1. Welcome Back! And Happy New Year! In your writing section… Reflect on 2015. What is something that you are proud of from this past year? What is something you regret? Set some resolutions for 2016. List at least 3 changes/promises you would like to make and explain why.

2. Woodbridge Township Middle School Spelling Bee The first place winner will receive a $200 gift card; 2nd place, a $100 gift card; 3rd place, a $50 gift card. FMS principal and AMS English teacher will judge the final event Round 1: Classroom Competition (today!) In-class spelling bee. The top two students from EACH class will move to round 2. Round 2: Building Competition—completed by February 29th, 2016 Top two students from each Language Arts class, combining all grade levels, will go head to head at IMS. Ten students from each school will advance to Round 3. 2 Alternates, in the 11th and 12th position, will be designated as alternates in case one of the top 10 are unable to compete. Round 3: District Competition—May 19th, 2016 at Woodbridge High School Auditorium 6:00 pm 10 students from each of the five middle schools will compete in the district wide competition.

3. Rules The audience must be silent. For all rounds until there are only 3 contestants left: I read the word. You repeat the word. You may ask for a definition and/or a sentence using the word. Spell the word, then say the word again. Your answer is not final until you say the word again at the end, which means you may correct your own errors as long as you have not repeated the word. If the word is spelled correctly, you sit back down until your next turn. If the word is spelled wrong, I will tell you and spell the word correctly before you sit down. The next contestant gets a new word. When there are only 3 contestants left: Everything proceeds as it has, but the contestant does not leave the stage until the person after him/her correctly spells their word. If all 3 contestants spell their word incorrectly, they remain for the next round, and so it goes until there is only 1 winner left. The same procedure is used with two contestants, until there is only 1 person left, who spelled their word correctly.