ANNUAL WORK PLAN | Plainwell Robotics C

2025 - 2026 Work Plan

February 10, 2025

Revised: April 17, 2025

Planning Period

The Planning Period is from January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.

Management Team

The Management Team for this Planning Period will be:

Marcus Anderson President

Joseph Gentile Co-Treasurer

Matt Bates Co-Treasurer

Kate Bates Elementary School Director

Shannon Ryan Middle School Director

Charles Crouch High School Director

Marcus Anderson Technology Director

Lisa Cook Communications Coordinator

Sarah Orr Event Partner

Shannon Fritz Volunteer Coordinator

Lisa Cook Fundraising Director

Open Engineering Notebook Coach

The Management Team will be responsible for administering all activities of the Plainwell Robotics Club in accordance with the Club’s Bylaws as published on November 4, 2022.

Elementary School VEX IQ Robotics

VEX IQ Robotics Programs will continue in Cooper, Gilkey, and Starr Elementary Schools for interested 4th and 5th grade students. We expect to have 14 returning students from last year – 8 from Cooper, 2 from Starr, and 4 from Gilkey.

In April, we will begin a recruiting campaign (school announcements, handouts to take home, etc.) to identify current 3rd and 4th grade students interested in joining our robotics program. We plan to support as many as four teams per school.

In May, we will hold in-person sessions with these students and their parents to introduce them to VEX IQ Robotics and to explain how the Club operates.

We estimate that at least three new team coaches will be required at each school.

Middle School VEX VRC Robotics

Ten students from last year will be eligible to return, and 10 students are “graduating” from our VEX IQ Program. In April, we will begin a recruiting campaign (school announcements, handouts to take home, etc.) to identify current 6th and 7th grade students interested in joining our robotics program. In May, we will hold in-person sessions with these students and their parents to explain how the Club operates and the requirements for team membership in the fall.

We plan to support as many as eight teams. Two or three new team coaches may be required.

High School VEX VRC Robotics

There are 22 students eligible to return from last year, and 14 students are “graduating” from our Middle School VEX VRC Program. If all eligible students chose to participate, as many as nine teams will be required. As many as three new team coaches may be required.

High school team members will be encouraged to serve as Middle School Team Mentors.

REC Foundation Arial Drones (RAD)

The Club will not participate in the REC Foundation Aerial Drones Program during this Planning Period. This decision may be reversed, however, at the discretion of the Club’s Management Team.

Team Formation

All Elementary, Middle, and High School Robotics Teams will be formed in June. Each team will consist of three or four students. Teams of two will be allowed when necessary and with the concurrence of the appropriate Director.

Coaches

We will conduct training sessions for all veteran, new, and prospective coaches to ensure they are fully aware of the REC Foundation’s Policies and Regulations, the Club’s Bylaws and Coach’s Guide, and the Club’s Codes of Conduct for Coaches, Parents, and Students.

Coaches will work with their team’s students and their parents to establish practice schedules and to select tournament events.

Joseph Gentile will serve as Programming Coach for all teams.

Team Practice Schedule

Each team will decide its practice schedule. Practices are expected to be held at least weekly through the end of the competition season in February 2025. Teams may schedule additional practices at any time at the discretion of the team coach and parents.

The competition season for teams qualifying for the State Championships will be extended to March 2025; and into May for those teams qualifying for the World Championships.

All practice sessions for IQ teams will be held at the middle school in rooms A127 and A125 (typically) from 6 PM to 8 PM on a weekday that is most convenient to everyone. Middle and High School teams will meet in the Robotics Room (room J839) in the High School. Attendance at all team practices held before September will be optional, but students will be required to notify their team coach in advance whenever they are unable to attend. Beginning in September, attendance at all practices is mandatory. Only students absent from school because of illness on the day of the scheduled practice will be excused from attending practice.

Students will receive instructions on planning, designing, building, programming, testing, operating, and documenting robots.

Tournament Participation

Each Club team must compete in at least one qualifying tournament to ensure the Club’s eligibility for the annual Michigan 99h Robotics Competition Grant.

Coaches will be encouraged to schedule one qualifying tournament early in the competition season to experience the event (the first time for some students), and to learn as much as possible about how their robot design compares to others. Typically, one or two additional events will be scheduled between mid-December and early February. Team members’ parents and their coach will decide which specific events they attend.

