Moshi Campus News – 1 June 2019

As I sit writing this the Garage sale is going on in K-hall.  That is one of those signs that the year is coming to an end. 

For me personally this is an odd time, as I am looking back to all that has happened this year and the great events and activities we have had.  I am also working with the new students and staff that will be joining us in the next school year.  Please see the pictures and comments from some of the new staff.

As well we are looking at the calendar of events.  In the next two weeks we will move all the draft events to the public calendar so that everyone can start planning ahead.

Speaking of planning ahead, you may have started noticing items concerning the 24-hour run around campus much like the one below.  Please keep an eye out for more information and start planning for your teams now.

Next week we will have two days off class for Eid.  As of the moment we do not know which two, but we will inform you when we do.

Bob Cofer

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” Aristotle

The observant amongst you will have noticed that our M5s are conspicuous by their absence this week. This was Work Week for our M5s and, accordingly, they have been dispersed across the country engaged in work experience.

A successful work experience endows students with invaluable “soft skills” that will have long reaching benefits in their final years at school and beyond. Interpersonal skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, team-work, self-reliance, time management…the list is endless.

Many students have chosen an area in which they see themselves working in years to come. In such instances, the experience may well expose them to the latest trends in their chosen sector or, even, specialist knowledge and understanding which might give them leverage in the future. Gaining a deeper understanding of how organisations work and operate can only make later transitions into the workplace easier. First-hand knowledge of how a chosen industry works will also give all our students a clearer indication of their suitability for it and enable them to make more informed choices going forward. It may even allow them to talk more authoritatively during future interviews. Indeed, many employers now give preference to students who have considerable work experience for obvious reasons.

Work experience provides countless opportunities for students to learn more about themselves and their own abilities. Work experience helps them explore their strengths and weaknesses. In line with experiential learning, work experience encourages the practical application of knowledge, understanding and skills explored in the classroom and, potentially, allows students to identify areas for development in their learning.

We hope the week was a success for all of you and look forward to hearing all about it.

Ben Morley

While the D2 students have left us after a wonderful graduation, the D1 students are still in the swing of things.  They are in the middle of the end of year exams that will finish next week.  In the following two weeks they will be working on the Group 4 project, TOK presentations and the Extended Essay.

Pictures from the Class of 2019 Graduation are available to be downloaded here.

M5 Class
End Year Reports
The M5 end year reports will be released next week. These reports will reflect work done for the whole of this academic year. The rest of the MYP students will have their reports released during the last week of this quarter.

Work Experience Week
The M5 students have just completed their work experience at their respective organizations/institutions. The students will be back on campus on June 3 to share these experiences with each other.

M5 Ceremony
On behalf of the M5 candidates and staff, we invite all members of ISM community to join us during the M5 ceremony slated for Saturday June 8 as from 12 noon. This will be a culminating ceremony that marks the conclusion of MYP for the M5s. Karibuni!!!

M4 Class
The M4 students began their end year examinations on Thursday May 30. These exams continue on Monday June 3.

M3 Class
The M3 students went for an IDU trip at Makumira University on Wednesday May 22. Please see below for more information.

David Ochieng

The M3 class from Moshi and Arusha campus had an excellent 3-day Interdisciplinary Learning Field Trip combining MYP Arts and Language Acquisition (Swahili) at The Cultural Arts Centre, Tumaini University, Makumira.

Statement of Inquiry “Interaction with traditional art forms in a related language can inspire and inform development of new forms and support understanding of cultural roots”

The students had a fantastic trip developing a live performance integrating dance, drama, music, art and Swahili. Their ideas focused on the idea that in Tanzania agriculture is the economic backbone of the nation and the Arts reflect this. The students worked in small and large groups over three days to produce drumming sequences, handmade drums, tie dye costumes, traditional and modern dance routines including Sagura, Kipemba, and Mangagja, and Drama with call and response singing. They visited Maasai, Meru and Arusha Bomas, The cultural Arts center museum where they were allowed to play a wide variety of authentic African instruments and were wowed by the live traditional Dance performance by the CAC resident musicians and performers.  

Mr Abdul and I were very proud of our students and the amount of hard work and effort they put into the trip. Not only did they create wonderful performances they were also extremely enthusiastic about the activities and helpful with washing up, keeping tents and areas tidy and going to bed on time.

