MULLUMBIMBY Public School student Aleea Thompson has been named the regional stage three winner in the 2024 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee.<\/p>\n
The Grade 5 student will head to Sydney in November to compete in the finals at the Q Theatre Penrith.<\/p>\n
It is the first time Aleea, 10, has made it to the state level after previously competing in Year 3 and Year 4.<\/p>\n
“I really enjoy participating in the Spelling Bee \u2013 when it’s down to the last three spellers battling for a win, I love how it gets to a really exciting point like a climax to a story,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Other spelling bees I’ve been in were only in Mullumbimby Public School, so it’s much more exciting and entertaining when other schools compete as well.<\/p>\n
“When I was competing at the regional finals I had to spell about 16 or 18 words \u2013 I got all of them right.<\/p>\n
“The hardest ones were the unseen words because I memorised the list words.”<\/p>\n
Aleea said the hardest word she had to spell was ‘turnstile’.<\/p>\n
She is now looking forward to going to Sydney for the finals, after last visiting the city when she was two.<\/p>\n
“I’m really excited for the new experience but I’m nervous as well because there are going to be heaps of other schools there,” she said.<\/p>\n
“My family and I plan to explore Penrith while we are there and maybe go and see some landmarks.”<\/p>\n
The Spelling Bee encourages students to improve their vocabulary and spelling and promotes literacy skills in combination with the English K-6 Syllabus.<\/p>\n
The finals will be contested by 30 students in Grades 3 and 4 (junior) and 30 students in Grades 5 and 6 (senior).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MULLUMBIMBY Public School student Aleea Thompson has been named the regional stage three winner in the 2024 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee. The Grade 5 student will head to Sydney in November to compete in the finals at the Q Theatre Penrith. It is the first time Aleea, 10, has made it to the state level […]<\/p>\n