Moshi Campus News – 8 Aug 15

Boarders are asked to arrive in school before 6pm tomorrow, Sunday, 9th August. New boarders are advised to arrive earlier in the afternoon to allow time to settle in. There will be a tea in the dining hall at 4pm on Sunday for parents of boarders to introduce our new families to the school and to some members of staff.
Boarders arriving by air who will need transport from Kilimanjaro Airport (KIA). Please contact today the Head of Boarding, Rosemary Bango, on with flight details to make arrangements.
All boarders will need a parental consent (PC) form completed. If you have not yet done this for your child, please download the appropriate form and return it to Rosemary Bango or to your child’s boarding parent. Forms can be downloaded from:

• PC Form (Primary)
• PC Form (M1-M4)
• PC Form (M5-D2)

We are greatly looking forward to our Secondary students arriving on Monday at 07.30 am for school. Our first day of school will be a start-up day which orientates our new students and gives the returning students a chance to settle and be reminded of our standards and practices. They will receive their time-tables via email to their school email address but will also have a copy in the student planner which will be issued to each student.In the morning MYP tutors will spend time with the students and they will attend some ‘back to school’ sessions of their choice regarding a range of topics such as ‘how to study for a maths test’, ‘reading techniques in French’, investigation skills’ or for new students a designated ‘New Students Orientation’. D1 will have a special orientation on Monday and Tuesday. D2 will go straight into classes after our welcome assembly and break-time.
The secondary CAS and Sports programme starts in the second week. Our Secondary students will be signing up for their choices via a Google form which they receive via email. Please discuss your child’s choices with them so that they have a good balance. All students are required to do one sport and one creative activity per quarter. In M4-M5 students are additionally required to do one service activity in the year. Diploma students must take one sports, one creative and one service activity each quarter.
A reminder that we have a ‘smart for school’ dress code. All our students should dress respectably and ready to learn. Our tutors will be discussing this with them; however we do appreciate parents encouraging students to think about what they wear for school. Guidelines are in the Secondary Student’s Handbook which is on the website and has been sent to all students via email. It is also available to view at www.uwcea.org/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/SecHBook.pdf.

We look forward to all our primary students returning to class this Monday 10 August and welcome any new students joining us. Classes will start at 07.30 am in the child’s classroom where they will be welcomed by their teachers.
A reminder that all our primary ISM students should be wearing our ISM T-shirt for school. This comes in an array of colours, mix and match as you please, however they should be wearing one every day. On PE days they are required to wear the House T-shirt, your class teacher will inform you and your child of what that house is if you are not sure. PE classes will start on Thursday 13 August. Swimming will not start until August 31st for P4-6 and later for the lower classes. Students are welcome to wear their own T-shirts for the first week until all have bought ISM T-shirts (which are available for sale from our Reception area).

We welcome our new teachers to the campus this school year: David Hagen joins us from the USA and is teaching English and Individuals & Societies.










Linda Kileo will be teaching Swahili from primary level to D2 classes this year.







Doreen Ogello comes from the UK and will be teaching Chemistry, Environmental Systems & Societies, and Life Skills.












Catherine Wambua is joining us as the P4 class teacher.







We also welcome Happyness Lyimo and Deus Michael who will be teaching Swahili to the M1-M3 classes.
Other new faces on campus are Alexandria Weston (student teacher supporting P5), Julian Tiffay and Kevin Donnelly (Volunteers).

You can learn more about our new teachers at www.uwcea.org/newt.
Details of which teachers will be teaching which classes in 2015/16 are given at www.uwcea.org/about-us/moshi-teachers.

