Archived E-mail Update to Coaches

5/23/2008     5/16/2008     5/9/2008     5/2/2008

5/23/2008

Greetings from The George Washington University, host site for the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament on May 30-31.  You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as the head coach or assistant coach for a team that will be attending the 2008 National Tournament, and we look forward to welcoming you and your team to GW and Washington, DC in about a week (or less).  Unless there is a specific need, this will be the last e-mail update you will receive from us before the Tournament.  These updates will be archived on the Tournament website for your future reference.  Please see below for the update for today, Friday, May 23, 2008:

ONSITE TEAM REGISTRATION

Onsite registration will take place on Thursday, May 29 from 9am-6pm and Friday, May 30 from 9am-1pm in the Grand Ballroom of the Marvin Center (800 21st Street, NW on the Foggy Bottom Campus) and on Friday, May 30 from 1pm to 6pm in Room 101 of the Marvin Center.  If needed, late registration will be available on Saturday, May 31 from 6am to 4pm in Room 101 of the Marvin Center.  Only one coach per team will be allowed in the registration area, so please plan accordingly to ensure that the rest of your team is otherwise occupied during this time.  At onsite registration you will receive Tournament materials on behalf of your team, to include programs, nametags, ceremony and meal tickets (if ordered), and Tournament merchandise .  At onsite registration you will also need to submit a completed and signed Publicity Release Form for each member of your team, to include coaches and primary and alternate competitors. A reminder that this form requires the signature of a parent or legal guardian for those who are under 18 years of age.

INTERNET ACCESS

Internet access for Tournament participants is expected to be available in selected locations on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses.  Please review and print the instructions prior to arriving at the Tournament so they are readily accessible when seeking internet access on campus.

OPENING AND AWARDS CEREMONY WEBCAST

Families and friends not joining us in-person for the Tournament are invited to visit the Tournament website at 6pm on Friday, May 30 to view a live webcast of the Opening Ceremony and at 7:30pm on Saturday, May 31to view a live webcast of the Awards Ceremony.  Be sure to share this information with families and friends before leaving for Washington, DC!

COACHES MEETING

The Coaches Meeting is a question-and-answer session regarding specific events; an event supervisor will be present from each event.  Unless a specific issue has already been addressed on the National Tournament FAQ website or the National Science Olympiad Event Clarifications and FAQs, no questions will be addressed until the Coaches Meeting.  The Coaches Meeting will take place on Friday, May 30 at 8pm, or immediately following the Opening Ceremony; at onsite registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30, each team will be provided with one ticket for the Coaches Meeting so that one coach per team can attend the meeting.

ROSS HALL ACCESS BADGES

During onsite team registration, each Division B team will be issued 3 Ross Hall access badges to be used for 2 competitors and 1 coach for the Disease Detectives event.  Each Division C team will be issued 6 Ross Hall access badges to be used for 4 competitors and 2 coaches for the Disease Detectives and Health Science events.  These badges will be needed for entry to Ross Hall, in addition to Tournament nametags.  Please note that no other coaches, competitors, or other visitors will be permitted entry into Ross Hall.

DIVISION B COACHES – PENTATHLON

In the event of severe inclement weather (thunderstorms), the Pentathlon Trial Event, which is scheduled to be held outdoors on the Mount Vernon Campus Athletic Field, will be cancelled.

 BUS DROP-OFF

The streets of the Foggy Bottom Campus are fairly narrow and traffic conditions may make it difficult to stop a bus for any prolonged period of time.  As such, while there are no designated bus drop-off locations, it is best to do so away from the center of any tournament activity (instead, you may wish to consider a location proximate to your team's homeroom location on Saturday, May 31).  Please see the website for more information, to include update car and van parking instructions for the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses as well as the schedule for The Vern Express, the free shuttle service connecting the campuses.  Remember, THERE IS NO BUS PARKING AVAILABLE ON THE FOGGY BOTTOM AND MOUNT VERNON CAMPUSES.

 AWARDS CEREMONY PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

If your team is announced as the first place Division B or C overall team during the Awards Ceremony, please plan to remain on stage after the ceremony for an official photograph.  Out of consideration for and the safety of our guests, all photographs must be taken from your seat during the Opening and Awards Ceremonies.  Please do not approach the stage for this purpose.

ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION CHANGES

Any additional changes to your team’s registration, including competitor names, alternate competitor names, or Opening and Awards Ceremonies ticket requests must now be made during onsite registration.  Please note that any additional requests for ceremony tickets will definitely be for the Overflow Viewing Sites, as the Charles E. Smith Center is expected to be at capacity for both ceremonies. As a reminder, all ceremony (and meal) tickets that have been pre-ordered will be provided during onsite registration; at that time you will learn of the distribution of your team’s tickets between the Charles E. Smith Center and the Overflow Viewing Sites.

UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

The following information will be provided to every coach and competitor on the back of each Tournament nametag, but please make sure it is readily available to all members of your team in advance and is also provided to those not joining us in-person for the Tournament:

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, contact GW University Police at all times

Foggy Bottom Campus: (202) 994-6111; Woodhull House (2033 G Street NW)

Mount Vernon Campus: (202) 242-6111; Gatehouse (inside the W Street entrance to the campus)

FOR GW UNIVERSITY STATUS INFORMATION, call (202) 994-5050

FOR TOURNAMENT INFORMATION, call (202) 242-1960 or visit the Tournament Information Center in the Marvin Center, Great Hall (1st Floor)

  ADDITIONAL TEAM EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

During onsite registration you will be asked to provide the name and phone number of an emergency contact that is not traveling with your team, such as the school principal, as well as to verify cell phone contact information for your team’s head coach and assistant coach.  Please be prepared to provide this information when it is requested.

WEBSITE UPDATES

We encourage you to visit the Tournament website regularly over the next week to check for any last-minute updates; new information is highlighted on the “What’s New” section of the homepage.  This information is likely to include additional Information Sessions, Exhibits, and Tours that will be available during the Tournament.

While much of the information that you will need to plan your team’s visit can be found on the Tournament website, should there be any questions that cannot be answered there, please contact us by phone at (202) 242-1960 or by e-mail.  To ensure the fastest and most complete response to your questions, you are strongly encouraged to send them by e-mail.  Teams contacting us by e-mail should include the name of the school and the team number.

Sincerely,

2008 Science Olympiad Tournaments Core Planning Committee

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5/16/2008

Greetings from The George Washington University, host site for the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament on May 30-31. You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as the head coach or assistant coach for a team that will be attending the 2008 National Tournament, and we look forward to welcoming you and your team to GW and Washington, DC in just a few weeks. Going forward, you will continue to receive regular e-mail updates from us, so we encourage you to add nso2008@gwu.edu to your address book to ensure that you receive these updates directly. These updates will be archived on the National Tournament website for your future reference. Please see below for the update for today, Friday, May 16, 2008:

A CHANCE TO VOLUNTEER AT THE TOURNAMENT

Many teams will be bringing large contingents to Washington D.C.; therefore, we would like to invite you to encourage others traveling with your team to become involved in the Tournament. A great way for those not otherwise participating in the Tournament to be included is by registering to be a competitive event volunteer. Experienced supervisors will run the events, but specific event volunteers are needed on Friday and Saturday, May 30 – 31 to help as timekeepers, proctors and scorers. In order to make sure that all of our events are unbiased, we will ask that anyone from your team’s group that would like to volunteer with us clearly state in the registration form which team and division they represent. This way we can make sure to place them in events in the other division. If you have interested people from your party, please direct them to http://scienceolympiad.gwu.edu/pages/volunteer for more information and to register.

COACHES MEETING

The Coaches Meeting is a question and answer session regarding specific events; an event supervisor will be present from each event. Unless a specific issue has already been addressed on the National Tournament FAQ website or the National Science Olympiad Rules Discussion Forum, no questions will be addressed until the Coaches Meeting. The Coaches Meeting will take place on Friday, May 30 at 8pm, or immediately following the Opening Ceremony; at onsite Tournament registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30, each team will be provided with one ticket for the Coaches Meeting so that one coach per team can attend the meeting.

