Moshi Campus News – 26 Nov 2016

… and Quiz Night Extravaganza – Friday, 2nd December 18:30 to 20:30 in Karibu Hall.
It’s getting so close now! Just a week to go until ISM is blasted into the fashion world of the future!!
So, here’s what we need from you… – all fashion parade groups to tell Ms Grace their NAME (there will be points for this) and the house of each team member (points for this too!!) – any teams who have specific music to get that music to Ms Mary. (If you don’t have music planned we have some cool stuff for you) – finish up your costumes!!
– adults and diploma students!! put together your quiz teams!! 4 people per team. For adults it is 5000 per person, for diploma students it is 2000 per person. The quiz round will happen between fashion parades. If you are watching you may as well be in the quiz!
-parents, please bring a plate of baking if you are able. We will sell this for 1000tsh per piece at intermission and there will be free tea and coffee.
There are great raffle prizes and prizes for the best quiz teams and of course the best fashion team. See you all Friday!!! Anna Maze (PTA)

Next Sunday, 4th December from 15:30 to 18:00, there will be a footbal match on the top pitch to raise funds to support the fight against polio. Tickets cost only TSh 2000 per adult and TSh 1000 per child. Please do try to support this great venture. Even if you are unable to come, you could still purchase tickets and thereby support the fundraising. You could even buy many tickets!
Tickets are available from the Head of Campus PA, Grace Mkumbwa, in school.

Many will know that the present Director, Bob Horton will be leaving ISM at the end of this school year in June/July, and the Board is presently engaged in a search to find the new Director. Three shortlisted candidates will be visiting both campuses this week and will be meeting with various panels during their visit, as well as having a full interview with the Board. We hope for a successful process and for the school to find the best candidate to lead ISM forward for the years ahead.

Just a few photos from the many events this weekend… Many thanks for Mary Mai for these photos

This week has been busy for our primary sports clubs, with swimming, football, rounders, and athletics all taking place between 2-3pm. Many swimmers have also been coming out to lunch time swimming to focus their skills for 20 minutes of racing, stroke development, and fun.
We learned that Kennedy House is interested in arranging a friendly match for football and rounders after the holiday break, so players should stay tuned for that announcement and keep preparing for their next competition.
The football teams will play each other in a mini-tournament next Thursday at practice. Players must remember their water bottles in order to play.
The NTAA sports offered for primary athletes change after the holidays. Schools move on from football and rounders, and focus their attention on basketball, swimming, and netball. Football often continues as a sport because it is so popular. Moshi campus sport clubs will all be confirmed once the quarter three clubs are shared with parents.
We have had a very successful two weeks of Interhouse Athletics competitions, with many students coming to compete in the high jump and 200 meters. We will complete the high jump next week, and award points to houses and ribbons for the top three in each event. Kibo House has had the most participants by a wide margin!!!
Students coming to the field to play football for the break will have noticed the goals set-up, the field marked with cones, and bibs laid out on two of the days. This is been a way to help students arrange games that are a bit more organized so that they incorporate their understanding of football into their free play. Already, the TAs and supervisors have seen positive results in the way students are choosing teams and playing together, a good example of being responsible and principled players.
Ryan Sullivan

This week, swimmers have been busy preparing for Sports Weekend, ISM Moshi Campus’s largest event, that sees a groundswell of over 400 students come to compete in one or more of the many tournaments that occur between Friday and Sunday. This year we are trying a different format, cutting down the swim events to 25s and 50s for all strokes, only two 100m events, and 100m and 200m relays. With our new lighting system, we will swim under the lights for the first time, adding to the atmosphere in the pool that varsity members enjoy every morning workout.
Junior Varsity swimmers have also been busy, competing last weekend at Kennedy House School (KHS) at their NTAA primary meet. We came away with 20 medals, and many personal best times that supports all of the training we are doing on a daily basis. We want to encourage all those of you who are training to also support your team at competitions. You are valuable members of the team, and competing is the fun part!!!
News of the success of Team Tanzania at the CANA championships has spread quickly across the country, with many newspapers offering their own take on the team’s achievements. Shawn, Alicia, Sanne, and Chris each medaled in the competition, and contributed to the overall team points win, a trophy that Tanzania has never previously won. We have now secured our place as a swimmer powerhouse in Africa, and will look to improve on that performance in February at the Zone 4 championships in Zimbabwe.
Swimming families should mark the first three weekends after the long holiday on their calendar. Sat 21 Jan 2017 is the Secondary Swim Meet at ISMAC, the following weekend, Fri 28 Jan 2017 – Sat 29 Jan 2017 is the Tallis Invitational in Dar, and then the following weekend is the NTAA Championships at Moshi campus. Tallis is an excellent competition and will set-up our swimmers very well for the NTAA Champs the next weekend.
Upcoming Events

