2011 ORTOP FLL INFORMATION PAGE for FLL Coaches, Mentors and Team Coordinators

	REQUIRED FIRST CONSENT AND RELEASE FORMS in English in Spanish	Oregon/SW Washington Qualifying Tournament ASSIGNMENTS - 11/03/11   QT RESULTS	CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT INFORMATION for advancing teams
	How do I find out what my FLL team number is? Click Here ___________________________	ORTOP- FLL e-NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE FLL news for teams in Oregon/SW Washington	National FLL Email Blasts FLL news for teams in 63 countries around the world.
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December 1

Coaches/ Mentors and Teams:
To quote the late Steve Jobs.... "One more thing." Actually two more things. Both are important.

BRING PRINTED COPY OF THE TEAM'S PROGRAMS FOR ROBOT DESIGN JUDGING
The Robot Design Judging interview requires the team to bring printed copies of their NXT programs of their missions. Creating the printed copies is something the coach or mentor can do --- no debugging while your printing :-) .
For those you who have never had the pleasure of doing this, Dale Jordan, ORTOP FLL Workshop instructor offers this advice.
"The best way that I have found to get useful printouts is to take screen snapshots of all the program elements of interest, then combine them manually using a program that allows you to manipulate bitmap images. I have used paint.net for this, but I'm sure there are many other ways to do it as well. I used paint.net because it is free and has a good set of features to adjust and manipulate images. Doing this is very time consuming and when the program changes, you may have to do it all again. So doing it just before a tournament is probably the best time, along with the 10,000 other things that need to be done. Having adults give extensive help is this area should be acceptable."
Having to print the programs should not be new information. It is included in the Coach Tournament Letter.

ADVANCEMENT TO CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT (ACE) Criteria -
This popped up as a FAQ this week and I'll provide an answer. My thanks to Walt Mayberry, Championship Judge Advisor providing a clear explanation to me. . It was first published in September or early October that the board score threshold percentage was 40%. This has changed upon review with FIRST. It will be 40% at the Oregon Championship.

To be eligible for consideration of advancement to the championship event, a team's best board score (out of 3 matches) must be in the top 55% of teams scoring at that event. All best scores of the registered teams at the event are ranked highest to lowest. Teams in the top 55% are selected as eligible for consideration for advancement. Independently the judges rank the teams for each of the three judging sessions. The teams with the most outstanding ranks across all three judging sessions are initially considered for advancement. Then the board score threshold is applied. Eligible or Not Eligible.

For example: a 20 team tournament – the teams with the top 11 board scores can be considered for advancement. The judges select the 6 teams for advancement to the championship that did the best overall in Robot Design, Project and Core Values AND were included in the top 11 board scores group AND were deemed to abide by the FLL Core Values at the event. The actual rank within the top board score group is not factored in when deciding who goes to state.

Another example: a 16 team tournament – the teams with the top 8 board scores will eligible for consideration of advancement. Judges then select 4 teams for advancement to the championship that did the best overall in Robot Design, Project and Core Values AND were included in the top 8 board scores group AND were deemed to abide by the FLL Core Values at the event. The actual rank within the top board score group is not factored in when deciding who goes to state.

The number of teams advancing from a qualifying tournament is a percentage of registered teams. Our targeted advancement percentage is ~28% of teams from each event. This allows us to advance 120 teams of the 426 teams registered.

FINALLY......
@ the tournaments PLEASE SAY THANK YOU to our awesome volunteers.

November 29

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT WEEKEND - DECEMBER 3 and 4 (and heads up for December 10/11)
Coaches and Mentors - This is coming weekend for the teams that are competing, it will be a celebration of what you have accomplished and learned. Some teams may have learned that it's harder than they thought to get their robot to do a mission twice the same way. That's a great reflection to talk about in the robot design interview. :-)

A few reminders. Try to bring a laptop with the programs on it so that the team can make last minute adjustments. Bring extra LEGO robot parts for last minute repairs or inspirational ideas.

Make sure you have a SIGNED FIRST Consent and Release Form for every kid and all adults receiving an official nametag (up to 3). Consent Form In Espanol.

4 copies of the Team Introduction page . Word version provided so that you can cut and paste digitally.

This is the week for preparing your team for what is going to happen at the tournament. Practice running the robot in 2-1/2 minutes, swapping out team members (if that's your team strategy), practice your project presentation in front of other people - family/other students, look at the rubrics and make up questions for the team to answer in their interviews.

Remind the team parents that their conduct can be attributed to the team. Everyone associated with your team is subject to the FLL Core Values Observation Policy. Practice Good Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition! Set the tone that "What you discover is more important than what you win." A team accomplishing their own team goals is most important.

Find the email from your Qualifying Tournament Director and review the times you should check in. If you think you didn't receive it, check your SPAM or JUNK folder. It might have ended up there.
LIST of QTD's of Oregon Qualifying Tournaments.
General QT Info here.

and....we are expecting great weather this weekend but..officially this is the ORTOP Event Cancellation Policy.

HAVE FUN TEAMS ----GO FLL GO FLL !!!!
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TEAM/COACH SURVEY

We ask that our team members anonymously complete a team member survey to find out how they, as kids, felt about their FLL journey. Please ask your team members to take turns during the team meeting and complete the survey or send the link to their parents and have them do it at home. It can be completed before or after the tournament.
TEAM MEMBER SURVEY LINK

I'll be sending out the COACH/MENTOR survey next week. Please take a few minutes to complete it. It helps us improve what we do in Oregon and the "FIRST" things we can't change on our own, ORTOP brings to the international spring conference for discussion. Your opinion counts!

November 18

Questions from coaches appearing in the ORTOP inbox

Q: Can the team do a power point presentation and will there be a projector provided for the team?
A: I must share with you that with rare exceptions, Power Point presentations usually score low unless they enhance the presentation in a very creative way. The tournament venue will not supply a projector, laptop or any other equipment. We usually discourage power point presentations. Unless the team is projecting on a screen (that they bring and set-up and take down) or a monitor, it is hard for all of the judges to see a laptop screen. Remember, the kids must do all of the setup and operation of any technical equipment that they use to present. The coach or mentor cannot carry it or touch it. I have personally watched numerous teams get nervous and stumble with technical difficulties when trying to get a power point to work. Their 5 minutes of precious presentation time gone. Lesson is…the team must be very, very prepared to setup and operate the equipment or reconsider your presentation style. Also remember that the presentation must be a LIVE presentation with LIVE presenters. An entirely "Press and Play" presentation is not allowed under the rules.

