PM Anthony Albanese kicks off Spelling Bee: “words are key to opening up opportunity”
PM Anthony Albanese has revealed why learning to spell in this digital world is more important than ever, as he launches his Spelling Bee.
Education
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Playing quiz master was all in a day’s work for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who delighted students in his Inner West Sydney electorate this week to launch the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee.
Keeping a well-thumbed hardcover dictionary close during Wednesday’s schoolyard showdown at Marrickville Public School, Mr Albanese reflected on the enduring importance of spelling skills in the burgeoning AI age.
“In our ever-evolving digital world, words are key to opening up opportunity,” he said. “Improving your confidence with words and vocabulary means being able to better express yourself – inside and outside of the classroom.”
The Prime Minister was joined by some of the school’s top spelling talent, who were primed for the Bee’s national school round, starting Monday, and all the fun of the free digital battle of the ABCs.
“Seeing young Australians so eager to learn makes me proud,” Mr Albanese said. “It’s exciting to see spelling and learning presented in such a positive and supportive way – like it is in the Spelling Bee.”
And it’s not just young whiz kids hoping to post a personal best in the third annual online competition.
“I hope this year’s Bee can beat last year’s record 61,000 participants,” Mr Albanese said. “There’s nothing quite like a friendly competition to help you set goals for yourself and make learning even more enjoyable.”
2GB’s Ben Fordham had earlier drawn a laugh when he reminded Mr Albanese that he was “flogged last year by a 12-year-old” while hosting the 2022 winners at Parliament House, when Joanne Lee (who claimed the Years 3-4 category), Ozi Egesi (Years 5-6) and Zachary Cheng (Years 7-8) threw curve-balls his way.
“He was very friendly,” Joanne said. “It was especially funny when we … (asked) him to spell a word for us.”
Registrations and the school round open Monday, July 24 at spelling-bee.com.au
● The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8.
● Students compete at their school in three levels: Green level for Years 3-4, Orange level for Years 5-6 and Red level for Years 7-8.
● They get 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer. The students with the most correct words in the fastest time progress to finals.
● Teachers can register their students from Monday 24 July, when the school round begins.
● The school round ends on Friday 18 August. State and territory finals will be held August 28 to September 1 and the national finals on September 6-7.
● The national champion in each age group wins a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school.
Details: spelling-bee.com.au
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