Sat 21 Jan 2017 – NTAA Secondary Swim Meet – ISMAC

Fri 28 – Sat 29 Jan 2017 – Tallis Invitational Swim Meet – Dar – $300-350US – Primary and Secondary – U10 accompanied by parent

Fri 3 Feb 2017 – NTAA Swim Championships – Moshi Pool – Primary and Secondary

The school’s Parent-Teacher Association (newly named from the former Parent Association) will hold the Annual General Meeting here in Moshi Campus on Monday, 5th December at 6:30pm. More details will be published next week. We hope to see many parents and teachers at this event.

Sadly it now looks likely that our Ngorongoro trip planned for next weekend will once again need to be cancelled due to insufficient numbers of students signing up. As costs (resulting from National Park/Conservation Area fees and charges) have risen, fewer students are now able to engage in our Outdoor Pursuits programme at the higher levels and we will be re-planning our second semester trips with this in mind.

We are currently in the middle of the Secondary Sports Weekend and everyone seems to be having a great time. I have watched football, basketball, badminton tennis and ultimate frisbee all in the last couple of hours. This is a great break before our secondary students have the normal end of semester crunch.
Over the next couple of weeks we have the Fashion show on Friday December 2nd and the Music Night on Wednesday December 7th. I look forward to seeing you at these events, so no slowdown in Moshi.
Planning ahead, our Secondary semester 1 reports will be released via ManageBac on Thursday December 15th and the Secondary parent conferences will follow the end of semester assembly on Friday December 16th.

Update:

• Sports Weekend – the array of sporting competition combined with chance to socialize with peers from schools across Tanzania has been a wonderful break for DP students and the rigors of school work and assessments. This is ever so welcome for D2s whose recent and upcoming string of D2 coursework deadlines have resulted in higher stress levels. Be attentive to this.
• Diploma Progression Policy section that applies to D1 full diploma students: “At the end of the second quarter and of the third quarter, all full diploma students will be expected to have a minimum of 22 points (obtained by adding the reported achievement grades from their six subjects excluding ToK/EE). Any student achieving fewer than 22 points at this stage (or achieving fewer than 11 HL points) will be required to undertake a reduced programme with either fewer subjects or with fewer higher.
• Parents of DP students will want to the parent-teacher meeting on Friday December 16th.
• The photo shows D2 HL students involved this week in re-enacting the infamous Old City Jerusalem event that served as the catalyst for the second intifada (September 2000).

At the end of next week we will be very sad to say goodbye to our primary boarding mother, Randeep ‘Pinky’ Magon. We all want to thank her for her service to the school and for the good care she has taken of our youngest boarders. She will be much missed by the boarding children, their parents and the primary teachers. We must not forget that many of our children have grown up with her and benefited from her support and guidance. We wish her joy, love and happiness for her wedding day and life with her new husband in Eldoret, Kenya.

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to the new primary boarding parent, Mrs Lwake Kabuje, who joins us from Dodoma. Karibu and we hope you will soon feel settled in ISM Moshi.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming all the primary parents to the PYP Sharing Assembly on Monday 28th November. Please come to Karibu Hall at 7.35. All classes will be presenting some of the work they have been doing in class and it should give you a clear snapshot of the learning going on at ISM Primary.
The children and teachers have continued to enjoy exploring the new tablets in their lessons; adding new apps and investigating further the ones already installed on there. This touchscreen technology adds an extra level of excitement to the inquiries going on and allows independence for our young researchers.
As we creep towards the end of November, it is time to ask if there are any parents who are willing to lead a primary club next quarter. The time commitment would be for one hour per week, any day from Monday – Thursday, from 2-3pm. If you have an interesting idea for a club which you think might appeal please email me on: . Many thanks to the parents who have committed to running clubs in Quarter 2. I know the students have benefited a great deal from your hard work, energy and enthusiasm.
Dates for your diary: Monday 28th November – PYP Sharing Assembly – all primary parents invited at 7.35am (Karibu Hall) Friday 2nd December – PA Fashion Show at 18.30 – (Karibu Hall) Wednesday 7th December – ISM Music Night – 18.00 – all primary parents invited (Karibu Hall) Tuesday 13th December – Primary reports issued Wednesday 14th December – Primary Disco (Karibu Hall) Thursday 15th December – Primary parent-teacher conferences (no lessons on this day) Friday 16th December – Final day of Quarter 2

