Miami-Dade/Monroe County – March 8, 2016

JungleIsland

1111 Parrot Jungle Trail

Miami, FL33132

To: School Spelling Bee Coordinators

We are excited about this year's bee, and are encouraged by your school's participation!

Here are several important points to keep in mind as your school prepares for this year’s activities:

  • In an effort to provide all students the same opportunity to represent their county at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., we have decide to host ONE bee to include both elementary and middle school students (Grades 1-8). We will closely mimic the protocol followed at the SNSB to determineONEoverall winner.
  • You will notice in the materials provided to you by Scripps, that there are grade-specific words. We highly suggest that your student, regardless of grade level, study and become familiar with ALL the words in order to be well prepared for the Bee.
  • The deadline to register your school champion is Friday, February 12, 2016. Please note that this is a strict deadline, which you must adhere to if you want your students’ name to be included in the program book. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
  • The bee will include a small vocabulary component, which will be tested in the written portion of the bee. The vocabulary words will be taken from Merriam-Webster’s Spell It.
  • All words on our word lists are entries in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002 (MW3). In the past there have been questions raised regarding the pronunciation of the words given to spellers. The rules of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (SNSB) are specific on this: Only the pronunciations, etymologies, definitions, and spellings listed in MW3 may be provided to the speller. Since there is a possibility that a student may have learned a word from a local dialect (or studied from another dictionary) and therefore learned a different pronunciation or spelling, we strongly encourage all students to research and learn the pronunciations, definitions, etymologies, and spellings that are listed in MW3.
  • All school spelling coordinators should review the SNSB guidelines available at . This site contains valuable information on bee protocol and eligibility. (In particular, be aware that all words at the bee will be pronounced in accordance with the diacritical markings provided in MW3.)
  • Although these items and the bee protocol will be reviewed at a general assembly just prior to the event, we feel that the best course of action is to ensure that all students understand that the only pronunciations, definitions, etymologies, and spellings that will be used are from MW3.
  • In order to be fair to our hardworking students, please provide this information to them as soon as possible.
  • Please make sure your school champion(s) either receive a copy of or have access to the 2016 Spell It!This is an indispensable resource for preparing for the bee. We also encourage all students of all grade levels to study the Spell Itthroughout the school year; it provides valuable guidance regarding languages of origin, etymology, and spelling rules. Since there may not be enough time between your school bee and the Miami Herald Spelling Bee to effectively learn all the information contained in the Spell It, it’s always best to start early! Go to or. As always, it’s very important that students understand that many, but not all of the words used in the bee will be from the Spell It. The only definitive, final and complete wordlist is the MW3!
  • If your school’s participants have any impairments or special needs that require special accommodation, we must be advised of the precise nature of the impairment/needs, and the accommodations that the student requires. We must be informed of this by February 19in order to have time to make the necessary arrangements.
  • Please check miamiherald.com/spelling-bee and our Facebook page constantly for important updates about the Bee.

Please Note! The only portion of the Bee that uses words solely from the Spell It will be the vocabulary section of the written test. The oral spelldown portion of the bee may or may not use words from Merriam-Webster’s Spell It.

Remember! Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, copyright 2002 is theonly comprehensive word list.

We look forward to a great Bee this year, are excited about having your school participate!

Please contact Adele Lorenzo at 305-376-2729 or for any additional questions/concerns.