Mrs Pantlin

Today the Brownies conducted another successful garage sale.  The funds they raise from this event go towards funding their enrollment fees in the international organization. One aspect of this sale is that it highlights sustainability as it promotes the reuse of items within the community.

Great Work Girls.

Congratulations to all our U9 and U11 Netballers who braved the rain to play in the NTAA tournament at Kennedy house last Saturday. Our U11s did ISM proud and were competitive in all their games winning their last game well and our U9 team achieved 2nd overall from some strong defence and great game play.  Thank you to Coach Maria and Thadeus and suport from Mr Patrick and Mrs Renju for all there help with the team.

See the table above for what is still to come this Quarter.

We will run the Sports Celebration Afternoon for Semester 2 on Thursday the 13th of June at 5pm in Rafiki Hall where we will present MVP and Coaches Awards to students from all sports played since February and the much-anticipated Sports People of the Year awards.  There will be refreshments and nibbles available from 4.30pm with the presentations starting at 5pm. Parents and family welcome.

Primary Sports Fun Day will be held on Tuesday the 11th of June for all students EC to P6. Please make sure you have your house banners, chants and colors ready for this event.

Secondary Sports day will be held on Wednesday the 19th of June for all students M1 and above. Please make sure you have your house banners, chants and colors ready for this event.

Saturday Soccer
For the football fans out there don’t forget that Saturday soccer is back on from 9am to 10.30am for PYP students.  Please make sure students wear cleats for this or they will not be able to participate.

Saturday Campus Run
Every Saturday at 7.15 there is a campus run around the perimeter of the school grounds. Meet at the picnic tables by the PE block to join in.

Wednesday CrossFit
Community and student CrossFit is on every Wednesday from 3.15pm.

Community Sports
ISM is now facilitating community Ultimate Frisbee on a Monday and Thursday at 5.30pm and Touch Rugby Wednesday at 5.15pm on the fields for Moshi community members who would like to play.  Note: people who are not in the ISM community need to pay a 3,000TSH fee to help maintain the facilities per session.

Friday Interval Training
Friday mornings 5.30am there is interval training for those student and community members who want to increase their speed in distance running or just improve their endurance.  

Go Leopards
Robin Marsh

The D2 boarders have all cleared from the dorms, following a colorful graduation ceremony on Saturday 25th May.

The M5 students have had a successful work experience week, and some boarders travelled all the way to Dar es Salaam and Mwanza for the experience. The rest of the boarders got an opportunity to have this invaluable experience in Moshi town. They were taken every morning to their various stations, and collected in the evening.

The M5 students will have their ceremony on Saturday 8th June, and the boarders can then leave for the well-deserved summer break.

Study hall time was busier than usual this week, as M4 and D1 boarders prepared for their end year exams, which started on Thursday 30th May, and will run till early next week.

Muslim boarders have been fasting this month, and the fasting season will end sometime next week after the sighting of the moon. This means we shall have 2 days next week when students will not attend lessons. Boarders will have various activities to keep them busy on these days.

School will close for summer break on Thursday 20th of June. Boarders can leave the same day.

Rosemary Bango

These are just some of the teachers joining us next year.  More will be listed in upcoming newsletters.

A huge appreciation to all the parents that could make it for the Primary Gathering of Gratitude on Tuesday. It was my most favorite gathering of the year. We have had 16 so far and will have our final one on the 7th of June in Rafiki Hall from 7:30. Do come and end the year with us as we bid our leavers farewell. The P5s had a fantastic time down at Karanga river where they extended their learning on natural resources.

I am proud to say that our students are truly action-oriented as the Brownies have organized a bake sale during the Garage Sale this weekend to raise funds towards running their club successfully. We also have students in the P4 class who identified ways they would like to make a difference and chose to donate to Makoa Farm. Students have made a mongoose bed, mongoose maze, brush to scratch the warthog’s and pig’s backs, dog biscuits and donated soft toys among many other items.

In the coming week some of our students head off to St Constatine’s for a Netball tournament. We wish them the very best.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

The picture shows our music assessments and a birthday. It’s been a quite an ‘active’ week.

