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Which robotics competitions do the Garden City schools participate in?

Our mission is to support STEAM and Robotics in all forms in Garden City with the goal of fielding a FIRST Robotics Competition Team at Garden City High School when the students and school are ready.

Can you tell me more about the VEX teams at GCHS?

The Garden City Robotics Club is coached by GCHS physics teacher, Mr. Vincent Pane, and Dr. Ed Lancevich.  Club members break into smaller teams to compete in VEX EDR  competitions. Club runs all year. Student in 9th-12th grade interested in robotics are encouraged to join. For more information about Vex: https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexedr/competition/

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Can you tell me more about the FIRST Lego league (FLL) robotics teams at GCMS?

Middle School Robotics Club are coached by science teachers Ms. Brittany Kupferman, and Ms. Amanda Piersa. Two teams of 7th and 8th graders (maximum of 10 students per team) compete in tournaments on Long Island, sponsored by SBPLI (School-Business Partnership of LI, Inc). Club runs Fall into early Spring. For more information about FLL: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll

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Why isn’t there a 6th grade team at GCMS?

The school treats robotics the same way as school sports, which are only available to 7th and 8th graders. 6th graders are welcome to sit in but cannot participate on school teams. Due to the lack of 6th grade teams, a few parents in the community decided to form their own robotics teams for their children. Starting in Fall 2017, the Garden City Public Library will be leading a FIRST Lego robotics team. Please email Laura Giunta (laurag@gardencitypl.org) for more information.

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Are there any robotics teams for elementary school children?

Currently there are no school sponsored teams. However, a few parents have formed their own FIRST Lego league teams to participate in competitions.
 

I want to start a robotics team for my child. Where do I start?

If your child is not part of a school robotics team but has strong interest in robotics, you may want to form and coach your own FLL team. Find another parent who can commit 2-3 hours per week (time commitment can grow as team nears competition) to coaching the team with you, then recruit up to 10 children, grades 4-8, to join your team. Private teams find 6 to be the more workable number.  Sign up your team on these two websites:

 

Parents of middle school kids also have the option to form a home-based team using VEX IQ. Smaller teams of 3-4 maximum students are recommended for VEX IQ, unless the team wants to invest in and compete with more than one robot. You can find more information here:

  • VEX IQ

         (https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/competition/vex-iq-challenge-overview)

 

Is there an existing parent-led team in Garden City that my child can join?

GCFS does not have the ability to organize or form robotics teams. However we can try to get you in touch with existing parent-led teams that may be open to more members. Most teams meet at home, public location, local church, etc. Please fill out our contact form at http://www.gcfstem.org/contact

 

How much does it cost to start my own team? Can your organization help me?

Startup cost for a FLL team, as estimated by FIRST Inspires for 2016-2017, is approximately $900.  This includes team registration, a robot kit of parts and a Challenge Set. Coach training, practice tournaments, qualifiers and championship tournament (sponsored by SBPLI) cost an additional $200. Please see FIRST Inspires and SBPLI websites for more information, as costs may vary each year. Families share the expense and apply for grants or fundraise for the team.

 

Startup cost for VEX IQ is similar to FLL.

 

Parent-led teams may be able to borrow robot kit ($500 value) from GCFS, if available.

Robotics FAQ

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