Monday August 10th – First Day of School for MYP Students
On the first day of school, our MYP students will have an introductory day. 7:30am-9:30am – Students will be with their Tutor groups. 9:30am-10:15am – Assembly 10:35am-12:15pm – Getting in the Groove Workshops. Please see attached document myp_in-the-groove.pdf for workshop descriptions. Students have received information regarding the workshops and will be receiving an email on their ISM accounts to sign up for 2 workshops. 12:15-12:30pm – Check in with Tutor groups. 12:35-1:20pm – Lunch time 1:20-2:20pm – CAS workshop

The Creative, Activity, and Service (CAS in DP and Community & Service in MYP) is an integral part of the curriculum at ISM and is a highly enriching and engaging program. The program is strictly student-centered and relationship oriented. Students initiate, plan, and drive the activities and are active participants in learning through service. As we plan for another exciting and rewarding CAS program this year, I encourage you to have a look at the following activity offerings. Days are still being arranged, but the listing provides a general overview of our impressive variety of over 40 Creative and Service activities for the first term. Please share the list below with your MYP / DP student and discuss what may sound interesting.
On Thursday, August 13th at 1:20 p.m. there will be a CAS Fair in Karibu Hall. During this fair, secondary students will have the opportunity to meet the supervisors for the activities and to learn more about each activity. Sign-ups will be done through the school email on Friday, August 14th and CAS activities will begin on Monday, August 17th at 3 pm.
Days and times of activities are not yet confirmed, but the available activities will be: Swimming for Teachers, CAS Patrol, Prop Making, Drama Tech Crew, Teaching English with ancillary staff, Little Shop of Horrors, Community Art Club, Animal Rescue, MAD Tutors, KCMC HIV Teen Support group, Elephants, Computers with Sokoine, WATU School Debate, EAMUN, Student Council, Zumba, Mwereni Orphanage, French club, Drawing Club, Teaching Swimming with daycare children, Yearbook, Community Garden, Art for Health, Origami, Guitar Club, Feminism Club, WATU Netball, Comic Design, Kidichini Football, Karanga Basketball, Woodwork, Chess Club, Mechanical Engineering Club, Motivational Speeches, Journalism, EC Fun Club, Maths Help, Bahath Center. Intrigued? Learn more at Thursday’s CAS Fair. I. Chavez (CAS Coordinator)

Primary Clubs start Monday 17 August
A Google form will come out early this week in an email regarding the options for our co-curricular primary clubs programme. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to run clubs for the students for the next ten weeks. We have a good range of activities. Primary Day students may take up to three clubs Mon-Thurs and these run from 14.00-15.00. Please ensure your child is picked up from the playground promptly at 15.00. If they stay at school for lunch, they will need a lunch ticket for the dining-room (available from reception at TSh 5500/-) or they can eat at the playground under supervision. Totty Aris – Deputy Head of Campus

ISM SPORTS: HOME OF THE LEOPARDS!
We are looking forward to another successful year in sports here at ISM Moshi Campus. The schedule of sports on offer will be ready at the beginning of next week, and students will begin online sign-ups through Google Docs, beginning on Tuesday. All sports practices will begin the week of Monday August 17th.

• All students must sign up for at least 1 sports club/team per semester.
• Students must attend their sport every practice, otherwise a detention will be given. If students are unable to attend due to illness, they must themselves find the coach before practice begins, and let them know. If students are unable to practice due to injury, they should still attend. They can participate in other ways such as refereeing, or helping out.
• Most sports run from 4:30-6:00pm from Monday to Thursday. Some sports train at other or additional times. Students must come on time. Three lates to practice will also equal a detention. If students are participating in a CAS that runs late, he/she may need to make a different sporting commitment.
• Students should come for sports dressed in appropriate sports clothing that is needed for that sport. For example, Football – shin guards, cleats. Basketball – shoes with good ankle support.
• Students who are selected to represent the ISM team in games, competitions and tournaments must be prepared to be committed for the entire season; both in time and with financial commitments. Students will only be selected for teams if they attend practice regularly, are at the appropriate skill level, and are in the appropriate age group.

