Arusha Campus News – 26 Jan 2021

Some of our Duke of Edinburgh International Award participants take some time out to re-enact the Ascent of Mankind at their campsite this weekend

Well done to all those teachers and students who made the effort to get out this week either on the M4 Inter Disciplinary Unit or the International Award Bronze Adventure. At a time when indoor coughs and colds get everyone jittery, what better way to counteract the threat than walking all day long in the fresh air!

I have been asked several times this week to present our stance on healthy living in these times. Our website provides an informative, up to date library of policies concerned with transmittable infections www.uwcea.org It is here that you can go to find out what to do in case of doubt about anything infectious!

As a School we have taken some measures to prevent the spread of all numbers of coughs and colds and these include strict instructions to stay at home if your symptoms look as though they can be spread to others, washing hands regularly, outdoor learning whenever practical, the wearing of appropriate PPE for visitors and parents and a much stricter policy on the use of school facilities by individuals from outside our immediate community.

As a School we have decided against competitive sporting fixtures against other schools for the time being. In two weekend’s time one of the ‘best’ events of the year will take place at Simba Farm. The Kilitrails Festival.

Our position on this is that we will not be arranging a school trip to the event. We dont want to expose our student population to the crowds and potential for exchange of the flus and bugs that prevail at this time of year.

However, we wish the event well and hope that our community members that do attend have a great time. Please consider seriously  the personal precautions that you can make. I have spoken at length to the organisers who will arrange a UWC East Africa Arusha Campus camp area where athletes can socialise and prrepare for the exciting races without having to mingle with the crowds.

The bottom line is that we have come to expect social responsiblity from everyone and that is exactly what I am seeing on a day to day basis around school. Thank you.

Have a super week ahead and apologies for the delayed delivery of your newsletter this week.

Phil

P4/5 created portraits with help from Violette.

Please see some of the important dates and events that will be happening in Quarter 3. More information will be sent out closer to each event.

Friday 12th February – 100 Days of School / Valentines Share Time

Thursday 18th February – World Mother Tongue Day 8.00 – 9.40am

Monday 1st March – Friday 5th March – Book Week

Monday 22nd March – Fun Swimming Gala / World Water Day

Wednesday 24th March – Student Led Conferences – This will be a non-teaching day

In share time on Friday students presented their learning and we talked about New Years Resolutions. Trying new skills, learning a new language, gaining knowledge and having self control (stop-think-act)

Noni from M5 performed the song she had written as part of her Personal Project.

CCA’s will start on 1st February.

This weekend a group of students and teachers (above) from Arusha Campus embarked on their Bronze and Silver DofE International Award practice adventure.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programmes take between one and four years to complete, and they must be completed by the participant’s twenty-fifth birthday. There are around 300,000 new participants annually, with an estimated 461,000 current participants in the UK. The programmes are at three progressive levels which, if successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

With assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:

Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community.
Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.
Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal interests.
Expedition: planning, training for, and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad.

At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section, which involves staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.

To achieve an award, the participant must work on each section for a minimum period of time, and must be monitored and assessed by someone with knowledge of the chosen activities. Each progressive level demands more time and commitment from participants: Bronze 3–6 months; Silver: 6–9 months; Gold: 12–18 months. Participants are required to show regular activity and commitment to the award for the duration of their DofE programme, which is usually at least one hour per week.

Six broad areas known as the Global Contexts give the MYP curriculum its distinctive core and reflect the programme’s focus on examining topics from various contexts to encourage international-mindedness and global engagement. The Global Contexts are not academic subjects like the specific disciplines, but rather are contexts embedded within academic subjects, identifying specific settings, events or circumstances that provide more concrete perspectives for teaching and learning. The 6 global contexts in the MYP build on the PYP transdisciplinary themes that structure teaching and learning in the PYP, creating relevance for adolescent learners.

Natalia, Lilian and Damian carry out their biomass quadrat in the Kilimanjaro forests

The M4 students spent Monday – Thursday last week at Simba Farm in West Kilimanjaro. Learning about how to combine Maths and Science in their interdisciplinary unit, the students were amazing in their motto of “work hard, play hard”. Doing lots of field work they were able to look at the practical applications of the two subjects. Outside of work we had loads of fun playing wiffle ball, Uno and swimming in the river. A wonderful break from the regular school schedule and a great learning experience.