Q: We want to put the FOOD FACTOR logo on our t-shirts. Where so I find it?
A. Good question. We love seeing the FIRST logos on tshirts. Here is the link for FOOD Factor and FLL logos

Q: I don't think the team is ready to compete at the tournament. I'm not sure if they should go. Any advice?
A: Don't think about this as competing. This is about participation. It is about sharing what the team has learned and not what they haven't learned. If the team is a rookie team they can learn SO much by attending the event, participating and seeing what everyone else has done. Our judges are trained to honor what they kids have accomplished and to make them feel goood about what they have done at all levels of participation. ORTOP understands that teams have different team environments. Some have only 1.5 hours per week to meet, others didn't start until mid-October while other have met twice a week since the beginning of September. The event is about an opportunity to show what you have accomplished with your own time constraints. As coaches it is up to you to put this all in a good perspective for your team. FLL Core Value: "What you discover is more important than what you win." It is about sharing your experience. A few years ago I remember a team that only could practice once a week but they made the most of their time. To their surprise, after 4 years of having a team at the school, the team advanced to the state championship. It was the first trophy ever won by a team at their school in anything in 50 years. When I asked one of the team members what was the best part of the qualifying tournament, he said enthusiatically, "We got to help a team that didn't know how to program at all. We helped them do a mission. It was so great to help." ....to quote Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, "It's not about the robot."

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FLL Core Values: Sharing our experiences/We are a Team!
Spotted on KGW-TV8 in Portand. FLL Team AFOOFA collecting can goods and food for the Oregon Food Bank. With our focus on Food Factor and food safety we are reminded of the many families that go hungry everyday in Oregon. This is a great idea and compliments the Food Factor Challenge. WTG, AFOOFA!

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FIRST Consent and Release Forms
It is included in the Coach Packet but I can't stress enough the importance of collecting signed FIRST Consent and Release forms and bringing them to the tournament. You need one signed form per team members and one signed form for each adult that will be wearing a nametag accompanyig the team. (up to 3 people). Parents of team members attending the event just to watch do not have to fill out a form for themselves.

LINK TO FIRST CONSENT AND RELEASE FORMS
In ENGLISH
in Spanish

NOVEMBER 16

Need for Volunteers at Qualifying Tournaments

We are still in need of volunteers to help at our tournaments. Please encourage friends, relatives and co-workers to be part of the amazing FIRST LEGO League experience. No need to know anything about robots! We just need adults that like working with kids. Parents of team members and persons very closely associated with the team cannot serve as judges but can help out in many other ways. CLICK HERE FOR FLYER TO DISTRIBUTE

Information from your Qualifying Tournament Director
At this point in the season, the official coach of the team should have received the Pre-tournament COACH LETTER with additional information such as Parent Letter, Coach Checklist, FIRST Consent and Release forms. This could have been sent to the coach in either attachments to an email, an email with a link to a website or by snail mail. Each Qualifying Tournament Director chooses their own way to distribute the information.

IF THE OFFICIAL COACH on this list has NOT RECEIVED this important information as of today, please email cathy_swider@ous.edu and let me know. INCLUDE your Team # and which tournament to which you've been assigned. I will help you figure out why you haven't recieved it.

If you have had a coach change and someone else should be recieving the information and the original coach did not pass it on, please email cathy_swider@ous.edu to help you. INCLUDE your Team # and which tournament to which you've been assigned. I will help you figure out why you haven't recieved it.

TIPS for 3 weeks from Tournament
Don't panic! Remember this is FUN! Focus on what is working. Know that if you are a rookie team, attempting 2 - 4 missions on the board is excellent. Be your team's biggest cheerleader! Focus on being a team, listening to each other, helping the team create a "what's still possible" list that is reasonable. Know that your team can provide the very best assessment of themselves. What they think of their own work is more important than what the judges will say. Remember your own team goals and FLL Core Values. Kids do the work.

NOVEMBER 10

We're in the home stretch for FLLQualifying Tournaments! - This is an exciting time of the season. Teams are beginning to feel confident about at least a couple of missions, the project topic has at least been selected and hopefully the kids are acting like a real team. Thank you to all of the coaches, mentors and team parents who are give so many hours to support and faciliate their learning. FLL is about participation. The Food Factor Challenge is something teams aspire to meet. Most teams meet it part way. Best advice is for teams, especially 1st and 2nd year teams: Set their own team goals as to how much of the challenge you want to accomplish this year. It should include attempting some missions on the board and a Project presentation. Some new teams read from cue cards to help in their Project presentation. That's a good strategy. Finding a way to do your own personal best is success. It's not about the trophies.
By mid-November your team should practice running their missions like they will at the tournament. Each match is 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Practice putting on and taking off attachments, changing the programs, swapping out robot operators (if that's what your team intends to do). Rehearse your Project presentation in front of parents and don't forget to share it with the community in some way! That's an easy requirement to fulfill.
AND our new FLL Championship emcees, Cassidy and Keegan, plan to make many short visits to as many qualifying tournaments as possible in the Portland metro area on Dec 3,4, 10 and 11. They will listening for team cheers, snapping pictures and giving high fives. Look for them at your event.