Dear ISM Parents & Swimmers, Welcome back to another year as an ISM Student-Athlete! As we embark on another year of preparation, competition, and travel, it it important to start the year with a clear explanation of the new format, for we have certainly moved into a new era of swimming at ISM.
In an effort to bring the ISM Moshi Campus Swim Team in line with all age-group high school swim teams, I have been working closely with Arusha coach Sebastian Maeder at Arusha Campus to offer a comprehensive swimming program that encompasses the whole year for swimmers at both campuses. I have 35 years of competitive swimming experience, 20 years of swim coaching experience, and in 2005, was a member of a Canadian National Team as a coach at an international competition.
Any student who wishes to be a part of the Varsity Squad will be required to attend all practises during our try-out period – a period of one month where Coach Sullivan will evaluate your swimming ability, commitment, and level of interest. This will include one competition at Arusha campus, on Sunday 30 Aug 2015. Swimmers who are chosen to be part of the team will be invited to attend all practices and competitions. Those who are not ready for that commitment will be invited to participate in Intermediate practices twice a week, and attend local competitions. The Learn to Swim group practises once a week and focuses on the basic fundamentals of each stroke.
Movement between the Learn to Swim and Intermediate can occur at anytime. Movement into the Varsity Squad can only occur after a one-month try-out, which can reasonably only be scheduled at specific times in the year. Thus, I highly recommend all those who wish to make the commitment to swimming do so at the start of the year. All Varsity Squad swimmers will be inducted into the squad at the Annual Induction Ceremony in September.
Practice times for Varsity Squad try-outs are as follows: 05:45-7am – Mon/ Wed/ Fri (Monday is strength training and will not be in the pool); 16:30-18:00 – Wednesday; 16:30-18:00 – Thursday; 11:00-13:00 Saturday.
I recognise that these practice times will require a significant sacrifice from parents for your child. Swimming is a morning sport at all levels, but it is a commitment that both the parent and swimmer must be willing to make. I encourage you to discuss this with your swimmer carefully to ensure you make a decision that is best for you.
All Varsity Squad swimmers will be given a detailed handbook with much more information to help further explain the season, including a schedule and meet costs. Swimmers will also be/ have already been invited to the Google Group for all ISM Swimmers to view documents and receive updates: https://groups.google.com/a/ed.ismoshi.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/ism-swimming.
Swimmers attending try-outs must ensure they are prepared with goggles, a competition swim suit (costume), a cap (if the individual has long hair), and trainers and athletic gear for the beginning of each workout. Looking forward to starting the year! Ryan Sullivan – Swim Coach

Welcome back, from the ISM Music Program! Hopefully you all had a restful and relaxing holiday and are ready to get back into the swing of things this year. There are many exciting things planned for this school year, including recitals, musicals and, of course, a variety of topics to be investigated and dissected in all the music classes. In this week’s newsletter, I would like to pass along a few announcements and make a call for any local musicians in the area.
The ISM Music Program is looking for a piano player who would be able to play in the pit band for our musical “Little Shop of Horrors”. This person would ideally be comfortable with reading music, enjoy rock/funk type music, and would have time to dedicate to rehearsals and performances, throughout the coming months but most heavily in November and the beginning of December. If you, or someone you know, fits this description, please email me to let me know.
As well, we are always looking for musicians in the area who would be willing to teach private music lessons to our ISM students. Ideally, these people are accomplished musicians who have a desire to and knack for working with children and young adults. We are especially looking for woodwind, brass, and string players. Please get in touch if you are interested in this.
Speaking of private music lessons, in a very short while, we will be commencing our ISM Private Music Lesson Program for 2015-2016. Because the beginning of the year is always a busy time dusting off instruments from the long break and getting everything set for the students’ arrival, we will NOT be starting private music lessons straight away. Our program will begin on Monday, August 17. If your child is interested in taking private music lessons, then starting on that Monday, you and/or your child can visit the Private Music Lesson board (outside the Music classroom, Room 12) and find the appropriate teacher and time to suit your needs. You can sign up directly on the schedule for that teacher, being sure to take down the teacher’s contact information. Your first lesson will be that week (if you sign up for a Tuesday through Friday slot) or the following Monday (if you sign up for a Monday slot). If you or your child is unsure as to whom would be the right teacher for him/her, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will help you in this decision.
I do ask that all students and parents read the attached ISM Private Music Lesson Program policies so that you are aware of the expectations of the students, parents, and private instructors, the fees for lessons, and other information about the program. This will help to alleviate any confusion throughout the year.
As always, I welcome any questions or concerns you may have. I look forward to a great year with your children! Musically yours, Susan Kellerman – Music Teacher and Program Coordinator

