Robotics

During the 2024-2025 FIRST season, FIRST® DIVE℠ presented by Qualcomm, teams will use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Along the way, we’ll uncover the potential in each of us to strengthen our community and innovate for a better world with healthy oceans.

Holy Spirit Catholic School participates in challenges created by FIRST Robotics. The program encourages students to grow in their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an environment that encourages cooperation within competitions. Students are expected to demonstrate both cooperation and gracious professionalism within their teams and at events. For more information about FIRST Robotics and the levels offered, check out the FIRST website.

It’s that time of year! We are forming robotics teams for the 2024-2025 school year. Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade are eligible to participate. See below for details and costs at each level. If your student is interested, please fill out the interest form for their level. We will let you know when enough students are interested to form a team AND we have a coach.

Questions? Contact the robotics team lead, Rebecca Dennis-Johnson.

  • FIRST LEGO League Discover is an basic program that introduces our youngest learners to  STEM in a fun, interactive setting.  Teams meet in groups of 4-6 students with one coach for up to 10 sessions. They will spend time building with the STEAM Park Duplo blocks and this season’s Submerged Discover set while recording their ideas in an age appropriate engineering notebook.

  • Registration Fee of $80 covers:

    • Purchase of this season’s materials including a Discover More set of bricks for students to bring home

    • A team t-shirt

  • Please complete this form if you are interested in participating in the 2024-2025 season.

  • At this level, teams meet once a week to explore this year’s challenge – Submerged.  They will use creative thinking, coding, teamwork and the SPIKE Essential Robot to learn about the layers of the ocean.  There are six students on a team with one coach and they meet about once a week until they complete their project.  Teams have the option of attending a Festival to show judges what they did or sending in a virtual presentation for judges to view.

  • Registration Fee of $105 covers:

    • National registration which includes Submerged kit and engineering notebooks.

    • Festival or virtual presentation fee and materials

    • Team t-shirt 

  • Please complete this form if you are interested in participating in the 2024-2025 season.

  • Students at this level are introduced to robotics as a competitive sport.  They code a SPIKE Prime robot to complete challenges and score points on a game board.  They also complete an Innovation Project related to this year’s theme – Submerged – which they present to judges.  One Holy Spirit  team last year won an Innovation Project Award!  Teams generally have 6-10 members and meet once or twice a week.  They attend one tournament  in November, December or January.

  • Registration Fee of $130 covers

    • National registration fee

    • Submerged Challenge Set

    • Tournament Registration Fee

    • Team T-shirt

  • Please complete this form if you are interested in participating in the 2024-2025 season.

  • At this level, students move past LEGOs and build a team robot to compete against other teams in an action-packed game.  Teams can have up to 10 members, depending on the skills of each member.  Teams need students to code, build the robot, drive the robot, work on the engineering notebook/portfolio, do outreach to the community, and work on requirements for a wide variety of awards.  Each team member is expected to fill more than one role, including at least one “nonrobot” role.  The team meets at least once a week and team members are expected to complete some tasks outside of meeting times (coding, driving practice, outreach to the community, helping younger teams, creating/editing videos, etc.) They attend one or two competitions, depending on timing and finances.

    There is limited availability on an established team at this level.  If there is enough interest, we have a robot that can be used to start a second team.

  • Registration Fee $150 covers

    • National registration fee

    • Tournament fee for 1 or 2 tournaments

    • Half of a game board to practice on

    • Additional robot parts

    • Team t-shirt

  • Please complete this form if you are interested in participating in the 2024-2025 season.

FAQs

  • Robotics is offered to students in kindergarten-grade 8.

  • Robotics teams begin meeting weekly in September. Teams meet after school between 3-5:30 p.m. Specific meeting dates and times are determined by parent coaches.

    Robotics teams begin participating in events in November with the opportunity to continue competing at events through February.

  • With the exception of kindergarten students, robotics team members have the opportunity to participate in events beginning in November. Events are determined by grade level.

    Grades 1-3 participate in Festivals.

    Grades 4-5 participate in Tournaments.

    Grades 6-8 participate in Qualifiers.

    Events are held in the Twin Cities/Metro.

  • There is a small fee to participate in Robotics. Registration fees cover supplies, tournament registration, and team t-shirts. Team fees are determined annually.

    2024-2025 Fees

    • Kindergarden $80

    • Grades 1-3 $105

    • Grades 4-5 $130

    • Middle School (6-8) $150