ORTOP Payments - About 20 teams are still not paid for the the qualifying tournaments. I haven't dropped your team from the roster. Please send in, phone in, fax in or mail in your payment this week or communicate what's going on. ORTOP depends on Tournament Fees to help us sustain this program. If you are have a real serious financial issue coming up with the $75, contact Cathy Swider - 503-725-2920. UPDATE LIST OF PAYMENTS PAID or UNPAID as of November 10, 2011. Haven't paid yet? Payment info here

Look out for QT Letters from your Qualifying Tournament Director! - Letters from your Qualifying Tournament Director should be arriving this week with detailed schedule and other information. To see a generic version of the letter CLICK HERE

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference- This week Portland is playing host to this important technical conference. I'm happy to announce that FLL alum Tesca Fitzgerald (of the retired Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies) and Savannah Loberger of FLL Team "Glitter Bot Girlz" will be presenting with Cathy Swider on Friday, Nov. 11. Our topic is "Engaging Girls in Computing via LEGO® Robotics". If you are attending the conference stop in and hear our presentation starting at 2:45pm in F149.

Oct28

Qualifying Tournament fee is due by November 1, 2011

• Check the list - sorted by Team City then qualifying touranment to see of your team is or is not paid as of Thursday, 10/28 at 11:00 am
• As of 10/28 over 80 teams had not paid for the Qualifying Tournament.
• Payments are due by November 1, 2011. TO PAY CLICK HERE
  PLEASE know that if you registered your team in the spring or summer with FLL and paid $225 for national registration that does not pay for the qualifying tournament. Qualifying tournament fee is a seperate charge. Attending the tournament is not included with national registration. All teams must pay unless they were directly awarded a scholarship from ORTOP that included the qualifying touranment fee. Check the list to see of your team is or is not paid. If you are marked unpaid in error please contact ORTOP.

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What's next up in planning for the FLL Qualifying Tournaments?
On Friday, Oct 31st the team rosters will be forwarded to the Qualifying Tournament Directors (QTD). Each of these wonderful volunteers will prepare a packet of information specifically for your venue. Each QTD chooses their own method for communicating this information. Some post it on their own website, some send it as attachments to an email and a few will actually snail mail it out to you.
It is a lot of information. We like you to know ahead of time what to expect, bring and what to prepare. ORTOP has prepared a version of this information that contains everything that is common to all tournaments. You can read it in advance of receiving the information from your QTD. It notes where you must read the QTD's letter to obtain the information pertaining to your specific event including the schedule of the day.
Preparing for a FLL Qualifying Tournament: Coach Letter with information pertaining to all qualifying tournaments.

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Building FLL Competition Tables for Qualifying Tournaments - Portland Area Only
ORTOP needs to replace 10 FLL competition tables for the qualifying tournaments. Currently the tables used at the tournaments are old, warped and uneven. ORTOP will hold a TABLE BUILDING DAY on November 5 at Hillsboro High School starting at 9:00 am. We will build 10 competition tables for the qualifying tournaments in the Portland Metro Area. These tables rotate and will be used at Vancouver, Catlin Gabel, Intel, Hillsboro HS, Poynter, Evergreen Space Museum and Mentor Graphics. If your team is competing at one of these venues we hope you'll be motivated to help us.

The only way we can build these tables is if we have volunteers to help. The wood will be pre-cut so November 5th will be an Assembly Day. We also need a second crew of volunteers at the storage locker to help sort out the bad tables and transport them to recycling.
Looking for volunteers to help with both projects.
Also need several heavy duty drills, levels, squares used in carpentry.
Really need two volunteers with pick-up trucks willing to help that day.
If you can volunteer, please email cathy_swider@ous.edu . We can't do this without you. Adult volunteers only. 9:00 am to mid-afternoon.

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Yo'Cream Tour - Portland Area only
Yo'Cream makers of delicious frozen yogurt is offering tours of their manufacturing facility in NE Portland. This is a very limited opportunity. To qualifying FLL teams must: 1) be already working on a PROJECT ingredient that is yogurt or dairy. 2) must be able to be at NE Portland facility by 3:30 pm sharp on tour day 3) must be available either November 2nd, 16th or 30th. Only TWO teams per tour day. If your team meets the requirements email Cathy Swider at cathy_swider@ous.edu with which day your team wishes to go. Don't email until you check with all of the kids and you know you can attend the tour. Tour assignments will be made based on time stamp on email.

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Life On Mars? Launch Event and Robo-Fest at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Join us to watch a live launch of the next NASA/JPL Mars Rover: Curiosity, followed by a Robo-Fest with the OSU Robotics Team. Curiosity, scheduled to launch* Nov. 25, 2011, 7:21am PST, is a rover that will assess whether Mars is, or was able to support microbial life.

Arrive early for pre-launch, then take your seat in the IMAX Theater and watch the scheduled launch of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft.

Starting at 10:30 am The Oregon Robotics Tournament and Outreach (ORTOP) and FIRST Robotics will be on hand to help demonstrate FIRST LEGO League**/FIRST Tech Challenge/FIRST Robotic Challenge team robotics and share their enthusiasm. If you are not on a team, but interested in forming one for 2012, come and find out about how to get involved!

To register, or for more information, contact the Museum at 503-434-4185 for reservations@sprucegoose.org.

Download event PDF

*Spacecraft scheduled to launch Nov. 25, 2011—launch may be rescheduled due to unforseen conditions.

** ORTOP is looking for a few more teams to demonstrate at this event. Volunteer and you don't have to pay. Great opportunity to share your project/robot with the community before the qualifying touranments in December. contact cathy_swider@ous.edu if you want to volunteer.

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Request for Proposals (RFP) titled "Growing Interest in Computer Science through Team Based Programs."
The Chancellor's Office of the Oregon University System recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) titled "Growing Interest in Computer Science through Team Based Programs."   The scope of work says one goal is to "increase the quantity and diversity of K12 students interested in majoring in computer science."   It goes on to say that fundable tactics include "leveraging and growing existing ... programs and practices that use team-based challenges to teach CS principles and bring together diverse populations of students in a culminating event with recognitions and awards." This sounds like a great opportunity for the FIRST community in Oregon!

The RFP also says that "any individual or legal entity is eligible to receive this grant."   That probably means that a single FIRST volunteer
could submit a proposal or a group of volunteers could band together, pay $80 to form a Limited Liability Corporation and submit a proposal.