We’ve had a ‘hard exam’  to show what we can do in the IT Lab, helping each other to navigate ‘Paint’, ‘Starfall’ and ‘Word’ within the Windows environment, using mouse and keyboard. Every student got 100,000 points in the exam, which I am sure you will agree is an exceptional result.

Our good friends and buddy readers in Year 5 visited to share the songs and puppets produced in their French class. Thanks to Miss Pearl and the P5s for sharing… we thought that the ‘Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes’ song was even more fun in another language!

Owain Evans

Surveys were completed and bar graphs were drawn this week. Each group had a chance to carry out their chosen action. Mr. Cofer, Mr. Morley and Mr. Marsh were visited by different groups. They were given certain requests based on the data the children collected. More light blue walls/shirts, football lessons, zigzag patterns, sports clubs and hooks for hanging water-proof jackets were requested by the children. Every group returned to class feeling like little grown-ups who made a change in the community.

P1/2 have been thinking about the past by reflecting on what their parents used to do when they were little. They listed some questions they would like to ask you all at home. These questions will be combined and sent home on Monday. Please take some time to share with them any information about your past. I am sure that you will get some giggles, ohhhs and ahhhs during your talks.

Mboka Mwasongwe

The P 2/3 students have persevered through reading, math and writing samples for their end of year assessments. Amidst these assessments, students have had breaks watching what makes Earth special. We have been watching a documentary that breaks down why the ability to breathe is what gives life on Earth (potential alienist theories have not been brought up)!

The most exciting part of this week has been the Gathering of Gratitude. It was a beautiful occasion that celebrated everyone who has helped the students out over this past year. I do abide by what I said during the gathering. P 2/3 has taught me many things, acceptance, tolerance, the enjoyment of budding techies and most important what an awesome and special group of students they have been.

We have decided to end this year with the P2/3 camp which will take place from Monday the 17th of June to Tuesday the 18th of June. Any parents who would like to come out to Kishari house and hang out with us can send me an email and I will get back to you.

Elisha Jaffer

Thanks to all the parents that came for the Gathering of Gratitude. It was such a lovely atmosphere and we all appreciated your support. The P4s have been so great this week, bringing in all the action projects they made to take to the animals in Makoa Farm (mongoose maze in pic :). They have also been inquiring into the UN sustainable goals and making connections with needs around us. They have come up with a variety of actions they would like to take. Some said they can teach their ‘dada’ (house-help) or ‘kaka’ (gardener) how to bead as a side gig to raise some extra income. Others are keen to work on decorating the Primary residential houses to make it more homely for the residential students etc. The children are being encouraged to find needs and around them and take positive action so even in the weekend you may find they are in this mode. It would be great if parents also came in and we could learn more things from you to teach others around us.

In Math, we are practicing the concept of long division and integrating our knowledge of percentage and fractions to the unit. Students have looked at the format of making a brochure and are in the process of collecting information for their task which they will embark on in the coming week.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

The P5 class took advantage of the break in the rain to hike to the nearby water resource of the river. Today, we went to the Karanga River to explore our natural environment and search for local resources. Besides fresh water, the class found people carrying fruit, minerals in the ground, plants that could be used for medicine, volcanic rocks, sand for building, trees, and a variety of mushrooms. Our hike took us to a view point where we could see farms in every direction. We are living on a wonderful natural resource, fertile soil! The class did a great job with awareness in a new environment, and were stewards by removing trash from the ground that would eventually end up in the ocean.

They started their final research inquiry into resources to show off their skills they have gained with creating questions, researching, planning, working together, and presenting to the class. Thank you for a great week class!

Sarah Brummel

Our unit on natural resources (with a focus on plants) is now well underway. This week the children researched the many different things that we use plants for. They also learned about plant reproduction and the different parts of a flower. They have explored food chains and have discovered that plants are the producers at the bottom of a food chain (for example plankton, fish, seal, polar bear.) They have been learning about the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who is well known for her paintings of flowers. The P6 children have explored the campus with the tablets and have taken photographs of different flowers in close up and posted their work on Seesaw. They will use these photos as inspiration for their own large scale flower painting. In Maths they have been revising multiplication and division and in Language they have been writing alliteration poems in the style of Ken Nesbitt. Next week we will continue with poetry writing and will also visit the kitchen for some plant based cooking sessions. The photo shows the P6 students presenting in Tuesday’s Gathering of Gratitude.

Deborah Mills