🤖 New Tech ThunderBots Team 7657

Robotics Family Newsletter | October 25–31, 2026

Hello, ThunderBots Families!

We had a fantastic weekend at BoilerBots Battle! Our students had the opportunity to try different roles, gain hands-on experience, collaborate with other teams, and learn new skills. It was a great weekend of learning, teamwork, and fun!

Now, we are shifting our focus to off-season projects, sponsorship campaigns, grant writing, and community outreach as we continue building a strong foundation for the 2026–2027 season. There are plenty of opportunities for students to stay involved, develop their skills, and help our team grow!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement. We appreciate everything our families do to help our students learn, grow, and succeed. Together, we are building more than robots—we are building leaders!

⭐ Important Reminders

Please review the following expectations and requirements with your student.

• Student Supervision: Students may not remain on campus between the end of the school day, other clubs or activities, and robotics. Students must be picked up after school and return at the scheduled start of robotics practice.

• Robotics Code of Conduct: All students and parents/guardians must review and sign the Robotics Code of Conduct. Please submit any outstanding forms as soon as possible.

• FIRST Registration: Every student and mentor must complete registration for the 2026–2027 season through their FIRST Dashboard, including returning members.

• Robotics Dues: Season dues are $350 per student and are due by January 1, 2027.

• Holiday Market: Our annual New Tech Robotics Holiday Market is coming up on December 12! Please review the information below and help us make this important fundraiser a success.

Introducing Our 2026–2027 Team Leadership!

Congratulations to our newly selected ThunderBots student leaders! 

 Meet Your ThunderBots Leadership Team

• CEO: Eean Sarikie

• CTO: Colin Perry

• Programming Lead: Xavier Schrage

• Build Lead: Gavin Mitchell

• CAD Lead: Ethan Claycomb

• Graphic Design Lead: Kate Memmer

• Business & Outreach Lead: Brett Crawford

• Organizational Lead: Harrison Yoder

• Team Spirit Lead: Alexis Ogg

• Pit Competition Lead: Ady Lewis

Congratulations, ThunderBots leaders! Let's make 2026–2027 an amazing year! ____________________________________________________________________________📅 This Week at a Glance

Monday, October 26

No scheduled activities.

Tuesday, October 27

🤖 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Student Mentors

Location: Elementary school FLL sites

We are looking for additional ThunderBots students to help mentor younger students participating in FIRST LEGO League! This is a wonderful opportunity for team members to build leadership skills, share their robotics knowledge, and inspire the next generation of STEM learners.

Student Information:

• Students will leave immediately after school.

• Meet at Mr. Gibson’s office.

• Mr. Gibson will transport students to the FLL locations by minibus.

Sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4BA4AE2FABFF2-65245921-flllocations

We encourage students to get involved and share their passion for robotics with younger learners. You never know who you might inspire!

Wednesday, October 28

No scheduled activities.

Thursday, October 29

No robotics practice this week!

Enjoy the evening, catch up on homework, and take some time to recharge. We will be back to our regular activities next week.

Friday, October 30

No scheduled activities.

Saturday, October 31

🤖 Pathfinder Robotics Club — Carver Community Center

Time: 9:00–11:00 a.m. (possibly until noon)

Location: Carver Community Center
504 SE 8th Street
Evansville, IN 47713

The Pathfinder Robotics Club is looking for our help over the next few weekends as its upper-elementary and middle-school students build and program robots. This is a great opportunity for our ThunderBots to share their experience, help younger students work through challenges, and support robotics in our community.

Students who are available are encouraged to volunteer! Your knowledge and encouragement can make a real difference as these young builders develop their skills.

Upcoming volunteer dates:

• October 31

• November 7

• November 14

Volunteer sign-up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4BA4AE2FABFF2-67074095-carver

Thank you for helping us grow robotics opportunities throughout our community!

📣 Upcoming Event Spotlight: New Tech Robotics Holiday Market

Saturday, December 12, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Location: New Tech Institute
3013 N. 1st Avenue, Evansville, IN

Our annual New Tech Robotics Holiday Market is one of the team's largest fundraisers of the season! This event brings together local vendors, families, shoppers, and our community while helping support the ThunderBots robotics program.

We need everyone's help to make this event a success!

🛍️ Register a Vendor Booth

Know a local business owner, crafter, artist, or vendor who would love to participate? Please spread the word! Help us fill the building with unique gifts, handmade items, holiday decorations, and more.

Vendor registration:
https://market.ntirobotics.com

📢 Spread the Word

Help us reach more shoppers and vendors!

• Follow the New Tech ThunderBots Facebook page.

• Share our Holiday Market posts.

• Invite friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.

• Encourage local businesses and crafters to register.

Every share helps us reach another potential shopper or vendor!

🙌 Volunteer at the Event

Each family will be asked to sign up for a concession volunteer shift. We need everyone's help to keep the event running smoothly and provide a great experience for our guests.

Concession volunteer sign-up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4BA4AE2FABFF2-60735328-concession

🍪 Donate Concession Items

We will also need donations to help stock our concessions. Please consider signing up to contribute items that will help us serve our guests throughout the day.

