Cherry Crest PTSA Robotics Club (FLL)

Inspiring young engineers at Cherry Crest for more than a decade

🧩ABOUT

The Cherry Crest PTSA Robotics Club has been a proud part of our school community for over 10 years, introducing students to hands‑on engineering, teamwork, and creative problem‑solving through the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) program. Last year, our Cherry Crest team achieved an exciting milestone — advancing to the Washington State FLL Challenge Semi‑Finals, a testament to the dedication of our students and the incredible support of our parent volunteers.

The club is 100% volunteer‑run, and we are grateful to the many families who make this program possible year after year.

🧩Spring 2026 Robotics Club Session (Grades 2–5)

We are now opening registration for our Spring Session, designed for Grades 2–5 students (students who will be 9 years old by December 2026 to meet the FLL Challenge age requirement) who are curious about robotics, coding, teamwork, and creative challenges.

During this spring session students will:

• Meet peers with similar interests
• Learn the basics of LEGO robotics and programming
• Practice teamwork and collaboration
• Experience FLL-style robotics challenges
• Prepare to form official FLL Challenge teams for the 2026–2027 FLL Season

Whether your child is brand new to robotics or already enjoys building and coding, this session is a great place to start.

🧩 What is FIRST LEGO League?

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a global robotics program that introduces students to STEM through hands-on challenges. Each year, teams explore a real-world theme and build a LEGO robot to complete missions on an official challenge field.

The current season theme is UNEARTHED™, where students explore how artifacts and discoveries connect us to the past and inspire the future.

Helpful links for new families:

What is FIRST LEGO League?
https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/fll

Current Season Overview (UNEARTHED™)
https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/fll/game-and-season

FLL Challenge (ages 9–14)
https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/challenge

FLL Explore (ages 6–10)
https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/explore

FIRST Youth Protection Program
https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/youth-protection-policy

📝 Registration Details

Who Can Join: Cherry Crest students in Grades 2–5

Days: Tuesdays

Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Registration: Link

Registration deadline: March 15th, 2026

Spring Session Includes:

• Weekly after-school meetings
• Hands-on building and coding
• Team-based challenges
• Introduction to FLL judging, teamwork, and robot missions
• Preparation for forming 2026–2027 FLL teams

Requirements

PTSA Membership: Required for insurance and program eligibility.

Registration Fee: Covers materials, robot parts, and supplies.

New member: $125
Returning member: $50

Parent Volunteer Commitment: Each family commits to volunteering for at least half of the sessions during the season. Volunteer roles may include supervision, session set-up, or team support.

Sign-Up Form Link

IMPORTANT!

– 2025-26 school year PTSA membership required for participation to enroll in program. Please follow link to enroll: https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/join/
– All participating students will go home at 2:30pm dismissal time, or Boys and Girls Club. Students are not allowed to wait at school.
– Registration Deadline: 3pm 1 week before first day of program. No late registration accepted and no waitlist.
– Organizer reserves the right to cancel program if below minimum enrollment numbers.
– In case of severe weather condition, organizer is responsible for monitoring BSD website, https://www.bsd405.org/ for closures/cancellation announcements of afterschool activities and is responsible for contacting parents directly.
– In case of cancellation due to inclement weather, session will be conducted online or canceled.
– Cherry Crest reserves the right to cancel program if there is issue with broken/missing items in classroom.
– No food, candies, snacks allowed in classroom.
– We recommend parents copy and paste the program date/time on your cellphone, set reminder to remind your and to print a copy in student’s backpack for reference.
– Parents are responsible for contacting program organizer directly 24 hours prior if not able to attend a session.
– By participating, parents agree to arrive by 4:20pm and wait outside to pick up student on time.

🤝Why Parent Volunteers Are Essential

FIRST LEGO League is a team-based program, and each team can only form if there are enough parent coaches and helpers.

Parent volunteers support students with:

• Meeting facilitation
• Robot building and coding guidance
• Project research
• Tournament preparation
• Encouragement and teamwork coaching

Many of our most successful teams — including last year’s state semi-finalists — were led by parents who started with zero robotics experience.

🚀Looking Ahead: 2026–2027 FLL Season

Students who participate in the spring session will be well prepared to form official teams for the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Challenge season, which typically begins registration in late summer and runs through the fall.

FIRST releases a new theme and challenge each year. Teams work together to build and program a robot, develop a research project, and compete in local qualifying tournaments with the opportunity to advance to state-level events.