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IMPORTANT NOTICE
Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Chambers, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Milam, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Williamson
The HoustonPBS Spelling Bee is for students up to 8th grade in all schools: public, private, parochial, home, charter and virtual. (Please note that some schools and school districts limit participation to specific grades. Check with your school or district.)
To be eligible to compete, spellers must attend a school that is officially enrolled with the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
School Enrollment/Registration: August 17 - October 16, 2009
The fee is $99 per school and covers bee registration, bee coordinator's guide, fund raising tools and study materials.
How Does a Student Advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
Stage 1: Local School Bee
Stage 2: Regional or School District Bee
Stage 3: HoustonPBS Bee
Stage 4: Scripps National Spelling Bee
When Does It All Happen?
Fall 2009 - Student preparation - Students will receive word lists from their schools. Other great resources include: Merriam-Webster OnLine; Merriam-Webster's Word Central; and My Spell-It. (My Spell-It is a study resource used for bees beyond the school bee level.)
Fall through January 14 - School Spelling Bees (Check with your school for your date.)
February 1 through February 24, 2010 - Regional and School District Playoff Bees
March 27, 2010 - HoustonPBS Spelling Bee
May 2010 - Scripps National Spelling Bee
Regional and School District Playoffs in February 2010
Each local school sends its spelling bee champion to a Playoff Bee during February.
Your school will be notified of the specific date and location for your Playoff.
Playoffs INSIDE HARRIS COUNTY:
School Districts go to School District Playoffs...
Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Channelview ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Crosby ISD, Deer Park ISD, Galena Park ISD, Goose Creek ISD, Houston ISD Alternate/Charter, Houston ISD Central, Houston ISD East, Houston ISD North, Houston ISD South, Houston ISD West, Humble ISD, Katy ISD, Klein ISD, La Porte ISD, North Forest ISD, Pasadena ISD, Sheldon ISD, Spring ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Tomball ISD
Private Schools go to the Harris County Private Schools Playoff.
Parochial Schools go to the Harris County Parochial Schools Playoff.
Charter and Virtual Schools go to the Harris County Charter Schools Playoff.
Playoffs OUTSIDE HARRIS COUNTY:
ALL schools, regardless of type, compete in a Playoff organized by geographical grouping.
Zone 1 - Brazoria County
Zone 2 - Fort Bend County
Zone 3 - Galveston / Chambers Counties
Zone 4 - Jefferson / Liberty Counties
Zone 5 - Austin / Colorado / Matagorda / Wharton / Waller Counties
Zone 6 - Hardin / Jasper / Orange / Newton / Tyler Counties
Zone 7 - Angelina / Houston / Nacogdoches / Sabine / San Augustine Counties
Zone 8 - Montgomery / Polk / San Jacinto / Trinity / Walker Counties
Zone 9 - Brazos / Grimes / Leon / Madison / Robertson / Washington Counties
Zone 10 - Bastrop / Burleson / Caldwell / Fayette / Hays / Lee / Milam / Travis / Williamson Counties
Eligibility
Maximum Age: Students must not have reached their 15th birthday on or before September 1, 2009.
Maximum Grade: Students must not have passed beyond the eighth grade on or before February 1, 2010.
Minimum Grade: There is no minimum age or grade level requirement for the March 27th HoustonPBS Spelling Bee. Some schools/school districts set a minimum grade level. If your school or school district sets a minimum grade level and you do not meet it, you will have to wait until a future year to participate.
Spellers, their parents, educators, relatives or acquaintances must not have obtained a copy of the 2010 School Pronouncer Guide for use in studying. Once having been disqualified at any level of the 2010 spelling bee program, a speller remains disqualified and may not seek advancement through another spelling bee.
The official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster.
Enrollment Procedures...
for SETHSA Home Schools:
Most homeschools in Harris County are part of SETHSA (South East Texas Home School Association). SETHSA enrolls as a school with Scripps National Spelling Bee and its registration covers your family if you are a current member of SETHSA. You do not need to enroll with Scripps. Contact SETHSA to let them know you are participating, http://www.sethsa.org/
for Non-SETHSA Home Schools:
Enroll with Scripps as an individual homeschool family and pay a $10 fee.
Regional Competitions in February...
If your home school is in Harris County your speller goes to the SETHSA Spelling Bee (even if you are not a SETHSA member). Contact SETHSA for bee details, http://www.sethsa.org/
If your home school is outside of Harris County...
Your speller goes to a regional/county area bee. Bee location will be sent to you via email by January 2010. Note: If your family has more than one speller you must hold a family bee and produce one speller to compete in the regional/county competition.
About the HoustonPBS Spelling Bee
Educational Goals: The Spelling Bee helps students improve spelling, increase vocabularies, and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives. Bee experience also provides valuable experience in developing poise and sportsmanship - a necessary skill for public speaking, performing arts, and athletics.
HoustonPBS is the first Public Broadcaster to serve as a local sponsor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the nation's leading academic event. HoustonPBS was America's first public television station and was one of the founding stations of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1969. The station's mission is to empower, engage and enrich the lives of the people of Southeast Texas.
HoustonPBS is supported primarily by viewer contributions with additional money coming from grants, special events and corporate sponsorships. The Association for Community Broadcasting (ACB) is a non-profit 501(c)3 support organization for KUHT.
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