Science Olympiad News: Registration is open; coaches, join us Nov. 29

Nov. 21, 2022

This newsletter contains news and information of interest to Montana Science Olympiad coaches - current, past and future. For questions, please contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

Team registration is now open!

Registration is now open for the 2023 season, with the state tournament to be held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at MSU-Bozeman. Please register your team as soon as you know you will be competing. Payment is not due until February 2023, and when you register your team, you will be asked whether you would like us to send you an invoice (which we can do now) or pay by a credit card (payment platform will open in December).

Team fees remain the same is in years past with separate prices for small teams of less than 10 members. Schools that bring two teams receive a discount on their second team (the junior varsity team). You MUST first register a varsity team in order to register a JV team.

All teams that attend the state tournament are also invited to STEM Night at the Museum of the Rockies (see below)

Division B (middle school) team registration

Division C (high school) team registration

Presentation for Montana coaches is Tuesday, Nov. 29

Join us online on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 4pm for a discussion on the upcoming season.

New and returning coaches can join us online on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2022. We will break into groups of new and returning coaches and share information about the upcoming season. Come with your questions and just hang out! Please pre-register here. We will send a WebEx link prior to the session.

We will also be hosting monthly office hours starting in December -- watch for an announcement of dates and times. And of course you can email us your questions anytime -- mtscioly@montana.edu

Download the rule books and look for event clarifications

The rule book is your friend! Download the rules manuals for the 2022-23 season from the National Science Olympiad website. Encourage your students to study every aspect of the rules - especially what safety equipment is required and what they are allowed to bring with them into the contest.

Never use a previous year's rule book, even if the event has the same title. There may be subtle and not-so-subtle changes in rules and themes from year to year.

The rules clarifications page is also your friend! As questions arise, clarifications to the rules are posted here on the national website.

Would your school like to host a Montana invitational tournament? We'll help you!

Across the country, many campuses and schools host invitational tournaments to give teams a chance to perfect their devices and get a feel for the difficulty level of tests and labs. If you would like to expand the season of Science Olympiad in Montana, please consider hosting a tournament at your school. You can start small, and our state office will help you get going! Check out some other invitationals and then contact us at mtscioly@montana.edu if you would like to discuss how you can host a tournament for other Montana teams.

Museum of the Rockies will host STEM Night Tuesday, March 7

We are excited to announce that once again, all teams who attend the Montana state tournament are invited to attend STEM Night at Museum of the Rockies on the evening before the tournament: Tuesday, March 8, 2023 from 5:30 to 8:30pm. This event is FREE and features hands-on activities and demonstrations, plus the opportunity to see all the great exhibits at MOR! Registration will open in January 2023, but be sure to include this in your travel plans!

Start your team fund-raising now

Double Good popcorn is the official fundraising partner of Science Olympiad. It's the fastest and easiest way to raise funds for essential Science Olympiad expenses like supplies, resources, T-shirts and travel. No door-to-door sales, no deliveries, Who knows....your team might even be going to the national tournament in Wichita, Kansas this year! Learn more.

Do you know an aspiring Science Olympiad coach or STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can follow along for next year! Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/mtso-news