The RFP doesn't give much time to get organized as the proposals are due on November 21st. See https://secure.ous.edu/bapp/bopps/view/3139 for more information about this RFP.  Also, the following page has a useful checklist at the bottom and include a template that grantees can use to create their quarterly reports: http://www.oregonetic.org/grant-info/

Oct25

Tournament Assignments, Payments and Team Names updated as of mid-afternoon October 25th. Click Here to see update . There are over 40 TBD names, I'm leaving the link open until Thursday morning when I arrive at the office.

FIRST Day at OMSI - THANK YOU!
Thanks to FLL Teams The Turbo Turtles, Pro-Teens, Team AFOOFA , Chai Ninjas and Artificial Intelligence for demonstrating their Food Factor robots and sharing their FLL experience by conducting a team meeting for all to see and hear this past Saturday at FIRST Day at OMSI. Lots of teams showed up to hear and see what they had to present. Excellent Job and wonderful Coopertition™ and Gracious Professionalism™!

Do you want more information??? This is an optional link for you.
FLL Coaches - For those of you on information overload, ignore this next link. But if you are looking for additional FLL information, the Techbricks of Maryland provide amazing Food Factor resources. Warning: The information on the site is prepared by a coaches and team and is not an official FLL resource. Teams the world round have used their site as a resource for years. .Click here to link to their site

OCT21

Dear FLL Coaches:

The FLL Qualifying Tournament Assignments are posted.  BEFORE YOU CLICK….please read on….

Some people have reported trouble viewing the table assignments.  I think this has to do with which internet browser you use.

I’ve tried it in several….

Firefox is good.
Google Chrome is good

Internet Explorer is the worst and not recommended – it squishes the assignment column.

PLEASE READ YOUR ASSIGNMENT CAREFULLY……

If you have any comments about your assignment please email me immediately and INCLUDE your team number in the email.

Hope to see some of you at OMSI tomorrow for FIRST DAY!

--Cathy

OCT 18

1) CORRESPONDENCE TIP!
If you send an email to Cathy Swider or to ORTOP please include your team number. It saves us a huge amount of time and we'll be able to answer your question and serve you more efficiently. Also the ORTOP and FLL websites have an amazing amount of information on them. It might be faster to look for your answer rather than wait for me or someone to look it up for you. Have you seen the ORTOP Coach Corner?

2) FIRST LEGO League registration site issues- gofll.usfirst.org : Every team completed a national FLL registration at gofll.usfirst.org . This is the place that ORTOP goes to to gather initial information about the teams in Oregon. For the past two weeks, FLL has been experiencing problems with their system especially with the coach invitation process. ORTOP cannot get an updated report on Oregon/SW Washington teams. I'm relying on data from almost two weeks ago when registration closed. If you changed anything on your team profile in the last two weeks, ORTOP can't see it. The system is quirky.
This is why ORTOP uses their own system to register teams for Qualifying Tournament registration and collects duplicate information such as coach info and team names. For anyone not receiving the FIRST LEGO League updates because of the coach invitation issue....FLL Team email blasts can be found here. Good info through the FLL twitter feed as well. Don't need a twitter account to read it.

BTW, we hope all of you kindly dismissed the offer to register for qualifying tournaments in Rhode Island this week. Our colleague in Rhode Island, using the FLL system, accidently sent an email to all 11, 477 FLL teams in North America instead of just her teams in Rhode Island.

3) OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON - Qualifying Tournament Update
We are down to about 13 teams unregistered for a qualifying touranment. Those teams were notified by email to reigster by 6:00 pm on Tuesday, October 18. CHECK THE LIST TO SEE IF YOUR TEAM IS REGISTERED or NOT REGISTERED

NEXT UP:
Payments - All payments are due by November 1st. If you have not paid, please read the QT Payment info box. Payment information is updated on Thursdays. Don't panic if you faxed in a payment recently and it is not posted yet. We do this manually.

Team Name Changes to the Qualifying Tournament Application: If you entered "TBD", "To Be Determined" as your team name, OR if the kids already decided they want to change it or spell it differently...... PLEASE enter that information at THIS LINK- TEAM NAME CHANGES - Please do not send ORTOP an email with name changes, it will get lost and will not be changed... TEAM NAME CHANGE DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 23 at 9:00 PM. This is a hard deadline. I can't push this one out any further. We need to get info to the Qualifying Tournament Directors ASAP.

QT TOURNAMENT ASSIGNMENTS - We need to look at all of the registration applications and fill tournaments as efficiently as possible. Qualifying tournaement assignments will be posted by October 31st.

4) FIRST DAY AT OMSI! - Happy to report that 3 FLL team have graciously stepped up to share their FLL Team Experience at OMSI this Saturday, October 22nd.
10 - 11:30 am - The TURBO TURTLES
11:30 - 1:00 pm - TEAM AFOOFA
1:00 - 2:30 pm - CHAI NINJAS
Thank you teams!

OCT 13

QT Registration Update
FLL QT registration - 75% there! 331 of 438 teams are signed up for a FLL QT.
Check the list as of 9:15 am 10/12/11. Will update later on October 13
If you haven't submitted an application- CLICK HERE for information. Application link closes on Monday, October 17th at 6:00 pm. No team applications will be accepted after the deadline. Check the capacity update before registering
Team Name Change Form is now LIVE- CLICK HERE

Please note: Cathy Swider will be out of town Friday – Sunday, Oct 14 - 16. If you haven’t registered and need assistance, please read the information and the frequently asked questions and answers on the QT Info Page.  Cathy will be in the office on Monday, October 17 to resolve remaining issues. A colleague will be in the office to pick up faxes on Friday, Oct. 14^th.

FIRST Day at OMSI - October 22, 2011, 10:00am - 3:00pm
This is our opportunity to showcase FIRST for the public. FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST LEGO League and Jr.FIRST LEGO League will all participate in some way.

ORTOP would like 5 veteran FLL teams that have at least 3 Food Factor missions programmed to volunteer to demonstrate their robot and conduct a "team meeting" for the public. We'll have the Food Factor board set up and teams will continue to tweak and build and program while other team members or coaches explain to the crowd what the team is working on and what FLL is all about.

