The 2nd ever Abacus Bee regional competition is coming to the NW! The Washington State School for the Blind is hosting again.More information coming soon!
Washington State School for the Blind
Hosts 2023 Abacus Bee on Saturday, November 18th, 2023
For Students Who Are Blind or Low Vision
Students Across the United States Join Together to Celebrate Abacus Skills
2023 APH Abacus Bee - ConnectCenter
Washington State School for the Blind, WSSB, will host its 2nd Regional Abacus Bee on 11/18/23, from 8:30-3:00, in Vancouver, WA. There, blind and low-vision students will test their mathematical skills using the abacus. We are anticipating students to come from all over Washington and Oregon**.**
“We know the importance of math within STEM curriculum, and for children with vision loss, math can be a challenging concept to grasp,” said Leanne Grillot, Senior Director of Outreach Services. “The abacus introduces early math concepts and supports skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Abacus training helps children gain procedural fluency, and work through complex math equations with an accessible, manipulative tool at their fingertips.”
The WSSB Abacus Bee theme is Envision Yourself in STEM. There will be exciting activities for the students and their parents. Along with the abacus competitions, there will be STEM activities including games, coding, and lunch.
The APH Abacus Bee® is sponsored by APH. The Abacus Bee is the only national abacus contest for students who are blind and low vision. Regionals are open to students of all abilities, giving even emerging abacus users a chance to reach a personal best score. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for students who are blind or low vision and attend neighborhood schools (rather than schools for students who are blind and low vision), to make friends and share their hopes and challenges with peers.
And for those top academics, the WSSB Abacus Bee is the first step to the national finals Abacus Bee competition held at the Louisville headquarters of the American Printing House for the Blind! During the finals, students with the highest scores from the United States embark on another daylong competition to test their abacus skills alongside their peers. Immediately following the competition, winners from each abacus group are announced at an awards ceremony unparalleled with excitement, pride, and celebration.
If you work with a student who would like to compete in the Abacus Bee, please complete the interest form, Microsoft Forms by Monday 9/25/23.