We will leave for ARML on May 31 and return either once the awards ceremony is completed Saturday June 2 (arriving back in the Bay Area after midnight) or on Sunday June 3 (arriving back in the Bay Area in the evening). Specific transportation details will be finalized once we have an idea of who will be attending. This year's contest conflicts with an SAT test date, so students who had planned to take the June SAT will need to make alternate arrangements. The easiest solution is simply to schedule the SAT for another test date, but students who have no choice but to take the test in June may go to http://www.arml.com/sat_2011.php (or whatever the equivalent page ends up being for 2012) for details on how to reschedule their test around ARML.

The total cost of the trip this year will be $300, which covers registration, round trip transportation from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, housing at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas, two meals on Saturday, snacks on the bus, and a team T-shirt. You will be responsible for your meals on Friday and dinner Saturday night, as well as any additional spending money you wish to bring. Many school districts pay part or all of a student's expenses to attend the ARML meet. Feel free to seek funding from your local district, and please contact us if you would like us to prepare an official letter to assist in securing funding once you are accepted onto this year's team. Please note that if you live in the Sacramento area there may be funding available through UC Davis to help offset the cost of your participation. Contact Jeff Soesbe for more details. Jeff can be reached at 916-213-7068 or sacmathcontests@gmail.com.

For more information about the ARML program, feel free to check out the ARML website at http://www.arml.com. Tryout information is listed below, and information about transportation and practices will be announced in April. If you have any questions, we can be reached at 866-387-6284, or by email at mathleague@mathleague.org. We look forward to your participation on this year's team!

To do list:

• Tryouts - Students who are interested in joining the ARML team this year will have eight testing opportunities throughout the year, from which each student's top two scores will be combined with his or her AMC scores to determine who is on this year's A1 and A2 teams (along with a small number of students who may be selected for these teams based on criteria other than these tests). This year's team selection tests will be integrated with a series of math contests that will culminate in a California championship in April. In addition to the individual tests that will be used to select the ARML teams there will also be a team component to these contests, so please encourage your classmates to show up and participate on your school's team! You can find more information about these contests and register to participate at http://mathleague.org/hsevents.php; any contest listed on this page (regardless of location) is a valid tryout contest, and additional contests are added to the list throughout the school year. Note: You are not required to participate in the tryouts described here; the tryouts are for the purpose of placing students on our top two teams, but we welcome students onto our additional teams even if they have not gone to any tryouts. We will announce the 30 A1 and A2 team members on April 28, and we will determine which of these students are on A1 and which are on A2 based on performance at the practices in April and May.
• Application - Your application for participation will be due by April 16; the application is available at http://mathleague.org/armlapp.php. If your parents are interested in traveling to Las Vegas with the team, please have them fill out an application form as well and we can work out the appropriate details with them.
• Payment and permission slip - Accepted students will be notified by April 20. Students planning to go to ARML this year need to send a notarized permission slip, along with a check for $300 (made out to Math League), to PO Box 111, Sparta WI 54656. The permission slip is available online by clicking this link. If you prefer, you may bring a check and permission slip to the State Math Championship on April 21, or you may pay online by clicking the link to the mathleague.org store; either way, make sure participant's name is attached to the payment. Any student accepted onto the team whose payment is received by April 27 will be guaranteed a spot on the team, after which positions will be filled on a rolling basis until the buses are full or ARML's internal deadline passes, whichever is earlier; note that students whose payments are received after April 27 are not eligible to participate on the A1 or A2 teams. Registration fees are nonrefundable after April 27, but if you end up unable to make it to ARML you may designate another student to take your place at the competition.
• Practices - Attending practices is an important part of the ARML process; and as such you should plan to attend weekly practices held throughout late April and May. Practices will be announced on our website and via email once they are organized. Practices will be held at Stanford and in Sacramento, and we may also organize practices near Berkeley if enough students are interested. Once practice dates and times are announced, you are expected to attend most of the practices. If you miss more than one scheduled practice without authorization, you may be bumped down to a lower team.