Q: Does my child have to be a resident of Williamson County to participate?
A: Yes, your child needs to be a homeschooled student residing in Williamson County and registered with either the Williamson County LEA or a Church-related umbrella school (CRS).
Q: For what grade should I register my child?
A: Register ONLY at the same K-8 grade level that your child is currently enrolled in with the above organization.
Q: I have a Kindergarten student who is not yet registered with either the County LEA or a Church-related umbrella school. Can s/he participate in the homeschool bee?
A: Yes! Please go ahead and register your child on the Registration page of this website and list “Kindergarten” as his/her grade level.
Q: Why can’t I see any attachment containing the study words on the email posting information about the bee?
A: If you receive posts from yahoo groups in digest form, the attachments do not come through the digests. You can either log on to the yahoo group site and download the attachments directly, or you can download them from the resources page of this website.
Q: How do I log on to the Scripps www.spellingbee.com website as a teacher?
A: Even though as a homeschool parent, you are obviously your child’s teacher, you are not a "teacher” holding your own classroom or school bee according to Scripps guidelines. Only the Williamson County Homeschool Bee Coordinator can access the secure areas of the Scripps website. You may peruse the non-secure areas of the Scripps website for ideas and information.
Q: The Scripps www.spellingbee.com website says the deadline to register with them has already passed. How do I register my child for the bee?
A: The Williamson County Homeschool Bee Coordinator registered our group for the bee before the Scripps deadline. You just need to register your child/ren at the link on the Registration page of this website before the homeschool bee registration deadline, which is also listed on the Registration page each year.
Q: The deadline to register for the Williamson County Homeschool Spelling Bee on this website has already passed and now the registration link is missing. How do I register now or can we just show up on the morning of the bee?
A: It takes the organizers a lot of time and effort to alphabetize registered spellers by name, assign speller numbers, print name tags and participation certificates, and have participant name lists ready for the pronouncer and judges. We are sorry the deadline has passed, but your speller will not be able to participate this year. You and your speller may attend as observers and you might want to put a notice on your calendar to check this website next January for bee registration and deadline information.
Q: My child is only participating in the K-3 bee. Why does s/he have to stay for the entire bee? Why is the bee for the younger children held simultaneously with the older kids’ bee?
A: It is excellent practice for the K-3 students to participate with the older students and we believe is the best solution for the majority of children and families. The Williamson County Homeschool Bee Group has had at least four students continue to win at the County and Regional levels and gone on to represent Middle Tennessee in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We have been told by these students that getting to participate with the older students, hearing them ask for definitions, alternate pronunciations, and word etymology has better prepared them to successfully participate in higher level spelling bees.
Q: What time will be the bee finish?
A: There is no set ending time. It all depends on how well the spellers continue to correctly spell the words given by the pronouncer. We would like to be finished by lunch time, but please bring a snack for your speller/s in case they’re hungry during the break. We would like for all spellers to stay until the end of the bee and participate in the awards presentation, group photos and reception following the conclusion of the bee.
Q: The “School Spelling Bee Study List” doesn’t indicate what words to study for which grade levels. How do I know what words will be given during the homeschool spelling bee?
A: Only the judges and pronouncer will have a list of which words will actually be used at the school level bee. The “School Spelling Bee Study List” provided by Scripps begins with words appropriate for a 1st Grade curriculum and continues through 8th grade words and is the word list they suggest your student study for the (home) school bee. You can assist your speller in learning as many of the words on the list as possible and/or supplement with your favorite spelling curriculum.
Q: What is the best way to study for the Spelling Bee?
A: Every child is different. Scripps National Spelling Bee information and links can be found on the Resources page of this website. Once your child has mastered the spelling words on the K-3 and/or 4-8 grade spelling lists, the 1150 “Spell-It” words would be the next to tackle. Links to all these can be found on the Resources page of this website. Two movies typically enjoyed by spelling enthusiasts are "Akeelah and the Bee" and "Spellbound.”