PARADE OF STATES – OPENING CEREMONY

Guidelines for the Parade of States during the Opening Ceremony on Friday, May 30 are posted. Please pay close attention to these guidelines, especially regarding the maximum banner width, number of participants per team , and ticketing procedures for the Parade of States.

HOMEROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Homeroom assignments are now posted; no changes will be made to these assignments. Team homerooms, all of which will be located in classrooms in the Foggy Bottom Campus, will be available on Saturday, May 31 from 7am to 7:30pm only. While there are no specific homerooms provided on the Mount Vernon Campus, teams participating in the Trial Events being held there can utilize common areas available in the Eckles Library, G-Dub Java Lounge, The Pub, and The Quad.

REGULAR AND TRIAL EVENT LOCATIONS

Locations for the regular and trial events are now posted on the website. Please note that regular events will be held on GW's Foggy Bottom Campus while trial events will be held on GW's Mount Vernon Campus. Printer friendly maps showing the buildings being used for National Tournament events on both campuses are now posted as well. The schedule for The Vern Express, the free shuttle service connecting the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses, is now posted.

DINING AND RETAIL VENUES

A list of dining and retail venues proximate to the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses is now posted. Those venues that sell helium for the Balloon Launch Glider event are noted, along with pricing.

SHIPPING INFORMATION

Information regarding is now posted; please refer to the website for specific guidelines regarding addressing, receipt, pick-up, and outgoing shipping.

DIVISION B AND C COACHES - JUNKYARD CHALLENGE IMPOUND REQUIREMENT

Impound is now listed as being required for Division B and C: Junkyard Challenge. Impound will occur at the event location. Any representative of the team is welcome to impound the team's device.

DIVISION B COACHES – BIO-PROCESS LAB LOCATION CHANGE

The location of Division B: Bio-Process Lab has been changed to Monroe Hall 111.

WEBSITE UPDATES

We encourage you to visit the National Tournament website regularly over the next few weeks, as new and updated information will be posted almost daily; as you may have already noticed, new information is highlighted on the “What’s New” section of the main page. Updates scheduled to be posted within the next week include more specific parking and transportation instructions.

While much of the information that you will need to plan your team’s visit can be found on the National Tournament website, should there be any questions that cannot be answered there, please contact us by phone at (202) 242-1960 or by e-mail. To ensure the fastest and most complete response to your questions, you are strongly encouraged to send them by e-mail. Teams contacting us by e-mail should include the name of the school and the team number.

Sincerely,

2008 Science Olympiad Tournaments Core Planning Committee

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5/9/2008

Greetings from The George Washington University, host site for the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament on May 30-31. You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as the head coach or assistant coach for a team that will be attending the 2008 National Tournament, and we look forward to welcoming you and your team to GW and Washington, DC in just a few weeks. Going forward you will continue to receive regular e-mail updates from us, so we encourage you to add nso2008@gwu.edu to your address book to ensure that you receive these updates directly. These updates will also be archived on the National Tournament website for your future reference. Please see below for the update for today, Friday, May 9:

PAYMENT FOR MEALS AND MERCHANDISE
All payments for Tournament meals and merchandise purchased through the online registration process are due by today, Friday, May 9. If you have not sent your payment, please do so as soon as possible following the instructions posted online and send a notification by e-mail that your payment is en route (be sure to include your school name and team number in the e-mail). Tournament meals and merchandise purchased through the online registration process are non-refundable.

DIVISION B COACHES – PENTATHLON SCHEDULE CHANGE
Due to the overwhelming response by teams participating in trial events, the schedule for Division B: Pentathlon (Trial Event) has been changed. It will now run from 8:00am - 3:15pm as a walk-in event. There will be no other schedule changes.

MEDIA TOOL KIT FOR TEAMS
The website now includes a Media Tool Kit for teams to use in announcing their participation in the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament at The George Washington University to local media.

PUBLICITY RELEASE FORM
During onsite team registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30, teams will be required to submit a completed Publicity Release Form for each member of the team, to primary and alternate competitors and coaches. Please note that this form requires the signature of a parent or legal guardian for those who are under 18 years of age.