The M4’s (below) cool off in the campsite river

Chloe and Sehra are experienced OP’ers. Why not follow their example and sign up for some of our exciting trips this semester.

Sign-up procedures:
1. Sign-up on Google forms (email already sent to students).
2. To secure a spot on a trip, payment should be made directly at the accounts’ department asap. As there are limited places, priority will be given to students who finalized payment first.
For the Ngorongoro trip, a deposit of 25 % of the total cost should be made in January and the remaining balance should be paid by the end of February.
Our trip costs are made up of transport and food costs ; teachers, guides and porters costs, WMA
or National Park fees. The differing prices for Tanzanian and expatriate students reflect differing charges from WMA or National Parks. Prices below are in US dollars but payments can be done in TZ Shillings.

Now What?

Forrest Gump spoke nothing but the truth when he quoted his mother , “…life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.”  The events of this week have demonstrated how you have to stay prepared because life can change quickly. It is great to see our students, staff, and community have maintained safety precautions that we can adjust as needed. Also, the positive and productive attitude that has been on display during this change in circumstances, and the emotions it brings, has reinforced why this is such a great community to live and work in.

Last week the topic of Grit was introduced in D2 Life Skills on the Moshi campus, and an array of world events have caused us to need to revisit how important the concept of grit is in our lives. Angela Duckworth is the author of a book that explains the research she has conducted on grit in a variety of locations, and we encourage you to glean some insight into her work if you are unaware, or need a refresher after this week’s events. If you would like to take a moment to explore how gritty you are when seeking to accomplish goals in life, we encourage you to see where you fall on the Grit Scale https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-scale/. Once you complete the survey, you will receive your score and a link to resources to help enhance your level of grit. Not only is this important to achieving success in life, but it is essential to helping you overcome obstacles and setbacks along the way. Our Mount Kilimanjaro climbers embody the essence of grit as they seek to achieve their dream no matter what challenges lie in front of them as they take each step up the mountain to reach the peak.

Another way we would like to support our community in building the skills to persevere is via the resources that the counseling team has put together over the course of the pandemic facing the world. Our resources cpnstiute a living document, and we welcome members of the community to share resources with us that you have come across that will provide support and encouragement to our community.

Big news recently came out this week from the College Board about SAT Subject Tests and the optional essay. We invite you to review the announcement as you discuss the implications for your child who may have been thinking about these tests as part of their post-secondary plan. This quarter, Ms. Kate Swope (Arusha Campus) and Ms. Ford (Moshi Campus), will start meeting with D1 students to discuss the creation of their Post-Secondary Plan, as we also assist D2 students with finalizing their plans for life after UWC East Africa. Please stay tuned for parent invites to attend meeting later this semester. Also, parents of M4-D2 students are invited to request Parent Access to their child’s Maia Learning Account where a majority of the post-secondary planning work will take place. You can send an email to me with your child’s name, grade level, your name, and preferred email address in order to be provided access to follow along on your child’s planning journey.

Finally, as always there are some upcoming virtual events for international institutions that we invite students and parents to participate in. We anticipate a lot more will occur in the fourth quarter when institutions in North America have completed their application cycle and are ready to recruit their next class. Please take a moment to review some of the upcoming events on this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PkurQYYtwz1sdX5b44r22DgdZk4F-U8g/view?usp=sharing

including a couple for institutions in Canada with scholarship information and the links to presentations you may have missed recently.

Take care and stay safe,

UWCEA School Counseling Team

CLear out your Christmas reads and donate your unwanted texts to our appeal! All books will be willingly received at our Main Reception.

My name is Gabriel Kalamata with many years of experience of teaching music theory, practical piano and voice lessons.
I follow the ABRSM (The Exam Board of Royal School of Music) curriculum from the UK whereby students can learn theory of music, voice and piano grade 1-8.
Piano students can take part in ABRSM exams once or twice a year.This is not compulsory, it is up to the student and parents to make this decision.

Here are the times available at the moment.
Monday 3:00-5:00 pm
Tuesday 12:12:30 pm and 3:30-5:00 pm
Wednesday 3:00-3:30 pm and 3:30-5:00 pm
Thursday 12;00-12:30 pm and 4:30-5:00 pm

Preferably individual lessons for primary students. One lesson is Tshs 20000 and for one hour is 30000 payable at the beginning of the term.
Parents who are interested to develop the talent of their children in music can call me on 0753 341076,0786 250226 or email me kalamata734@gmail.com

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