Students in spelling bee

Two students from the Peninsula competed in the state finals of the Premier's Spelling Bee on November 2.

Year 6 student Rhys James from Empire Bay Public School and Year 4 student Liam Newell from Pretty Beach Public School joined 60 other students from around the state at the Sydney event.

The spelling bee was divided into two categories, junior (Years 3-4) and senior (Years 5-6) finalists.

Rhys James achieved a top five position for the state in the senior spelling bee final.

Liam Newell made it into the sixth round out of a total of 10 rounds.

The word he misspelled to be eliminated from the final was "swathe".

Assistant principal Ms Sue Birchall said Pretty Beach Public School was very proud of Liam's achievement.

"It was amazing to see Year 3 and Year 4 children spelling these incredibly difficult words," Ms Birchall said.

Both students received a certificate of congratulations, a silver medallion and a Macquarie Dictionary for making it into the state finals.

The Premier's Spelling Bee began in 2004 for government primary schools in New South Wales.

More than 1900 students from around the state competed in regional finals in September.

Newsletter, 31 Oct 2007 Empire Bay Public School Newsletter, 8 Nov 2007 Pretty Beach Public School