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum that ISM offers for our students in M1-M5. On Wednesday August 12th, we will be hosting an Introduction to the MYP. This will be held in Room 19, at 6:30pm, and is for any new parents coming into M1, or new parents coming into the Programme. Of course we also welcome any returning families with any questions or concerns about the MYP.
Throughout the year, teachers will be adding articles and photos to this section of the newsletter, with exciting things that are happening in their classroom. If at any time you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s understanding or performance in the MYP, please feel free to contact me at . You can also pop in to see me on campus, my room number is 8b. Best regards, Marika Farrell – MYP Coordinator

Primary Meet the Teacher – Wednesday 19 August: 18.30 -19.30 Please do join us for this ideal opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and find out how things work in his/her primary classroom. We will start the session of with a brief PYP introduction followed by time in the classroom with your child’s teacher. This is not a session for the children but a chance for you to gain a good understanding of what your child’s school life will be like for this next academic year. We will start the evening off in room 6 (P5 classroom) for introductions. Totty Aris – Deputy Head of Campus

ISM is excited to offer a diverse Outdoor Pursuit Programme for this Semester. We hope that all students from M1-D2 will join our programme, and challenge themselves in the great outdoors of the Kilimanjaro Region and beyond.
At ISM, we offer a 5 level programme, where each student (and teacher) must complete each level of the programme before moving up to the next level. Our OP store has lots of equipment to lend (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, flashlights, hiking boots, rain jacket and pants, etc.), so we can help you be prepared for the trips.
Here are the trips on offer this semester:

Trip	Level	Dates	For:
Campcraft	0	August 29-30	M1 only
Socialist Peak	4	September 3-6	Students who have successfully completed level 3
Uhuru Peak	5	October 1-6	Students who have successfully completed level 4
Pare Mountains	1b	October 10-11	M2-D2 (starting level for new students in these grades)
Mandara Hut	1	November 7-8	M1 students who have successfully completed campcraft and other beginners to the programme
Base of Mawenzi	3	November 19-22	Students who have successfully completed level 2
Usambara Mountains	2	December 3-6	Students who have completed level 1, and M1 students who have completed level 1 and 1b

All Diploma students are required to have a graphic display calcuator for use in their studies. We strongly recommend the purchase of a TI-84+ calculator as this model will be used in teaching. M5 students may also wish to buy this calculator. We currently have standard TI-84+ calculators in stock for sale at a price of US$ 150 (currently TSh 319,000/-), and also have the colour, rechargeable CE model available for $170 (TSh 362,000/-). Either calculator is suitable for the diploma classes. If your child wishes to purchase a calculator, please deposit the funds with our accounts office or MPesa funds to 0767-534766 (follow any MPesa payment with an SMS confirming details), and we can then issue the calculator to your child.
Students in M1-M3 are required to have a simple calculator; students in M4-M5 must have a scientific calculator. The school does not stock these as they are easily available to purchase in Tanzania.
All students in M4, M5, D1 and D2 are required to have a laptop for use in classes.

Parents of current ISM students are welcome to use our swimming pool, tennis courts, and Karibu Hall for sports activities without charge at specified times and when these are not being used for student or school activities. If you wish to do so, please purchase a parent ID card from school (TSh 10,000/- per adult for 2 years) to enable you to come on to campus and use facilities. Cards can be purchased from the Campus PA, Grace Mkumbwa who will need a digital photo and will ask you for some details in order to issue the card.
Other members of the community may also use these ISM facilities but are expected to pay a fee. Use is limited to KCMC employees and other adults recommended to us by a current ISM parent or teacher. Fees are 20,000/- per person per month (excluding swimming), or 40,000/- per month (including swimming). Annual fees are TSh 100,000/- and 200,000/- respectively. Visitors will be required to purchase and carry their ID card whenever coming on to the campus.
The school reserves the right to close facilities at any time for reasons of school activities or maintenance; we also reserve the right to exclude any visitor who does not follow the school’s expectations.