Free OMSI admission is included for teams that volunteer for a 1 to 1.5 hr. shift. (shifts are - 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm).Please, we need your help! It is a great way to SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES! (FLL Core Value)
If your team wants to volunteer please contact Tara Bowen-Biggs, FIRST Sr. Mentor with your 1st preference shift and a 2nd preference shift.
Email Tara at: tcbbiggs@gmail.com

JUNIOR FIRST LEGO League - October 18, 2011 - 6:30 pm - Information Night for Adults

Are there any 5 - 8 year olds ( Kindergarten - 3rd grade) team siblings that REALLY WANT to be part of FIRST LEGO League but they are just a little too young? JUNIOR FIRST LEGO League is just right for them. This year ORTOP is shifting our Jr.FLL Expo until March 17 and 18, 2012 to give the little kids plenty of time to participate AND FLL coaches that want to do both, can start Jr.FLL in January. ORTOP is holding an information night at OMSI on Tuesday, October 18th at 6:30 pm for interested adults. more info at ORTOP Jr.FLL webpage and Jr.FLL at the national FIRST website

FIRST Sr. Mentor Newsletter - check your email inbox for the next newsletter from Tara Bowen-Biggs, FIRST Senior Mentor being sent this week.

Giant SpongeBob LEGO build - Oct 21- 23 at Washington Square
The LEGO store in Washington Square is looking for volunteers ages 13+ (absolutely no one younger than 13 yrs. old not even if a parent is with them) to help with a giant SpongeBob LEGO build. Five hour shifts. Friday 9am - 7:30 pm, Sat and Sun 8am - 6:30 pm. Volunteers will receive a 30% discount off non-sale items to use that day. If you volunteer for more day you get the 30% discount to use each day you volunteer. Plus if you have a VIP card you will receive VIP points (DOUBLE points since it is October).
TO VOLUNTEER OR ASK ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTION CONTACT:
Thomas Gallacher, LIC Store Mgr Washington Square
PHONE (503)670-9109
LEGO WASHINGTON SQUARE
9410 SW Washington Square Road
Tigard, OR 97223 Tigard

Please do not contact ORTOP about this opportunity. We will not forward emails and we don't have any more information.

FOOD FACTOR SUPPORT for ROOKIE COACHES!
We have a bumper crop of new rookie coaches. All of this must seem overwhelming. Here are some crucial links to help you navigate through th information.
1) ORTOP WEBSITE FOR FLL- lots of info and KEY LINKS in right hand column.

2) The entire FOOD FACTOR CHALLENGE that you can print!

3) Extra help is provided by click the circles at this webpage for each Challenge area - Robot Game, Project, Core Values.

4) Scott Evans, FOOD FACTOR game designer, released a video explaining the FOOD FACTOR Robot Game. CLICK HERE TO WATCH - It is on youtube.com

5) ORTOP WORKSHOP MATERIALS - All that stuff you learned in the ORTOP workshop, including plans to build the workshop robot!

6) Trying to figure out how to build the FOOD FACTOR MISSION MODELS? There is a CD in the box wit the mat and the mission model pieces.

7) Missing pieces from your Robot Kit (as in they were missing when you opened the box) or missing from your FOOD FACTOR Field Setup kit?

In the back of your FLL FOOD FACTOR (hard copy) coach handbook on Page 96 here is a very helpful list of reference emails and phone numbers. IF you are missing a couple of pieces from the field setup kit do this: Go to www.LEGO.com and click on Customer Service at the bottom of the screen. Enter set 9697 for FLL Mission Model Set. Then select the pieces you meed from the list on-screen. There should be no charge for missing pieces. Their phone number is 1-800-422-5346.

OCT 2

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT APPLICATION INFORMATION

UPDATED QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT APPLICATION INFORMATION as of October 10, 2011 - CLICK HERE

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OCTOBER 2nd Announcement -

Oregon FIRST LEGO League Qualifying Tournament APPLICATION INFORMATION

UPDATED IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

ORTOP IS DELAYING THE LAUNCH OF THE ONLINE QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT APPLICATION. This is due to two reasons.
1) an extraordinary number of teams that will meet for the first time this week and do not have the necessary information to complete the application on October 4th.

2) almost 20% of our teams are not showing an official coach in the FLL database. ORTOP is trying to help teams resolve this issue.

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QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT APPLICATION PROCESS
WILL OPEN ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011 at 6:00 PM

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS
WILL CLOSE ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011 at 6:00 PM

List of scheduled qualifying touranments available in Oregon and SW Washington

Tournament Assignments will still be published by October 31, 2011 as planned.
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STEP #1 - TO HELP YOU PREPARE THE NECESSARY INFORMATION IN ADVANCE,
PLEASE COMPLETE A WORKSHEET FOR EACH TEAM.
CLICK LINK

http://www.ortop.org/Documents/NEWS_FLL_QualifyihngTournamentWorksheet_v3.pdf

PRINT IT and USE IT WHEN THE ONLINE APPLICATION OPENS ON OCTOBER 10th.

STEP #2 - GO ONLINE BEGINNING OCTOBER 10, 2011 at 6:00 PM to enter your information into the online qualifying tournament application.

Thank you for understanding our change to the schedule.
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October 4th- additional information

Question added to Qualifying Tournament Application: How many team members on your FLL team participated in JUNIOR FIRST LEGO League in a prior year?

No need to print a new worksheet, just make a note of it. It's been added to the online applcation that will be released on October 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm.

Here is a copy just in case you haven't printed it yet!

A few questions I've recieved from several coaches about Qualifying Tournament Registration.

Q. Since my team registered for FLL on the national site, do I still need to register for the qualifying tournament?
A. YES, you do! Every team that expects to participate in an Oregon or SW Washington FLL Qualifying Tournament must complete an ORTOP QT application by October 17, 2011 at 6:00 pm when registration closes. This determines which of the 25 Qualifying Tournaments your team will attend.

Q. Do I need to pay the $75 tournament fee because I already paid $225 to register the team?
A. Yes, you do! The $225 goes to FIRST LEGO League in Manchester, NH the national organization that designs the challenge. ORTOP only recieves $10 of the national registration fee. The $75 ORTOP Tournament fee helps defray the costs of putting on a FLL Qualifying Tournament. The only teams exempt from paying the $75 are teams that received an ORTOP scholarship.

