Arusha Campus News – 6 Mar 2021

This week we have seen lots of reading in classes and in some precarious places!

Every Tuesday Early Childhood have yoga sessions with Ms Marion and the children go on remarkable adventures. This week they went on  a dragon adventure.

This week it has been all about reading. This newsletter is punctuated with evidence of book week activities!

The threat to our students of cyber safety reared its head this week as we learned of a website that certainly does not have the best of our children’s interests at heart. Mr Khalid has volunteered to write an account of this particular danger and you can read abot it later in this newsletter. A day does not go by at the moment without me talking about the dangers of careless talk on the internet be it WhatsApp, Instagram or any other social media platform. I remind students that the absolute certainty is that whatever you write on your social media will be seen by people that you did not intend to be the recipients. A simple test is to ask yourself whether you would be happy for your parents or Mr Phil or you University Admissions Officer to see your latest e-message? If you would not then don’t write it! 

The new restaurant has its roof on! And its huge! This week a team of volunteer designers from the student body met with Alexis and Sune (our architects) to start work on their design brief to create interior furniture for the new building. I hope to have pictures of the new restaurant as it stands so far, next week.

Have a splendid weekend.

Phil

D2s (pictured right) have been preparing for, or completing, their oral exams in languages A and B for the last month. This week, English A completed their mock orals with the finals to be completed the week of March 22nd. In English A Literature students are required to discuss two of the literary works they have studied through the lens of a common Global Issue. The IB doesn’t allow students to practice these, so for mocks students had to go through the whole process but with books they have read outside of class. Some examples included: “Morality as a force against prejudice” as seen in Noughts & Crosses and The Book Thief, “Language as a tool for repression” as seen in Animal Farm and Brave New World, “Greed as a source of oppression” as seen in A Carcase for Hounds and The Government Inspector, and “How change can come at the expense of identity” as seen in Americanah and Things Fall Apart.

Secondary teachers and students are also preparing for Quarter 3 Student-led reflections. In the MYP, all students will work with their mentors to develop a portfolio of their work in each of their classes. On March 30th parents are invited to come to school so that students can share their successes and struggles and to set goals for our final Quarter. MYP Student-Led Conference packages will be shared in Mentor time on Monday – ask your child about it!

In Diploma, the D2s will soon be receiving their final report card from UWC East Africa. The D1 students will not receive reports this quarter and instead will complete reflections similar to the MYP. Parents of D1 students should have received an email explaining the process earlier this week – if you haven’t received the email, please let me know.

Here’s to another busy and productive month!

Christy

We have had a fantastic week celebrating book week (see images above). This year’s theme has been to look at the school values. Each class chose a value and found a story that connected to the value.

Nursery – Oliver’s fruit salad by Vivien French – value 9. A healthy lifestyle and active pursuits

EC – The Kindness Quilt by Nany Wallace -Value 1- A safe, collaborative and caring community

P1/2 – Mama Panya’s Pancakes by Mary Chamberlin – Value 7 Opportunities to engage with the culture and nature of East Africa.

P2/3 – The Last Wolf by Mini Grey – A shared responsibility and a collective duty of care for…the environment

P4/5 – Giraffes Can’t dance by Giles Andrea – Value 2 – A sense of belonging, acceptance and tolerance

P6 –  The curious garden by Peter Brown – Value 6 – The ambition of students to demonstrate initiative and take on leadership roles.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Teddy Bear’s picnic, different teachers reading different classes stories each day, extreme reading photos and our book day parade. Each class presented a short skit about their book which shared their learning this week. Thank you to students and parents for the amazing range of costumes.

Amanda

In the week commencing 15th March we will conduct MAP testing for P4, P5 and P6. Then in the following week, commencing 22nd March, we will start with M1, M2 and M3.