Concession donation sign-up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4BA4AE2FABFF2-60735884-concession

Please mark your calendars, sign up to help, and share the event with your friends and community. Every volunteer hour, donation, vendor registration, and shared post helps support our students and their robotics experiences!

📢 Upcoming Events & Fundraisers

🍽️ November 3 — Azzip Giveback

Location: Azzip Pizza, 1st Avenue

Enjoy a meal while supporting the ThunderBots! Invite friends and family to participate in this team giveback event.

🤖 November 21 — FLL District Tournament at USI

Location: University of Southern Indiana

This will be an all-day event, and we will need volunteers to help throughout the day. Please plan to sign up for a portion of the event so we can support the competition and help make it a success.

More details and volunteer information will be shared as they become available.

🏒 November 22 — Thunderbolts Ticket Giveback

Puck drop: 3:00 p.m.

Bring the family and enjoy a day of hockey while supporting our team! Family Day will feature $3 hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, and inflatables.

It's a fun way to spend time together while helping raise funds for ThunderBots!

🎄 December 12 — New Tech Robotics Holiday Market

Time: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location: New Tech Institute

Vendor registration is open, and family volunteer shifts and concession donations will be needed. Please help us spread the word and make this fundraiser a success!

🍽️ December 17 — Hacienda Giveback

Location: Hacienda, 1st Avenue

Enjoy dinner with family and friends while supporting the ThunderBots. Every participating family helps us strengthen our fundraising efforts!

Please save these dates and support our team whenever possible. Fundraisers help provide students with valuable robotics experiences, competition opportunities, equipment, and hands-on learning.

⚠️ Required Forms & Registration

📄 Robotics Code of Conduct

Copies of the Robotics Code of Conduct are available from Mrs. Welde in the school office.

Action required:

1. Check Slack to see whether your student still needs to submit a signed form.

2. Ensure both the student and parent/guardian review and sign the Code of Conduct.

3. Return any outstanding paperwork as soon as possible.

Students who have not completed this requirement will not be permitted to participate in BoilerBots if they are signed up for the event.

Please take a moment to verify your student's status so that all required paperwork is complete. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, respectful, and positive team environment.

🏁 FIRST Dashboard Registration

Every student and mentor must complete FIRST registration for the 2026–2027 season, including returning team members.

Registration is required to participate in FIRST Robotics Competition activities. If you have not completed this year's registration, please do so as soon as possible.

Registration Instructions

1. Visit the FIRST Inspires website.

2. Log in using the email address associated with your FIRST account.

3. Reset your password if necessary.

4. Navigate to My Roles.

5. Select Team Member.

6. Choose Apply for a Team.

7. Enter team number 7657 and follow the remaining prompts.

If you are unsure which email address is associated with your FIRST account, please contact Mrs. Sarikie.

Registration links:

• Students: Complete Student Registration.

• Mentors: Complete Mentor Registration.

If you have trouble navigating the FIRST website or completing registration, please email Mrs. Sarikie. We are happy to help!

💰 Robotics Dues — $350 Per Student

Payment deadline: January 1, 2027

Season dues for the 2026–2027 robotics year are $350 per student.

These dues help support the costs associated with providing students with meaningful robotics experiences throughout the season.

Payment Options

Cash: Place cash in an envelope clearly labeled with your student's name.

Check: Make checks payable to New Tech Institute and write “Robotics Dues” in the memo line.

Financial Assistance & Sponsorships

We want every student to have the opportunity to participate in robotics. If your family needs financial assistance with dues, please contact Mr. Gibson to discuss available options.

If a business or organization is sponsoring your student's dues, please notify Mrs. Sarikie and identify the sponsoring company so the payment can be properly documented.

Thank you for helping us keep robotics accessible to our students!

📱 Stay Connected!

Join our Facebook page to see team pictures, event recaps, announcements, and highlights of our students' hard work.

Facebook Page: New Tech Thunderbots Robotics FRC 7657

Please share our posts and help spread the word about our team, outreach activities, and upcoming fundraisers. Community support plays an important role in helping our program continue to grow!

🙌 Thank You, ThunderBots Families!

Thank you for being such an important part of New Tech ThunderBots Team 7657. Your support, encouragement, volunteer hours, and involvement make a tremendous difference in our students' experiences.

Robotics is about so much more than building a robot. It is about developing leaders, solving problems, learning from challenges, working together, and discovering what is possible through innovation and teamwork.

As we move into the off-season, we have exciting opportunities ahead—from mentoring younger students and developing new projects to securing sponsorships and preparing for future competitions. Every student, parent, mentor, and supporter plays an important role in our success.

We are excited for the 2026–2027 season and look forward to another year of learning, teamwork, innovation, and growth!

Thank you for being part of our ThunderBots family. Together, we are stronger!

❓ Questions? Contact Mrs. Sarikie

📧 Email: ntithunderbots.lead.mentor@gmail.com
💬 Slack: Send Mrs. Sarikie a direct message
📞 Phone: 812-568-9095

🤖⚡ Go ThunderBots!

Check out the video for the 2024 season here.