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October 6th - The ORTOP Planning Committee did geographic analysis of registered teams and determined that we will need one less team in the Portland Metro Area. It was decided to remove Intel Jones Farm on Sunday, December 4th from the slate of qualifying tournaments. Please do not select it.

Oregon FLL Registered Team List updated at 2:00 pm

Registration is still open…

The website is

https://gofll.usfirst.org

1. If you are new… you need to create a user account first. If you are returning, log in with you email address and password.
2. Complete the registration form going through all of the steps. Be sure that you order a FIELD SET-UP KIT! And EACH TEAM NEEDS THEIR OWN ROBOT!

AM I REGISTERED??? I compiled a list AS OF LAST NIGHT! It does not includes ANY registrations from today. I will update it sometime on Thursday.

This is the link: http://www.ortop.org/fll/ctNews.html#CT

---Cathy

Yes, FLL national registration is still open! Currently over 10,000 FLL teams are registered.

Shout out to Google for sponsoring the Gorge Robotics Celebration on September 17th. Over 500 kids and adults found out about FIRST during a fun and exciting afternoon. youtube videos are posted on our facebook page - Like Us! ORTOP:FLL . Thanks to a grant from the Google Data Center Grants Fund of Tides Foundation the number of FLL teams have almost tripled this year in the Columbia Gorge.

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OREGON QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT (QT) ONLINE APPLICATION WILL GO LIVE ON OCTOBER 4, 2011 at 6:00 PM. This breaks with noon tradition but will allow those who cannot access the internet during work hours to have an equal chance to register. Pick a team name as a fun core values activity in advance of the QT online application. Location of ONLINE LINK when it opens

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JUDGING AND AWARDS

Major Changes from FLL for 2011 Tournament Awards

FLL is making major changes to the overall awards and judging approach for 2011.  FLL’s judging focus is on what you do (the Project and Robot) and how you do it (our Core Values).  Through interaction with the judging panel, the judging process is designed to evaluate the team’s performance, provide meaningful feedback and to celebrate each team’s accomplishments throughout the season. Based on the annual Challenge, teams showcase their experience in three judged areas (Robot Design, Project, Core Values) in addition to the score-based Robot Game.  Each judged area utilizes a rubric, or evaluation tool, to gather the information that will drive FLL deliberations, a qualitative, discussion-based process to rank top teams in each area.

To better align tournament awards with the FLL mission and priorities, changes are being made to the ORTOP tournament award structure.  These include:
 - Champions award winners and advancement to a Championship will be based on equal weighting between the three judging areas.  Robot Performance is no longer a weighted category, though a team must score in the top 40% for an Champions Award or to advance.
 - A team can only win one award. The only exception is the Robot Performance award which goes to the team with the highest robot game score, even if they win another award.
 - Core Value judging replaces Teamwork judging, and similarly the Core Values Award replaces the Teamwork Award.
 - A team must participate in all three judged areas and the robot game to be eligible for any award.
 - Non-adherence to FLL core values by team members, coaches or parents can disqualify a team from any award.
 - Rookie Teams may now include experienced coaches and mentors.
- Young Teams are comprised entirely of teams members in 5th grade or lower grades.
 - The Rising Star Award replaces the Young and Rookie Team Awards at Qualifiers. Rising Star winners do not advance to a Championship.

To learn more, read the complete description of 2011 Tournaments Awards here

Walt Mayberry, ORTOP Judge Advisor

This is important for Rookie Teams – Please make sure your team has ordered the Food Factor Field Set-up Kit for $65. This is the 2011 challenge that your team will be solving. Some teams that share a practice location also share a field set-up kit. BUT make sure your team has access to one.

If you discover that you have not ordered a kit you must to back to https://gofll.usfirst.org to your team profile and click Purchase Materials. Purchase one if you don't have one. If the box is unchecked you have not ordered one. If it is checked, one has been ordered. This item is separate from the $225 national registration fee that you paid.

ONCE FLL REGISTRATION CLOSES, it also ends your ability to purchase field set-up kit or a robot.

ALSO, each FLL TEAM must have access to their OWN robot. Teams cannot share robots.

September 7, 2011

FLL National Registration Update: FLL national registration are expected to sell out in a matter of days. About 2500 team registrations are available for purchase. If you waited unitl the start of school to finalize your plans and register your team, now is the time. FLL national registration site- Click here
Currently there are 318 teams registered in Oregon & SW Washington.
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ACCEPTING COACH INVITATIONS from FIRST LEGO League HQ
If you are a coach but someone else purchased your team's registration, the purchaser has or needs to "Invite a Coach" from the official FIRST LEGO League profile created at https://gofll.usfirst.org. If you are a coach and you have not received the email or not accepted the invitation, please search your spam or junk folder for the coach invitation from FIRST. Responding to the invitation is the only way ORTOP will know who is the official coach for your team.
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ORTOP SCHOLARSHIP NEWS
Special note to coaches you have received the MJ Murdock scholarships. Thank you for your patience. Do NOT register your teams. ORTOP must register your team using a grant code. The grant codes will be received by ORTOP by Friday, Sept 9th so ORTOP will register you at that time. If you received an email confirming that your team is a new MJ Murdock team, ORTOP must register you. If you are a returning MJ Murdock team, ORTOP will order your Field Set-up kit on Friday.

The ORTOP FLL Scholarship Application process is closed to all teams in Oregon WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTION: Teachers and principals in public schools in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania counties may still apply for FLL scholarships thanks to special funding by Google. Click here for more information
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CHALLENGE INFO
FOOD FACTOR Challenge: Where do I find it? CLICK HERE
Nothing stays the same :-) Check here for FLL Game Updates!