We had a fantastic trip to Makoa Farm last week and gained a great insight into the interactions between humans and animals; both positive and negative ones. This week we will set up our class vet’s surgery for role -play based on what we found out on our trip; we were busy practicing for our assembly last week and ran out of time to start thinking about this. The children will carry out some thinking routines to compare zoos and safari parks as well as the different interactions that occur between animals and humans in them. We have a special visitor coming in to talk about safari parks and show us a wonderful film he made. We may have some more pets coming into visit too! It is time to start making conclusions about our inquiries this week based on the central idea, “The diversity of life on earth creates opportunities for different interactions.” The children will begin thinking about their personal inquiry for their summative assessment.
Literacy

Presentations of pet leaflets

Animal sticker stories

Role-play in the vet’s surgery and opportunities for writing.
Numeracy

Measuring

2D shape problems

Directed drawing involved with shapes and animals
We look forward to seeing you bright and early on Monday for our sharing assembly. Please remember your child needs to wear black and yellow. This week we will also rehearse for the musical evening on December 7th

Congratulations to Vicky, Eddie and Josephine for receiving a green leaf at the Primary Gathering on Friday morning.
Unit of Inquiry: How We Express Ourselves Central idea: Creativity can be nurtured through inspiration, imagination and application. Lines of Inquiry:

Identifying Imagination. FORM

How we use our imagination CONNECTION

Investigating what inspires people. PERSPECTIVE

Applying imagination to creative endeavours. CONNECTION
This week we transformed our class into a ‘theatre’. The children tried themselves out in different drama activities, such as puppet shows, role-plays and story telling.
  Maths focus of the week This week the students have been collecting data using tally marks. They’ve found that these are a quick way of keeping track of numbers in groups of five. They have learned that one vertical line is made for each of the first four numbers; the fifth number is represented by a diagonal line across the previous four. To continue the Data Handling theme, next week, the children will collect and represent data using pictographs and human graphs.
English focus of the week The Green and Blue Groups have started to work on Phase 3 of the Letters and Sounds Programme. We played the game ‘Quick Write’ – listening and writing initial, middle and final sounds. The children are getting very good at these activities. Listening and recognising the sounds within a word is an essential skill of their phonics knowledge.
The Purple Group was focusing on ‘cvcc’ (consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant) words and writing imaginative stories with them. We were also learning about the basic componants of story writing.
Tablets. The children are very excited about our new tablets. Currently we are using the ‘Scratch JR’ programming application. This programme is connected to our current Unit of Inquiry because the children can use their creativity to express themselves though technology. They can make pictures, short films, write and illustrate books and even record their own voice.
Arts and Crafts. This week the children carried on decorating our ‘dream House’. They made a ‘cut out” picture frame inspired by Henri Matisse and glued everybody’s photo on it. It looks amazing!
We also put a short show together for the coming up Assembly. Please come along, if you can, on Monday morning after 7:35 to watch our talented artists in Karibu Hall.
What to bring to school every day:

Indoor shoes – please remind your child to bring the indoor shoes back to school.

A hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. Some children still did not bring their hats this week. The rule is: No hat, no play, no fun.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Swimming – please bring: trunk/costume, goggles (not compulsory but very useful), towel, swimming cap (for long hair), flip flops (the concrete by the pool can get very hot), sun lotion, and a plastic bag for the wet kit. Homework goes home. Tuesday:
Library Wednesday: ‘Show and Tell’ for group 1. If your child attends the Gymnastics club, please make sure he/she wears comfortable clothing (skirts/dresses, jeans are not suitable for different jumps, rolls, hand and headstands). Thursday: PE lesson – sport shoes (no skirts please). Friday: Homework due in. Please make sure the spelling books are returned because our Spelling Test is on Friday. ‘Show and Tell’ for group 2.
Thank you for your co-operation! Have a great week ahead! Ms Andrea, P1/2 Teacher

