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2023 FAQs
When and where will the Spelling Bee take place? The Spelling Bee will be held in the McAuliffe Elementary Commons on Thursday, October 26, 2023 beginning at 6:00pm for Grades 1, 2 and 3. Grades 4 and 5 will compete on Thursday, November 2nd at 6:00pm. The winner from each grade (including grades 1/2/3) will compete on Thursday, November 2nd to determine the school champion. If needed a third day of Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, November 9th at 6:00pm. Volunteers are needed to help with this event and do NOT have to be approved by LWSD (middle and high school students looking for community service hours are welcome). Please sign up to help here. What does my child need to do in order to participate? All participating students should use the Scripps National Spelling Bee's "Word Club" app to prepare for the Spelling Bee. A 450 word selection list will also be posted on the PTSA bulletin board in the McAuliffe school lobby. Will there be any practice rounds conducted in the classrooms during the school day? No. Our teachers will not be conducting practice rounds during the school day. Students must prepare for the event at home. In which format will the Spelling Bee be conducted? The Bee will be spelling only with the “say, spell, say” format. No vocabulary questions will be asked at the school level. Will there be words asked that are not on the Elementary Grade Level list? Yes, in the final rounds of each evening, and the championship round, there will be words asked that are not on the 450 words included on the elementary level list. How will participants be recognized? All participants will receive a certificate of recognition. Prizes will be awarded for each grade champion and the school champion. Are volunteers are needed for the event to take place? Yes! We will need 4 parent volunteers each evening to run the spelling bee: this includes 3 judges and 1 pronouncer who will do the majority of the speaking. More volunteers are encouraged to sign up to direct and check students in at the start of the night at 5:30pm. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here. **Volunteers do NOT need to be approved by LWSD and can be middle or high school students looking for community service hours.** When is the regional competition? The McAuliffe Spelling Bee Champion will compete in a virtual qualifying round on March 17, 2024 and will go on to compete at the regional competition in Seattle on March 31, 2024. |