January 2024 Newsletter
Happy build season, Snails!
We are making a lot of progress in the first month of build season, so here are some updates and important information.
Updates
The Technical Division has been working hard to make our robot design into reality. Most recently, they’ve finished putting together our new custom swerve chassis. Build and Electronics have been working in tandem to put together the modules and wire the motors. Programming has been working to create a pathfinder for this year’s field, and Strategy has been creating the data analysis spreadsheet for this year’s game. Ops has been working to create the official T-shirt designs for competition.
Kickoff Recap
Team 1257’s 2024 kickoff was a success! We had around fifty students gathered in the Magnet Auditorium on Saturday, January 6th watching the official livestream of the game video. Here are some highlights from the day!
Competition Prep
Team 1257’s first competition is only 6 weeks away! Before we reach that point in the season, two important things must be squared away as soon as possible: FIRST Registration and competition availability. Both have been posted to our Google Classroom and are readily available to students.
FIRST requires all students to register and sign consent forms every year. Even if you’ve filled out the forms in years past, you must do it again this season. If you already have a parent account created, you can electronically sign the consent forms as soon as your child registers themselves in the system. If you are new to the team, make sure your child sends you a link to link a parent account to their student account. We want this done as soon as possible, so your help is appreciated.
Students must also fill out the competition availability form as soon as possible. As a reminder, our competition dates are Saturday & Sunday March 9-10, Saturday & Sunday March 16-17, and Thursday-Saturday April 4-6. Keep in mind that District Championships in April is during UCVTS spring break. Please discuss with your child what dates they are available. Competitions last all day, 6am-8pm. Please also let your child know if you are willing to potentially drive them to competition so that another spot on the bus can be open for other students who need it.
If you have any questions about either of these, please let us know.
More Ways to Help
If you are interested in making a financial donation, you can submit cash or a check by giving it to your student for submission. Checks should be made out to UCVTS with “Robotics” in the memo line.
We would be extremely grateful for any donations possible. For more information, see this link regarding Sponsorship Benefit Tiers. We would also greatly appreciate it if everyone could spread the word about our team! Our members have been working hard and we would love for them to see support for all their hard work!