Day students are welcome to eat snack or lunch in the dining hall. Please purchase meal tickets in advance from the receptionist and hand these in when entering the dining hall. Lunch or dinner tickets cost TSh 5500/- per meal. Morning snack costs TSh 11,000/- per week.

Menus for this term are available to download or view from our website: Week 1 (Aug 10-16) Week 2 (Aug 17-23) Week 3 (Aug 24-30) Week 4 (Aug 31-Sep 6) They then continue on a 4-week cycle. Occasionally it may be necessary to change menu items due to availability or other needs.

Our IB Diploma results were published in early July and we have every reason to be proud of the Class of 2015. This year there was a 90% diploma pass rate, and 60% of the students achieved a good total of 30 points or more. More details of the results are given at www.uwcea.org/results.

ISM staff have been busy during the school holiday undertaking a large amount of maintenance in order to renew our buildings ready for the new school year. The Library has been tiled and shelves painted and we hope this creates a more attractive and welcoming environment for the students. The Swimming Pool has been painted and we have installed new pumps and filters together with a new piping system. The former girls’ changing room and weights room are no more, as these are now in the process of being converted into a new Technology and Design Room which we hope will be ready to use in about four weeks. Also our new Changing Rooms and Fitness Centre which was completed in late May will be fully utilised this term.
We also anticipate much new construction and improvement during this school year – details of these will come soon.

You may know that the school owns a house in Pangani on the Indian Ocean coast. The house is situated on a clifftop overlooking the sea in a beautiful location with a sandy under-used beach just a few steps away. Parents of ISM students are welcome to book the house to stay in during school term time. Bookings for the October school break may only be made after 15th September. Books for the Christmas break may be made after 15th November. Please see our receptionist if you wish to book the house to use.
The cost for ISM parents is TSh 50,000/- per night for the house. There are six basic beds, but others could camp in the garden. The house has electricity (when TANESCO supplies) and water, with a fridge and gas cooker. Furnishings are very basic as are kitchen utensils and items – if you do book the house you are best advised to carry items such as pots, pans, cups and plates with you. Mosquito nets are essential to take.

Last school year we were significantly challenged by a very high rate of late payment of fees by some families. As a result the Board has required that we adhere firmly to the published due dates for fee payments this year. Sadly some of our students will not be allowed to attend classes on Monday if their families have not yet paid the first quarter fee which were due on 1st July 2015. We thank all those who were able to pay fees by the due date.

Last week you should have received by email a number of handbooks and/or forms for the new school year. These are all also available to download as follows:

• Diploma Handbook
• MYP Handbook
• Primary Handbook
• Boarding Handbook
• Primary Boarding Handbook
• Secondary Student’s Handbook
• Student Expectations
• Health Form (Boarders)
• Health Form (Day Students)
• PC Form (Primary)
• PC Form (M1-M4)
• PC Form (M5-D2)

Many of the planned events for this school year have now been added to the school’s Google calendar. You can add this calendar to your own Gmail or Google account by going to Google Calendar, and adding the ISM Public Calendar owned by intsmoshi@gmail.com. It is also visible at www.uwcea.org/calendar.
A PDF file of the next six months of the calendar is attached to this newsletter.

