda: (A) Programming Topics, (B) Mechanical Topics, (C) Competition Topics, (D) Judging Topics and (E) Communication & Coordination.
New date for the next Captains Caucus is 8pm (Friday, January 28th). Team Leaders can register for it and rank their topic of most interest.
Here’s the Link. Team Leaders should use it asap to help set the topics: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlce6sqzoqGNBoydp5vZrqU5j0zhXm9SBr
DEAN’S LIST
Dean’s List Overview
In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding secondary school students, the Kamen family sponsors an award
for selected 10th and 11th grade students known as the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge Dean’s List. Prestigious colleges have
expressed great interest in meeting Dean’s List’s Award winners and FIRST hopes that each Team will take advantage of the opportunity to nominate
the most qualified students as FIRST Dean’s List Nominees!
Dean’s List Orientation Sessions for Coaches/Nominators
Each Team may nominate up to 2 Students as Dean’s List Candidates. The process is not difficult; there is an on-line Form to complete.
Thanks to Kathy Rogers and Jim Novotny for their help in conducting the two very helpful sessions for Nominators on Jan 5th and Jan 10th
The deadline for Nominations is January 15th! The Nomination Guide is attached to this Newsletter.
For FTCNJ, the bulk of Dean’s List Interviews will be scheduled for evenings in February prior to the start of League Tournaments.
REMOTE PRACTICE JUDGING
The calendar schedule for the two Remote Practice Judging events is shown below.
Since this is Practice, FTCNJ is able to blend the teams from two Leagues into one team pool for each of the Events.
Central-West and Northern League teams have the top schedule (below) and the schedule for NE Edge and Southern League follows.
The Appointments for the 1st Interview (Presentation Interview) will be available at approximately 4 days before it.
Teams who have registered for the Jan 18-20 Event will receive their Session Registration Links and Interview Appointment Schedule on January 12th
Appointments for the 2nd Interview (which replaces “Pit Interviews”) must be created following Night #1 and will be issued by 10am the following day.
The Friday night Training /Refresher Training Sessions (on the 14th and 21st) are identical, except for Q&A. They will be recorded and shared.
Though 6pm-9pm spans are blocked out, individual teams need only attend during their short interview time.
The only team commitment on Night #3 is to tune in to the Zoom at 9pm to hear the Certificate Award announcement.
The Registration Links are shown below. Only Coaches should be registering a team to participate. Coaches and Team Leaders are welcome to attend the Training Nights.
Training on Jan 14th (No Cap) : https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrf-isqTktHNdY8fKbABtOevfTtOGXENH_
Training on Jan 21st (No Cap) : https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuceCuqzIqGNbg5OAdUC5FCB1Jl2dFTxjf
COMPETITION NEWS
January 8th Event – Liberty Science Center has shuttered their doors until January 13th. The January 8th Northern League teams were immediately advised.
The Meet at Blair Academy on January 23rd is accommodating the January 8th teams. We are working with a 200 head cap there, and are very grateful to Blair
Why Not Just Go Remote? – Some folks may be wondering why FTCNJ does not simply finish the season with Remote Meets in Period #3 (January).
We have cleanly made it through Period #1 and #2 in In-Person format. Why not cleanly go full Remote in Period #3??? … Here’s the answer…
It is not an option to blend Remote and In-Person scores. FIRST’s position (understandably) is that the earning of the points is different, in Remote.
FTCNJ has approached FIRST to explore this option in December. The bottom line is that …going Remote in January converts the Meets to unofficial Scrimmages.
We understand FIRST’s position and, as you can see, FTCNJ is doing whatever is possible to retain the In-Person Meets in January.
It’s understood that some teams really need these events to be official Meets. Let’s continue to see what we can do.
Believe us, … if continuing really becomes unviable or safety concerns rise, we will put safety first and abort the in-person Meets. Really not there yet.
Google Group Queuing
More and more of our venues are utilizing Google Group to assist with Queuing and to send other important event messages to teams.
Look for the QR code that is pre-printed on your Team’s Pit Sign or ask the host about it. Use your smart phone and stay well informed!
Information Packets
During this unique season, it is taking little bit longer to settle the details of events and participating teams.
Please expect our detailed Information Packets to be provided by the end of the day on the preceding Monday (as opposed to the preceding weekend).
This will allow a bit more time to lock down any last minute changes. Event planning is little more dynamic this season, for all.
Venue Address, participating Team List, Check-In Time, and any special COVID Protocols should already be posted on our FTCNJ website, though.
And, questions on critically needed information will be promptly answered as best we can.
Meet Results
While we are not having formal Closing Ceremonies at our Meets, a summary of results is available shortly after event completion.
Anyone can go to FTC Event Web : Home (firstinspires.org) to see as all event results from all regions.
Worlds Allocations for FTCNJ
Good news!! FIRST has just advised us that New Jersey’s FTC region will receive three advancements to the FTC World Championship.
State Championship – Sunday, March 6th
The FTC New Jersey State Championship will be held at Morris Knolls High School, one week after our final League Tournament.
