Reboot Robotics Monthly Newsletter – September 2025 Edition
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A Message From the CEO
September has been a month full of excitement at Reboot Robotics! Our Nuclear Space Potatoes kicked off the new FIRST AGE - DECODE season at Kickapoo High School. We joined other teams to watch the game release videos, check out the new field set-up, and even received a game piece to take home so we could start brainstorming and building right away. The season is shaping up to be especially exciting this year as it involves launching “Artifacts”—basically large wiffle balls—it’s going to be a challenging and exciting season!
We also launched our very first STEM Lab with Straw Rockets! It was an amazingly fun evening, the kids experimented with flight, design, and problem-solving. Seeing their creativity and curiosity in action was such a highlight. Most importantly, the kids had a blast testing their rockets, and it was so rewarding to see their excitement and curiosity.
Behind the scenes, Laura —my mom, our secretary, and second coach—and I have been busy fundraising to maintain our programs and events. We still need to raise approximately $4,000 to carry us through the rest of our fiscal year, which ends in April. Every bit of support makes a difference, whether through donations, participation in fundraisers, or sharing our mission with your community.
We’re thrilled for the season ahead and can’t wait to see what our students create, build, and achieve!
With gratitude,
Nicole Neeld
Founder & CEO, Reboot Robotics
Team Highlights
🟣 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) - Nuclear Space Potatoes
The FTC team is buzzing with excitement as they dig into the DECODE season! They’ve been brainstorming strategies, prototyping ideas, and getting hands-on with early robot designs.
Our 4-session CAD class wrapped up this month, and while it’s been a challenge learning the new program, our lead CAD student has been giving it 100% effort. Plus, a visit from our coding mentor is already providing guidance and valuable insights that will help the students grow their programming skills throughout the season.
The team is energized, motivated, and ready to tackle the DECODE challenges with creativity and determination.
🟢 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) - Space Taters
The Space Taters have jumped right into the season and are making fantastic progress! They’ve built their robot’s drive base and started learning the basics of coding. On top of that, they’re making great strides with their Innovation Project and are already brainstorming strategies for this year’s game missions. It’s been exciting to see their creativity and growing teamwork!
Upcoming Events
🌿 Homeschool Outdoor Fair
Date: Tuesday, October 7
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Location: Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center
2400 S Scenic Ave, Springfield, MO
Details: Reboot Robotics will have a booth indoors at this year’s Homeschool Outdoor Fair! Stop by to drive robots, learn more about what we do, and explore hands-on STEM opportunities. It’s a great chance to connect with us and see robotics in action!
🎉 STEM Lab – Lava Lamps
Date: Monday, October 13
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Cost: $5 per participant
Location: 2801 W Broadway Street, Bolivar, MO
Details: Join us for our next Reboot Robotics STEM Lab! Students will explore the fun of hands-on STEM with our Lava Lamps activity, learning basic principles of density and chemical reactions while creating colorful bubbling reactions. Space is limited, so registration is required. To reserve your spot go to https://www.rebootrobotics.org/event-list. This is a great opportunity for all students to build, test, and learn in a fun, interactive environment!
Spotlight Series
This month, we’re excited to shine the spotlight on Robert Walsh, founder of Excalibur Solutions STEM Academy, who recently led a beginners CAD class for our Nuclear Space Potatoes team.
The session started with the team learning some foundational technical drawing skills in Google Drawings, then progressed to bringing in STEP files for specific robot components and working in OnShape to create CAD models. Using last year’s robot as a reference, the team practiced translating real parts into digital designs. The pace was quick, but each team member walked away having learned something new.
Our main CADer, Ethan, showed particular enthusiasm and made great strides, producing a CAD that already reflected aspects of last year’s robot. While there’s still more to learn to become fully proficient, it was an excellent start and a valuable learning experience for the entire team.
We’re incredibly grateful to Mr. Walsh for sharing his expertise and helping our students gain hands-on skills in design, engineering, and problem-solving.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
We’re incredibly grateful to Polk County Glass for their continued support as a valued Silver Level Sponsor! Their generosity helps our students dig into hands-on STEM experiences and access the tools and resources they need to explore robotics and innovation. We’re proud to have them as part of the Reboot Robotics community and truly appreciate their commitment to inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers and innovators.
Favorite Moments This Month
FTC Kickoff
We were on the edge of our seats as we waited for the official kickoff video to reveal this season’s challenges. The coaches might have been more excited than the students—shh, don’t tell them! We were surprised and thrilled to see a ball launch style game, and the end park is going to be a blast to watch in action. After an amazing kickoff, the team headed out for lunch together and then back to our building to start brainstorming and planning for the season.
STEM Lab Launch
Rockets were flying, laughter was ringing, and yes—Nicole may have been hit once or twice (haha)! Our very first STEM Lab was a huge success. The students were engaged, curious, and excited as they experimented with flight and design using straw rockets. It was a fun, high-energy way to wrap up a long day after spending time with both of our teams—and a fantastic start to our new STEM Lab program.
Support Reboot Robotics
We’re excited about all the learning, building, and fun happening with our robotics teams and programs—but we still need help to keep our programs running strong! We’re currently fundraising to support our mission for the remainder of the fiscal year, with about $4,000 left to raise to stay funded through April.
Every contribution makes a difference, helping us provide hands-on STEM experiences, mentorship, and opportunities for students to explore robotics and innovation.
We are also still raising funds to help provide Cubelets for our students and community! Cubelets are modular robots that make it easy for learners of all ages to explore coding, problem-solving, and hands-on STEM concepts. Every donation helps us bring these innovative tools to our robotics teams and STEM Lab participants.
Go here to donate:
🔗 https://www.facebook.com/donate/688360060918941/122176813010433475/
Thank you for helping us inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators!
Want to help us keep growing?
That’s a Wrap!
September has been a whirlwind of excitement and learning at Reboot Robotics! From the edge-of-our-seats thrill of the FTC Kickoff to the laughter and energy of our very first STEM Lab with Straw Rockets, our students have been exploring, building, and growing every step of the way.
We’re so proud of our students’ creativity, teamwork, and curiosity this month, and as we move into October, we’ll be deep in preparing for our FLL tournament and getting ready for the start of FTC Meets—both kicking off in November. We can't wait to see how far they come!
As always, we’d love to hear from you! Your feedback helps us grow, so feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, or questions.
Until next time, keep building, exploring, and dreaming big with us!
📧 Contact us: info@rebootrobotics.org