Greetings. We in the ISM Diploma Programme (DP) look forward to facilitating your DP child’s growth. The continued increase in DP students attests to the “word on the street” of our top quality and holistic program. We are experienced and have an outstanding faculty team and caring group of boarding parents to facilitate our students’ learning as they evolve, hopefully, into becoming responsible global citizens of tomorrow embodying the IB learner profile.
DP teachers have been diligently preparing. Collaboratively and individually we have been involved in planning for this year in our productive week of orientation.
Re-take exams occured on Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th for some who did not perform at their best level in the end-of-D1-year exams.
A jam-packed, fun, engaging and productive orientation program will take place on Monday August 10th and Tuesday August 11th for the fifty-two members of the incoming group of ISM DP students. These class of 2017 students will visit with all DP class teachers to listen to brief presentations on each class. Similarly there will team-building activities, time/stress management sessions and a detailed overview of every aspect of ISM DP life. It is expected that one particularly enjoyable aspect of the orientation will be the Monday evening “Meet and Greet” BBQ by the ISM pool where DP teachers and D2 students will join together to welcome the new cohort of students. The new D1 students should also gain from the orientation session in which recent DP graduates will return and share suggestions for achieving success. On a practical level, new D1 students will sign the ISM Honour Code to help them as best we can to ensure that they do not plagiarize.
D2 students will present the 4,000-word draft of their Extended Essay (EE) final draft very soon. Hence, the upcoming weekly meetings in the Tuesday Guidance Hour with the EE Supervisors will be critical. During the two-month holiday break class of 2016 ISM DP students (should have!) researched and written all of their EE. Did your son or daughter do so? Those who have not done so face consequences – they will stay every Friday for academic catch up after school starting this week to get this major coursework assignment finished on time. The series of D2 deadlines over the next months is quite demanding (and for many the toughest part of the IB DP experience!) so our (you as parent and myself as DP Coordinator with the team of EE supervisors) guided pressure to have them finish the EE soon is supremely important.
We in the ISM DP are looking forward to a fantastic year as we are all learners. Our experienced and committed group of DP teachers with our dedicated and hard-working Boarding team and Administration will provide a world-class education and help to forge the best possible experience for your child.
If I may ask five things of DP parents this year, they are as follows:

• 1. DP class lesson time is sacrosanct. Every class lesson day is key. Hence, do NOT have them arrive late or remove them early from school, if possible as it truly does negatively affect their learning. Can you do this?
• 2. Ask your son or daughter to approach directly and firstly his/her ISM DP teacher with any concerns. Our faculty is experienced and responsive to constructive criticism as education professionals always improving.
• 3. Contact me in the DP team regarding any concerns/suggestions/constructive criticism ()
• 4. Frequently contact your child as this parental support is invaluable and attend parent-teacher meetings at the end of each quarter if possible.
• 5. Visit ISM, if possible, once per semester and more if feasible, to get a first-hand sense of your child’s progress. I cannot overstate enough the importance of your doing this for your child’s success.

Dear EC Parents, My name is Annalee Horton and for those who don’t know me I will be your child’s teacher in EC this year. I am really looking forward to beginning my fourth year at ISM and meeting all the new children as well as welcoming back those who were in EC last year. We will start the school year off with 20 students in the class! We are very happy to have Ms Grace, Ms Alice and Ms Mary to help us in the classroom again this year.
In the first few weeks of school, I will be getting to know your child and finding out where they are both socially and in their learning. The children will be playing games to get to know each other, will help to decide on classroom agreements so that they can play safely and fairly and will also be introduced to all the different areas of the classroom and the school.
Our first Unit of Inquiry is under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we organize ourselves’. The Central Idea is ‘Learning is an important part of our lives.’ The Lines of Inquiry are: Places we learn         Our school as our learning place         Learning areas inside and outside our classroom         We have different ways of learning
I will give you more information on the unit of inquiry at our ‘Meet the teacher evening’ on Wednesday 19th August at 6.30pm.
Please could I ask that you send in the following on Monday;

• A complete set of spare clothes in a named bag.
• A named hat that can be left at school.
• A pair of named indoor shoes/slippers that can also be left at school.
• A healthy snack and a water bottle
• A back pack big enough for snack, drink and communication folder

Information for Parents I trust you and your family had a fun and restful holiday. My family and I took a trip to see family in the U.S. I’ve included a picture of my wife and me visiting Washington D.C. It’s one of the few holiday photos that I have of me, since I am always the one taking the photos.
Now it’s time for getting back to school and back into routine. I am excited to get started with a new class, and I hope your child is just as excited. Some of you are returning parents, but many of you are new to my class. I hope you feel free to come visit and let me know any questions or concerns you might have. We will also have parent orientation on August 19 at 6:30 p.m. where I will be able to explain our program and address any questions. I am looking forward to working with all of you.
Language focus for the week Talk about your holiday. Write phrases and sentences about your holiday. Work with rhyming words, handwriting patterns, and listening to lots of stories.
Maths focus for the week Create pictographs about yourself and your classmates. Count by 10s, 5s, and 2s.
Unit of Inquiry Our first Unit of Inquiry is about healthy living. We will be exploring how our bodies work and what actions positively and negatively affect them.
What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable: Monday PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt if you have one, I will inform new children which house they are in on Monday) Tuesday Library (we will choose new books) Friday PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt)

