The Bulletin Board

 

(Questions? Ask Brian O’Sullivan or Thomas Burke]

• PERMISSION FORM: All members need to turn in the parent permission form each year. It’s easy: (1) follow this link, (2) have your parents fill in your name and their contact info, (3) submit!
  
  (1) print this PDF, (2) have parents sign, (3) bring it to the next meeting!

  This includes veterans!

• MEMBER REGISTRATION: New members, I need this brief survey done ASAP. It’s easy: (1) click, (2) write stuff, (3) submit!
• FIRST Consent completed: (two options)
  1. Online instructions found here.
  2. OR turn in this form to mentors. (Not preferred)
• FIRST NC Consent completed: (two options)
  1. AFTER you have completed the FIRST Consent above and have selected our team (4561), this form will be found in the same location.  This form is much simpler to fill out.
  2. OR turn in this form to mentors. (Not preferred)
• Accept the invitation to our Google Group Mailing list.  Check your spam if you don’t see this invite, and email a mentor if you can’t find it.

These forms are REQUIRED if you want to remain on the team! If you are unsure what you have completed, you can check your status in the spreadsheet “Documents Forms & Attendance” on the FileBox.  Also, the permission form says “I have read and reviewed the general requirements for high school Robotics participation and I have discussed these requirements with my student-engineer” – The material in question is the student handbook, which is here.

• Kickoff (early January) – the team joins other teams around the area to learn about the new challenge for the season. Previous events have been held in Greensboro, Charlotte, and Durham.
• Build Season (through mid-February) – during this time, the team is focused on building and programming the robot that will be used in the upcoming competition(s). Meetings are held 3 nights a week plus Saturdays. Additional meetings are scheduled as needed.
• NC District competitions (mid-March) – At a minimum, we enter two NC District competitions, which is held in March across NC. Typically around 30 or so teams will attend these two-day competitions. The first day and a half is used for setup of the team’s pit area, practice with the robots, and qualifiers, where teams are randomly teamed up into alliances and pitted against other alliances. After this, the top qualifying teams create alliances for the finals that day by hand-picking from other teams present. Teams who place well at these competitions will be invited to compete at the District Championship.
• NC District Championship (early April) –  District Championships is similar to the other competitions except that all qualifying teams will be in attendance (around 40 – 50 teams), and the competition will last for three days instead of two.  The alliance that wins the finals as well as the top ranked teams in the state are given the opportunity to participate in the World Championship.
• World Championship (late April) – The top teams from regional competitions across the country convene in Houston, TX to compete for the #1 robotics team in the country.

(Questions? Ask a business mentor.) Every student has been assigned at least one business that they must give an in-person presentation to, requesting sponsorship.  Getting a sponsorship from businesses is the easiest way to meet your $200 fundraising goal for the team and speaking on a business level with professionals is an invaluable skill.

Money towards your Fair Share

The money you might bring in from a business will go towards satisfying your Fair Share.  The longer you wait, however, the less of that money will go towards your Fair Share.  Completing the business visit by the following months will count for the following percent of their donation:

August 31st:          150%
October 31st:        100%
November 30th:     75%
December 31st:      50%

DETAILS FOR BUSINESS VISITS

What to do

1. Find your business assignment in the Business Assignments spreadsheet.
2. Visit your assigned business in person.
   • Ask to speak with a manager about your robotics team.
   • Give the manager our Flyer.
   • Use the script that was discussed in our meetings to base your presentation on.
   • If you cannot visit a business email Heather Frederick.
3. Enter every business visit in this form, which will send responses to the Business Assignments spreadsheet: 
4. If the business is going to donate to the team enter a row for them in the Sponsorship spreadsheet.  Make sure to include contact information (email and mailing address) and the “date you contacted them”.
5. When the team gets a donation from your business do the following
   • Thank them! Write a personalized thank you note on team stationery within 2 weeks.
   • Turn the donation in to a mentor (Heather Frederick).
   • Update the Sponsorship spreadsheet with the date the money was received and noting that the money was turned in.

FAQ

Q:  My business wants to write us a check.  Who should they make it out to?
A:  Make all checks out to “RTHS Robotics”.

Q:  My business wants to mail their donation.  Where should they mail it?
A:  Mail donations to Research Triangle High School ROBOTICS, c/o Brian O’Sullivan, PO Box 13453, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-0006.

Q:  My business says they need an invoice in order to send the money, where can I get one?
A:  Speak with a member of the Business Team about producing an invoice for their company.

Q:  My business asked if their donation is tax deductible / asked if we are a 501(c)3 organization?
A:  The answer is yes!  Donations made by your business to our team are tax deductible.  Speak with a member of the Business Team if your business requires tax documentation.

Q:  I spoke to a business I was not assigned and they want to donate to the team.  How do I record that?
A:  Great job! Let a mentor know that they plan to donate.  Speak with a member of the Business Team and enter a row for them in the Sponsorship spreadsheet.

We need to take special care to follow up with our donors to thank them for their generosity, and keeping track will help us do that right!

Kickoff is the event where FIRST teams around the world learn this year’s game, get our kit of parts, and start building! This year (Saturday January 7, 2023) will hopefully be in person, after two years of virtual. Watch out for more details.

Each year the TerrorBytes hold a lock-in sleepover party at Defy Gravity and invite teams local to the Triangle. Hopefully we can hold this event again this year.  Stay tuned for more details.