League Tournament
League Tournaments take place in February; fully registered teams are automatically invited to their League/Conference Tournament. See attachment for locations.
As mentioned last week and announced above, in the interest of COVID safety, League Tournaments will utilize Remote Judging again this season.
The diagram below, reviewed at the Coaches Caucus, shows the schedule. The timing aligns closely to that experienced at January’s Practice Judging events.
One difference is that the Remote Judging Process Review for teams (including document upload review) has been shifted one day to the left to give teams more time.
Note – While two Conferences undergo Remote Judging within the same period, the Judging Panels, Deliberations, and sets of Awards are totally separate!
Late-Season Meets (8) – in January
As discussed above, January Meets are being rescheduled where needed.
The January 8th and 9th Meets are being scheduled to later in the month due to the early January Omicron spike.
On one or more weekend days, there will be concurrent FTCNJ Meets occurring due to the compressed January schedule.
Thanks in advance to our teams and volunteers for the patience/cooperation in adjusting their plans. We are all coping.
Mid-Season Meets (8) – in November / December have completed, as of December 19th
Early-Season/Holiday Meets have completed, as of November 28th
REMOTE SESSIONS/ TRAINING VIDEOS
Training Videos:
Freight Frenzy Officiating Training
Once again this year, FIRST has engaged our very own League Head Referee Julia Berry to create these training videos.
As you can see below, it is a three-part series that Julia narrates with excellent technical support by her husband, our FTA Rob Berry.
Video 1 - Field and Game Elements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3Kb5KhRvw&t=25s
Video 2 - Scoring Referee Training
Video 3 - Electric Scoring Tablets and Paper Scoring
FTCNJ STEM Girls
STEM GIRLS: Next Get-Together (Mixer & Guest Speaker Sessions)
The December 28th Get-Together was rescheduled to late January. All opted-in STEM Girls members were notified earlier in December.
Based upon early feedback, the STEM Girls are engaging female Computer Science professionals as the coming Guest Speakers.
STEM GIRLS: Initiative Team Meeting (January 13th)
This joint Zoom, in which mentors and students address Initiative Projects, has been shifted to Thursday, January 13th.
The changed date allow folks to attend the January 14th Remote Judging Training, as needed.
FTCNJ News
Photo Permission Waiver
If you are a student, or adult, whose image may be captured, FTC needs your permission to show/post it.
Here is a link to the very simple “Video Permission Request”. It is a easy Google Form that simply captures the authorization. bit.ly/FTCNJrelease
Thanks to all of those who helped us with this last year. Coaches with engaged students, please encourage them to address this.
Note, persons under the age of 18 need to have their parent or guardian complete the form.
2022 COVID Protocol Update ß This Note from Last Week. Updated Policy now attached.
It is great that 15 events have been successfully completed without any problem.
We do know, however, that the statewide/worldwide issue continues.
FTCNJ will take some time during our Holiday Break to revisit our Protocols and make improvements, where needed, based on what we’ve learned.
Thanks in advance for everyone’s continued support. Let’s continue to be very careful. Please continue to emphasize this to your students.
FIRST NEWS ITEMS
INNOVATION CHALLENGE
Some have asked if FIRST is reprising this Program in the Freight Frenzy Season.
FTCNJ has checked and the official answer is NO. The Innovation Challenge this year is for FLL only, no for FRC and FTC.
REV Hub Update
In case you missed the team blast from first, REV has an update that should consider downloading. Check it out.
Here’s the link from FIRST’s blast: https://docs.revrobotics.com/rev-hardware-client/?mc_cid=818602731d&mc_eid=0eb5825318
Webinar for New York Life Grant Opportunity (U.S. FLL & FTC Only)
For FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST ® Tech Challenge partners based in the United States, New York Life has announced a grant opportunity ranging from $15K to $100K for out-of-school programs. There is a requirement that participants meet a minimum of 75% Free or Reduced-Price Lunch
Applications are due February 1, 2022 at 5 P.M. ET. Learn more about the grant application, view the RFP, and submit your application.
FIRST® Apps No Longer On Google Play
FIRST decided to remove all versions of the FIRST® Tech Challenge control system software from the Play Store. This decision is due to Google Play security requirement changes that are causing us to no longer distribute versions 6.1 and later of the FIRST Tech Challenge control system software through the Play Store. Teams must use the REV Robotics Hardware Client software to manage their software on the Robot Controller/Control Hub and Driver Station devices, including the new Driver Hub. For more information, please read FIRST’s blog post.
Hopefully, this Communique has provided a lot of good information regarding the coming season. (New in blue! Hot in Yellow Highlight!)
Our next newsletter will be on January 18th.
If you have any questions, comments, or needs as you read this newsletter, simply write back and I’ll be happy to assist.
Making that comment here, rather than embedding it throughout the long newsletter above.
Thanks again for the interest in FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey and being part of our community
Thanks much, Vince Frascella
FIRST Tech Challenge New Jersey