I very much look forward to welcoming the P2/3 students to their new classroom – Room 4. Please arrive before 7.30am on Monday 10th August. We will spend the first 2-3 days just getting to know each other through a series of fun, structured activities. We will reflect on the learning completed last year and think about what we wish to achieve this year. We will also establish our Essential Agreements for the classroom, i.e. how we will interact and learn together. Towards the end of the week we will begin our more formal maths and English lessons and start ‘tuning in’ to our first unit of inquiry.
If you have not already had an opportunity to read the ‘new look’ Primary Handbook for parents please go to www.uwcea.org/about-us/publications/ and then click on the Moshi Primary Handbook 2015-2016. This will give you lots of information about the organisation of the school and the class and is useful for existing and new parents.
New Unit: Transdisciplinary Theme: Where we are in place and time Central Idea: Our host country has its own unique identity
What to bring to school: A hat and a healthy snack. Please wear your ISM T-shirt and bring a sweater as it can still be chilly. Kate Schermbrucker – P2/3 Teacher and PYP Coordinator

Greetings ISM community, My name is Cathy Wambua, and I am delighted to be a member of this wonderful team. I come from Mombasa, Kenya, and have taught through the IBPYP for over 10 years. My journey has seen me go from homeroom teacher to PYP Coordinator at prestigious IB schools in Mombasa, Berlin, Lesotho and Tanzania. I aim to ensure that the teaching and learning meets students’ diverse needs and that they enjoy their time in school. Throughout the year P4 will work towards a number of goals, including developing International mindedness through demonstrating the various attributes of the IB Learner Profile.
In the first week, the children are going to engage in a number of ice-breaking activities. They will also develop their class Essential Agreements, come up with their understanding of the IB Learner Profile, share their holiday experiences and get acquainted with their new peers. I look forward to working with you and your children this academic year, in the noble pursuit of creating global citizens. Ms Cathy – P4 Class

Information for Parents I hope that you have had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. My family spent time traveling around the United States and visiting extended family members. I had a great time and am feeling refreshed and ready for the new school year. I am really looking forward to seeing all the returning students on Monday. We also have a couple of new people joining us in P5. Alley Weston will be a student teacher with us until December. Alley is from Idaho and is very eager to experience life in Moshi and ISM. We also welcome Nuno Castro as a new student. We hope that he will enjoy ISM and settle in quickly.
Language focus for the week We will be writing about our holidays. We will also be studying the origins of names and how different cultures choose them and completing various activities about our own names.
Maths focus for the week The children did a great job learning their multiplication facts last year. After several weeks away we will begin with a review of multiplication and division. We will also do a variety of maths related getting to know you routines.
Unit of Inquiry Our first Unit of Inquiry is expressing our thoughts and feelings in different ways. We will begin tuning into this idea through some thinking routines later in the week.
What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable: Thursday PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt if you have one, I will inform new children which house they are in on Monday) Friday Library (we will choose new books)

Hello! Welcome to P6. My name is Sarah Ssengendo and I am the P6 Class teacher this year. I am looking forward to meeting everyone over the next week. During the first three days we will be settling into our new classroom (and campus for some), learning the routines and getting to know each other. Students should bring with them a sunhat and water-bottle, and day students should bring a snack each day too.
New Unit of Inquiry: We look to heroes to show us who we can be. Unit of inquiry work will start on Thursday. This first unit lasts until 23rd September.
Maths and Language: Maths and Language lessons will take place each morning. This week the students will participate in informal pre-assessment activities in order for the teacher to gauge ability and particular areas of strength and weakness.
Library: Sessions will be held on Thursdays.
P.E./Sport: Days to be confirmed. Swimming lessons for P6 will commence week beginning 31st August.

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