Middle School Robotics

Dear St. Michael’s Rising 6th-8th Grade Families,

In a continued effort to inspire and encourage the innovative spirit of our Middle School Dragons, St. Michael's is happy to announce that it will be fielding Middle School robotics teams to compete in the 2024-2025 VEX IQ robotics competition! All new and returning Middle School students have the opportunity to participate. The School has provided some basic information about the competition and program in this letter. Several options for families have been curated to allow for interested students to participate. These options are listed below with registration details included.

The VEX IQ robotics competition consists of more than 8,500 teams from 45 countries playing in over 900 tournaments. Competitions are held locally, regionally, nationally, and at the world level. The game consists of three core components:

Last year was the School’s first season competing within the VEX robotics platform and it was amazing to watch the Middle School teams compete! The skill, dedication, and competitive edge that students brought to the program were incredible. Participating families and the School were excited to see one of our teams qualify to compete at the State level! Go Dragons!

The School’s shift and investment in the VEX robotics platform provides students with the opportunity to compete in a longer robotics season that extends through February. VEX's extended competition season allows for an immersive experience where students can engage with STEM skill development more deeply.

Students who participate in VEX robotics are offered rich opportunities to develop creativity, coding, design thinking, critical thinking, collaboration, research, presentation, and engineering skills. Students who participate in the school-sponsored VEX robotics program are led by trained, experienced, and expert VEX coaches. Currently, the school partners with local STEM education leader, RoboKai, for coach training and staffing.

The plans for the coming 24-25 VEX IQ robotics season are as follows:

May/Summer Option:  

The VEX IQ challenge will be announced in May. St. Michael’s wants to offer every opportunity for interested students to compete at the highest level and begin working on the challenge as soon as possible. To that end, St. Michael’s and Robokai will offer introductory sessions for interested robotics students from 3-5 p.m. on the following dates: 

May 10, 17, 24, and 31. 
June 14, 21, and 28. 
July 12, 19, 26 

Cost: Families interested in the summer portion of the season will be asked to register in advance. The registration fee for this program will be $250.00.  

Please use THIS LINK to enroll.

As the School plans practices for June and July, there is an understanding that vacations and other obligations may impact practice attendance. If you plan to register but know that there are dates listed above when your student will not be in attendance, please email Natasha Reed (nreed@stmschool.net) with those details. The School wants to make sure that coaches know who will be in attendance for any practice so that they can adequately prepare based on the individuals who will be present. 

Fall/Winter Option:

The VEX robotics program will be offered to Middle School students during the 24-25’ Fall and Winter elective seasons. Registered students will meet on Friday afternoons from 3-5 p.m. and during elective class periods that are scheduled on two separate days within the normal 7-day Middle School class rotation. Students will register for Fall/Winter robotics during Fall elective registration. Registration for robotics indicates that your student is willing to commit to both the Fall and Winter elective seasons. A Google form asking students to choose an elective will be shared with returning St. Michael’s students on May 22. New Middle school students will receive an opportunity to sign up for the 24-25 summer robotics elective in communications that will go out over the summer.  

NOTE: There will be NO COST for participation in Fall/Winter Vex Robotics. (Additional travel fees may apply if teams advance to state and national level competitions.)

Only students who select Robotics as their top choice for Middle School electives will be registered for Fall/Winter robotics. Please talk to your child about the time commitment and duration of the season. The practice schedule includes two elective periods in each rotation and every Friday after school from 3-5 p.m. Students who commit through the elective form will be registered for robotics through February. While this opportunity is available to all Middle School students, the School asks that students and families consider the time commitment before registering. A student’s individual failure to commit to the listed practice schedule will impact the experience for all children involved.

We are looking forward to the upcoming season and can’t wait to watch our Dragons robotics teams soar!  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,

Bob Gregg, Head of School

Natasha Reed, Director of Extended Programs