 
P2/3 are looking for parents to come in a share either a bit about their culture or a family tradition they have. The presentation does not have to be long and you can bring artifacts in the share. Please email me if you are interested.
Last week in class: The children have been busily writing their How To books. They chose an area that they were an expert in and taught a class member following the steps. It has been wonderful to hear that children have been making connections with their reading. Keep up the good work. The division work the children have been doing is coming along. They could write their own division problem and show and explain how they solved it.
They have researched into how people live in other parts of the world. They made observations and comparisons. This activity brought up excellent questions from the students.
The Week Ahead in class: Unit of Inquiry: Where we are in place and time. Central idea – Family provides an insight into cultural and personal identity Line of inquiry – Traditions that are unique to our homes. The children will follow their design and build their house of choice. They will finish off their family tree and write a short description about it.
Writing: The class will be presenting their All About books to each other. They will also write one more detailed How to book. This will be used to teach others around the school community.
Math: This week we will be recapping over skills that have been previously taught (time, data gathering).
Reading: This week we will be continuing our focusing on Questioning, generating questions before, during and after reading. The children will be reading in guided reading groups depending on their Just Right Level.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Homework – PYP Assembly 7:35. Tuesday: Library and Swimming (costume, towel, pool shoes) Wednesday: P3 French Thursday: P3 French Friday: PE (sport shoes and comfortable clothes – no jeans) Homework book returned.
Useful websites: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy www.starfall.com – click on grade 2 skills.
Thank you – Have a lovely week ahead. Clare Hibbard P2/3

It’s been another busy and productive week in P4/5.
Unit of Inquiry: The date of the Great Boat Race will soon be unveiled. The students have been hard at work creating and collaborating. The science vocabulary I heard as they were working and explaining their projects was impressive. In teams they began to curate resources and are sharing these with each other via Blendspace. I am excited as this is an amazing 21st century skill.
Math: This week we discussed how to multiply by 10, 100, 1000.We are working to consolidate this understanding and those who are ready will be beginning to look at how we divide by the same. In our raft building have been using a variety of math skills such as estimating, measuring, and problem solving strategies. I was especially impressed to see the students collaborating to help each other solve design problems.
Language: We have been working to rehearse our video tutorials this week and some groups have done the ‘first take’. The others are critiquing their friends and analyzing what makes a good information report. We also have used tablet apps (e.g. Book creator, Lensoo Create) to show our comprehension of the books we read. Other children chose to make pop up posters, sculptures or board games. In the week ahead we will look at shape poems and finish up any ongoing projects.
Reminders:

Monday morning: you are all invited to attend a special assembly where the primary will celebrate their learning.

It is final week for fashion show preparations! Julie Bowen, (P4/5 Classroom Teacher)
 

This week Mr. Marvin has continued working with the children on developing their estimation skills. This work is on the wall in the breezeway – please take a look if you are passing. The class has also been working through a series of activities exploring parallel and perpendicular lines, angles and constructing 3D shapes. This work will continue next week. In an art activity that is related to our maths work on shape, the children have made a tessellating tile of their own design and are using it to create art in the style of M.C. Escher.
We enjoyed sharing the book reviews (written for homework last week) throughout the week and are still undecided about which student was the most persuasive and which book should be our next read aloud! This week the children have learned the features of good persuasive writing. We had a very lively discussion about “Cats are better than dogs.” The children will do further work on persuasive writing next week.
The children have continued working on their cereal box project with Mr. Marvin as part of their inquiry into media. They have explored nets of 3D shapes and next week they will start constructing the nets for their boxes. They have also been watching some televised and printed news stories as part of our work on the purpose of media.
We have started discussing digital citizenship and the appropriate way to behave online. The main theme of our discussion has been, “If you wouldn’t say it in front of an adult, then don’t say it in an email.” These discussion sessions are a good opportunity to try to prepare our children for life in the digital age – fortunately here in Moshi we are less bombarded by media than some locations around the globe. I would encourage you to continue these discussions at home and we will also carry on our work in the classroom on this important topic.
On Monday, 28th November, the P5 students will be participating in the Sharing Assembly in Karibu Hall at 7:30. Please come along to see the work the children have been doing with Mr. Marvin about volume and capacity.
On Friday, 2nd December the P5 students will be presenting in primary gathering at 7:30. It will be a busy week for us! The children will prepare their presentation with Mr. Marvin next week. It will be on the theme of media. I hope that you will be able to attend. Deborah Mills, (P5 Teacher)

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