Oregon Robotics Tournament and Outreach Program presents Junior FIRST LEGO League EXPO OMSI Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo Saturday, March 16, 2013 and Sunday, March 17, 2013 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 1945 SE Water Avenue Portland, OR 97214-3354 March 2013 Dear Junior FIRST LEGO League Coach: Congratulations on participating in this JFLL season! The OMSI JrFLL Expo awaits your team to showcase and celebrate their achievements. This celebration is not a competition, rather it is an opportunity to share achievements, learn from others, and receive recognition for fantastic efforts. This is the Oregon Robotics Tournament and Outreach Program s sixth year participating in JrFLL and we are ecstatic at the overwhelming response. This letter and the attached enclosures are intended to help prepare you and your team for the JrFLL Expo. Please read all the information in this packet thoroughly, and read pertinent parts aloud to your team. Also, pass on necessary information to parents and guardians, as indicated throughout these documents. We appreciate your cooperation to make this event a success. A tournament schedule detailing your JFLL team Expo activities will be provided in your team check-in packet when you arrive. THE FOLLOWING IS A GENERAL SCHEDULE FOR ALL THE EXPOS. The time given is the time from the start of check in time. Check-in starts for the Morning Expos at 9:00am. Check in begins for both Afternoon Expos at 1:30pm. 1. Overview of Expo Day Check-in: Teams can begin arriving at OMSI. When you arrive please enter through the Planetarium entrance and proceed to the right. The registration table will be located at the entrance to the Auditorium. Please check-in before 9:15am for a morning Expo, 1:45pm for an afternoon Expo. Each coach checks in his/her team and picks up a team folder,. All team members will receive name badges with their team number and chosen team name. There can be no more than 6 students on one team. Each team member and team coach/mentor (up to 2) will receive a nametag. Afternoon Expo participants can pick up their packet and wristbands anytime after 10:00am so that the team can explore the museum in the morning before the Expo begins. Set-up. After checking in, your team will be directed to the JrFLL Expo area located to the left of the check-in desk in the OMSI Auditorium. Your team should unpack and set up at their assigned table. Each 8 table will be shared by two teams. Each team will occupy one-half of the table top so your team will have 18 x 48. This space is for your model and Show Me Poster. You can use the area from the floor to the table top for your display by hanging a poster or cloth from the table with masking tape. (The tables are about 28 inches tall.) Coats, lunches and LEGO containers should be stored under the table but valuables should stay with their owners throughout the day. ORTOP Jr.FLL Coach Letter Page 1 of 5
Opening Ceremony in the Auditorium. A brief ceremony will be conducted to welcome the teams and celebrate our the JrFLL EXPO. Review. An ORTOP Reviewer will come to your team s project area. The reviewer will want to discuss the work of the team with all the team members. We encourage teams to practice answering spontaneous questions from adults about their project but it is not necessary to pre-prepare a presentation. Remember this is not a competition. The reviewers want to get to know the team so that they can hear about their work and decide on an award based on that team s strength. Share with other teams and Check out OMSI Activities. This is a time when we encourage you to talk to the other teams and ask about their projects. There will also be a scavenger hunt in the welcome packet that takes place around the museum. You could use this time to do the scavenger if you desire. FLL teams will be at OMSI showing off both a robot competition table and a project presentation. Definitely check this out if your team is moving up next year. Pack-Up. All projects must be removed from the Auditorium to prepare for the Closing ceremony. JrFLL Closing Ceremony Each participant will receive a medal and all teams will be presented with a certificate in our traditional elbow-bump ceremony. It used to be called a high-five ceremony. However, elbow bumps result in less illness spreading during the cold and flu season! Closing Ceremony will be over no later than 4 hours after the start of check in and very possibly even before this time. EXPO APPLE - SATURDAY & CHERRY -SUNDAY EXPO BANANA - SATURDAY & ELDERBERRY - SUNDAY Auditorium Closed for Setup 8:00 am - 9:00 am 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm Check in /Set-up 9:00 am 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm (teams can stop by earlier to turn in consent forms and pick up OMSI admission wristbands) Teams will not be permitted into the auditorium until 1:30 pm. Opening Ceremony 9:30 am - 9:50 am 2:00 pm - 2:20 pm Review 9:50 am - 10:30 am 2:20 pm - 3:00 pm Share time with other teams, explore OMSI 10:30 am - 11:30 am 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Pack up 11:30-11:45 4:00 pm 4:15 pm Jr.FLL Closing Ceremony noon - 1:00 pm 4:15pm 5:15 pm AUDITORIUM CLOSED 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm to set up next event ORTOP Jr.FLL Coach Letter Page 2 of 5
