2015 PARIS SPELLING BEE PRELIMINARY WRITTEN ROUND
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”
Results of the Preliminary Written Round – Paris Spelling Bee
26 January 2015
Seventy-two spellers in grades CM1-6ème (4th-6th grade) packed a gymnasium at the Ecole Sainte Catherine in the 5th arrondissement early last Saturday morning to participate in the 7th annual Paris Spelling Bee’s Preliminary Written Round.
- Contestants from over 35 schools (including 20 public schools) in Paris and the surrounding area registered for the Preliminary Written Round. Of the 80 registered contestants, 72 made it to the event.
- The Preliminary Written Round consisted of 25 words drawn from a study list provided in advance to participants plus 10 words not from the study guide.
- 21 finalists were selected based on the total number of words that they spelled correctly out of 35.
We would like to congratulate all the students who registered, studied and participated in the Preliminary Written Round. Each speller received a certificate of participation to acknowledge his/her hard work in preparing for and completing the written round.
Below are the spellers who qualified for the Oral Final Round of the 2015 Paris Spelling Bee. Finalists needed a score of 32/35 to qualify. The Oral Final Round will be held on Sunday, 15 March 2015 (09h00-12h30 approx) at the American Library in Paris.
IMPORTANT: Finalists will have until Thursday, 29 January at 19h00 to confirm by email to parisfrancespellingbee@gmail.com their participation in the Oral Final Round of the 2015 Paris Spelling Bee. They must also pay their registration fees, as indicated on the registration form.
The deadline for paying the registration fee is Saturday, 31 January. (Make check payable to Gifted in France, 39 ave de Versailles, 75016; same registration fees apply as for the Preliminary event: 10 euros per child, 7 euros per each additional child in the same family.)
A new study list for the Oral Finals will be sent by email to all finalists by 13 February.
A mock (practice) session will be held for all the finalists on Sunday, 8 February (09h30-11h30 approx.) at the American Library in Paris. At the mock session, finalists will learn useful tips on oral spelling bees, review contest rules and have a chance to meet fellow participants.
As the spellers prepare for the finals, we would encourage them not only to memorize the words, but also to learn their meanings and their origins.
We are grateful to the sponsors of the Paris Spelling Bee! Thank you to the American Library in Paris for generously providing use of the library for the mock and final rounds of the spelling bee, for offering staff support during all phases of the bee and for furnishing supplies. Thank you also to Starbucks for supplying hot drinks and pastries to all the contestants and their parents at the Preliminary Written Round and to Bilingual Connection, for donating the trophies for the spelling bee winners.
A big thank you to the Spelling Bee Team and volunteers for making the Preliminary Round possible: Ashley Miller, Kim Siew Ngoh, Pauline Wong-Lemasson, Karen Simpson, Jenny Bateman-Irish, Naida Kendrick Culshaw, Shannon Connelly, Jude Smith Matisse, Jan Smith and Amy O’Hara in the US. Special thanks to Laetitia Nail and Loretta Fox for managing the registration desk once again on the day of the event. Thanks also to Celeste Rhoads, Minette Juric, Chiew Terrière, Josh O’Donovan and Padma Prat.
Heartfelt thanks also to Mme Florence Dollé, Directrice of the Ecole Sainte Catherine, and her assistant Mme Deletang, for their support of the Bee and the use of the venue.
Last, but not least, thank you to all the parents who brought their children to the Preliminary Round on a cold and early Saturday morning, and patiently waited until the end.
The Paris Spelling Bee is an annual community enrichment event organised by Gifted in France in collaboration with The American Library in Paris.
Sincerely,
Helen Sahin Connelly
Coordinator, Paris Spelling Bee
parisfrancespellingbee@gmail.com
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PARIS FRANCE SPELLING BEE 
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