Team Registration and Tournament Fees

Team registration fees and up to three qualifying tournament registration fees (per team) will be borne by the Club. Participation in a fourth qualifying event may be allowed for some teams, at the discretion of the Club’s Management Team. Additionally, if a team qualifies for the State of Michigan Championship, the registration fee will be borne by the Club.

Registration fees for tournaments held out of the state of Michigan will be paid by the Club only with the prior approval of the Club’s Management Team and the PCS District Board of Education. This includes the VEX Robotics World Championships (see next section).

NOTE: Teams can only be registered for a tournament by the Club Treasurer. There will be no exceptions.

World Championship Participation Requirements

PRC VEX IQ Teams are not eligible to participate in the VEX IQ World Championship.

VRC Middle School teams receiving one of the following awards at the Michigan State Championship: Excellence, Tournament Champion, Tournament Finalist, Design, Robot Skills Champion, or Innovate.

VRC High School teams receiving one of the following awards at the Michigan State Championship: Excellence, Tournament Champion, Tournament Finalist, Design, Robot Skills Champion, or Innovate; or, a High School Team receiving an invitation to the World Championship because of their high Skills score.

All teams qualifying for their respective World Championship will be recognized with:

An appropriate bronze name plate added to the PRC World Championship Qualifier Plaque on permanent display at their school.

Appropriate press releases and postings on the Club’s website.

All teams qualifying for their respective World Championship, but unable to participate for any reason, will be formally recognized with a Club-funded event to be agreed upon by the teams and the PRC Management Team

At least half of a qualifying team’s members must be able to be present at the World Championship event. If not, the team will forfeit their right to participate in the World Championship. No team member substitutions will be allowed.

No more than three teams in any given year shall participate; and no more than four teams in any consecutive two-year period shall participate.

If more than three teams qualify in a single year, or more than four teams qualify in a two-year period, the teams selected for Club-funded participation will be determined in the following order:

HS Excellence Award
MS Excellence Award
HS Tournament Champion
MS Tournament Champion
HS Tournament Finalist
MS Tournament Finalist
HS Design Award
MS Design Award
HS Robot Skills Champion
MS Robot Skills Champion
HS Innovate Award
MS Innovate Award
HS High Skills Score

If a High School team receives a qualifying judged award (Think, or Amaze), but achieved a sufficiently high Skills score that would have earned them an invitation to the World Championship for that high Skills score had they not received the judged award, the Team will be deemed eligible for sponsored participation and will be considered as though they had received the High Skills Score invitation.

A team may decline their invitation to participate in the World Championship for any reason.

Travel arrangements must be handled by a PRC Committee to be determined at the time of need, which shall include, but not be limited to, the PRC Treasurer and the PRC Communications Coordinator. Travel arrangements must be adequate to meet all PCS Guidelines for adult and student safety. If travel arrangements cannot be made to ensure everyone’s safety, for whatever reason, and all options have been exhausted, this will be communicated to the team by the PRC President.

Teams qualifying, but not selected for Club-funded participation, will not be permitted to pay their own way to participate in the World Championship.

In the event a tie-breaker is required to resolve participation eligibility, the team achieving the highest Skills score at their respective State Championship will prevail.

In the event a situation develops that is not covered by these Rules, the PRC Management Team will resolve the matter at their discretion, and their decision will be final.

PRC Tournaments

The Club will hold its Fifth Annual Middle School and High School VRC Tournaments on a date TBD. Each tournament is expected to be a 34-team event.

The Club will hold its Third Annual VEX IQ Tournament on a date TBD. It will be planned as a 34-team event.

Team Judging Training

We will develop and conduct a program to give our Middle and High School teams additional training in responding more effectively during the judging sessions at competitions.

Club Website

We will maintain the Club’s website, plainwellroboticsclub.org, during the Planning Period. We will also work to ensure its value to all members of the Plainwell Robotics Club – students, coaches, and parents.

Respectfully submitted,

Marcus Anderson, President

Lisa Cook, Communications Coordinator

Joseph Gentile, Co-Treasurer

Matt Bates, Co-Treasurer

Plainwell Robotics Club

February 10, 2025

April 17, 2025