TEAM VISITS WITH CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Teams are encouraged to take full advantage of the trip to Washington, DC by requesting visits with the Members of Congress who represent their home districts. In order to formally request a visit, it is necessary for teams to contact the Washington, DC offices of the Senators and or Representatives for their home districts. Instructions for requesting visits are posted on the website. Once visits are scheduled, please e-mail us with the details (date, time, and location of visit) so that it is known when teams will be visiting Capitol Hill.

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING
If you requested on-campus housing in the residence halls through the online team registration process, you should have received a Summer Housing Agreement via FedEx from GW Housing Programs. If you have not yet received this, please contact GW Housing programs at (202) 994-6883 or e-mail them directly.

WEBSITE UPDATES
We encourage you to visit the National Tournament website regularly over the next few weeks, as new and updated information will be posted almost daily; as you may have already noticed, new information is highlighted in the "What's New" section of the main page. Updates scheduled to be posted within the next week include: locations for all regular and trial events, including buildings and room numbers; team homeroom assignments; schedule for The Vern Express, the free shuttle service connecting GW's Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses; expanded parking and travel information; and listings of merchants on or near GW's Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses that will be open during the National Tournament.

While much of the information that you will need to plan your team's visit can be found on the National Tournament website, should there be any questions that cannot be answered there, please contact us by phone at 202-242-1960 or by e-mail. To ensure the fastest and most complete response to your questions, you are strongly encouraged to send them by e-mail. Teams contacting us by e-mail should include the name of the school and the team number.

Sincerely,

2008 Science Olympiad Tournaments Core Planning Committee

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5/2/2008

Greetings from The George Washington University, host site for the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament on May 30-31. You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as the head coach or assistant coach for a team that will be attending the 2008 National Tournament, and we look forward to welcoming you and your team to GW and Washington, DC in just a few weeks. Going forward you will continue to receive regular e-mail updates from us, so we encourage you to add nso2008@gwu.edu to your address book to ensure that you receive these updates directly. These updates will also be archived on the National Tournament website for your future reference. Please see below for today’s update:

ONLINE TEAM REGISTRATION PROCESS
A reminder that the online team registration process must be completed, including any modifications, by Monday, May 5 at 11:59pm EDT. If after completing the online team registration process you wish to make changes to any portion that is still eligible to be modified please do so by following the link that was included in the initial registration confirmation e-mail. After Monday, May 5, no additional changes can be made to the online team registration and any Tournament meals and merchandise purchased will be non-refundable. However, any changes to primary or alternate competitor names, as well as requests for Opening and Awards Ceremony tickets, can still be made by e-mail.

All eligible teams have now been sent e-mail invitations, via the head coach’s e-mail address, to complete our online team registration process, which enables the request of on-campus housing in the residence halls and the advance purchase of Tournament meals and merchandise, among other functions. If you are a head coach and have yet to receive this e-mail invitation, please e-mail us immediately with your school’s name and team number.

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING
If you requested on-campus housing in the residence halls through the online team registration process, this information has been shared with GW Housing Programs and is being process. Please note that the information you submitted through your online team registration is a REQUEST ONLY and is not confirmed until you receive a Summer Housing Agreement from GW Housing Programs. Should there be any questions about the status of the request, the head coach (only) may contact GW Housing Programs at 202-994-6883 or by e-mail.

WEBSITE UPDATES
We encourage you to visit the National Tournament website regularly over the next few weeks, as new and updated information will be posted almost daily; as you may have already noticed, new information is highlighted in the “What's New” section of the main page. Updates scheduled to be posted within the next week include: Parade of States, Opening Ceremony, and Awards Ceremony information and instructions; expanded Parking and Transportation information, including discounted parking rates and the schedule for The Vern Express, the free shuttle service connecting GW’s Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses; listings of merchants on or near GW’s Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses that will be open during the National Tournament; and instructions for contacting your Congressional representatives to schedule a visit and/or tour while in Washington, DC.

While much of the information that you will need to plan your team’s visit can be found on the National Tournament website, should there be any questions that cannot be answered there, please contact us by phone at 202-242-1960 or by e-mail. To ensure the fastest and most complete response to your questions, you are strongly encouraged to send them by e-mail. Teams contacting us by e-mail should include the name of the school and the team number.

Sincerely,

2008 Science Olympiad Tournaments Core Planning Committee

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