1. The MidKnight Inventors Team 1923 Parent and Student Meeting October 7th, 2013

2. Who Are We? ● The MidKnight Inventors (Team 1923): A West- Windsor and Plainsboro Based Robotics Team ○ High School North ○ High School South ● Part of the ‘FRC’ League of the FIRST Organization

3. What is FIRST? ● FIRST ○ For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and technology ○ Began as a national organization dedicated to the cause of inspiring young students in the fields of technology by creating: ■ FLL (First Lego League) ■ FTC (First Tech Challenge) ■ FRC (First Robotics Competition) ○ Now an international organization, it is responsible for a worldwide network of teams that compete all over the world

4. What is FRC? ● FRC ○ FIRST Robotics Competition ○ International League that involves High School teams competing against each other ■ Each year (The first Saturday of January), FIRST releases the new competition ‘game’ ■ From then on, each team has six weeks to build a robot that can play the year’s game ■ After the six weeks are over, competition season starts, and teams within a region begin to play each other in what is known as “district events” ■ If a team’s robot performs well enough, it can advance to a “regional event,” and maybe even “World Championships” ■ The MidKnight Inventors are part of FRC

5. The General Breakdown of Our Off-Season ● Off Season (September 4th, 2013 ~ January 4th, 2014) ○ Recruitment Activities: ■ Club Fair ■ Monday Evening Student Meetings ■ Fundraising Events ● Bagel Bar at North ● Flea Market at South ● Craft Fair at South ○ Getting Familiar with FRC ■ Monday Evening Classes/Meetings ● Designed to teach students about the inner workings of our team and the build season ■ Off Season Competitions ● ‘Ramp Riot’ - November 2nd, 2013 ● ‘Brunswick Eruption’ - November 9th, 2013

6. The General Breakdown of Our Season ● ‘ Kickoff’- January 4th, 2014 ○ The day that marks the beginning of the season ○ FIRST Releases the new year’s competition game ○ Brainstorming Ideas for Game Strategy and Design ● Build-Season Begins ○ Team 1923 opens the build site ○ Robot Prototyping and Building begins ○ Six weeks to build a fully functioning robot ● Competition Season Begins ○ Mt. Olive District Event - March 1st - March 2nd ○ Tabernacle (Lenape) District Event - March 22nd -March 23rd

7. What Activities Can Students Get Involved in ● Building ● Programming ● Outreach ● Literature ● Creating and Distributing Media/Art ● Fundraising ● Electrical ● AutoCAD ● Next Meetings have been designed to teach students about these areas -- PLEASE TRY TO MAKE IT TO THESE CLASSES

8. What Activities Can Parents Get Involved In? ● Volunteering to: ○ Give Rides to Meetings and/or Competitions ○ Donate Food and/or Supplies for the students at the Build Site ○ Manage/Supervise Fundraising/Outreach Events ● Fundraising ○ Help find sponsors to support our team financially ○ Donate to our team to support us (If you are interested, please talk to Neil after the meeting) ●Mentorship ○ MENTORS NEEDED TO HELP STUDENTS ○ Mentors contribute to the team by: ■ Giving Ideas for Strategy and Design during the season ■ Helping to Solve Complex Problems Faced by Students ■ Trying to Find MORE Mentors ■ Teach Students How to do Certain Things in These Areas: ● Build and Design ● Electrical Work ● AutoCAD ● Literature and Arts ● Business and Finance

9. How To Commit To Our Team ● Student Team Information Member System - http://goo.gl/J1Xh6K http://goo.gl/J1Xh6K ● Stick With Your Veteran Captain ● Be Assertive! Dont be shy or scared to ask questions or try new things.

10. Why We Ask So Much Out Of The Pocket... ● The $200 fee was designed to fund several things for the student and for the team ○ For the Student ■ Covers a Team Uniform ■ Covers (1) Pair of Safety Glasses for each Student ○ For the Team ■ Registration Fees for District Events average ($5000) ■ Travel Costs will be reduced by this fee ■ Robot Parts, Build tools and materials, ect.