Last time we did the MAP tests, I was asked by several parents ‘What are MAP tests and why do we do them?’ So, as promised, I will be presenting a parent information session with Miss Amanda and Mr Hamid at 7.45am on Wednesday 10th March in the Perfromance Area. Everyone is welcome but obviously it will have greater relevance to the parents of students in P3-P6 and M1-M3.

It is hard to believe that we are already in March! While most of the D2 students  – currently toiling away at their last Internal Assessments to meet the deadlines –  probably think that the end of the academic year is not near enough, the idea that this is the final stretch before the examinations start, makes Graduation seem just around the corner!

Following the organisation of a fantastic Mother Tongue Day under the supervision of Ms Coralie and Ms Amanda, the D1 students started the Extended Essay process. They have picked a subject and have been assigned a supervisor. They are currently focusing on the research question and already some good ideas are emerging: “Lake Sarez: benefit or threat in Central Asia?” (ESS),  “The impact of the high rate of mobile money on the Bank of Africa in Ghana?”, “The impact of the exit of Burkina Faso from West African Franc to the Eco Franc on the economy of the country” (Economics), “The potash concentration of different stems obtained from the hardwood of trees with different characteristics” (Chemistry), “Ivan Aivazovsky’s realistic marine art” (Visual Arts), “The French Revolution influenced by the French public hatred of Marie Antoinette” (History), amongst many others!

During the past two weeks, the D2 have completed their final Language B oral and their mock English A individual oral. As explained by Ms Christy below:

“This week, English A students completed their mock orals with the finals to be completed the week of March 22nd. In English A Literature students are required to discuss two of the literary works they have studied through the lens of a common Global Issue. The IB does not allow students to practice these, so for mocks students had to go through the whole process but with books they have read outside of class. Some examples included: “Morality as a force against prejudice” as seen in Noughts & Crosses and The Book Thief, “Language as a tool for repression” as seen in Animal Farm and Brave New World, “Greed as a source of oppression” as seen in A Carcase for Hounds and The Government Inspector, and “How change can come at the expense of identity” as seen in Americanah and Things Fall Apart.”

Everyone did some reading this week, and that included the teachers! Here they are above reading to the classes earlier in the week.

Here pictured above are the colection of Prrimary doors that were decorated during book week. The winners this year were P6! The P6 door is top left.

On the bulletin board outside the LS room there was a book week quiz open to all primary to match students/ teachers to their favourite book.

Ellen (P5) received a prize (UWC Polo shirt) for having the highest number of matches.

Well done to all those who participated!

MYP Global contexts; Identities and relationships

Our statement of inquiry for the unit is ‘The relationships of functioning living organisms are dependent on the organization of complex structures’.

M1 Students are currently learning about living organisms and how they are all made from scratch. This includes basis like cells to make up tissues which make up organs that work together to form organ systems and finally a fully functioning living organism.
This week we looked at, and dissected, goat’s lungs, hearts, and the trachea as examples of organs that make up living organisms. Using goats organs remind us that all living organisms are more or less related in various ways. The lungs are made the same way as humans’ and do the same functions The heart has four chambers and functions just like a human heart in the distribution of blood. Leaves are plant organs making the food a plant needs. These are more or less like a stomach that processes the food for our bodies to use.

Here (above) are Sayan and Jonathan enjoying hands-on epxerience of the organs and practically visualizing through dissection. They are also pictured inflating lungs using rubber tubes 

Next week we welcome P1-2 to learn practically about states of matter.

David Furaha, MYP Science

In preparation for their final individual orals (IA). Swahili B D2 students were asked to summarize each theme they learned in class in one poster. The themes covered during this course are Sharing the planet, Experiences, Human ingenuity, Identities and Social organization.
In the picture above is Husseina and  Katanu presenting the theme Identities in style on how language and culture contribute to form our identity.

On our day, this is a message from a young woman to every female superhero in our community. we rely on you! I would like to thank every female for being a wonderful asset to our community. Thanks to UWCEA mothers, teachers, students, workers, the director,  and all the male counterparts.