EXPLANATION OF EXPO ACTIVITIES 1. Review Each team will meet with a JrFLL Reviewer for approximately 6 minutes. The reviewer will ask the team members several questions, discuss the project and interact with the teams. It would be best for the team members to answer the questions with no assistance or minimal assistance from their coaches. The Reviewers are looking for innovation, creativity, pride and energy. We stress that the reviewers do not judge the teams but are interested in each teams ideas and experience. 2. OMSI Activities Scavenger Hunt found in Welcome Packet. FLL robot table presentation and project presentation located in the Planetarium Hallway and the Lobby. 3. JrFLL Recognition Ceremony Teams will be called up one at a time to receive individual participation medals and a recognition certificate chosen by the team reviewer to highlight the team s success. If you will be passing out trophies or other awards to your team, we ask that you do this at a private ceremony at a separate time. We don t want other teams feeling left out if they don t have the same awards. Gracious professionalism is a core value of FIRST. 4. Gracious Professionalism OTHER EXPO CONSIDERATIONS Gracious Professionalism is a key FIRST value. Team members, coaches and mentors should be thoughtful and kind and show respect towards others. Encourage your team to view other teams projects, ask thoughtful questions and learn from others. Models and Show Me boards are not better or worse they are different. Please set an example of gracious professionalism for your team and encourage them to follow suit. 5. FLL Consent Forms (REQUIRED for participation in the Jr.FLL Expo event) Please find enclosed FLL Consent Forms. A parent or guardian must read and sign this document for their child to participate in the JFLL Expo. Bring the signed forms with you to the Team Check-in the day of the Expo. We also require consent forms from the up to two official adults and the senior mentor that will be accompanying the team and receiving participant wristbands. Please bring these with you signed to the event. We will not have enough copies that day and we cannot check in any team until all consent forms are together and can be handed in as a group. 6. Rules for the Day (1) No running. (2) All children must be supervised at all times. (3) Be respectful of other teams models and show me boards. (4) Do not touch any computers or robots. (5) You are responsible for your personal belongings. The JrFLL Expo location is in a public spot. We highly recommend you to take purses, cameras or other valuables with you whenever you are away from your table. (6) ORTOP encourages participants to talk and share their experiences of the past 8 weeks. This is a great opportunity to meet new friends, share stories and learn from each other. This is an educational and friendly experience. 7. Other Considerations ORTOP Jr.FLL Coach Letter Page 3 of 5
Adult Supervision Plan on up to two adult chaperones per team (e.g., yourself and one other adult). No more than two adults will be given nametags and wristbands to chaperone the team. This year we will be extending one extra wristband to the team s Senior Mentor as well as the other two team adults. The Expo takes place in the free part of OMSI. If more than the two official chaperones want to accompany the team through the museum, admission must be paid at their expense. ORTOP will only provide OMSI admission for 2 adults per team. Families of Team Members Families of JrFLL Team Members are welcome to watch the JrFLL activities. Space is limited. Please be considerate and help us by not overcrowding the area. Extra Children We recommend that extra children do not accompany the coach. If you have youngsters who are not members of your team and want to attend the Expo and Tournament, an adult other than yourself should accompany them. Coaches with Multiple Teams If you have more than one team at this tournament, it is important that you bring an adequate number of adults with you to supervise your teams. We will place your team's Expo tables in close proximity to one another. 8. Food Concessions will be available for purchase at the OMSI Cafeteria. You are welcome to bring snacks for your team. Please be considerate and throw away any and all trash that is around your area. 9. Directions OMSI is located on the east bank of the Willamette River, just south of downtown Portland. Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) 1945 SE Water Ave. Portland, OR 97214-3354 Our exact location is at 45 30' 36" north latitude, 122 39' 54" west longitude. 10. Fun Stuff Last, but not least, we re going to have a great time. There will be a JrFLL opening ceremony plus closing ceremony. Your team might want to wear something fun to identify your team members (silly hats, T-Shirts, fun scarves, etc). ORTOP encourages participants to share their experience with other teams. This is a great opportunity to meet new friends, share stories and learn from each other. OMSI ACCESS and MythBusters Exhibit You are also welcome to explore the museum anytime your team is not expected to be in the auditorium. However, we ask that an adult from the team makes sure that the children are back in the auditorium for all scheduled activities including your teams review session. We will not page or come look for any team that is not standing next to their project during their review time or for either ceremonies. Coaches and team members can show their wristband at the OMSI admission desk and purchase an upgrade ticket for $6 per person to see the MythBusters special exhibit. All other areas of OMSI are accessible for free by showing your wristband. If you have additional questions, please contact us via email at jrfll.oregon@gmail.com. Please check your email for Expo updates. See you at the EXPO! Sincerely, Stephanie Bryan Oregon Junior FIRST LEGO League Coordinator ORTOP Jr.FLL Coach Letter Page 4 of 5
ENCLOSURES: FLL Release Form HAVE EACH PARENT SIGN ONE AND BRING IT TO THE TOURNAMENT. TWO OFFICIAL TEAM CHAPERONES MUST ALSO SIGN A RELEASE FORM AS WELL AS THE SENIOR MENTOR FOR THE TEAM IF THEY ARE JOINING THE TEAM. BRING TO THE EXPO FIRST Release Forms signed by a parent or guardian. One per child plus one for each coach. Your Super Seniors model Show Me Board Optional: Extra LEGO parts for any last minute changes to your model. Any such extra parts should fit inside the tub that came with your JFLL base kit with the lid closed. Optional: snacks and drinks AT THE EXPO CHECK-IN PLEASE PROVIDE Team Name and Number. All release forms signed. Please hand in the whole teams release forms together. Do not check in until all release forms are in hand. ORTOP Jr.FLL Coach Letter Page 5 of 5