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FLL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
ORTOP FIRST LEGO League Qualifying Tournament Schedule 2011-Click here

If FLL registration closes soon, ORTOP may be opening QT registration earlier than October 4th. An email will be sent to all official coaches with ample notification. It is suggested that you look at the schedule and start discussing with the parents 3 dates/locations that are acceptable to all team members. Ask parents to check for sports, music, church, other civic events, or early vacations that might conflict with your chosen dates. The QT application will ask for 3 choices acceptable to your team. ORTOP will pick one of the three to assign to your team. Once the assignment is made, it is not changeable.
You need to know your official 2011 FIRST LEGO League team number to apply for a qualifying tournament. It is a 4 or 5 digit number on the paperwork inside the registration packet with the CDs.

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TEAM NAMES (my very favorite topic)
Choosing a team name is a teamwork exercise for the kids. Best advice: Discuss it, allow input from everyone, decide and stick with it. The longer the name, the smaller the font in the program. Keep it short. Team names should keep with FLL Core Values of Gracious Professionalism. No references to violence, etc..

Your TEAM NAME submitted on the ORTOP Qualifying Tournament application will be the one used at the tournament. No updates, no changes. With over 500 ORTOP teams, ORTOP can't process team name changes after your Qualifying Tournament application is submitted. Sorry!

Next time: Changes in tournament awards.

ORTOP NEWS LETTER FOR AUGUST 31, 2011

FLL Registration - Check out the latest count - In Oregon we added 58 teams since the last newsletter. Remember national registration will end when 11,050 team registrations are reached. We are up 22% over last year at this time.

FLL Workshop News - the newest Programming Workshop has added a slot on Sept. 13th, 6:00 to 9:00pm at Garmin in Salem. Info/Register click here. Slots remain for Hood River - Sept 24, and Medford - Sept 17.
Can't attend a workshop but need training infomation? The materials for ORTOP's FLL Adult Training Workshops are also available online.

FLL COACH TRAINING/Access to ORTOP workshop materials
Interested in online NXT programming tutorials? One is offered by Carnegie Mellon University and it's FREE! AND don't forget the world famous NXT programming tutorial created by Oregon's Dale Yocum at Catlin Gabel School. It is housed on the ORTOP website. and in Spanish, too!

NATIONAL FLL Training by PHONE: On Wednesday, September 7 at 7pm ET, FIRST(R) Senior Mentors will be hosting - “Basic Programming: Tips, Skills, & Resources”. Looking for specific s? When available, outline

Call in Phone Number: 1-866-951-1151, Conference Room: 7052714 Each call can hold up to 1000 calls

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BEST ADVICE IF YOUR TEAM'S FLL FOOD FACTOR CHALLENGE KIT OR ROBOT HAS NOT YET ARRIVED.
The 2011 FLL FOOD FACTOR Challenge will be released on September 2, 2011 at 9:00 am ET. This includes the Robot Game -( Missions, Rules and Field Set-up), The Project (outline, details and resources), Core Values, and Rubrics & Awards. If your team doesn't have your stuff yet, there is still LOTS to do.

Print out The Project! Read and discuss with the team the Project Challenge. Discuss the Project introduction and begin to do the research as outlined. A few weeks from now the team will be ready to move toward formulating an innovative solution. This mean their OWN innovative solution. Doing you Project Presentation on an another scientist or enginner's innovative solution is not allowed. The team must come up with their own innovative solution. Lots of resources will be provided at this link to give the team a head start on the project.
ROOKIE NOTE: Your team doesn't just make up their own challenge about Food Safety for their project. There is a very detailed challenge outlined that each team must follow.

PRINT OUT the Robot Game missions, rules and field set-up. As a team read through them carefully. The team can start to think out what each mission is asking the robot to do and you'll know how to set-up the board when your kit arrives.

FLL KICK-OFF INVITATION:

FLL Team #1587 The Hexbots invite FLL teams in the Wilsonville area to a FLL Challenge Release Day Social at Sophia Park (in the Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville) from 6:30-8:00 on Friday, September 2nd. We'll have Otter Pops for a treat, and hope that team members and coaches/mentors can come to meet other FLL teams. Questions? email Mary Pettenger at pettengm(at)wou(dot)edu.

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NEWS FROM FLL HeadQuarters IN MANCHESTER, NH
In case you are not yet registered for FLL...this is the latest news sent on 8/31 from FLL HQ. If you are registered and not receiving emails from FLL HQ, you need to contact them at fllteams@usfirst.org

Make the Connection… (US/CAN TEAMS)

…with FIRST TeamUp! If you are interested in finding additional members or mentors for your team OR, you want to connect with others in your area who are interested in FLL (perhaps start a new team?) Please note that FIRST does not screen, select, or supervise coaches, mentors or students so it is not in a position to vouch for them. Use common sense and your judgment when selecting and interacting with the volunteers who will be working with your child.

4. New FLL Poll (GLOBAL)

We’re trying out some new features on the website. Take the first of many FLL polls/quizzes here: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2011foodfactor. Have any questions you want to see up there? Send them to fllteams@usfirst.org with the subject line, “Poll ideas for firstlegoleague.org”.

5. New Videos – Challenge Experts (GLOBAL)

Why do our Challenge Advisory Team members think food safety is important to FLL teams? What do they hope teams will get out of the Challenge? Find out! http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/cat

8/21/11

ORTOP FLL Adult Training Workshop Update:
The NEW Programming Class is being offered twice. 8/23/11 and 9/1/11. Both classes have slots available.
This is not a series class. Register for either but not both.

Salem 8/27/11 - Class is full and you can register to be on the waiting list.
Medford 9/17/11 - OPEN - Very few signups, please pass the word.
Hood River 9/24/11 - OPEN - Very few signups, please pass the word.
Portland 10/1/11 - Waiting list - trying to find a larger location or second location to include more people.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Scroll to see entire schedule.

FLL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: Nationally FLL has sold over 50% of the registrations available. Schools in the southern and midwest United States are now in session and registration numbers are climbing.

FOOD FACTOR CHALLENGE Release: September 2, 2011 at 9:00 am PDT. Join the excitement when FOOD FACTOR is release globally to the expected 20,000 FLL teams in 63 countries around the world!
Teams will be able to see: The FOOD FACTOR Robot Game: the field set-up, rules, missions AND the FOOD FACTOR Project: the research project is outlined and challenge details given. Be sure to read this carefully so that your team is on target for solving this food safety challenge.

