2012 Invitation
5th ANNUAL PARIS SPELLING BEE
Students in CE2-4ème (3rd-8th grade)
| TO: | Heads of English Departments, Teachers, Administrators, Representatives of Parent Associations, Students and Community Leaders |
| RE: | 2012 Paris Spelling Bee Invitation |
| DATE: | 9 November 2011 |
| NOTE: | Please take note of the upcoming deadlines |
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to invite students from your school to participate in the
5th Annual Paris Spelling Bee, which is open to children in CE2 through 4ème (3rd through 8th grade). Participants will be divided into two groups: Gazelles for CE2-CM2 and Cheetahs for 6ème-4ème. Registration for the 2012 Bee (by mail) is now open and closes on Thursday, 19 January 2012. Please note that late registrations will not be accepted. For a copy of the form click here: 2012 PSB Registration Form. Registration is on a first-come, first- served basis.
The Spelling Bee consists of two stages. First, a preliminary written competition will be held on Saturday, 4 February. Finalists from the preliminaries will then compete in the oral finals on Sunday, 25 March. Trophies will be awarded to first and second-place winners in each group. Certificates and medals will be given to all finalists.
Last academic year, 39 finalists from 15 different schools in the Paris region competed in the 4th annual Paris Spelling Bee held at the American University of Paris. (Visit our blog, ParisFranceSpellingBee.wordpress.com, for highlights of the 2011 Bee.)
The Bee is a community-wide enrichment event organized by Gifted in France, in collaboration with The American Library in Paris, and hosted by the American University of Paris. The Paris Spelling Bee is modeled after those held by schools and other organizations at the local, state and national level in the United States.
Benefits of spelling bees:
“Spelling bees help to promote literacy by providing children with a positive goal to work toward, and give them a forum to display the fruits of their hard work. But they also do much more: In addition to improving spelling, the bees also aid children in learning concepts, improving comprehension and developing study skills. The benefits of spelling bees extend beyond language: Since children are required to spell words while on stage, kids also develop self-confidence, communication and public speaking skills, and the ability to thrive under pressure.” (CanSpell/Canada).
The preliminary and final events:
The preliminary event on Saturday, 4 February for all registered participants will be a written spelling test, while the final event on Sunday, 25 March will be in oral format where children will be asked to spell out loud before an audience. There will be a mock competition/practice session on Sunday, 11 March for all the finalists. This mock session will give contestants a chance to make new friends, practice oral spelling under conditions similar to the real Bee and to review the contest rules of the 2012 Bee.
Kindly circulate this information to the heads of your English department, your English teachers, parent representatives and students of your school. We encourage anyone who is interested in registering or following the events to regularly check our blog, ParisFranceSpellingBee.wordpress.com, for updates on registration, contest rules of the 2012 Bee and other relevant notices.
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Please read carefully the following information |
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| Wednesday 9 November 2011 |
Registration is now open for the 2012 Paris Spelling Bee. To receive your form, please email parisfrancespellingbee@gmail.com or download/ print it by clicking here: 2012 PSB Registration Form |
| Thursday 19 January 2012 |
Registration Deadline: Completed and signed registration form with payment must be postmarked on or before Thursday, 19 January. Please make checks payable to “Gifted in France.” |
| Saturday 4 February 2012 |
Preliminary Written Round: For those who have registered on or before Thursday, 19 January 2012.This event will be held in Paris. Location, in 75005, will be given at a later date. Tentative time: 09h00-12h00. On this day, children will be grouped according to their grades (CE2-CM2 and 6ème-4ème) and then given a dictation of 25 words from a study list (available on our blog 1 December) and some challenge words (not on the list). A select number of finalists from each division will advance to the oral finals on Sunday, 25 March. |
| Sunday 11 March 2012 |
Mock competition/practice session: Finalists from the 4 February preliminaries will be invited to participate in this event to learn useful tips about oral spelling bees, learn about contest rules and have a chance to meet fellow participants. Tentative time: 10h00-13h00. |
| Sunday 25 March 2012 |
2012 Paris Spelling Bee Oral Finals: This competition is for the finalists and will be held at the American University of Paris. The event is open to contestants and their guests. Times, for each division, will be provided at a later date. |
| Participation Fee: | There will be a 12€ registration fee for the first child and 8€ for each additional child in the same family. If the child qualifies for the finals, the same fees will apply.These fees help cover the cost of venues, trophies, certificates, medals, printed material, security and clean-up. Payment will not be refunded. |
| Eligibility: | This event is open to English-speaking children currently in CE2-CM2 and 6ème-4ème. Previous first place winners cannot participate in the same division. Participants in the younger group may request to compete with the older group; however, it will be up to the organizers to review and approve this request. |
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Community Events |
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| Saturday 14 January 2012 |
There are two activities planned for those interested in learning more about the Bee:Introduction to Spelling Bees, 15h00-16h00, for children ages 7-14, at the American Library in Paris (ALP). Must RSVP with the ALP. (See the Bee blog for info)
Family Spelling Bee Movie and Pizza Night, 18h30-21h00, at the ALP. Admission free. Families are invited for a special screening of the movie Akeelah and the Bee. CLICK HERE FOR THE Mandatory RSVP. Space is limited to 80 people. |
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Please visit parisfrancespellingbee.wordpress.com for announcements, eligibility, registration forms and upcoming activities. |
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Suggested material:
How to Spell Like a Champ, a book that includes a 75-minute interactive audio CD following a child from a classroom bee to the finals.
Spellbound: an award-winning documentary, which follows eight American spellers from their regional bees through to the conclusion of the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Akeelah and the Bee: motion picture about a young girl from South Los Angeles who tries to make it to the National Spelling Bee. Other useful links your students and teachers might enjoy are: Welcome to the Spelling Bee Hive! — The Times Spelling Bee/UK – Canwest Canspell/Canada (teachers) – Canwest Canspell/Canada (students) – Denver Public Schools Semantics/US – and some word games at Merriam-Webster online – Funbrain.com’s spellcheck – Quia’s most commonly misspelled words and Spelling Bee Hive. (These links can all be found on the Paris Spelling Bee blog.)
Organizers:
Gifted in France is a 1901 association for English-speaking families. We organize educational meetings for parents, teachers and other professionals on the social, educational and emotional needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children (gifted children with learning issues). We also organize activities for children, such as science and creative writing workshops as well as the annual Paris Spelling Bee.
The Paris Spelling Bee is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit event. We encourage parents and teachers who are interested in helping the Bee Committee to contact us as soon as possible. We are also looking for donors or sponsors who wish to contribute prizes or help defray other costs of the Bee.
We are grateful to The American Library in Paris for their continued support and collaboration and to The American University of Paris for hosting the 2012 Paris Spelling Bee.
We look forward to hearing from you, your students and your children.
Best regards,
Helen Sahin Connelly
Coordinator, Paris Spelling Bee
Email: parisfrancespellingbee@gmail.com
Blog: Parisfrancespellingbee.wordpress.com
