growingSTEMS

The mandatory meeting schedule varies throughout the year. Generally, during the off-season, the meeting schedule looks like below.

During the build and competition season, the scheduled meetings increase dramatically.

Attendance is an important aspect of our organization. It is difficult for students to learn or be inspired when they are not at team meetings. We are fortunate to have dedicated mentors who are willing to donate countless hours to work with our students, so we expect them to put in some hours too.

Students are expected to attend 85% of the mandatory team meetings during the season. This number is based on the number of meetings a student attends divided by the number of meetings that require a student’s attendance. Excused absences are included in the 15% absence rate and will not be counted as a meeting attended. As exceptions to this requirement will only be made on a case-by-case basis, students should make every effort to attend as many meetings as they can. Students who do not attend at least 85% of meetings may not be invited to attend competitions. Students must attend a district event to be invited to the FIRST Championship.

Students are also expected to attend five team events outside of meetings (returning students only). The RoboBees are about more than what happens at meetings and about more than just robots. Throughout the year, the team hosts external events including demonstrations, STEM booths, community service events, team dinners, etc. We believe that this part of the season is just as important as, if not more important than, the actual robot build. Therefore, it is required that students attend at least five of these events each year. Normal meetings, the kick-off event, and competitions do not count toward the five-team events. Students who do not attend at least five team events may not be allowed to attend one district event.

Team members who cannot make a planned team meeting will notify their responsible team mentor/volunteer. For FRC, this can be done by sending a message in #frc_attendance. This should be done prior to the start of the meeting. Sending a message that you will not be able to attend a meeting after that meeting concludes is not particularly helpful.

Students are expected to arrive on time for the meetings and to stay for the entirety of their session. Students are not permitted to leave the facility during a meeting unless approved by a mentor.

In the past, we have had students tell their parents that they were going to robotics but then leave early to engage in other unrelated behavior, such as hanging out with other friends unbeknownst to their parents. This is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Should something happen, this could easily negatively affect the team, the mentors, or the overall organization.

No team member is dismissed from a team meeting until the work is complete and the work area is completely clean. Barring certain emergencies, it is not acceptable to leave your workspace a mess.

Mentors will often stay as late as a student wishes to stay (and is appropriate). However, this is not guaranteed. Sometimes The Hive needs to close immediately after a meeting. Unless it is arranged ahead of time, students should either depart or be picked up from meetings in a timely fashion; Mentors are required to wait until all students have departed the facility before they can depart and we are not a babysitting service.