Seasonal Calendar
Anacortes FLL Explore teams generally form and meet in one or the other half of the school year. Teams usually meet once per week, following 12 pre-planned/guided sessions provided by FIRST, but these can/should be adjusted as necessary to fit team member ages/concentration abilities. Sessions can be customized, added, or dropped by the coaches to cover the journey at a pace that the students enjoy or to work around outside interruptions.
Fall teams
Fall teams form and begin meeting in September soon after school starts and team members are available. ARBC holds an Exposition in early/mid-December for Fall teams. Teams may need to skip a session, double up on sessions, or plan an extra session or two depending on the day of the week they pick to meet, how late they start, and how many “no school” days impact meeting schedules in order to be ready for the Exposition.
Spring teams
Spring teams form and begin meeting by early February. ARBC holds an Exposition in mid/late May for Spring teams. There is slightly more slack in the Spring than the Fall, but impacts to the schedule still occur. Teams may need to skip a session, double up on sessions, or plan an extra session or two depending on the day of the week they pick to meet, how late they start, and how many “no school” days impact meeting schedules in order to be ready for the Exposition.
Other possible team schedules
The FLL Explore program has the flexibility to have teams meet on schedules other than the Fall and Spring terms shown above. However, a key part of the FLL Explore team experience is the capstone FLL Explore Exposition where teams gather together to share what they have learned with each other and the public. Teams that choose to meet on a schedule that does not end near one of the pre-planned Anacortes FLL Explore Expositions should identify alternatives so that the students do not miss out on this experience. Contact the ARBC FLL Program Director to discuss possible options.