ORTOP (Oregon and SW Washington) Qualifying Tournament Online Application will open Tuesday, October 4th at 5:00 pm. Coaches will be sent a link and it will be posted on the website. Schedule of Qualifying Tournaments will be released in September. We are still finalizing the locations/dates.

8/12/11

I’ve updated the email list and added many more new people. To make sure everyone can be kept up to date I’ve created an ORTOP NewsLetter Page so that you can always check and see all of the emails sent to the ORTOP FLL Community list – The link is: http://www.ortop.org/fll/ctNews.html

I’ve also added a FLL registration count to keep you posted on the number of FLL registration in the USA and in Oregon: http://www.ortop.org/fll/#FFC

The Programming Beta Class was a success. We are offering two more this summer. 8/23 and 9/1. Register online by clicking here!

AND one more reminder: I.am.FIRST: Science is Rock and Roll on Sunday, Aug. 14 at 7:00 pm --- Tell us what you thought of it on our Facebook page!  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ortopfll/106182136142171

Regards,

Cathy

8/9/11

FIRST LEGO League registration

4950 FIRST LEGO League teams are now registered in the USA and Canada. There is a limit of 11, 500 teams this season. Oregon has 151 teams registered so far. We are hoping for 400 teams this season.  To register: https://gofll.usfirst.org   We expect that after the airing of the i.am.FIRST show there will be a bump in FLL registrations. 

1. i.am.FIRST – Back to School TV special airing on Sunday, August 14 at 7:00 pm on ABC television. In the Portland area that’s Channel 2 (or 702 for HD).  ORTOP encourages you to watch it! Call up your team and hold a viewing party. Great way to kick off the season.   
   Little known fact, Oregon’s FTC Short Circuits choose FTC Team 3509 as their alliance partner in the elimination rounds of the FTC World Championship in April 2011. Team 3509 partnered with will.i.am build a FTC robot that was used in match featuring will.i.am vs. Dean Kamen.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz-_ir1b6bQ

Here are some links I’ve found about the show.

http://iamfirst.dipdive.com/

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/robots/black-eyed-peas-will-i-am-rocks-out-and-drives-a-robot-at-first

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/07/will-i-am-and-dean-kamen-team-up-for-one-hour-science-special-on-abc/

2. Take your kids to work day at INTEL – August 18^th --   We are looking for more FLL teams to help out on August 18^th with “Take your kids to work day at INTEL”.We need teams that still have a Body Forward robot put together to demonstrate and we need teams that can help out with the activities. If adults/kids , all or part of your team can participate please email cathy_swider@ous.edu

Activities will take place at Intel Jones Farm 9:00 am – 2:00 pm , Hawthorne Farms 9:00 am – 2:00 pm , Aloha Fabs 9:00 – noon.

3. FIRST Tech Challenge KICK-OFF.
FIRST LEGO League teams that are or are considering moving up to FIRST Tech Challenge in fall 2011…. You are invited to the FIRST Tech Challenge Kick-off on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Tigard High School, 9000 SW Durham Road, Tigard, OR. Doors open at 9:00 am.   Find out all about FTC, see the new game, take a workshop, talk to veteran teams.  You can even attend to find a team to join.

7/21/11

Hope all of you are having a great summer. FIRST LEGO League is gearing up for another great season this fall.

EXCITING NEWS TO COME REGARDING THE FLL PROJECT
In the same way that ORTOP partnered with OHSU for BODY Forward, we are working on community partnerships to help our teams with FOOD FACTOR. Stay tuned for news on this topic

FLL National REGISTRATION

FLL twitter feed tells me that Food Factor field set-up kits have started shipping.  
In Oregon we have 118 FLL teams registered.  This is a little behind Oregon’s total at this time last year.  Overall, FLL is 7% higher in registrations compared to last year.  August will see a huge jump in registered teams – 3719. A total of 11,500 teams will be registered in Oregon and SW Washington.

If you haven’t registered yet this is the link for national registration: https://gofll.usfirst.org/

Oregon/SW Washington Qualifying Tournaments

Oregon’s FLL Qualifying Tournament application process will begin October 4^th. Nationally registered teams in Oregon and SW Washington will be sent on email with the application link. It will also be posted at www.ortop.org/fll on October 4th.   Teams must registered nationally before they can register for a qualifying tournament.

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ORTOP Workshops
Plenty of room in our ORTOP FLL Workshops for August and September. Info, Calendar, Registration at: http://www.ortop.org/fll/res.htm#work

UPDATE on OUT OF PORTLAND WORKSHOPS:

We have had very few signups for our out of town SATURDAY ALL DAY workshops covering all three series workshops in one day. We need help spreading the word about FLL for the following areas/dates:

BEND: August 13 (rescheduled from July 16) Location: TBD (* as of Aug 12- this workshop is canceled - if you are in Central Oregon and wish to be trained, please contact Cathy Swider at Cathy_Swider(at)ous(dot)edu
THE DALLES: August 20 location TBD
SALEM: August 27 @Garmin
MEDFORD: Sept 10 @KidsUnlimited
PORTLAND: October 1 (looking for larger location other than ORTOP)
Registration at: http://www.ortop.org/fll/res.htm#work   USE BLOCK #6 in online form.

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NEW PROGRMMING WORKSHOP – BETA TEST

In response to coach/mentor requests, ORTOP’s workshop committee has developed another workshop different from the three currently being offered. The workshop committee wants to beta test it with coaches/mentors before fully integrating it into our schedule.

The goal of the Programming Workshop is to introduce the attendees to more of the blocks that they are likely to want to introduce to their teams sometime during their coaching careers.  Full description of workshop: http://www.ortop.org/Documents/RES_W_ProgWorkshopDesc2011_BETA.pdf

A trail run of this workshop will be offered on August 4^th at 6:00pm at the ORTOP office, 2125 SW 4^th Ave. Suite 505, Portland, OR

Participants must have attended Workshops I and II or have the equivalent of one year’s coaching experience.
Participants will be giving feedback on the workshops.
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE Registration for the first 16 adults sending an email to beth_hutchins@ous.edu .