Thank you for an equal and forgiving community. Women want and deserve an equal world free from stereotypes, violence, and inequality. And the world needs a woman at every table where decisions are being made.
International Women’s Day is a day to recognize your valuable contribution to our world, to emphasize your role as a key solution for the puzzle. it Is a call for you as a woman to redefine the rules, challenge the notion, and change the perspective. Today, the responsibility falls to each one of us. I expect you to have adventures, to be fearless, to claim your right, and fight for it. I expect you to be at the forefront of social justice and gender equality. I expect you to take a leap and make a splash. I expect you to unleash endless power on anybody who tries to sidetrack or hold you back.

The world expecting so much, and we expect it from you! WOMAN.

Happy IWD

Written by: Reem ALMABROUK, D1

Every week Journalism club will share Trivia questions with you about some interesting things about our campus, these questions could be historical, factual, pop culture, sports, and everything that might entertain you.

This week, we are TESTING your knowledge about the UWC movement, being a part of UWC is undeniably an incredible experience. Isn’t it? Are you willing to accept the challenge? Answer the five questions listed below through the shared google form in your mentor time (parents and teachers can send your answers to reemn22@uwcea.org or atkinsd22@uwcea.org. The student/ teacher or parent who scores the highest points will get a SURPRISE from the journalism club.

Let’s go folks!

• When was the UWC movement established?
• Who is the current chair of the board?
• Which is the oldest and youngest UWC?
• When was UWCEA established? exact date
• What’s the female percentage in UWC worldwide?
• What are the three things that make UWCEA special for you? 

By: Mark & Reem

Money March

Please forgive me in advance for using this week’s newsletter to solely focus on the college/university aspect of my role, but this is a very important time for students who are interested in attending university in the next year or so. This week on the Moshi campus, our Head of Campus did a very timely and enlightening presentation for D2 students about the realities of finances once they head off to life after UWCEA. This presentation covered a slew of topics ranging from understanding the financial aid packages our students are receiving, student loans, credit cards, and overall fiscal responsibility. The presentation opened a lot of eyes, and will be repeated on the Arusha campus for the D2 students there as well.

It has become very apparent that a lot of our students have limited fiscal awareness, and as they head off to their post-secondary aspirations, it is essential that they have a clear sense of basic financial concepts. This is especially true if they are headed off to university in a foreign country, and with a large scholarship package that will require time to comprehend the fine print and the indirect costs that come along with a university education, especially in countries where the price tag is quite high. It is so important that families are having open and honest conversations about finances so that young people have the tools to go off into the world with the financial wherewithal to limit the mistakes that they make with money.

In addition, there continues to be some confusion about how the UWC Davis Scholar Partner https://www.davisuwcscholars.org/partners  program works, and how students can become eligible for funding if they attend specific institutions in the United States. We are working to put together a parent presentation for D1 (and M5) parents in the next month or so, but the best place to start learning about these institutions is from the Davis Foundation, and the institutions themselves. Until we announce the presentation, please take some time to begin to better understand the way this partnership works, and the benefits to our UWC graduates by reviewing the information provided on this link. https://www.davisuwcscholars.org/program/by_the_numbers/how-this-works

As always, we want you to make sure to take some time to see what events are coming our way as the virtual visits list is starting to grow now that institutions are beginning their next recruitment cycle. Please take a look at upcoming events and sign up to attend one or two that interest you. Then talk with your child about what you learned and how this might apply to their post-secondary plans. D1s on both campuses are already underway with creating their plans. Please ask them to tell you about their thoughts and ideas thus far.

I would be remiss if I did not include anything from the social emotional side of this role this week. You are welcome to take a moment to view the March updates that have been added to the COVID-19 Counselor Resources document.
Take care and stay safe,

UWCEA School Counseling Team

On Thursday the Support Staff took on the Ancillary Staff at football with the Support STaff running out 2-1 winners on the day!

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